Persepolis Study Guide Feiran
87. Now that the revolution is over, what does Marji decide?
"Now that the revolution was finally over once and for all, I abandoned the dialectic materialism of my comic strips. The only place I felt safe was in the arms of my friend."
81. Who led the training in torture practices?
"Our torturers received special training from the C.I.A." "Real scientists!!! They knew each part of the body. They knew where to hit!"
134. When was the last invasion of Iran? What was the reason for this second Arab invasion?
1400 years ago. Saddam Hussein has been waiting for an excuse to invade Iran, and when Iranian republics try to stir up Iraq Shiite allies, he takes the opportunity to go to war with Iran
76. How many political prisoners were released after the Shah stepped down from power?
3000 political prisoners were released.
108. What was the reported outcome of the elections? How does Marji's father explain these results?
99.99% voted for the Islamic Republic, which Marji's father says is because the elections were faked, but the people are too ignorant to see it; he doesn't know anyone who voted for the republic, but nobody seems to know (or care) that the elections were rigged
103. What gift does Anoosh give to Marji? What does it symbolize?
A bird (swan specifically) made out of bread that he made in prison. It symbolizes his ability to maintain/keep his humanity in dreadful situations. Also this shows that he is able to create something good, beautiful, and a work of art despite his painful experiences. It indicates the redeeming qualities of art. It also shows his willingness to make sacrifices for Marji by forming his sustenance into something unusable for its intended purpose for her.
84. According to Marji, what makes a hero?
A hero is made by getting arrested or becoming a martyr. Surviving prison
82. Comment on the images on page 51. What is Marji's response to what she hears?
After Marji hears that they burned Ahmadi with a clothes iron, she looks over at the one they have in their own house and makes a connection between their brutality and her domestic life. She says, "I never imagined that you could use that appliance for torture." Later on she incorporates these torture ideas into the games she plays with peers in her community.
86. What ethical dilemma does Marji face? What is your opinion of justice?
After making the torture game and coming up with new ways to mildly hurt her friends, Marji gets a "diabolical feeling of power," that eventually overwhelms her. Her mother tells her that they will pay for what they have done, and Marji argues that everyone should be forgiven. When her mother says that "Bad people are dangerous but forgiving them is too" Marji is confused on how to think of them.
89. Who is Anoosh? How does Marji feel about him? Why?
Anoosh is Marji's uncle (dad's brother). Marji loved him immediately because he was a hero in her eyes.
92. Where did Anoosh go? How would you characterize him?
Anoosh ran to his parent's house. He is perceptive, perseverant, and strategic.
97. What does Anoosh study in the USSR? What change does Marji's response to her uncle show?
Anoosh studied communism and got a doctorate in Marxism-Leninism. Marji brings up her dialectic materialism knowledge despite being done with it in an earlier chapter.
133. Marji's mother remarks, "There's no place like home." Considering the surprising news they learn, how is this statement ironic?
At the time, there wasn't really any place like Iran. It was covered in wars and revolutions and suppression and everything had gone to hell. While Marji's mother was initially relieved to be back in a place of comfort, it is soon revealed that Iran is anything but stable/welcoming.
159. What is the Persian philosophy of resignation?
Basically "keep your head down and wait for the wave to pass"
142. Why is Marji angry at her father?
Because he doesn't really want to fight (understandably) and she sees this as a weakness.
107. According to Anoosh, why is it nearly impossible to persuade the population to follow Marxism?
Because there are so many illiterate people; they can only be united through nationalism or a religious ethic
158. Why isn't Marji's friend extremely concerned about the growing number of martyrs?
Because they are "still living" and should be focusing on their own lives
124. What consequence did women like Marji's mom face if they fail to comply with the new fundamentalist guidelines?
Failing to wear the veil would result in a gang rape and then being "thrown into the garbage". Because people are barbarians.
