The Use of Unique Art Style and Language in Fun Home, Maus and Persepolis

Though sometimes overlooked as an art form, and overshadowed by other forms of art such as film, visual arts, and traditional written literature, the combination of language and visual expression that is intrinsic to graphic novels allows for unique ways to express feelings, arguments, and histories that may not be possible using more traditional forms of literature. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Allison Bechdel’s “Fun Home”, Art Spiegelman’s “Maus”, and Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis”, in which each author’s unique art style and use of language allows them, despite being completely unrelated, to convey the same universal argument: that people’s perceptions and relationships, as components of their identities, are defined by their losses.

The authors of these works achieve this uniformity of their argument through the diversity of their works. Bechdel’s art in several panels reveals details about her father that only became apparent after his suicide and subsequent disclosure of various facets of his life that were hidden during Bechdel’s childhood, as well as Bechdel’s perception of her father in hindsight with these newly discovered aspects of his person.

Spiegelman’s characterization of his father, both through language and illustration, show the emotional burden that he carries as a result of his wife’s suicide, and the emotionally unfulfilling stopgap measures he has taken to fill the void left in his life by Anja’s departure, including marrying a woman he does not love. Satrapi’s expressionistic style of illustration, at times comparable to visual hyperboles, display her changed attitudes towards existence and religion after the murder of her uncle Anoosh.

Throughout “Fun Home”, Bechdel’s illustrations are pervaded by a bluish-gray haze. While this color creates a gloomy tone throughout the work, it is not until page seventeen that Bechdel reveals her father’s double identity as a pedophile who preyed on young boys. This revelation, while shocking, immediately begins to explain Bechdel’s choice to illustrate “Fun Home” as she did. Because of the nature of her father’s secret life, depicted through Bechdel’s contrast between black and white when his shadow does not line up with his own position and movements in a panel on page ten, he is forced to maintain a façade that causes him great emotional distress, establishing a cold and distant relationship with his family, with his own children being unable to express affection towards him, and using home improvement and fashion outlets for expression that he is unable to perform in any other manner.

Furthermore, Bechdel never portrays her father expressing joy or any semblance thereof. Not once throughout “Fun Home” does Bechdel illustrate her father smiling, laughing, or expressing happiness, regardless of whether he is with his family or partaking in one of his personal leisure activities.

On page 11, he is even shown ready to physically strike one of Bechdel’s brothers for failing to set up a Christmas tree to his liking. Later, it is revealed that Bechdel’s father committed suicide when she was twenty years old, with details about his sexual perversions surfacing later after his death. Because of the nature of his death, suicide caused by intense emotional distress, and the subsequent unearthing of facts surrounding her father’s actions, this loss plays a crucial role in shaping Bechdel’s perceptions of her father, as evidenced by the all-encompassing blue-gray fog throughout her illustrations and her negative depictions of her father, combined with the fact that the story is almost exclusively narrated in the past tense.

These perceptions, however, would not have been shaped without the loss of her father that led to the discovery of the facts about him, reinforcing Bechdel’s argument regarding human loss as a catalyst in defining people’s perceptions of others and their actions and shaping their own identities.

Similar to how the death of Bechdel’s father shaped her own perceptions about him, loss can also be a significant factor in defining people’s relationships with one another. This is clearly illustrated in Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” by the unfulfilling marriage that Vladek, Art’s father, enters to fill the void left in his life by Anja, his former wife and the one he truly loves.

Throughout “Maus”, Vladek’s interactions with Mala, his current wife, are strained, with conversations between the two regularly escalating into arguments, such as on page 104, where even Spiegelman’s somewhat inexpressive mouse faces he uses to depict Mala and Vladek show signs of displeasure when arguing with each other. In Vladek’s flashbacks to his experiences in the holocaust, he makes it abundantly clear how much he loved Anja, hiding with her during the holocaust, providing support for her when emotionally distraught, and bringing her placebos to try and help alleviate her hunger from the food shortages caused by the Nazis.

Following Anja’s suicide, Mala serves to try to fill the void Vladek feels has been created by Anja’s departure. Because Vladek does not truly love Mala, and never truly stopped loving Anja, his relationship with his new wife is not a fruitful one, with Mala even making Vladek withhold money from Art, rewrite his will, and wanting only money from Vladek, causing Vladek to break down in tears on page 127. Because the loss of Anja in his life, Vladek was forced to enter into an unhappy marriage to try to seek some form of solace, unsuccessfully.

