Flashcards for Persepolis

God (Marji's imaginary companion)

In Persepolis, Marji's imaginary God is a significant visual and emotional element in the early chapters of Satrapi's graphic memoir, symbolizing her childhood faith, inner life, and eventual disillusionment.

character

Grandmother

Grandmother is one of the most morally grounding figures in Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis.

character

Malcolm X / Che / Fidel (Revolutionary Idols)

Malcolm X, Che Guevara, and Fidel Castro appear in Marji Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis not as active characters but as composite revolutionary icons—figures plastered on the walls of Marji's imagination and bedroom.

character

Marjane (Marji) Satrapi

Marjane "Marji" Satrapi is the main character and narrator of Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir about her life.

character

Marji's Father

Marji's father, simply referred to as "Dad" in the text, is one of the two central parental figures in Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis.

character

Marji's Mother (Tadji)

Tadji, Marji's mother, is a passionate and politically active woman whose journey in Persepolis highlights the painful struggle between her instinct to protect her child and her personal beliefs.

character

Mohsen Shakiba

Mohsen Shakiba is a minor yet thematically important character in Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis.

character

Mrs. Nasrine

Mrs. Nasrine is a minor but important supporting character in Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis.

character

Siamak Jari

Siamak Jari is a secondary yet symbolically important figure in Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis.

character

Uncle Anoosh

Uncle Anoosh is Marji's paternal great-uncle and a key political figure in Persepolis.

character

“I knew that this trip was the last time I would see my grandmother.”

This line is delivered by Marji (Marjane Satrapi), the autobiographical narrator of Persepolis, as she gets ready to leave Iran for Austria.

Marjane (Marji) Satrapi · The Dowry (end of Volume 1)

“One can forgive but one should never forget.”

This line is spoken by Marji's grandmother during one of her visits, serving as a moment of moral guidance in the graphic memoir Persepolis (2000) by Marjane Satrapi.

Grandmother (Marji's grandmother)

“We didn't really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn't understand why we had to.”

This line is delivered by the young narrator, Marjane (Marji) Satrapi, in the opening section of Persepolis, her graphic memoir.

Marjane Satrapi (narrator) · The Veil

“To die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society.”

This haunting quote is found in Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis (2000), voiced by a religious zealot or a government supporter during the early days of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Religious/government ideological figure (as presented to schoolchildren) · The Sheep

“In life you'll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it's because they're stupid. That will help keep you from reacting to their cruelty.”

This advice comes from Marji's (Marjane Satrapi's) grandmother to young Marjane in Persepolis, Satrapi's graphic memoir about her childhood during the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Grandmother (Marjane's grandmother)

“I was born with religion.”

This line is spoken by Marji (Marjane Satrapi), the young protagonist and narrator of Persepolis, in the opening chapter of the graphic memoir.

Marji (Marjane Satrapi) · The Veil (Chapter 1)

“I wanted to be justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one.”

This line is delivered by young Marji (Marjane Satrapi), the autobiographical narrator and main character of Persepolis, in the early chapters where she reflects on her childhood religious fervor in Iran before and after the revolution.

Marji (Marjane Satrapi) · The Veil (Chapter 1)

“The real Islamic invasion had come from within.”

This line appears in Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis (2000–2003), where Marjane narrates her reflections on how Iranian society changed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Marjane Satrapi (narrator)

“With the revolution, we had lost everything. But we still had each other.”

This line is spoken by Marji (Marjane Satrapi), the narrator and main character of Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir.

Marjane Satrapi (Marji)

“I am the last Iranian. A generation of people who have seen the Shah, the Revolution, the war, and the Islamic Republic.”

This quote comes from Marji's father (or another member of the older generation, as conveyed through Marji's thoughtful narration) in Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic memoir Persepolis.

Marji's father (Ebi) / older generation narrator

Fire

In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, fire serves as a complex symbol that represents both revolutionary passion and destructive chaos.

The Key (to Paradise)

In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi shares her experiences of growing up during the Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq War.

The Prison Cell

In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir about her childhood during the Iranian Revolution, the prison cell symbolizes the stifling lack of political and personal freedom under an authoritarian regime.

The Ruins of Persepolis

In Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis, the ancient ruins of Persepolis — the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire — highlight the conflict between Iran's splendid pre-Islamic past and its troubled present.

The Veil

In Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir Persepolis, the veil represents the ideological control imposed by the state and the erasure of personal identity.

Western Culture & Contraband

In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Western culture and its illicit goods represent freedom, personal identity, and defiance against the authoritarian rule of the Islamic Republic.

Symbolism

The veil is the most prominent symbol in the work.

Imagery

Because Persepolis is a graphic memoir, the imagery relies on Satrapi's stark black-and-white panels just as much as it does on the text.

Irony

Irony stands out as the memoir's primary tonal resource, created by the contrast between Marji's childlike perspective and the adult reader's understanding.

Narrative Poem

Persepolis tells a coming-of-age story that also serves as a history of Iran.

