Persepolis

## Discussion Questions: *Persepolis* by Marjane Satrapi 1. **Identity & Belonging** — Throughout the memoir, Marji grapples with her identity as both an Iranian and a Westerner. How does navigating these two cultures influence her self-perception? Can she ever truly feel at home in either world? 2. **Voice & Form** — Satrapi opts to share her story through a graphic memoir instead of traditional prose. In what ways does the visual format — including the black-and-white illustrations, panel layouts, and facial expressions — enhance your experience of her narrative? What can visuals convey that words might miss? 3. **Childhood & Political Awakening** — As a child during the Islamic Revolution, Marji undergoes significant changes. How does Satrapi depict a child's journey towards political awareness? Which moments serve as pivotal shifts in Marji's comprehension of her surroundings? 4. **Gender & Resistance** — Women in *Persepolis* encounter growing limitations under the new regime. How do Marji and the women around her push back against or adapt to these constraints, both in public and private spaces? 5. **Memory & Truth** — Being a memoir, *Persepolis* is influenced by memory and personal viewpoint. How trustworthy is Marji as a narrator? What strengths and weaknesses come with recounting history through an individual perspective? 6. **Family & Sacrifice** — Marji's parents eventually decide to send her away alone for her protection. How does the memoir address the conflict between keeping a family united and ensuring a child's safety and independence? What does this sacrifice reveal about love in oppressive circumstances? 7. **Humor & Tragedy** — Satrapi often incorporates humor even in the face of traumatic or violent situations. Why do you think she chooses this approach? How does humor act as a coping strategy or a storytelling device in the memoir?

ap_lit · ib_english · common_core_ela · gcse_english

## Discussion Questions: *Persepolis* by Marjane Satrapi 1. **Identity & Belonging** — Throughout the memoir, Marji grapples with her sense of identity, feeling torn between Iranian and Western cultures. How does she navigate these conflicting influences, and do you believe she ever fully reconciles them? What does this imply about the nature of cultural identity? 2. **Voice & Form** — Satrapi opts to share her story through a graphic memoir instead of traditional prose. In what ways does the visual medium—such as the stark black-and-white illustrations, panel layout, and expressions—affect how you engage with Marji's story? What might have been lost or gained if it were presented in a conventional written format? 3. **Childhood & War** — Growing up amidst revolution, war, and political oppression, Marji maintains a child's perspective for much of the narrative. How does Satrapi use the contrast between childhood innocence and adult reality to reflect on the effects of political violence on everyday lives? 4. **Religion & Resistance** — Religion serves a complex role in *Persepolis*—acting as both a means of state oppression and a source of personal solace for Marji. How does the memoir depict the relationship between faith, politics, and individual freedom? 5. **Gender & Power** — The women depicted in the memoir encounter specific forms of oppression, including forced veiling and limitations on movement. How do Marji and the women around her either resist or comply with these constraints, and what does this reveal about agency under authoritarian rule? 6. **Memory & Truth** — As a memoir, *Persepolis* represents Satrapi's personal recollection of events. How does the text address or complicate the concept of subjective memory? Can a personal narrative simultaneously serve as a political document?

ap_lit · ib_lang_lit · common_core_ela · gcse_english

## Discussion Questions: *Persepolis* by Marjane Satrapi 1. **Identity & Belonging** — Throughout *Persepolis*, Marji grapples with understanding her identity as an Iranian, a woman, and an exile. How does she deal with the conflict between her own sense of self and the identities that her family, her country, and Western society impose on her? 2. **The Power of Storytelling** — Satrapi chose a graphic memoir format for her story. How does the visual style — particularly the stark black-and-white imagery — influence how you experience and interpret the narrative? What might be different if it were presented as a traditional prose memoir? 3. **Religion & Resistance** — As a child, Marji shares a deeply personal relationship with God, but this relationship changes as the Islamic Revolution unfolds around her. How does the novel illustrate the contrast between personal faith and organized religion? What leads to Marji's eventual separation from God? 4. **Coming of Age Under Oppression** — *Persepolis* serves as both a coming-of-age story and a political commentary. In what ways does growing up in a repressive regime speed up or distort Marji's development? How does her childhood differ from typical ideas of adolescence? 5. **East vs. West** — When Marji moves to Europe, she faces new forms of prejudice and misunderstanding. How does Satrapi confront Western stereotypes about Iran and its people? What does Marji's experience reveal about the risks of oversimplifying a culture into a single narrative? 6. **Family & Sacrifice** — Marji's parents make the difficult choice to send her abroad for her safety. How does the novel delve into the emotional toll of that sacrifice — for Marji, her parents, and their relationship? What insights does the novel offer about love expressed through the act of letting go? 7. **Trauma & Memory** — Satrapi reflects on her childhood memories years later. How does the memoir acknowledge the subjective and incomplete nature of memory? In what ways might her adult perspective influence or complicate the viewpoint of child Marji?

ap_lit · ib_english · common_core_ela · gcse_english