Persepolis Reaction

Persepolis, a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, was a memoir explaining life in Iran. This epic tale made the reader get a glimpse into what life was like for those in Iran at the time when the Islamic Fundamentalists were taking over control of the country. Besides giving the reader a slice of history from a person experiencing the revolution, this novel adds humor giving the audience reason to not get bored and to keep on reading.

Iran is constantly in the news. One just needs to open up a newspaper, and practically the whole page is dedicated to the happenings of Iran. Just recently, in Tehran, Iran, “Iran claimed Saturday (3/24/07) that 15 British sailors and marines had confessed to entering its waters in an act of ‘blatant aggression,’ an escalation of Tehran’s rhetoric over the confrontation” (Buffalo News). The article goes on to say that Saddam Hussein canceled a treaty that stated where the boundaries for the waters of Iran and Iraq were, five years after the treaty was in place, in 1980, making it null and void. This act by Hussein triggered the eight-year war that Iraq and Iran experienced, that is covered in Persepolis. For the British sailors, however, this pact that had become null and void years ago, was not a good sign for their safe return home.

Marjane lived in Tehran, and both her and her family experienced, first hand, the war with Iraq. During this time many of those around her, i.e. family and friends, were persecuted. It was a period of distress and tyranny that is still going on presently.

Persepolis is an incredibly well written graphic novel that let readers see what Iran was like before the present days, from an Iran citizen’s perception.

Source by Nikki Gawel