Persepolis

Question 1

Persepolis: Author

Answer 1

Marjane Satrapi

Question 2

Persepolis: Reason for Writing

Answer 2

“this old and great civilization has been discussed mostly in connection with fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism. As an Iranian who has lived more than half of my life in Iran, I know that this image is far from the truth. This is why writing Persepolis was so important to me. I believe that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists. I also don’t want those Iranians who lost their lives in prisons defending freedom, who died in the war against Iraq, who suffered under various repressive regimes, or who were forced to leave their families and flee their homeland to be forgotten.”

Question 3

Persepolis: Themes

Answer 3

• War
• Freedom
• Justice
• Life and Death
• Maturity and Coming of Age
• Heroism
• Religion
• Feminism
• Education and Misinformation

Question 4

Persepolis: Symbolism

Answer 4

• Golden keys symbolize heroism and sacrifice
• Bread duck symbolizes martyrdom and love
• Marji’s beauty mark symbolizes growth, adulthood, and self-worth

Question 5

Persepolis: Simile

Answer 5

• “The revolution is like a bicycle”

Question 6

Persepolis: Hyperbole

Answer 6

• After one of her classmates moves to the United States, Marji states “…I liked him very, very much. It was the end of the world.”
• When Marji runs home after a bombing, she states “If someone had timed me, I think I would have beat the world speed record.”

Question 7

Persepolis: Diction

Answer 7

• Informal language is used to indicate things that Marji did not take seriously and youth and immaturity
• Formal language is used to indicate things that Marji saw as serious, sad, or scary