This reshaping of Vladek’s relationships with others, shown by his dialogue with Mala and flashbacks of his days with Anja, as well as growing closer to Art after sharing details of his experiences and love for Anja during the Holocaust, as well as exposing Art to the unhappy, ugly reality of his current marriage, reinforces Spiegelman’s argument, that people’s losses are integral in shaping, for better or worse, how they interact with others and form new relationships that are vital parts of their identities, supporting the common argument shared by all three authors, that losses define people’s identities.

Perhaps the clearest example of losses shaping the identity of one of these authors is in Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis”. Following the murder of young Marji’s uncle Anoosh, someone who truly made her feel special, by the Islamist militants fighting for control in Iran at the time, Marji renounces her faith, and feels lost in a sea of feelings without any sort of “bearing” to tell her what is right and what is wrong. On page 70, Marji literally yells at a manifestation of God that appears to try to comfort her, saying that she “never wants to see [Him] again”.

This is followed by an illustration of Marji floating in space, surrounded by stars and planets as someone yells to her to take cover from the impending bombs and explosions. These expressionistic illustrations serve as visual hyperboles, as God did not literally come into Marji’s room, and Marji did not literally float in outer space, they serve as clear indicators of the drastic shift in attitude that Marji experiences towards her religion, followed by the wandering sense of loneliness and lack of moral direction following her rejection of her faith, caused by her anger at God for failing to prevent Anoosh’s death. Because these events were brought about by Anoosh’s death, and caused such a drastic change in Marji as a person, these panels help reinforce the common argument that Satrapi shares with Bechdel and Spiegelman: that our losses are critical in shaping our identities.

Bechdel’s use of color and portrayal of her father, Spiegelman’s characterization of his father, and Satrapi’s use of expressionism, all serve to argue a common point shared by all three authors. All three of these authors, through various methods in the medium of graphic novels, illustrate that people’s losses serve to shape their identities by affecting their attitudes, perceptions of others and their actions, and ability to form new, meaningful relationships with others following a loss.

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A Look in the Iranian Revolution in Persepolis, a Novel by Marjane Satrapi

In Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, readers are informed about the Iranian Revolution through a memoir. As a graphic novel, Persepolis, highlights many historical events that occurred during Marjane’s life during the Iranian Revolution. Marjane is an adventurous character but can also be seen as a rebel for not following Sharia. Humor is used heavily in this graphic novel as a way to not only appeal to the readers, but to convey some of the more important themes in an unconventional, yet, dynamic way. Many readers would agree that the usage of humor in Persepolis, does not distract readers from serious events that occurred in the novel, but instead, help readers better understand Marjane’s life growing up in a developing country at the time. Readers are also able to relate to Marjane through the usage of humor which helps readers better understand Marjane’s feelings.

Some instances where humor is used as a way to describe a serious event or scene can be found in many parts of the novel that will be discussed throughout the paper. Marjane had a very special bond with “God”. Prior to her uncle’s death, she would talk good to God and would feel safe around him. She told God” I didn’t know what justice was. Now that the revolution was finally over once and for all, I abandoned the dialectic materialism of my comic strips. The only place I felt safe was in the arms of my friend [God]” (Satrapi 53). As a young girl, Marjane has a strong bond with God for she feels that he is the only one that can protect her, especially at difficult times. It is until her uncle is killed in prison through the corrupt government where she has a change of heart. She feels as if she has no one else to blame besides God. God was the only figure in her life and he disappointed her in her eyes.

She tells God” Shut up, you! Get out of my life!! I never want to see you again!” (Satrapi 70). While some readers can see the humor behind this as the illustration shows Marjane on top of the bed so that she is the height of God while she is shouting and pointing at him, the idea of faith is shown here and at this moment, Marjane had lost faith in her only friend. This scene is very crucial for readers to understand why faith is a theme in this section. Marjane had went through many challenges and faced unfortunate loses at a very young age. The one person who she grew close with, her uncle, was taken away from her. In addition, there is a photo of Marjane floating in space alone with no dialogue ( Satrapi 71). Where God is usually at, in the sky, there is no one besides Marjane. At this moment, Marjane realizes that after she had casted God out of her life, she is left with no one.