90. Who is Fereydoon? What was his goal? How would he accomplish this goal?
Fereydoon is Anoosh's uncle who proclaimed the independence of the Iranian Province of Azerbaijan and elected himself minister of justice of that place. His goal is to have all men equal under the eyes of the law. He also wanted to do this by freeing Iran province by province.
95. Who came to visit Fereydoon before his execution? On what conditions was this visit permitted?
Fereydoon's girlfriend who was involved in the political movement came to visit him. She paid off the guard in order to have a conjugal visit with him.
127. Comment on Marji's statement, "There was a kind of justice, after all."
Having women show their hair would supposedly "excite" men, so they had to cover their hair, but to be "fair", men's bare arms might "excite" women, so short sleeved shirts were banned as well.
91. Why did Anoosh abandon Fereydoon?
He abandoned his uncle because he was arrested by the Shah's soldiers.
102. What is Anoosh's primary motive for sharing his story with Marji?
He doesn't want the family memory to be lost, so he tells her so that she'll know, even if she doesn't understand it completely. As she grows up and matures, she may understand more of the story that her uncle told her.
94. Why did Anoosh have to leave so quickly after his arrival? Where did he go?
He had to leave because the Shah's soldiers would be looking for him and he didn't want to draw them to his parents' house. He went into exile in the U.S.S.R..
114. Contrast Anoosh's reaction on page 66 to his reaction to the previous news.
He seems a lot more downtrodden, he's looking at the ground, and his words, the same as last time, are empty. There isn't an exclamation point, he's wearing black, and there even seems to be something "off" about his hair.
100. How does Anoosh attempt to leave behind his old life? Is he successful? Why?
He tries to dress up and get a fake passport to go home, but he's caught because his disguise is terrible. He's locked up for nine years.
116. What is Anoosh's final wish? Why?
He wants to see Marji one last time to give her another bread-swan. He claims she's the daughter he always wanted.
98. What does Anoosh reveal about his past? What ironic statement does he make?
He was married to a Russian, but they're now divorced. He says that they don't know how to love.
118. Under what premise is Anoosh executed?
He was supposedly a "Russian spy"
115. What makes Marji suspect that something has happened to Anoosh?
Her mom uses the excuse "he went on a trip", only he won't come back. Also, she says he went back to Moscow, but Marji knows that he would never go back to his wife because she hurt him too much.
88. What motivated Marji to tell lies about her father? What is your opinion of her behavior?
Her motivation to tell lies about her father stems from the belief that children are representations of their parents as evidenced by Ramin's situation. She lies about her father being a hero for the same reason the neighbor talks about his wife's birthmark/bullet scar. She wants to impress her peers and have something to brag about.
101. What caused Anoosh to suffer most in life? Why?
His wife because Russians "don't have hearts". He says that his Russian bride made him hurt more than the nine years that he spent in an Iranian prison
93. How does Anoosh's father react to his return? Why?
Initially, the dad asks what he's doing here since he'd been working for his similarly minded uncle. After, he shows some much too late affection to his very sick son.
136. Whose fighter jets does Marji see overhead?
Iraq's jets.
168. What seems ironic about Nasrine's description of Paradise?
It has a "lot of food, houses made of gold and diamond, and lots of women." This is very ironic because all of this is decadence which, supposedly, is very bad and was banned by the republic.
143. Why was it so unusual to hear the national anthem? Why, did they learn, had it been played?
It was strange to hear because it had been banned by the government and replaced with a new hymn; they hadn't heard it in over a year.
125. What was the rationale for making the veil obligatory?
It was to "protect" women from being raped.
123. What impact would the Islamic republic have on young women like Marji?
It would result in her having to marry someone at a young age and have many kids before she was ready, additionally preventing her from being able to fulfill her new dream of becoming the next Marie Curie.
99. How is the picture at the top of page 60 symbolic?
It's symbolic because the heads of his family are floating in his dream and she uses the same squiggly lines to represent the dream as she had used earlier. It's giving him a sense of unity and family which he feels he is lacking in his real life at the moment. It also reflects the panel showing Marji imagining her father and God after she thinks that he's been killed in the demonstration while taking photos.
