Persepolis was one of my favorite reads this semester, not because of its graphics or simple yet impactful wording, but because it was written by a woman who experienced firsthand the upwelling of her community and culture, and even more important is that she went through it as a child and therefore interpreted the events through eyes that were much less muddied by strong and complex views of society than they would have been if she were an adult at this time.
What I admire so much about Marji is that, even as a child, she was independent. She questioned the world around her, including her culture and her spirituality. She searched for knowledge but also let her heart make decisions. I have designed a staff to symbolize these things about Marji. In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi is a figure of authority in that she is the central character, even though she is a child and female. We can see the events through her eyes, which I feel is what makes Persepolis such a wonderful work. The staff as a whole represents Satrapi’s power as a writer. I feel that it is important for people of all genders to read works by female authors because we are taught to see the world from the eyes of men. The flowers here represent Marji’s growth in spite of her confusion about the new regulations that separated people based on gender, as well as the oppression of women. The heart-shaped lights represent Marji’s passion — even in her rebellion against her mother as a teenager, Marji is fully aware of the world around her and is even able to convince the Guardians of the Revolution to listen to her illegally-acquired music. She is fearless throughout the entire story, even when she is at risk of being executed. I admire Marjane Satrapi because she is bold, fearless, and passionate.