Persepolis Analysis Questions

Chapters 16 & 17: “The Passport” & “Kim Wilde”

Directions: After reading and annotating the chapters, please answer each of the following
questions in at least 3-4 thoughtful sentences.

Chapter 16: “The Passport”

1. Identify Satrapi’s perspective on the effects of war (yes, this could be considered a global
issue…) and discuss at least two quotes or authorial choices that she uses to convey this to her
reader.
- Satrapi’s perspective on the effects of war is that she beleives that they are detrimental to
ones health and the effects are only negative. This is displayed through her uncle Taher’s
deterioating health. Satrapi reveals that teh war had caused him to have health problems.
Ever since his son had gone off to war he had been having heart attacks. He also feels
“stress” whenever he hears a “gunshot” or any sound associated with war and death
(118). The stress from the war has caused him to have to watch his health. He would have
many heart attacks and at the end of the chapter it is revealed that he dies from these
attacks. Satrapi is reveling that the effects of war can be deadly. This is seen once again
when the men are displayed as being in the hospital. She describeds them as “verible
human ginea pigs” who had been used to test the chemical weapons (122). In the panel,
the men have their faces covered which implies that they have deformed faces. Through
this fact Satrapi reveals that was was disfiguring and relentless. This leads the reader to
believe that her perspective about the effects of war is negative.

2. Discuss the irony of the final panel and Satrapi’s correlating theme within the chapter. Use two
direct quotes in support of your response, other than the one provided in the final panel.
- The first panel is ironic to the chapter because usually in war the people are united but in
the case of the neighborhood, they were more separate than ever. People that showed the
“slightest resistance to the regime were persecuted” (118). This displays that instead of
the enemy killing the citizens, it was actually their own government that was killing its
citizens. This displays the fact that instead of uniting together against the threat they
becane even more separate and turned against eachother. It is also ironic that the window
washer moved up in station and would not help the people that had helped him when he
was struggling. Snce he has turned to the regime and would not help Uncle Taher get a
passport even though he so desperately needed it, it shows the separation that war brings
instead of the unity in this situation. He says that uncle Taher will get better “if God wills
it” and basically allows him to die (121). He has no care in the world and shows how the
opposite sides would not do anything for eachother even though they were facing a
bigger threat.

Chapter 17: “Kim Wilde”

3. Investigate the significance of at least three allusions within the chapter and discuss their
relevance to the chapter’s main idea. This may take some research on your part...

A. Kim Wilde- The significance of the allusion to Kim Wilde is to display the fact that
westernized culture still found a way into the lives of those in Iran. Kim Wilde, a female
song artist, gave gils hope that they could be someone more individualistic one day. By
using a popular song artist it displays that no matter how hard the regime tride there was
always still going to be western influence in their world. They could not get rid of it
completely because people, such as Satrapi’s family would find a way to implement it
into their lives, even if it meant smuggling it into the country illegally.

B. Iron Maiden- This is a heavy metal band that was formed in London. Satrapi, wanting
their music, helps to further the idea that western influence will never be totally gone in
Iran. They can try to punish people who have the inluence but there will always be those
who hide it or will rebel against the regime. A heavy metal band is the total opposite of
what the regime stood for. It is chaotic and carefree, while the regime is more religious
and reverent. By listening to this type of music Satrapi displays the facts that she would
show small acts of rebellion to display that she did not agree with the regime.

C. Michael Jackson- Michael Jackson was also seen as a “symbol of decadence” (133). My
having the Michael Jackson badge it gave people the opportunity to label her as a
revolutionist and a misfit that opposed the social norms. Michael Jackson was a symbol
of western culture so her walking about with his badge illustrates her opposition to the
regime and the western influence in their lives. It relates back to the main point of the
chapter showing that western influence will always be prominent in their lives no matter
how hard the regime tries to get rid of it.

4. Explore at least two examples of the regime’s abuse of power within the chapter and the
effects they have on the Iranian citizens:

A. One example of the regime’s abuse of power is displayed when Marjo goes out in public
with all of her western influence on display. She walks out with Nike Sneakers and a jean
jacket with a pin of michael Jackson. She looks extremely westernized and this catches
the attention of the guardians of the revolution who were a group of women that would
arrest those who were “improperly veiled” (132). They approached her and used theri
authority to tell her that she was not allowed to wear the clothes she wanted because they
were too influenced by western culture. They were also given the authority to take her to
jail and keep her there for as long as possible. They use this abuse of power to put all of
those they deem inappropriate into jail no matter what the age. This has a negative effect
in the Iranian citizens because this makes it so they can not express them selves the way
they want and this may make them feel contained.

B. Another example of the abuse of power illustrated in the chapter is displayed when
Satrapi’s mother and father are trying to figure our how to smuggle in the western
influenced items. They have to go passed security and he tries to be intimidating and
scare them into revealing what they were trying to get through. This displays the fact that
the Iranians were strict on what people were allowed to bring into and out of the country.
They tried to control everything about them. The affect this had on the Iranian citizens
was that they now had to be more secretive about what they were bringing into the
country. It caused them to go behind the backs of the officials and therefore seem as if
they were purposely trying to rebel against the regime when in fact they were just trying
to bring stuff into the country that they enjoyed.