152. What happened to Mali's family? How does Marji's family react? What is your opinion of Mali's family?
Mali's family was bombed and sought refuge with Marji's family. Mali's husband is very pompous and concerned with material goods (he's most upset about the loss of their big house). Marji's parents are happy to help Mali's family, but they don't like her husband very much.
146. How would you describe Marji's response to her teacher's writing assignment? What was her teacher's reaction to her report?
Marjane gave a very factual report, four pages on the historical context entitled "The Arab Conquest and Our War". Her teacher said it was good, but did not elaborate or seem to linger. The teacher just moved on to Pardisse.
119. Who comes to visit Marji after Anoosh's death? What is Marji's reaction?
Marji is visited by God, but she is extremely angered by His presence and demands that He leave immediately, because she doesn't want Him in her life, and she never wants to see Him again. This is significant as it demonstrates a somewhat typical reaction of peoples' reactions when a loss occurs in their life. They get mad at God, or direct their anger towards God, and ask Him why such things happen to them. This may then push them back on their faith and leave God's presence for a time or forever.
165. Why was Marji's generation so rebellious? What does the teacher blame?
Marji thinks that they were so rebellious because they'd once been in secular schools, but the teacher blames their home life and the parenting they received.
83. How does the relationship between Marji and Laly appear to change after they both learn the truth?
Marji tries to save her ego by saying that she wasn't completely wrong in refuting Laly's father being on a trip. Laly responds by saying that her father was a hero and Marji feels very small and insignificant in comparison.
121. What was the US response to the embassy take-over? Why was this news particularly upsetting for Marji?
Marji was upset because it meant she couldn't get a visa to go visit her friend Kaveh in the US; She says, "So, my great dream went up in smoke."
132. Who meets Marji's family at the airport? What is the mood upon their return?
Marji's grandmother meets them there, but the tone is extremely grim due to the fact that they're now at war and the government didn't officially announce it for an entire month
111. What news does the phone call bring? What is Anoosh's response?
Mohsen is found dead in his bathtub; he was assassinated. Anoosh seems incredibly solemn and doesn't put much heart into his words: "Everything will be alright." This demonstrates Anoosh's overall outward positive attitude.
167. Who is Mrs. Arsine? What does she receive from her son? What does it mean? How does she perceive this token?
Mrs. Arsine is the maid, and from her son she receives a golden key (his ticket to paradise). She is very upset because, rightly so, she doesn't think that a plastic key is a very good trade for her son's life.
147. What does Pardisse describe in her paper? How does Marji try to console her friend? What is Pardisse's response? What does Marji learn from this experience?
Pardisse writes a letter to her father in her paper. Marji attempts to console her by telling Pardisse that her father died a hero and Pardisse responds with "I wish he were alive and in jail instead of a hero and dead." (86)
170. Who possessed the key to Paradise? Why?
Poorer, young men, because they were more "replaceable" than those of richer families.
113. How does Satrapi carry the symbolism through this chapter?
Satrapi carries the symbolism through this chapter as she represents pain, suffering, and grief as darkness. We also see contradictions throughout the chapter as the revolution shifts from the initial ideas of freedom to ideas more related to or tied to Islamic fundamentalism. Additionally, most people outside Marjane's family are illiterate and not educated. This means that they do not really understand what is going on in their country. Rather they respond through protests or through religious means. Finally we see how the book continues to draws parallels between Marjane's childish romanticization of the revolution and the nationalistic romanticization of the revolution by the all the Iranians, which ultimately allowed the Islamic fundamentalist regime to take power.
162. What is one of the country's rituals? What is its purpose?
Self-flagellation. It's a religious ceremony in which one hits him/herself (sometimes with whips and ropes, it's very brutal but considered "macho")
149. What criticism does Marji's mom make of capitalism? What confusing thing does she suggest as they leave the store?
She complains that if people only took what they needed, there would be enough food to go around. But then, when they're in the parking lot, she says that they will go another store to find more food.