Juxtaposition

Satrapi uses juxtaposition both structurally and panel by panel.

Personification

God appears as a character in the early chapters—a bearded, kind figure who sits with young Marji on her bedroom cloud, listening to her dreams of a just society.

Allusion

The memoir is rich with references to both Persian history and Western culture, and the clash between these two areas of allusion is a key part of the book's argument.

Metaphor

Satrapi's most powerful metaphor is the graphic form itself.

Motif

The recurring theme of borders—be they physical, cultural, or ideological—shapes the emotional landscape of the memoir.

Dramatic Monologue

While Persepolis isn't a poem, its caption-box narration acts like a dramatic monologue: a single, distinct voice speaks directly to the reader, revealing character through the events chosen and presented rather than through outside description.

Understatement

Satrapi's subtle approach, both visually and verbally, is one of the memoir's most impactful rhetorical strategies.

Extended Metaphor

The graphic memoir form itself serves as a lasting metaphor for vision and blindness.

veil

A piece of cloth worn over the head and sometimes face, required by the Islamic Republic's new laws for women and girls in public and at school.

noun · Chapter 1

prophet

A person believed to be chosen by God to deliver divine messages and guidance to humanity; here used by young Marji to describe her childhood belief about herself.

noun · Chapter 1

demonstrate

To march or gather publicly with others to protest against or in support of a political cause.

verb · Chapter 2

communist

A person who believes in a political system where property and wealth are shared equally by all people, with no private ownership; associated here with leftist opposition to the Shah.

noun · Chapter 3

woman of action

Someone who acts boldly and decisively rather than just thinking or talking; Marji uses it to describe her self-image as a determined, brave person.

phrase · Chapter 3

revolutionary

A person who supports or takes part in a revolution — a sudden, often violent overthrow of a government or social order.

noun · Chapter 4

social class

A group of people ranked by their wealth, education, or status in society; the text uses it to show the gap between Marji's middle-class family and their working-class maid.

noun · Chapter 5

avant-garde

Ahead of mainstream society in ideas, culture, or lifestyle; here describing Marji's parents as unusually open-minded and modern for their time and place.

adjective · Chapter 6

forbid

To officially ban or prohibit something, making it illegal or against the rules; the Islamic Republic forbade parties, alcohol, and other activities.

verb · Chapter 6

paradise

In Islamic belief, the heavenly afterlife promised to the faithful; here the regime used it to persuade poor young soldiers to sacrifice their lives in war.

noun · Chapter 7

minefields

Areas of ground where explosive mines have been buried just under the surface, designed to blow up when stepped on; used in the Iran-Iraq War to deadly effect.

noun · Chapter 7

heroism

Great courage and self-sacrifice, especially in the face of danger; Marji questions whether dying for one's country is truly heroic or simply foolish.

noun · Chapter 7

Marxist

Relating to the political and economic theories of Karl Marx, which argue that society should be organized so workers share power and wealth equally, opposing capitalism.

adjective · Chapter 8

Mojahedin

An Iranian political-military group that combined Islamic ideology with leftist politics; they opposed both the Shah and later the Islamic Republic, and were violently suppressed.

noun · Chapter 8

rebel

A person who resists or defies authority and its rules; Marji uses the word to describe her identity as someone who pushes back against the Islamic Republic's restrictions.

noun · Chapter 8

assert

To firmly declare or prove something about oneself through action; here Marji smokes to make a statement that she is now grown up and in control of her own choices.

verb · Chapter 10

regime

A government, especially one that is authoritarian and controls people's lives strictly; used throughout to refer to the Islamic Republic's ruling system.

noun · Chapter 13

lining

The inner layer of fabric sewn inside a coat or garment; Marji's mother hides jewels inside it so they can be smuggled out of Iran without being detected.

noun · Chapter 14

black market

The illegal buying and selling of goods that are banned or strictly controlled by the government; in Iran, Western music and clothing were sold this way.

phrase · Chapter 8

air strikes

Military attacks carried out by aircraft dropping bombs on targets below; during the Iran-Iraq War, Iraqi jets launched air strikes on Tehran.

noun · Chapter 13

Revolutionary Guards

The armed force created by the Islamic Republic to protect the new government and enforce its laws; they arrested and imprisoned political opponents like Uncle Anoosh.

noun · Chapter 11

illiterate

Unable to read or write; the maid Mehri could not write her own love letters because she had never been taught to read or write.

adjective · Chapter 5

bombardment

A sustained, heavy attack using bombs or artillery; the Iraqi jets' repeated bombing of Tehran during the war created constant fear among civilians.

noun · Chapter 13

betray

To be disloyal to someone or something you owe loyalty to, such as your country or your principles; the text argues that leaving Iran is not betrayal, but staying silent is.

verb · Chapter 12

dowry

Money, property, or goods that a bride's family traditionally provides to the groom or his family at the time of marriage; used here as the chapter title referring to what is given up or carried away.

noun · Chapter 19