Marjane continues to face more challenges in her country. It is very difficult to enjoy her childhood when she is restricted from doing anything fun or that appears to be “western” affiliated. She welcomes herself into adulthood by smoking a cigarette. She says “ As for me, I sealed my act of rebellion against my mother’s dictatorship by smoking the cigarette i’d stolen from my uncle two weeks earlier… Now I was a grown up” (Satrapi 117). In this illustration, Marjane is seeing coughing as she is trying to smoke her first cigarette. In the last photo, she is seen holding the cigarette in her hand and putting her hand up as if she is pledging.

There are many things wrong with this scene for one, there is a young girl smoking a cigarette. In the eye’s of the guardians of the revolution, this type of behavior would also be deemed as inappropriate. It is also evident that this type of behavior is wrong in Marjane’s eyes as well. Her understanding of smoking as an act of disobedience is what makes it an assertion of her adulthood which many readers would be able to agree upon. On top of all this, there is also another factor that contributes to her disobedience; she has no parental guidance. Readers would agree that Marjane had experienced events in her young life that no young girl should have witnessed or dealt with and for Marjane, it is a reason why she is so eager to want to become an adult. She has been forced to mature.Furthermore, readers can see how much hope Marjane has lost for her country. She is aware of how unfair the new system in Iran is and does not want to take part of it. She wants to continue to express her individuality, even if it means going against what everyone else believes is the “right thing” to do. As a comical character, Marjane has a way with getting out of trouble and it is through lieing. While lying may not be the ideal way to handle sticky situations, Marjane is left with the choice of being detained for days and whipped or just lie to the nuns about the clothes that Marjane is wearing. Marjane says “Ma’am, my mother’s death.

My stepmother is really cruel and if I don’t go home right away, she’ll kill me… burn me with the clothes iron!” (Satrapi 134). Marjane then cries hysterically, hoping that the nun would budge and set her free, and it worked. Many readers would be able to see the humor behind this scene, for Marjane is a young girl who who is fighting to keep her individuality. Readers could see that Marjane intended to do no harm with her skinny jeans and music. In eyes of the guardians, she is called a whore for it (Satrapi 133). People can see how this type of treatment can negatively impact an individual’s life. Women are being called whores and sent to the committee by the nuns for things that readers might not deem as inappropriate or bad. This type of behavior makes readers feel more sympathy for Marjane.

While readers may get a humorous feeling when Marjane lies to the nuns, the important message behind this scene is basically saving oneself from cruel and unnecessary punishment which many would probably agree is the favorable option. On one hand, there are some instances where readers do not see Marjane as a comical character, but rather a disrespectful young girl. Since Marjane has such a strong character in terms of expressing her personality and voice, she can come across as being a stubborn girl who does not like being told what to do. In this scene, Marjane and her peers are acting out with the nuns.

Marjane and her friends had made masks out of their hijabs, decorated the classroom with toilet paper and pretended to be martyrs ( Satrapi 97). This type of behavior can be seen as childish and disrespectful to the nuns as wells as their culture. In this scene, readers can feel pity for the nuns as they are being taunted by young girls who are acting out. They have no control of the kids and are being laughed at. Punishment is an understandable way to handle a situation like this. On the other hand, Marjane and her friends are being who they are: kids. Of course kids want to have some fun and when they are being absolutely restricted from doing anything that seems fun, it is okay to have some fun. These kids are not directly hurting anyone, but instead, getting a little kick out of the situation. In addition, the nun in the scene mentioned above was very harsh with her words towards the girls which could be seen wrong as she is suppose to be an adult trying to calm a group of girls down.

She tells them: “ You’re as worthless as your decorations! You’re worthless!! You hear me?! Worthless!!!…”( Satrapi 97). These are very harsh words to tell elementary school girls. This could be a reason perhaps why these young girls do not have respect for the nuns for the way that they are treated and talked down against. Like the common saying, two wrongs do not make a right and as adults, the nuns should know how to talk appropriate and respect to young school girls. To wrap up, the idea of humor was a great tactic for Satrapi to use to engage her readers in Persepolis. By using humor, Satrapi was able to not only engage her readers, but also convey her messages in an untraditional type of way. While readers did have to take the extra step to actually see the importance behind some of the comical scenes, it did not distract them from the overall purpose of the graphic novel. Readers were able to get an understanding of Marjane’s feelings and see her grow as a comical character in Persepolis. As mentioned before, Marjane could have came off as a disrespectful character with her type of character but it was then revealed that it was not the case. Readers were able to see how the struggles that Marjane faced growing up in Iran affected the way Marjane viewed others, such as guardians. It was evident that Marjane did lack guidance in her life but it only made her into a strong, independent woman who stood up for what she believed.