138. How does Marji reflect the common stereotypical thinking of other Iranians? How does Marji's dad cut through her propaganda induced thinking?
She immediately views them as their enemies and wants to teach them a lesson, as she is angered that they tried to push their religion on Iranians. Most people thought this way, but her dad cuts through her thinking by humanizing Iraq (they're bad drivers) and telling her that the invasion came from their own government.
135. How does Marji respond to the news of the invasion?
She immediately wants to fight to defend her country
137. What is Marji determined to do after the attack on Tehran? What is her father's response?
She is immediately enraged and wants to "teach them a lesson" and have her father go to war; but he only goes home to make sure Marji's mother is okay, and believes that the real invasion was from their own government.
104. How does Marji's conflict from the beginning of the chapter reach a resolution? What seems to be the underlying theme of this chapter?
She is perturbed at the beginning of the chapter because nobody in her family is a "hero", unlike the other kids who have had relatives who've been imprisoned. When she hears Anoosh, she realizes that she does have a hero. But the underlying theme seems to be that society chooses to glorify people to make them "heroes" when they have actually suffered more than anyone
78. What lessons does Marji learn about "truth"?
She learns both that "The truth is sometimes hard to accept." and "Nobody will accept the truth."
77. According to Laly, where is her father Siamak? How does Marji respond to her friend's answer?
She thinks her father is on a "trip" but Marji tells her that really means that he is dead.
112. Ironically, what happens next
Siamak Juri's sister was assassinated in his place, and his family had to escape by hiding in a flock of sheep
79. Where had Siamak and Mohsen been for the last several years? Why?
Siamak: imprisoned for 6 years because he was a journalist whose crime was writing subversive articles in the Keyhan, officially it was being a communist Mohsen: imprisoned for 8 years because he was a revolutionary, this was both his crime and profession though officially it was being a communist
148. What is one of the ramifications of the nation's political conflict?
Supplies (basic ones, like in grocery stores) were depleted which led to a lot of fighting amongst people.
140. What attitude do Marji's comments and behavior toward her parents reflect?
That she is growing up and clashing with them more; which is totally normal for her age
129. What should Marji tell people that she does during the day?
That she prays.
155. What was the primary difference between the Iranian and Iraqi armies?
The Iraqi army was modern (quality), but there were more Iranian soldiers (quantity)
172. How did clothing of the 80's reflect the political realities of that time period?
The clothing of the 80's reflect a rebellious period. Holes in her sweater reflect rebellion and her necklace is also made from unconventional materials (nails and chains)...
109. What are the two possible consequences of the people ignorance?
The first consequence could be complete dominance by another more intelligent or more powerful group of people. If the people are ignorant, then they follow the leaders with blind loyalty. They do not stop to reflect on what is happening to themselves. They become slaves to the regime, to their society, or to themselves. The second consequence could be that they eventually lead to the self-destruction of their country. By lacking the intelligence to see past the small issues and instead focus on the larger issues, the people will remain narrow minded and followers.
169. Who does the government recruit to serve on the front lines of the war? How do they persuade them? Can you think of another time when this practice has been used? What image on page 101 seems particularly disturbing to you?
The government recruited young boys. They were persuaded by being given a key that was supposedly to grant them access to Paradise where there is everything they could ever want.
145. What was the outcome of the attack of Baghdad?
The military pilots were released from prison after agreeing to bomb Iraq in exchange for the government playing the national anthem on the TV, but there were many Iranian casualties.
96. What does the reader learn about the status of women in Iran?
The reader learns that the life of a single mother is very difficult in Iran and that a woman could be shunned and her life would be like living hell.
106. What do Eby and Anoosh find so troubling about the revolution in Iran?
The revolution is "leftist" but the republic wants it to be "Islamic"
117. Comment on the symbolism on page 69.
The swan may represent freedom and optimism as well as a legacy
154. Besides their possessions, what else have refugee families lost?
Their dignity
164. Comment on the teacher's relationship with her students. How were the students able to endure the treatment they received?
