what does persepolis mean in the book

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What was the main function of Persepolis?

Although Persepolis was the capital of the Persian Empire, its functions remain unclear. It was one of the smallest cities in Persia and was remotely located. It appears to be a grand ceremonial complex that was occupied seasonally, especially during summer as winter rains made it inaccessible.

Is Persepolis and Persia the same thing?

The soul of Iran is Persia, which predates the introduction of Islam here by a thousand years. Persepolis was the capital of the Persian Empire back when it reached from Greece to India. For nearly 200 years, from 518 B.C. to 333 B.C., this was the dazzling home of the “King of Kings.”. Built by Darius and his son Xerxes the Great around 500 B.C., it's a complex of palaces of the greatest kings of the day.

What is the main conflict in Persepolis?

What is the primary conflict that moves the story forward?- The primary conflict in Persepolis is Marjane versus herself. She hides the fact that she is from Iran because she feels that being from Iran is embarrassing.

Is Persepolis a feminist text?

Instead it is an original feminist text equally because thinking women capable of individual action are at its center, and because by reporting her story Satrapi explores femininity in a fiercely male dominated society. Formatted as a vivid graphic novel, Persepolis is a female coming of age story.

What does the title Persepolis represent?

What is the theme of Persepolis?

How did Satrapi become a part of the Islamic culture?

Why is Persepolis important?

What was the capital of Persia?

Where was Persepolis located?

Who is the girl in Persepolis?

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What does Persepolis mean in Persepolis?

The Meaning of Persepolis Persepolis was the Greek name of the city. It simply means “the city of the Persians.” This reflects its importance as the heart of the Achaemenid Empire.

How did Persepolis get its name?

Persepolis was the capital of the Persian Achaemenid Empire from the reign of Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) until its destruction in 330 BCE. Its name comes from the Greek Perses-polis (Persian City), but the Persians knew it as Parsa (City of the Persians).

What does Persepolis focus on?

The Complete Persepolis is a graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi that describes the author's childhood experience in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and her early adulthood after she graduates high school in Austria and returns to Iran.

What is the key and what does it represent in Persepolis?

In Persepolis, the key symbolizes the deceitful ideas of martyrdom Iranian men are indoctrinated with. In Chapter Thirteen: "The Key", Mrs. Nasrine tearfully reveals that her son was given a "plastic key painted gold" at school, meant to represent the key to the gates of heaven.

What is Persepolis called today?

Modern-day Iranians call this place Naqsh-e Rustam ("Rustam Relief"), from the Sasanian reliefs beneath the opening, which they take to be a representation of the mythical hero Rostam. It may be inferred from the sculptures that the occupants of these seven tombs were kings.

Why is Persepolis black and white?

The colour palette for Marjane's graphic novel “Persepolis” is exclusively done in black and white. This colour choice helps to contrast the fundamentalists with the modernists. This way we see the veil as a large black entity. The colour choice also helps to create contrast between the prosecutors and the victims.

Why is Persepolis novel important?

Persepolis is an important classroom tool for a number of reasons. First, it is a primary source detailing life in Iran during the Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War . Readers of all ages get a glimpse of what life is like under repressive regimes and relive this period in history from a different perspective.

What are some symbols in Persepolis?

Persepolis SymbolsVeil. The veil is an extremely vital piece of clothing to Marjane's identity, not because she feels pious and wants to wear it and thus asserts it as part of herself, but instead because she doesn't… ... Bread Swan. ... Plastic Key Painted Gold. ... Cigarette.

How is power shown in Persepolis?

In Persepolis, the government wields considerable power over its citizens and places numerous restrictions on how individuals can live their lives. For example, when it bans alcohol, Marji and her grandma have to flush all the family's alcohol down the toilet before the house is inspected.

What is the most important symbol in Persepolis?

The most prevalent symbol in "Persepolis" is Satrapi's bed. It is present throughout the text as her mental gridiron and dream-world. She meets and adores her idea of God there and later ejects Him from the mattress. She dreams up rebellions against the state and realizes the futility of fighting in the same dreams.

Why did Marji smoke a cigarette?

Later that day, Marjane smokes a cigarette as a symbolic gesture against her mother's “dictatorship” and feels that she has reached adulthood. This insubordinate gesture, which is actually quite childish, becomes a way to deal with the heavy stresses of the war.

What does veil symbolize in Marji?

Satrapi uses this veil to symbolize her transitions in her Persepolis, from her state of conformity, to her metaphorical unveiling of the truth behind the Islamic regime and ultimately her complete rebellion that leads to her eventual freedom.