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The Use of Illustrations in Marjane Satrapi’s Graphic Novel Persepolis

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel that revolves around the adolescence of the narrator and protagonist, Marjane Satrapi. Growing up in Iran in 1979 around the Islamic Revolution, Marjane is subjected to the extremities going on at the time, such as the political upheaval and the many protests for and against the Islamic revolution, sexism, and civil disobedience, resulting in a loss of innocence for many children exposed to these issues. The author Marjane’s composition of the novel as a graphic novel relates to the novel as a whole in the way that the composition of the novel shows the different ways in which the illustrations add to the meaning and quality of the work. The graphic novel format serves as a learning aid for readers, illustrates the naivety and fantasy in children’s thinking, shows a connection between the past and present Iran, and overall serves as a form of protest.

The fact that the work is a graphic novels allows the readers to have a visual guide in addition to the text. This added visual aid may appeal to some readers more than others, but it can aid the understanding of any type of reader; from the open-minded to the not so open minded readers. Whether the reader is a visual learner or not, visuals can add a great deal of information to the text. Along with serving as a visual guide, the pictures might make the novel more memorable because the readers have something tangible, an actual picture to remember, as opposed to just words on a page that can flow past a reader if they are not actively paying attention. One can see the effectiveness of having a visual aid first hand from doing everyday activities such as studying for tests or watching a movie. One can often times find it easier to remember something if they also have a visual that they can pull up in their mind.

Visuals can also be processed instantly, versus text that needs to be read and understood. The visuals can also add to the enjoyment of the novel, especially to those who don’t particularly enjoy reading, since they’ll be processing the novel in a different way than the traditional only text format; and actually enjoying what one is reading is another way to aid learning. Overall, visuals greatly add and aid our learning experience in everyday life and the same concept can apply to the visual illustrations in Persepolis.

The author employs a minimalist illustrating style in black and white. This style and the fact that the novel is a graphic novel or “comic book’as some children might call it, adds a personal touch to the work since the visual illustrations in the novel wer actually drawn by Marjane Satrapi herself, thus presenting the work sort of like a personal journal. Furthermore, because adding pictures to a book is something that is more likely to come from a child, the format is appropriate since the novel is written in the viewpoint of a young girl. Each page of the novel also contains about six-eights panels of illustrations and text, which along with the minimalist style, conjure up a representation of the naïve and limited viewpoint that a child possesses in the transition from childhood to adolescence.

A child may not understand conflicts of the world, because the frontal lobe of a child is not fully developed yet and children have less experience than an adult would have had. This innocence of a child is exemplified as stated by Marjane in the novel, “I didn’t know what justice was.” Her child-like beliefs are also shown with her and her friend’s idealized thinking of becoming revolutionary heroes like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. This also extends to Marjane’s communication with imaginary entities whom she regularly has conversations with and who could be considered her imaginary friends, which is not uncommon among children. Along with her belief that she will be the last prophet, as stated by her when asked what she will be by her teacher she proclaims “I’ll be a prophet.”, or her belief that she could be the next famous scientist like Marie Curie. All these instances reinforce the idea that Marjane is young and represent the type of thinking a regular child would have. It may seem that Marjane is a grown up because of the things she experiences and the brave actions she takes, but in the end she’s still a child.

The black and white medium of the illustrations may also have a symbolic meaning to the past and how the Islamic revolution has robbed Iran of it’s colorful culture, leaving behind instead chaos and uncertainty for those living in Iran. This demonstrates a relationship between the past and the present as what was once a vibrant culture had turned into mass protests, an increase in assaults (as experience by Marjane’s mother), hostility, violence, and unrest. In addition, traditionally in Islamic culture, it is forbidden to have iconic representations of the Islamic regime, which makes the novel a rebellious work of literature; reflecting Marjane’s rebellious view about the Islamic regime that she has held throughout the entire novel.