They constantly made fun of the teacher and undermined all of her efforts, but she couldn't punish them because they were all so united, and she couldn't discipline all of them.
153. What common attitude about refugees do the other shoppers express?
They don't like that the refugees seem to be taking all of their supplies and food (they can't "find anything to eat anymore"). They're also upset because the women are "whoring" themselves out for money.
166. What injustices do the parents see in the educational system? Which restriction is particularly ironic?
They don't like the self-flagellation, the fact that they have to wear garments that cover them from head to toe, and that they are forbidden to play like kids. It's ironic about the garments because supposedly they have to wear them to keep boys from getting "excited" but they're not actually in school with the boys, because they were separated.
110. Why do Marji's parents subject themselves to a political upheaval and refuse to leave Iran? What is their opinion of those who have left?
They don't want to leave because they have built a successful life in Iran, and going anywhere else would lead to poor, unsatisfying lives (Marji's parents would end up working as a "taxi driver" or a "cleaning lady"). They believe that the people who left will come back, and are only afraid of change
122. How did the new Islamic republic impact the educational system?
They got rid of the universities, because they knew that educating people would result in actual intelligence and potential opposition to the republic
150. How else are Iranians required to ration their supply? Why?
They had to ration the amount of gas they used because Iraq bombed a large supply of it
160. How did the educational system engrain the Persian philosophy?
They had to stand up and line up and constantly mourn the martyrs of the war.
163. How did the students try to ease the tension of a very serious situation?
They made fun of everything; when they had to decorate a room, they teepeed it, they made fun of the martyrs by running around and begging to be killed. When they had to make hoods for the soldiers, they half-assed it, etc.
144. What shocking news does the television report? What is the initial reaction of Marji's dad? Why?
They see that Iranian fighter jets have bombed Baghdad, but Marji's dad doesn't believe it because the media has been prone to lying to its viewers, so he checks the BBC.
128. How did ordinary citizens respond to the new guidelines established by the regime?
They started to dress "progressively", mostly to protect themselves, because the punishments were severe.
80. What united the prisoners? Why?
They were united by their friendship to Marji's dad and once there they bonded over their shared experiences of torture.
141. Why would it be impossible for Iran to retaliate effectively against Baghdad?
They would need pilots to do that, but all the pilots were imprisoned or executed.
131. At their Madrid hotel, what startles Marji's family when they see a report about Iran on television? What are a couple of explanations for this phenomenon?
They're shocked to see that a black cloud is spreading over Iran, eventually revealed to be the war spreading.
85. How has war corrupted the innocence of children like Marji?
This chapter shows their desensitization to violence, unhealthy understandings of power, and idealized torture, and dangerous role models.
120. Discuss how the artistic and literary elements on page 71 help to convey mood and theme?
This scene shows Marjane floating in a space with minimal stars and lights. Her feet are drawn bottoms up. This may represent her insulted disposition toward God, or it echoes Marjane in her bed on pg 70, in the mid page right panel, where she is lying in her bed.
156. What might be the purpose of publishing Iran's "martyrs"?
To get people angered and make them join the cause
157. What is a nuptial chamber? What does it symbolize?
Virgins weren't supposed to die so it was a way for unmarried men to "know carnal knowledge"
105. What is the significance of the title? How does it help to characterize the people of Iran?
While the sheep in question are referencing the sheep that a family used to Odysseus-escaping-Polyphemus-style escape Iran, the title seems to be referring to the people who went along with the extremists, even though they didn't believe or care enough to stand up for their own beliefs. They allowed themselves to be molded and were blind followers
126. How did the Fundamentalist woman and man differ from the modern woman and man? What were considered to be clear symbols of the West?
Women were "modern" whereas men were "progressive". Fundamentalists wore long garments that completely covered them, leaving only their faces exposed. Modern women wore *slightly* less conservative garments, but still couldn't show their hair. Men's garb stayed mostly the same, but they shaved their beards and had only mustaches, and tucked their shirts in. Neckties were symbols of the West.
