Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Independent Study Packet
“Here’s the problem, today, the description of the world is always reduced to yes or no,
black or white. Superficial stories. Superhero stories. One side is the good one. The other
one is evil. But I’m not a moral lesson giver. It’s not for me to say what is right or wrong. I
describe situations as honestly as possible. The way I saw it. That’s why I use my own life
as material. I’ve seen these things myself, and now I’m telling it to you. Because the world
is not about Batman and Robin fighting the Joker; things are more complicated than that.
And nothing is scarier than the people who try to find easy answers to complicated
questions.”
- Marjane Satrapi, in an interview with Believer magazine, August 2006
Sources:
Vocabulary and reading questions by Randy Hussey;
Discussion questions from “The Complete Persepolis: Discussion Guide” by Dr. Ed Madden, with submissions from University
of South Carolina faculty and staff
Pre-Reading:
Answer the following questions before you read.
1. What are your thoughts about reading a graphic novel? Why do you think Satrapi might
have chosen to tell the story in this form?
2. What do you already know about Iran and the Middle East? Consider the geographical
location, the physical environment, the culture, the people, the religion, the food, the
history, etc. Is there anything you don’t know that you’d like to learn? (You may attach
your existing KWL here if you like.)
3. Using your own knowledge, personal experience, and a dictionary or computer, define,
answer, and/or explain the following terms and quotes. Be sure to include definitions
that you are comfortable with. It is a waste of time to simply copy out a dictionary
definition that makes no sense to you.
Persepolis Terms:
Persepolis
Proletariat
Shah
Prophet
Revolution
Secular
Dictator
Communism
Fundamentalist
Imperialism
Dialectical Materialism
Leon Trotsky
Karl Marx
Descartes
Rules of Zarathustra
Literary Terms:
Symbolism
Irony
Stereotype
Simile
Setting
Hero
Quotes:
“For a revolution to succeed, the entire population must support it.”
“The reason for my shame and for the Revolution is the same: the difference between
social classes.”
“Anyway, as long as there is oil in the Middle East we will never have peace.”
Reading Questions:
Directions—Answer the reading questions as you progress through the text. These
questions are primarily Level 1 Comprehension Questions, which will help you to clarify
the text’s meaning, and demonstrate your reading progress.
“The Veil”
1. What year does the story begin? What is the significance of this time, according to
Marji?
2. We are first introduced to Marji’s mother in a photograph taken by a European journalist
at demonstration against the veil (5). Why do you think Satrapi introduces her this way?
“The Bicycle”
3. What is the bicycle in this section? What does Marji want to do in relation to it?
“The Water Cell”
4. Why does Marji love the king? What do her parents think about that reason?
5. What explanation does her father give her for how their current king attained his
position?
6. Who was her grandfather? How was he treated in prison?
7. At the end of this section, consider this idea: Persepolis is written as a memoir. Does it
make a difference to you as a reader that the book is based on Satrapi’s own life rather
than being a fictional tale about growing up in Iran? Why or why not?
“Persepolis”
8. What was the only food available to Marji’s grandmother?
9. What does Marji’s father take pictures of?
10. What does Marji do when she is confused about adult reactions?
“The Letter”
11. Why did Marji feel shame?
12. Why did Mehri have to work as a maid?
13. How old was she when she began working for Persepolis’ family?
14. Why does Mehri’s boyfriend stop seeing her?
15. What do Mehri and Marji do in response?
“The Party”
16. What happens to the Shah?
17. Why does Marji’s father think that the US will not let the Shah live here?
18. Where does the Shah go? Why?
19. What happens in schools after the Shah leaves?
“The Heroes”
20. What were Jari and Shakiba arrested for?
21. What torture did the men endure?
“Moscow”
22. Who was Anosh?
23. What happened to Fereydoon?
24. Where did Anosh go for safety?
25. How long was Anosh in prison when he returned to Iran?
26. What made Marjane happy?
“The Sheep”
27. What did the Republic want to be called?
28. Why could this happen?
29. What was the problem with religious leaders running the country?
30. What was the percent of people voting for the religious leaders? Why is this number
unrealistic?