Such as Marjane wanting to go to the revolutionary demonstrations against her parents wishes, and eventually went on to doing so with the maid, Mehr; adding that afterwards her mother hit them across the face for doing so, “It is really our own who had attacked us.” Marjane goes on to attribute her rebelliousness to the education she received, saying: “I think the reason we were so rebellious was that our generation had known secular schools.” However, I believe that this rebelliousness also contributed to her beliefs and eventually this book, because another young girl at this time may simply follow the rigid rules of the time and never even have the idea to go against convention or even write a book.

In conclusion, the novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, employs the use of illustrations as a way to convey further meanings in the novel. Meanings that perhaps are not seen the first time around or would otherwise not have existed if it wasn’t for the formation of the novel being in a graphic novel form. From giving the reader an aid for understanding. to illustrating the fantasy-like views and rebelliousness of a child, to showing the connection between the past and the present, and serving as a piece of resilience in the face of opposition by being a novel as well as a protest.

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Biography of Xerxes

Born in c. 519 BC, of the parents King Darius and his wife Atossa came Xerxes. He was raised in the lavish opulence of an eastern court and became the designated heir to his father”s throne in which he was to rule over the greatest empire of his time for 21 years. The Persian Empire. He was not the oldest of Darius” sons but still became the heir over his oldest brother Artabazanes. There were two main reasons for this, His mother Atossa was the daughter of the great Cyrus making Xerxes his grandson.

According to Herodotus Atossa would have used her influence to get her son on the throne. [Herodotus book 7 section-3]. Xerxes stated superior claim to the throne for the same reasons. Spartan King Demaratus who was exiled from Sparta and in the Persian court at the time, suggested that they use the Spartan custom to elect a king. That is that the son who is born first while the king sits on the throne will be the heir no matter how many sons there were before the king became king [Herodotus book 7 section-3].

This made Xerxes the rightful heir how ever he describes his accession himself on limestone foundation block at Persepolis “… My Father was Darius; Darius” father was Hystaspes by name; Hystaspes” father was Arsames by name… saith Xerxes the King: Other sons of Darius there were, (but)- thus unto Ahura-Mazda was the desire- Darius my father made me the greatest after himself. When my father Darius went away from the throne, by will of Ahura-Mazda I became king on my fathers throne. ” So to help legitimise his claim to the throne, Xerxes uses Ahura-Mazda.

In another inscription he supports himself by saying ” … I am Xerxes, the great king, king of king, king of lands containing many men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of Darius the king, an Achaemid, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, of Aryan seed. ” Here he emphasises that he an Achaemenid to add weight on his claim to the throne. According to A. T. Olmstead, Xerxes gained administrative experience by living in the royal Babylonian palace and being able to rule Babylon. Though there is not enough evidence to support this.

Some historians say that Darius and Xerxes shared co-regency, but there is not enough evidence to support this either. The evidence we do have on his background and early life before he became king is that his father was a believer in the god Ahura – Mazda and therefore a follower of Zoastrianism. We know that Xerxes carried this on. As far as we know the only real education according to Herodotus that Persian boys were taught was to… ” Ride, to use the bow, and to speak the truth” [Herodotus book 1 pg. 137].

The most important and significant things in Xerxes life that contributed to his assent was being the grandson of the greatest king Persia had seen and his mother being that kings daughter and able to use her influence. Xerxes became the king of the Persian Empire in 485BC. In his 25 years of reign he achieved many things. He was certainly not a lazy ruler and her proved this in the early years of his reign with the swift crushing of the Babylonian and Egyptian revolts. Even as a new king he portrayed traits of a strong and strict monarch. “He sent an army against the Egyptian rebels and decisively crushed them. [Herodotus book 7 section-7].

The most famous expedition Xerxes was conducted as his attempt to invade Greece. This is seen to most people as a failure as the Greeks defeated him. Though it can also be looked upon as an achievement because although he failed to encompass the entire country into his empire he still managed to destroy Athens, which was one of his main priorities in the first place. ” I will not rest until I have taken Athens and burnt it to the ground, in revenge for the injury in which the Athenians without provocation did to me and my Father” [Herodotus book 7 section-8-b].

