Persepolis

    Persepolis         1. Analyze the theme of conformity and rebellion in" rel="nofollow">in the novel as a whole. Ideas to thin" rel="nofollow">ink about: How does Marjane develop her ideas of rebellion? In what ways does she conform in" rel="nofollow">in Iran? In what ways does she conform in" rel="nofollow">in Austria? How do these ideas evolve durin" rel="nofollow">ing the course of the novel? What role does her family play? Her friends? How can you trace her evolvin" rel="nofollow">ing consciousness of rebellion and social identity? 2.Trace the symbolic meanin" rel="nofollow">ing of all the references to religious and patriotic symbols vs. symbols of rebellion throughout the text. Thin" rel="nofollow">ink about religious and patriotic symbols like the veil, the key, or any other in" rel="nofollow">in the text. How does Marjane relate to these symbols embrace/reject them? Then thin" rel="nofollow">ink about symbols of rebellion like win" rel="nofollow">ine, cigarettes, Kim Wilde, skiin" rel="nofollow">ing, or any other in" rel="nofollow">in the text. How does Marjane relate to these symbols, or embrace/reject them? How is she defin" rel="nofollow">ined by these stances? How does she forge her in" rel="nofollow">individual identity by adoptin" rel="nofollow">ing, rejectin" rel="nofollow">ing, or transformin" rel="nofollow">ing these ideas. 3. Analyze the role of story tellin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in the novel as it relates to Iranian history, religion, and myth, as well as to family history in" rel="nofollow">in the novel. Ideas to thin" rel="nofollow">ink about: How do Marjane and her family members use story tellin" rel="nofollow">ing as a source of power, or solace, or humor? How do they present their country and their national identity? Who are their heroes? What are their ideals? How do Marjane's parents, grandmother, and family friends connect to Marjane and each other through story tellin" rel="nofollow">ing? How is this story tellin" rel="nofollow">ing a source of personal and political transformation? 4. Analyze the role country and identity plays in" rel="nofollow">in the novel. What is Marjane's relationship to her country? In what ways does this relationship comfort her? Disturb her? In what ways does this connection manifest itself? What are the many lenses that she may view herself and her country with as a girl, a young woman, as an Iranian, as an Iranian, livin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in Europe, or as an Iranian who has lived abroad? How does her identity evolve? 5. Analyze how Marjane comes of age in" rel="nofollow">in the novel. Ideas to thin" rel="nofollow">ink about: How does Marjane become a woman in" rel="nofollow">in the novel? Can you thin" rel="nofollow">ink of any pivotal in" rel="nofollow">incidents that push Marjane in" rel="nofollow">into adulthood? Why are these in" rel="nofollow">incidents important? How do they shape her in" rel="nofollow">into a woman? What does she realize about herself that helps her cross the bridge in" rel="nofollow">into adulthood? 6. Satrapi explores the many ways we love: with family ties, romantic love, friendship, through fantasy, memory, words, and actions. Choose one or more of the characters and analyze what Marjane learns about love through this relationship. 8. Is this novel about the importance of bein" rel="nofollow">ing true to ones' self or rememberin" rel="nofollow">ing our shared humanity? Why? 9. There is a lot of violence in" rel="nofollow">in the novel : the Islamic Revolution and counter revolution again" rel="nofollow">inst it, the burnin" rel="nofollow">ing down of the Rex theater, ?Black Friday?, the torturin" rel="nofollow">ing of political prisoners, the imprisonment of her grandfather, the imprisonment and execution of her uncle, the war again" rel="nofollow">inst Iraq, the bombin" rel="nofollow">ing of her apartment buildin" rel="nofollow">ing, the execution of a girl Satrapi meets when her family is havin" rel="nofollow">ing passports made to travel. How does Satrapi's understandin" rel="nofollow">ing and reaction to this violence evolve throughout the novel? Trace the meanin" rel="nofollow">ing of this violence as it relates to both Iran and to Satrapi herself. 10. Who are significant women in" rel="nofollow">in Satrapi's life? How do they shape her identity? How is her identity shaped by cultural, political, and economic in" rel="nofollow">influences? How does her experience as a woman differ in" rel="nofollow">in Iran and in" rel="nofollow">in Austria? In what ways is it the same? 11. Satrapi ends her novel with the lin" rel="nofollow">ine ?Freedom had its price.? Examin" rel="nofollow">ine the theme of freedom in" rel="nofollow">in the text. What is freedom to Marjane? How do her ideas of freedom and her experience of freedom evolve in" rel="nofollow">in the text? What is the price of freedom? 12. Examin" rel="nofollow">ine the role of humor and irony in" rel="nofollow">in the text. How do humor and irony help Marjane and her family to survive the horror of political violence and oppression? Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink this has somethin" rel="nofollow">ing to do with her choice to craft a graphic novel of the experience? 13. Explore the in" rel="nofollow">interplay between text and images in" rel="nofollow">in Satrapi's novel. Analyze how she weaves the two together to create meanin" rel="nofollow">ing. Why does she choose this format for the novel based on her life? Why does she choose black and white images? How does she arrange each chapter? Why does she organize the text in" rel="nofollow">in this way? How does it impact your understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of Satrapi growin" rel="nofollow">ing up in" rel="nofollow">in Iran? 14. Read Satrapi's in" rel="nofollow">introduction where she states that one reason she wrote the book was to correct stereotypical images and misperceptions of her homeland. Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink Satrapi succeeds in" rel="nofollow">in this goal? Why or why not? Does she stereotype in" rel="nofollow">in her depiction of any characters in" rel="nofollow">in the text? Why or why not? 15. Analyze the role of memory in" rel="nofollow">in the novel. Why is it important to remember even the most pain" rel="nofollow">inful moments in" rel="nofollow">in Satrapi's personal, cultural, and political history? Why are both in" rel="nofollow">individual and collective memory important to us all? 16. Choose any of the above themes to explore and write a literary analysis. If you relate to any of these themes/ ideas on a personal level, analyze your connection by in" rel="nofollow">integratin" rel="nofollow">ing your personal narrative with the literary analysis. This is a challengin" rel="nofollow">ing topic as you must not only analyze Satrapi's text, usin" rel="nofollow">ing direct quotes and analysis to substantiate your views,