The Complete Persepolis

IB Higher Level Written Assignment

European Counter-Culture in The Complete Persepolis

Translated Work Used: The Complete Persepolis by Marjane SatrapiReflective Statement of The Complete Persepolis: In The Complete Persepolis the time and place of the book is crucial to the plot. The Complete Persepolis contains two different plots flowing together as the book runs from beginning to end; the primary plot follows the story of young Marjane Satrapi, who later becomes an independent woman by the end of the book, while the background plot of the book affects Marjane Satrapi’s personal life. For example, Satrapi hides her Iranian origins (until it backfires) and pretends to be French because at that point of

Through this graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi shows Iran through her eyes as a young girl and as a young woman in two separate periods of her life. Her life as a young girl is engulfed as a revolution wages on through her streets. Marjane Satrapi experiences a wide range of life experiences and situational hazards. In Iran she bought punk CDs and partied as kids her age blew themselves up as suicide bombers promised paradise in the afterlife, which shows the different life she leads in comparison with other kids. (1-3/132, 1-2/102) She grows up in a more Westernized household than any of her friends. Her dad wears a tie, drinks alcohol and they are even richer than most others, with their Cadillac and maid. As a little girl she even attends a French school, until at the age of ten years old that school is closed down and she is forced to attend a public school that teaches what the government wants the children of Iran to believe. Even a young girl such as Marjane is fascinated with things outside her own countries. Punk is a huge influence on her life and not only symbolizes her inherent need to rebel, against those that demanded her to live a life under their boots, (i.e. her oppressors), but it also shows that Marjane is an open minded, risk taker and ready for new experiences much like the times she puts herself on the line to enjoy the products of another

Just barely a teenager at fourteen, her family, herself included, decides that it is best if she leaves the country due to the escalating tensions rising among her people without an end in sight. (Satrapi 1-4/148) Once Satrapi departs from Iran, like many of her friends and her family before her, she lands in Austria where she experiences a completely different culture from that of Iran. In Austria, Satrapi finds this new country to be more laid back when addressing rules that regard to personal freedoms or religious decisions. (4/182) Sex is a casual occurrence in Austria and women are not restrained by the rules of heterosexxual men, as was common in Iran during Satrapi’s childhood. Homophobia is also less common in Austria, as made clear by Momo’s affectionate pecks on the lips in comparison with the violence one guard displayed when one of Marjane’s old acquaintances joked around about how he was going out to make out with his male friend who was currently riding shotgun at the time. (5-7/289, 1/290) However, Satrapi also notices that despite the vast educational options (in comparison to Iran), many of, if not all, the youth of Austria have no experience with what the horrors of war bring or what it truly means to be an