So his destruction of Athens can be looked upon as an achievement. Xerxes was by no means a poor military conductor as he shows good management and organisational skills in the way he amasses and upholds his army. He had clever and careful planning when it came to invading and according to Cameron and Lawless, Xerxes extended his empire into Thrace and Macedonia as well as adding territory from distant eastern provinces [page 99]. His achievements don”t just focus on warlike activities.

His building programs at Persepolis and some closer to home show that his ambitions did not just consist of taking land. He thought expanding his empire was important but so to was internal development. ” King Darius my father built and ordered to be built much good construction. By the favour of Ahura – mazda I added to that construction and built further (buildings). ” [Cameron and Lawless, pg 181]. Xerxes began building almost straight after he ascended the throne, but the majority of his constructions were done in the last three years of his reign.

Some of the buildings consist of the Apadana, which was an audience hall in the Persian royal palace. It was started by Darius and finished by Xerxes. ‘Harem” was Xerxes palace that he built for himself; The ‘Central Building” was another construction ordered by Xerxes; ‘Throne Hall” or other wise known as ‘The Hall of 100 Columns”, was believed to have been started by Xerxes and finished by Artaxerxes; ‘Palace H” was another incomplete building believed to have been stared by Xerxes and incomplete inscriptions suggest that it may have been finished by Artaxerxes.

These are just a few examples of the achievements this man completed in his life. It is clear that he was a serious ruler who had many ambitions in his life. The love life of Xerxes is a complicated subject to find evidence on. Herodotus mentions him having only one wife named Amestris and the information on her is extremely little. Her father was probably Otanes who was a Persian nobleman and one of the seven conspirators who helped Darius become King. Further research uncovers the story of Esther and Queen Vashti.

There is more information on the story of Esther and Queen Vashti then there is on Amestris. The story of Esther and Vashti is also more probable to be mythology then real history, as a lot of the information doesn”t add up. Herodotus neither mentions Esther or Vashti in his histories and he is our main source to this period in time. The story of Esther is a book in the bible and is where the Jewish celebration of ‘Purim” comes from. According to the story of Esther, King Xerxes was banqueting with all his friend and he was boasting about how he had the finest of everything.

Then he called for his wife, Queen Vashti, and told her to walk around in front of his guests wearing nothing but her crown because he believed she was the most beautiful woman and he wanted to show everyone. Vashti was greatly insulted and refused so she was deposed. A beauty contest was held for Xerxes to select a new wife and he chose a young girl called Esther who he apparently fell instantly in love with. Esther”s real name was Hadassah but she changed it to hide her Jewish identity.

Then with the help of her influence on Xerxes and her cousin Mordecai she was ale to save the Jewish people from slaughter. This story his been questioned by many scholars and historians and is believed to be mythical. Though there isn”t much mentioned on Amestris, from the main story she takes part in we are able to piece together quite a picture of her. Amestris wove a wonderful shawl as a present for her husband Xerxes. He gave it to his brother”s daughter Artaynte with whom he had had an affair with.

When Amestris discovered this betrayal she was furious and immediately blamed Artaynte”s mother and had her brutally mutilated. Xerxes brother then beside himself plotted a rebellion against Xerxes and Xerxes had him killed. From this story we can already gather that Amestris was a jealous and not so nice woman who held quite a bit of power over Xerxes, As she wasn”t punished for what she did. There is another story of Amestris that leads us to believe she wasn”t that good a woman. A custom of Persia was burying people alive!

Amestris in her old age did it to fourteen Persian boys of distinguished families, by way of a present which she hoped the god of the under world would except instead of herself [Herodotus book 7 section-114]. In 465BC Xerxes was found murdered in his bedchambers. According to Cameron and Lawless, specific details on the death of Xerxes are unknown. It suggests that Artabanus, the commander of the palace guards murdered him with the help of Aspamitres, a court eunuch [pg. 100]. Therefore Xerxes ended his reign of the Persian Empire as a victim of palace conspiracy and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes.

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Persepolis Critical essay

As a native to this strict Middle-Eastern country’, Satraps had much to discuss about the expected public behavior of women and the higher standards men were granted through gender inequality. Following the Islamic Revolution of 1 979, the new theocratic regime enforced strict moral conduct codes for females that, in effect, opposed women’s rights. Satrap’s description of her country aligns itself with the idea that women who openly spoke out and opposed the regime’s traditional values were negatively received by the government.