Why did Marjane Satrapi write Persepolis?

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was not originally written in Farsi, Satrapi's first language, but in French. She did not write her book for an Iranian audience. Satrapi's goal was to provide an alternative outlook on Iran for “westerners” who consumed the false and negative media attention given to Iran at that time.

Is Persepolis Banned in Iran?

The book and film is banned in Iran, and the film was temporarily banned in Lebanon, but the ban was rescinded due to public outrage.

What did Iran used to be called?

Persia, historic region of southwestern Asia associated with the area that is now modern Iran. The term Persia was used for centuries and originated from a region of southern Iran formerly known as Persis, alternatively as Pārs or Parsa, modern Fārs.

Why is Chapter 4 called Persepolis?

The definition of Persepolis is the ancient capital of Persia, but is now in ruins. This is chose because Marji's Grandmother tells her about the past and about the previous Shah's since "the dawn of time".

The Complete Persepolis : Title Significance - Blogger

There is a literal and figurative meaning to the title Persepolis. Persepolis has the word polis in it so you already know that it is some sort of city.

Why did marjane satrapi choose persepolis, as the title of her book ...

"The title, Persepolis, refers to the capital of the Persian Empire in 560 BCE and is another reference to Iran’s history." (1) "The title is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis."

Persepolis and it's significance/purposes! | Bored Of Studies

Hey there I have to prepare an extended response to: 'Discuss the significance of Persepolis withing the Persian Empire' I have researched through alot of sources ie. school libary, class work, teachers (wasn't much help there), local libraries and internet and I still struggle to find hard, strong evidence and resources.

Why Did Marjane Satrapi write Persepolis The Story of a Childhood ...

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Persepolis Persepolis Summary & Analysis | LitCharts

Marjane’s grandmother comes over to the house, and Marjane asks her about the times Marjane’s grandfather was in jail. Her grandmother speaks of how poor she was back then. At times she pretended to cook food she did not have just to keep up appearances for the neighbors who could see her through the window.

When was Persepolis published?

Originally published in four volumes between 2000 and 2003, Persepolis brings us into Marjane's world, from her tumultuous childhood growing up in Iran to her struggles to find herself in Europe to her difficult return home. Think about your life story.

What happened to Persepolis?

During this time, the Shah of Persia was overthrown and eventually replaced by an Islamist government. Many Iranians who had supported the Shah were exiled or left the country. Satrapi recounts her experience of the revolution, which includes bombings, stories of torture, and the violent deaths of family and friends.

What does Marji find out about her Uncle?

When her beloved Uncle Anoosh returns, Marji finds out that he had fought as a revolutionary and spent time in prison.

How old is Marjane in the book?

At the opening of the book, Marjane, or Marji, is ten years old. It's the year after the Iranian Revolution, and although her family has always been secular, Marji must wear a veil and attend a religious, girls-only school. She's imaginative, but doesn't really understand what's happening.

What is Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel about?

Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel 'Persepolis' gives a visual account of a young woman coming of age in Iran. In this lesson, we'll go over the plot, characters, and major themes. Create an account.

What war was Satrapi in?

The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) also figures heavily into the plot as the years of fighting took a heavy toll on the country and its citizens, who endured bombings, shortages, and the deaths of thousands of soldiers. Satrapi's entire childhood is marked by these shattering political events. Coming of Age.

Why is Marji's mother scared?

Marji's mother comes home one day, frightened after having been accosted for not wearing a veil. Iraq begins bombing Tehran, and the family has to spend time in a bomb shelter. It's so bad that a neighboring Jewish family is killed one day during an intense attack.

Book Summary of Persepolis

Persepolis is a graphic novel memoir by Marjane ‘Marji’ Satrapi that takes us through her childhood in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution.

Key Characters in Persepolis

Marjane is the young, independent, intelligent and rebellious protagonist of the book, Persepolis. Even as a child, she’s eager to learn as much as she can about the political situation in Iran, both during and after the Revolution.

Context

Persepolis is set in Iran and follows a period of social and political tensions starting with the 1979 Iranian Revolution, to life under the new Islamic Republic, to the Iran-Iraq War. The 1979 Revolution aimed to overthrow the Shah, who aligned with America and attempted to modernise the country.

Themes Explored in Persepolis

Here are some themes and key ideas from Persepolis that can help you develop your thesis and analysis.

How to Analyse Persepolis in 3 Steps

Your analysis is a very important foundation when it comes to writing an essay. While having a strong thesis and selecting good examples and themes is important, you can’t access those top marks without good analysis!

