In our most recent grammar lesson, we expanded our understanding of nouns as "stuff" that can be classified as people, places, things, and ideas to include qualities, quantities, and emotions. For this blog post, identify two nouns in the first two chapters of Persepolis. Then, write an analytical paragraph in which you explore how these two nouns work together to create or explore a theme in the graphic novel.
As always, be sure that you support your ideas with evidence from the text. Also, continue to work on varying your sentence structure.
The nouns I picked are: Prophet and God
ReplyDeleteI choose these nouns because I think they accurately represent the theme and internal struggle of Marjane and her religious beliefs. I think "prophet" represents that theme because it frequently comes up as a point of controversy for her. On page 6 and 7 we see that she is confident and has already put a lot of thought into becoming a prophet. However, on the next page, page 8, we see all of her classmates and her teachers making fun of her and questioning her sanity. Eventually, as we see on page 9, she starts lying about her intentions which lead me to believe that she is either ashamed of it or doesn't want to deal with the ridicule. I chose "God" because I think it also is a great example of the theme I am analyzing. I think it also shows Marjane's doubt in her beliefs and the new perspective she is gaining as she gets older. We see on page 6 that she always grew up around religion and that God is a natural part of her life. However, as she gets older and her interests change, her belief and trust in God are starting to fade. We see an example of this on page 16 when we see that God has "left her." We also see her obvious doubt in her beliefs on page 10 when she says "My faith was not unshakeable." I think that together, these two nouns clearly represent the theme and mental conflict of Marjane and her doubt in religion.
The nouns I picked are veil and school.
ReplyDeleteThe place, school, and the thing, veil, are two nouns that appear in the beginning of the book. These two words help introduce the book, and set up the theme of a divided nation, and different political views in the book. The first appearance of this topic in on page 3 in the chapter titled “The Veil”. I choose the word veil was one of my words, because it is one of the important words in the start of the book setting up the scene. The use of the word veil shows how society changed throughout the first chapter. An example of this can be found on page 3, “In 1979 a revolution took place. It was later called “The Islamic Revolution”. Then came 1980: The year it became obligatory to wear the veil at school. We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to.” (Satrapi 3) This text shows sets up the story, by setting a frame of mind in the story. This also shows us that as a result of the revolution, the girls had to wear veils. Later in the text we learn how the vail is a point of controversy that divides the people. The author reveals this on page 5, “Everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations for and against the veil.” (Satrapi 5) This quotation illustrates how there are multiple sides to this. This idea of multiple sides and a divided people I feel sets up the book, and in the first chapter as one of the main ideas. My other word, school, also helps with the theme of a divided nation. In this chapter, the idea of the words veil and school portraying the idea of a divided nation or people works well together. The main example the word school showing a divided country is on page 4. The text states, “And also because the year before, in 1979, we were in a French non-religious school. Where boys and girls were together. And then suddenly in 1980.. All bilingual schools must be closed down. They are symbols of Capitalism. Of decadence. This is called a ‘cultural revolution’. We found ourselves veiled and separated from our friends. And that was that…” (Satrapi 4) From this quotation, we can see how the book portrays the people as divided. Not only do the students are literally separated or segregated by gender, but this quote shows us how there is a separation in the mindset of the leaders. From the introduction and first few pages, we known that there is a shift of power because of the Islamic Revolution. The repercussions of this can be seen through the choice of segregating the students. This shows how the new leaders view coed education as a bad thing and as the book states “Symbols of Capitalism” Really, what this does is shows the reader from the first few pages that there is a divided among the people both on politics (capitalism) and in everyday life (the veil and school).
The two nouns I picked are religion and prophet.
ReplyDeleteI chose these nouns because I feel that religion is a big part of this book. Pg. 6 "I was born with religion." Marji acts in the book as if religion is a part of her. She is so wrapped into her faith that she believes that she is the last prophet. Pg. 6 "At the age of six I was already sure that I was the last prophet." On page six I can see that Marci faith is unshakable, and that she is certain that she will become a prophet. I feel that this shows a certain hopeful quality in her. Even though it is desperate times, she still has hope that she can make a difference. She then contradicts herself, as she realizes how bad the situation was getting she said "My faith was not unshakable." This shows a certain self contradicting quality in her.