31. What happened to many of Marjane’s friends and family members?
32. Why didn’t her dad want to emigrate?
33. What happened to Siamak’s sister?
34. How did Siamak and his family leave the country?
35. Who does Marjane visit in prison?
36. What happens to him?
37. How do Marjane and her family know the war began?
“The Trip”
38. What embassy is occupied? How did this affect Marjane?
39. What closed a few days later? Why?
40. How long were the universities closed?
41. What happened to Marjane’s mother?
42. Describe the two kinds of men and women.
43. Where did Marjane’s family go for a vacation?
44. Who was Iran at war with?
45. How would you describe the political and cultural meaning of clothing in the book? (See
page 75 and refer back to “The Veil”)
“The F-14s”
46. What city was bombed?
47. How did Iran retaliate?
48. Who was released from jail?
“The Jewels”
49. What problem did the war cause in supermarkets?
50. What did Marjane’s father desperately need?
51. What happened to border towns?
52. What is flatulence?
“The Key”
53. Marji’s mother quotes her own father, the deposed prince, saying, “When a big wave
comes, lower your head and let it pass” (94). Do you think this Persian philosophy of
resignation helps to explain the attitudes of her family? Why do they stay in Iran?
54. What was a headline story?
55. What was one of the country’s rituals?
56. Why did Mrs. Nasrine have a gold key?
57. Who was the Key to Paradise for?
“The Wine”
58. What became a target for bombing?
59. Where did Marjane and her family go during bombings?
60. What two reasons did Marjane’s mother give for covering the windows?
61. What happened to Tinoosh’s dad?
62. Why does the guard think that Marjane’s father was drinking?
63. What do Marjane and her grandmother do once they get home?
“The Cigarette”
64. What does Marjane do instead of going to school?
65. How does her mother react?
66. How many people die in the war?
67. When did Marjane feel she was an adult?
“The Passport”
68. Why does Marjane’s uncle feel there are a lot of people who oppose the government in
his neighborhood?
69. What does her uncle worry about?
70. What happened to the uncle?
71. Where does he need to go for surgery?
72. Who supplied the Iranians and Iraqis with chemical weapons?
73. Why does Niloufar have to hide? What happens to Niloufar?
74. What happens to Marjane’s uncle?
“Kim Wilde”
75. What happened for Marjane’s family to rush to get passports?
76. What does Marjane want her parents to bring her?
77. How do they smuggle in her presents?
78. What presents do her parents give Marjane?
79. Who stopped Marjane when she was on the street?
80. Where did they want to take her?
“The Shabbat”
81. What began happening to Marjane’s town?
82. Why did the Baba-Levys stay?
83. What was bombed?
84. Why did the bombers choose that day?
85. What does Marjane find in the ruins?
“The Dowry”
86. What does Marjane wear that her teachers finds objectionable? How does Marjane react?
87. Why do Marjane’s parents worry about her being arrested? What happens to young girls
who are arrested?
88. Why does she include the story of Niloufar—what does she learn from this story? In a
culture suffused with images of martyrdom, why does Marji call the young communist
girl Niloufar “a real martyr” (146)?
89. Where do they want to send her? How old is she when they make this decision?
90. What does Marjane do with her posters?
91. Who does Marjane sleep with on her last night in Iran? What does this suggest about her
feelings at this point, and about her character in general?
92. How does Marjane’s mother react when Marjane looks at her parents before getting on
the plane? How do you feel about this last scene?
After Reading:
Directions—Answer these questions after you finish Persepolis. Each answer should be a short
paragraph discussing your ideas.
93. In a 2004 interview for Powells.com, Satrapi said, “The real war is not between the West
and the East. The real war is between intelligent people and stupid people.” What do you
think she means by that? Does this book offer a way forward?
94. How has your reading of Persepolis influenced your perception of Iran and the Iranian
people? Does reading the book make you think differently about U.S. relations with Iran
or Iraq? Why or why not?
95. Think about the places you come from—your hometown, your region, your state, or your
nation. How do you think other people characterize where you come from? Is it accurate?
What stories would you tell about where you came from?