Persepolis pt.1

Persepolis is a graphic novel about a young Iranian girl named Marjane. Marjane lives in Iran during the Iranian War in 1970. There are many themes throughout the first part, such as coming of age, identity, rebellion, family, and faith. The Veil is about how Marjane's identity was concealed by her veil from the War. The Bicycle is about Marjane's perspectives on revolution. The Water Cell is about Marjane learning about her Grandfather. Persepolis is about Marjane learning more about the War that is going on. The Letter is about Marjane and her Nanny/Maid becoming "sisters." Mehri fell in love with a neighbor, but could not pursue her love for him because of the social class she was born into. The Party is about the celebration of the end of the Shah's reign. The Heroes is about Marjane's family's friends being liberated from prison and talking about their torture. Moscow is about Marjane idolizing her uncle and thinking of him as a hero. The Sheep is about the former prisoners being executed, along with Marjane's idol, Anoosh. The first part ends with the start of the war, a bomb.

Persepolis is a story told by illustrations. I think the way this book is told has a great impact on the story.
Why do you think Marjane Satrapi chose to tell this story as a graphic novel and how does it impact the story? 

Persepolis

Throughout the graphic novel of Persepolis, there seems to be false information circling about. In other words propaganda, the author Marjane Satrapi specifically says in the book, "God did not choose the king... He did so! It's written on the first page of our school book." In Iran they were forced to believed that their leader the shah was chosen by God and therefore anything he says has to be follwed. So far this seems to be the central theme of the novel realizing that all the information learned in schools might be forced upon the students, so that when they get older they don't question the rule of the shah. Throught the reading it is present that the author does not quite believe her religion is treating its followers , but however still follows as a result of the shah. This novel proves how we can be decieved and be blind follwers to those we call our leaders.

Group Discussion Leading

You have a date assigned to you (and your group) for Group Discussion Leading of Persepolis. We'll be spending the next few weeks on Satrapi's novel. At the beginning of each class, the group assigned to that day will start our discussion off with questions.

Each member of the group should have 2 or 3 questions. You should talk about the theme or idea you are introducing first, then ask the question. Remember this is discussion leading, so if no one responds in the class, you should be able to lead the class to the point!

For the question, you should have a page number that you can refer to in the text. You can also incorporate outside research if you want including websites, critical articles or nothing at all and just your brains! You are also welcome to incorporate other peers' comments from the blog.

Each member should lead the class for about 5-7 minutes, I would say. Remember it's just discussion . . . lead us to what's most fun and interesting for you in the text!

Make sure you communicate with your group members, so that you do not work on the exact passage, etc.

The House on Mango Street

Throughout this novel we can see Esperanza’s struggle with her ethnicity, gender, and sexuality which all ties into her ultimate search for identity. In the second half of the book Esperanza talks about her friends, Minerva and Sally and she realizes through them what she doesn’t want to be. Minerva is only a little bit older than Esperanza but she already has two children and a husband who always leaves. Sally is not even in the eighth grade yet when she gets married and lives in a house with her husband. Although Esperanza dreams of moving out of Mango Street and into a new house, she doesn’t want it to be a “man’s house”. She wants a house of her own and unlike Sally, she will make sure she’s free to do whatever she wants without fear of angering a man. Esperanza clearly values her independence but when she gets sexually assaulted, she loses a piece of it. She is confused about her sexuality and doesn’t know how to react when she gets raped so she blames Sally and all the magazines and books for lying to her about the experience. We can also see Esperanza’s internal struggle when she calls herself the “ugly daughter”. She knows she’s not like other girls in the neighborhood because boys don’t pay attention to her. Although she feels unattractive and unwanted, she creates her own “quiet war” which involves acting in an unrestricted and carefree manner.

The House on Mango Street

Throughout the book one major theme is self-definition.  Esperanza is a young girl who is trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be.  She is surrounded with women who feel trapped and are abused whether it is from their father or husband.  Hearing all of these stories about these women makes Esperanza realize she does not want that for herself.  In this novel, we see Esperanza going through many phases of life and experimenting with different things as she is starting to mature.  With Esperanza being sexually assaulted and watching the lives of the older women in her neighborhood, she wants to do whatever it takes to leave Mango Street. At the end of the novel, it is interesting to see how much she has matured.  Esperanza realizes that her dream home is not a flat or an apartment, but in fact a house of her own.  Esperanza wants to feel independent and not have to end up trapped like many of the women in her neighborhood are.  My favorite part of the novel was the very end. Esperanza says that she will someday leave Mango Street, but she knows that she must come back for the rest of the women who can’t get out.

               

The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street is about a little girl named Esperanza who dreams about having the American Dream. When she was young all she did was move from place to place, always talking about her family's dream of getting a new house. Since she was constantly moving, she didn't really know what the definition of "home" was, and she knew that she didn't want the home she used to have previously. She wanted the house in America, the stereotypical cute little neighborhood house, and she kept promising her mother about the house they were going to get. It represented hope for her, but Esperanza's dreams of getting the American Dream failed her. She thought everything she wanted and dreamed of was in America, but all she did was move with no improvement to her dream. Because she dreamed the American Dream, she learns about who she doesn't want to be and becomes more independent. She is very keen to gender roles, and with the observation she makes she finds her identity and matures throughout the book.

The House On Mango Street

The House On Mango Street is a book written through the perspective of a little girl. Her family is not very well off, but they dream to someday be in a gorgeous house. They move from Loomis, a building where the landlord refused to fix broken water pipes, however The House On Mango Street is not a big upgrade. It is located in a bad neighborhood and is very small. Esperanza is aware of her circumstances and at times is ashamed of them. As the story goes on we get to see many scenarios from the standpoint of a little girl in the ghetto. She gives brief descriptions of the people around her. However, when it comes to describing herself we find out that she does not want to be confined to a boring life in the house, like the grandmother whom she is named after. The book is interesting and the excerpts being short make them easy to read, while simultaneously have the reader wanting more.