Nick Williamson
ReplyDeleteThe nouns I picked were "God" and "Prophet"
Marji's interactions with god on pages "8,9,13, and 14" show what could be an inner monologue that shes been dealing with as the world around her changes and as she grows up herself. Having to deal with people around her forcing her into a mold she doesn't fit into, her talking to god allowed for her to be herself. When Marji talks about how she wants to be a prophet she may be young but shes just expressing what she wants to be when she grows up. Something her parents understood that most likely she would grow out of but the people around her who didn't accept her forced her to that inevitable reality much sooner.
veil, justice
ReplyDeleteBoth veil and justice contribute to the theme portrayed so frequently - the division of the people, and more specifically, the controlling nature towards women in Iran. The veil can be seen as a symbol for the restriction enforced upon women by the Muslim regime of Iran. On page 3, the first frame’s drawings immediately show us how unhappy the female students are when wearing veils. Just one page after, the dialogue shows the reader how the veil forced separation among genders, “We found ourselves veiled and separated from our friends.” (Satrapi, 4). On the following page, we are told about the demonstrations for and against the veil with an image of women with veils on shouting "the veil" and women without veils on shouting “freedom”. (5) The two words are clearly tearing the civilians apart, specifically the women in this example. The second word, justice, ties into the division the author keeps bringing up, and as a reader, you can see how the injustice towards women is clearly prominent in Iranian society. “At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet. This was a few years before the revolution. Before me there had been a few others.” (6) Below the text just mentioned, there is a drawing of 5 men standing next to each other. In the next frame, Marjane says, “I am the last prophet,” and the 5 men angrily respond by stating 2 simple words- “A woman?” This portrayal shows the reader the lack of respect for women. Because the words “veil” and “justice” both bring separation among genders and even people within the same gender, they both contribute to the theme of the division of the people.
Nouns: Prophet and God
ReplyDeleteThroughout the two chapters Veil and Bicycle, Marjane, the main character, has several interactions with what is described as God in the book, i.e. 8,9,13,14. Marjane has also explained that she wants to be a prophet and believes she is the last prophet. There is a noticeable connection between Marjane wanting to be a prophet and God. On page 8, God and Marjane are having a discussion discussing if Marjane is ready to be a prophet. God persuades Marjane to be more certain about being a prophet. The book has created the idea that Marjane’s connection to God has helped create the idea that Marjane is a prophet, for if God did not tell her that she was ready to be a prophet, there would be no one other than her grandma supporting this belief. These two nouns also have a theme in the book. So far, Marjane wanting to be a prophet is the only secret she has and has been brought up several times, and I believe reading further this will later turn into a conflict of the book.
The nouns I chose are capitalism and decadence.
ReplyDeleteI believe these nouns represent how society was changed during the revolution. Both of these words are ideas, and in Persepolis they are both used to portray capitalism as a terrible concept. On page four capitalism was related to decadence, making it seem sinful and deadly. The story states "All bilingual schools must be closed down. They are symbols of capitalism, of decadence." Later in the book, page 10, Marjane Satrapi also dresses up to be communist leaders when protesting, leading me to believe that the hate of capitalism was also taught in schools and in the homelife.
The nouns I chose are Marji and the veil. These two nouns show the theme of oppression. The first page shows the begin of the enforcement of the veil at school and later shows the retaliation of the children. This is important at showing how innocent they are in the beginning not thinking of the consequences that are coming. Although, during a conversation with her parents it is clear that they are scared and knowings as to what is coming. On page five it shows Marji’s mother protesting in a demonstration this shows how Marji’s family is modern and progressive. It then explains how her mother was frightened about being found because her picture was posted in the paper. "My mother was really scared. She dyed her hair and wore dark glasses for a long time."(page five) This shows how Marji’s mother was nervous of what could happen to her because she had expressed her beliefs in public. The government was against the demonstrations and protesting. This was the beginning of a long period of oppression. The conflict and theme of oppression is carried thought the book.
ReplyDeleteDisciple and God.
ReplyDeleteAs Marjane embarks on her spiritual journey, with God by her side, one of the only sources of support she receives is her grandmother, who makes a promise to become Marji’s very first disciple. Her comfort and encouragement acts as one of Marji’s only means of motivation to follow her calling. On page 7, Marji shares her rules with her grandmother: ‘Rule Number 8: No old person should have to suffer.’ It is clear that Marji cares deeply about her grandma and wants nothing more than to end her suffering, another means of inspiration and incentive. The second word I chose is God. For obvious reasons, God plays a major role in Marji’s life. Page eight alludes to Marji’s relationship with God being a normal and somewhat mundane aspect of her life. Marji’s ability to recognize her destiny as a prophet, and then proceed to pursue her alleged fate at such a young age speaks volumes about her character and determination.