Persepolis Analysis Questions

Chapters 2 & 3: “The Bicycle” & “The Water Cell”

Directions: After reading and annotating each chapter, complete the two analysis questions
below. Your main objective is to display a broad, yet deep understanding of the chapter as a
whole, while accurately analyzing the specific authorial choices (AKA Craft) Satrapi makes to
convey these ideas to her audience. Each response should be at least 3-4 sentences.

Chapter 2: “The Bicycle”

Theme or Global Issue:

Exposure to violence deteriorates an individual's morals ultimately leading them away from a
religious path.
Those within war usually begin with plenty of hope and some are even heavily religious, similar
to Satrapi. However, as war goes on and pain worsens many lose their hope as they can not see
why their ¨God¨ or religious figure would put innocent individuals into such suffering.

Insert picture of passage(s):

Explain how the passage(s) support the theme or global issue:
The passages support the global issue of the effects of war on an individual spiritually as Marji
initially had an extremely strong connection with ¨God¨ from a young age and felt entirely
compelled by the culture. However, with the war she drifted away from her religion, practically
entirely, as she is not able to find her ¨God¨ later on at all after being able to picture him vividy.
Furthermore, as she ventures deeper into the revolution, deeply affecting her as a person, all of
her previous devotion to her spiritual side and beliefs are lost.

Authorial Choice #1 & Explanation:

Top picture: Marji depicts herself as a geared up soldier as she “had to take action, so [she] put
[her] prophetic destiny aside for a while,” rather than holding her religion close to her even
throughout the war. Even with a small exposure to war Marji loses everything she previously
stood for and all that she finds comfort within, seen through the graphic weight and the darkness
engulfing her. Although they are not actually within the war, exposure to a warlike scenario
changes individuals, especially young individuals that are still pondering which path they are
going to take and what their identity consist of; however, she has already lost one of the most
important aspects of her identity without realizing it.

Authorial Choice #2 & Explanation:

Entirety of page 17, but specifically the final panel: Throughout the entire page Marji exhibits
her drive to involve herself in the revolution although her parents do not want her thinking and
acting in such a way as the panels switch through the use of moment-to-moment to display the
sequence in which she loses her religious side of her. However, she finds herself alone in her
place of comfort where she had always been able to connect with the one thing that brought her
peace. That night in bed God never came to her and she is depicted crying with awestruck eyes
because she never thought that she would be in that situation but realized how she had lost all
that gave her cushion and a backbone previously.

Authorial Choice #3 & Explanation:

Third and fourth panel in bottom left picture: As Margie talks to her religious figure again she
explains how she wants to go to the demonstration that will be held and asks for the religious
figures opinion on how she looks like “Che Guevara” or “even better as Fidel Castro” but turns
around only to realize that they’re gone as she is submerged into the darkness with the use of
graphic weight. The moment war is brought up her religion is pushed aside and without true
realization she loses it all together as one cannot value War as War encompasses cruel suffering
of innocent individuals when scripture deems this as wrong. she was no longer the person that
she was previously in the person she had set out to be, she now strives to take on a warlike role
rather than one of a prophet.

____________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 3: “The Water Cell”

Theme or Global Issue:

Global Issue: Education- Educational systems utilize high levels of personal prejudice in order to
hide flaws of one's own government and country rather than speaking factually.

Insert picture of passage(s):

Explain how the passage(s) support the theme or global issue:

Through this miscommunication between Marji and her father we come to an understanding that
Marji is being taught false information by those of educational authority to make the king seem
higher than all else since he was appointed by God rather than family lineage, prestige, or power.
Also they are glorifying dictatorship through such a pointment, which has been disproved
through other government notions across the world. Thus, we see how the government was able
to pass down these ideas to the educational system, creating bias within the minds of young
individuals without true factual basis.
Authorial Choice #1 & Explanation:
First panel: Marji stands with pure, full confidence and a demanding aura (text type) in the
notion that their king was appointed by God when he was not but she did not know any different
as she could only argue what she had been taught. Her mother and father looked at each other
puzzled as they knew that this was a fallacious statement but more in disbelief as to why such
bias would be planted into the minds of such young naive individuals. The country and the
government are aware of this naivety and just how easily these statements could be planted into
ones mine with complete trust that the information was factual; as to boost nationalistic ideals.

Authorial Choice #2 & Explanation:

5th panel: Not only was she lied to by an educational figure she has been told to listen to and
reflect upon their words but it is also in print that what had been spoken was true as it was
“written on the first page of [her] school book.” The prejudice did not even have to be spoken
about in order to inform the students just how powerful the king and their government was
through graphic weight. Thus bringing to light High schools use their curriculum to make their
students believe false information about their country and authoritarian figures.

Authorial Choice #3 & Explanation:

Bottom panel/picture: It is evident that the information was altered as though God was involved
God never took any action in participating, they only spoke about that fact that he should be on
their side. Through the non-sequitur panel switch, by jumping back in time to shed light on the
situation the reader is able to understand the truth of the lie in the panel as the text begins with
“the truth” rather than as stated by her teacher, since the educational system argument was purely
prejudiced. Also it was stated that they were to overthrow the emperor power, clearly stating that
they were not appointed and took the position by force.