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We can help you master your book analysis of Persepolis by taking you through the summary, context, key characters and themes. We’ll also help you ace your upcoming English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online!

What are the themes of Persepolis?

LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Persepolis, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Religion, Repression, and Modernity. Nationalism, Heroism, and Martyrdom. Violence, Forgiveness, and Justice. Children, War, and Growing Up.

What did Marjane's father say about the old man's widow?

Yet, when Marjane’s father questions the old man’s widow about his death, it turns out he died of cancer —he was not a martyr at all. Still, at the crowd’s insistence, the old widow actually joins in their demonstration honoring the dead old man and defiling the Shah. Together they shout: “the king is a killer!”.

What does Marjane's grandmother say about the Shah?

She claims that the Shah did this only “to impress heads of state. ”. Marjane’s grandmother then expresses her happiness “that there is finally a revolution.”. She does not directly speak of Marjane’s grandfather throughout the conversation, even though Marjane had originally asked about her grandfather at the start.

What did Marjane's father say about the young man?

Marjane’s father describes how the people “honored [the young man] like a martyr.”. When another dead body, this time of an old man, was carried out of the hospital, the people crowded around and also called the old man a “hero,” just as they had called the first man.

How does Marjane explain the Shah?

Marjane looks towards all of her family members to describe and explain the confusing facets of the rise of the Shah and the subsequent revolution – both how it happened, and also how her family is connected to it. Instead of answering Marjane’s question about her grandfather, Marjane’s grandmother avoids talking about his torture by talking about other difficult but less traumatizing subjects. She describes the way the Shah wasted enormous amounts of money on propaganda when the people of Iran were suffering from poverty and hunger. She highlights the great distance between the Shah and the common people, though this also more generally indicates the ways that rulers often try to control rather than serve those whom they rule.

Veil

The veil is an extremely vital piece of clothing to Marjane’s identity, not because she feels pious and wants to wear it and thus asserts it as part of herself, but instead because she doesn’t … read analysis of Veil

Bread Swan

Marjane receives her two bread swans from Anoosh, her uncle who spends much of his life hiding in Moscow from the regime of the Shah or imprisoned by it, and who, shortly after his… read analysis of Bread Swan

Plastic Key Painted Gold

The plastic key painted gold is a beautiful object from the outside. Mrs. Nasrine’s son is given the key by his teachers at school, to represent the “beautiful” idea that if he were to die… read analysis of Plastic Key Painted Gold

Cigarette

When Marjane reaches her teenage years, she smokes a cigarette in order to rebel against her mother’s strict rule. Marjane skips school in order to buy an illegal hamburger, and when she returns her mother… read analysis of Cigarette

What is the story of Persepolis?

Every war has millions of stories, and people who lived through it all tell the best ones. Persepolis refers to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, published in the United States in 2003, is a graphic autobiography novel by the Iranian author, Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi details her experience and life before, during and after the Iranian Revolution and the Iran and Iraq war. Satrapi also includes political and cultural events that helped shape her into the women she is today. The novel begins after the Islamic revolution had started, when Satrapi is only 10 years old. Women were forced to wear the Veil, girls and boys were placed in separate schools, and entertainment activities such as music, playing cards or even having posters of singers were banned. Satrapi, goes by Marji in the book, and her family weren’t happy about all the changes. Her family was considered modern and secular. Satrapi got in trouble many times throughout the first chapters because of her rebellious acts so her family sent her to Austria. After going through tough times in Austria, Satrapi went back to Iran. She got married and shortly after getting divorced then moved to France for good. Satrapi’s Persepolis is a fascinating book that illustrates many rhetorical strategies, but the four that affected me the most were her use of imagery, syntax, irony and symbolism. The use of these devices made her story come to life.

What is dramatic irony in Persepolis?

An example of dramatic irony in Persepolis is when the shah gets dethroned; the United States refused to give him a shelter when they were his biggest supporters when he was still a ruler. Satrapi also uses situational irony when she told the story of her parents and wine in the “The Wine” chapter.

What is the rhetorical device used in Persepolis?