Women were expected to be complacent and diet, and failure to do so resulted in severe punishments, such as execution or imprisonment. When magazines published a photograph of Maria’s mother demonstrating for freedom, she quickly transformed her appearance and suppressed her rebellious personality in fear of the government’s retribution (5). This outspoken attitude was passed down to Marci who, on various accounts, was reprimanded and kicked out of schools and several residences.

Aware of the potential consequences her words held, Maria’s parents went to such drastic lengths to ensure the protection of their daughter that they sent ere to Vienna where freedom of speech was right was not restricted (147). Furthermore, women were especially disemboweled because their individuality was minimized when they were forced to wear a veil in public, a theme and image that are frequently depicted through Satrap’s style of drawing. The similarity between the female characters’ images evokes the sentiment that the veil erases all sense of individuality.

This obligatory accessory came to eliminate a woman’s body shape and protect women from the potential rapists who got excited by their hair. When Maria’s mother went UT in public without wearing the symbol of modesty, two’0 fundamentalist men saw it as their right to verbally attack and insult her since she was challenging the regime (74). The executives were very critical towards women who strayed from their straight and narrow path, as demonstrated when Marci was almost taken to the headquarters of the guardians of the revolution for wearing “symbols of decadence” (132-134).

This radical government system was not fully welcomed by the citizens, and Satraps described it as a suffocating and oppressive state where discrimination against women was a jugular occurrence. Gender roles and the power associated with them were clearly detectable throughout the comic; men were viewed as the bread makers and intelligent leaders of society, and women were housewives. Boys were indoctrinated from a young age to become soldiers, tempted with literal keys to open the gates of heaven, and fighting on the front line to earn their entry into paradise (99).

War propaganda glorified being a soldier, and it became less about fighting for a country values and more about using the military to protect territorial and financial investments. The young soldiers ere filled with a false sense of power because they were hypnotized into believing it would grant them access into an “afterlife even better than Disneyland” (101). Girls, on the other hand, were kept at home to make winter hoods for soldiers, still with the expectation of remaining complacent and quiet.

Satraps also criticized government officials by calling them hypocritical in their judgment of modest appearances. Numerous restrictions were imposed on what and how women were allowed to dress, whereas men were given the freedom to “present themselves with all clothes so tight they were practically sculpted on” (297). At one point during a convocation, Marci publicly confronted the administration by questioning if “religion was defending [their] physical integrity or if it was just opposed to fashion” (297).

Even more, Satraps depicts how men’s Offensive actions could be justified by the comportment of women, and how women were objectified and degraded by men. It was acceptable for a guardian of the revolution to marry and steal the virginity of a rebellious girl before her execution, as was the case with Nonlinear, the eighteen-year-old communist who was only given a dowry equivalent to five dollars (125). For a country that placed a lot of importance on modesty, the gender inequalities were far more apparent.

Although Satraps shares many of her memories on controlling leaders and discrimination against women, that is not to say that there are only radical portrayals of gender in Prolepsis. Satrap’s connection to Iran is strong and loyal; she believes the “entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists” (introduction). Maria’s family and her circle of friends were very avian-garden and would make subtly oppose the government by hosting secret parties with the opposite sex, wearing makeup, ND exposing tufts of hair through the veil.

Capitalism and anything relating to the Western world was banned and a cultural revolution was supported by the theocratic regime. Because of this uprising, females were expected to follow an enforced and strict conduct, and the conformity often became so familiar that an escape from the chains seemed impossible. Gender inequality is also explored throughout the comic, highlighting how men were given more freedom and power than women. Satraps portrayed men as being able to contribute to society and hold high-ranking titles, whereas the AR required women stay confined by the walls of their house.

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Visual Rhetoric in Persepolis

Nils Tangemann Josh Holland English A SL C-Code Section: Part 3 Works read: Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Pantheon. New York. 2003 Question: How and why is a social group represented in a particular way? The Display of Revolutionists in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis In Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis there are several important social groups that all play a […]

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Persepolis View on Culture

Western Pop Culture Marianne Satraps, aka Marci, displays her life in this graphic novel to correct the misconceptions often made by the Western world. She makes sure her audience knows who she is, where she came from, and what her country is like. Though she is born and raised for much of her life in […]

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