A third rhetorical device Satrapi uses in Persepolis is irony. Irony is used to describe how things seem and how they really are. There are three different types of Irony, verbal Irony, situational irony and dramatic irony. An example of dramatic irony in Persepolis is when the shah gets dethroned; the United States refused to give him a shelter when they were his biggest supporters when he was still a ruler. Satrapi also uses situational irony when she told the story of her parents and wine in the “The Wine” chapter. She explains that during the Islamic revolution, people were not allowed to party or drink but her family and friends still did it. One day, her family went to celebrate her newborn cousin. On the way back home, the police stopped them and asked them if they have been drinking, Satrapi’s father denied it. The police decided to follow them home and search it for any banned items. So when the family got home, Satrapi and her grandmother ran upstairs and got rid of all the wine. Satrapi’s father ended up bribing the police officer and made him leave. After the police had left, Satrapi’s father wanted alcohol badly but ironically, Satrapi and her grandmother got rid of it all. Another use of situational irony is in the “The Passport” chapter. Satrapi and her family went to visit her aunt. While they were there, her aunt’s husband started smoking so his wife got mad at him and asked him to stop smoking because he has had two heart attacks in the past, but her aunt’s husband said, “The stress I get from every gunshot I hear is much worse for me than the cigarettes.” (Satrapi 118) Ironically, he gets hospitalized few days later due to his fear from a grenade that his neighborhood and dies.

What is Satrapi's most important rhetorical device?

The last and the most important rhetorical device Satrapi uses in Persepolis is Symbolism. Symbolism is the use of symbols to illustrate ideas by giving them important meanings that are different from their natural or exact definition. Starapi uses many examples of symbolism in her novel. One of the most important symbols is her bed.

What rhetorical device does Satrapi use?

One of the many rhetorical devices Satrapi uses is Imagery; she uses both visual and verbal imagery. Satrapi uses many visual imagery examples throughout the story since it’s a graphic novel but the strongest example is when her hometown, Tahran, got bombed.

Why didn't Satrapi like the veil?

Satrapi as a young girl, and her friends didn’t like wearing the veil simply because they didn’t understand why they had to wear it. Wearing the veil wasn’t a choice, it was obligated and a set law by the government, all females had to wear it. Satrapi’s family was modern and didn’t like to wear the veil.

Why did Satrapi's mother break down?

Satrapi’s mother went through an awful and terrible experience because of it. Satrapi’s mother’s car broke down, while waiting for Satrapi and her father to come and get her, she was stopped and insulted by two men because she wasn’t wearing the veil. Satrapi’s mother said, “They insulted me.

What does the title Persepolis represent?

The title Persepolis represents the loss of a golden era for the characters and for the country. Lesson Summary.

What is the theme of Persepolis?

This theme of reflecting on the greatness of the past of the nation and trying to preserve that even in the face of pressures to assimilate is central to the book.

How did Satrapi become a part of the Islamic culture?

In the first part of the novel, Satrapi depicts how the Revolution forced Iranians to assimilate, or become a part of, the Islamic culture by wearing veils, receiving a religious education, and becoming more conservative in regard to gender roles.

Why is Persepolis important?

Satrapi's choice to title her book Persepolis is not just because it is set in Iran, which used to be called Persia, but because it helps her tell a story about culture and assimilation. Throughout the book, Marji, the protagonist, and Satrapi's portrayal of her young self, struggles with balancing the culture ...

What was the capital of Persia?

At the end of the sixth century BCE, Darius the Great took over as ruler of the Persian empire. He moved the capital of the nation to a city called Parsa. This city came to be called (because of Greek influence) ''Persepolis'' from the Greek perses, meaning ''Persian,'' and polis, meaning ''city''—so literally: the ''city of the Persians.'' Persepolis was situated in the mountains of Persia, which made it difficult to travel to. This strategic location kept the capital safe for nearly 200 years, until Alexander the Great, the infamous Greek ruler, overtook Persepolis in 330 BCE.

Where was Persepolis located?

Persepolis was situated in the mountains of Persia, which made it difficult to travel to. This strategic location kept the capital safe for nearly 200 years, until Alexander the Great, the infamous Greek ruler, overtook Persepolis in 330 BCE.

Who is the girl in Persepolis?

If you haven't read it yet, Persepolis traces the life of an Iranian girl named Marji, who grows up during the Islamic Revolution. For those unfamiliar with the history of Iran, the Greek title of Persepolis might seem an odd choice, but authors rarely decide on a title for their work without consideration—and Marjane Satrapi's work is no different.

Book Summary of Persepolis

• Persepolis is a graphic novel memoir by Marjane ‘Marji’ Satrapithat takes us through her childhood in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. The story begins in 1980, one year after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. 10-year-old Marji narrates the influences of religious extremism within society,particularly in her liberal French co-ed school w...

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Context

Themes Explored in Persepolis

How to Analyse Persepolis in 3 Steps

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