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  • Essay / Persepolis 1 versus Persepolis 2: analysis of Satrapi's visuals

    Marjane Satrapi is an Iranian author and illustrator who grew up in Tehran in a middle-class family. Both of his parents were political activists and supported a Marxist ideology contrary to the beliefs of the last Shah's monarchy. Although Satrapi's family was relatively progressive and secular, she had a strong personal connection to religion, to the point where her only desire was to become a prophet. Most of his childhood was marked by war, violence and oppression by Islamic fundamentalists. In Satrapi's two memoirs, Persepolis 1 and 2, Islamic fundamentalism is a highlighted topic. She details how the strict regime controlled activities such as alcohol consumption and how women were allowed to act in public. In this memoir, Satrapi uses graphic weight and a blank background to show that Islamic fundamentalism has emotional consequences. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Persepolis' first memoir, Satrapi delves into her youth. Even though she is only a child, she still feels the political weight imposed on her by the fundamentalist regime. She communicates this using graphic weight and background. Satrapi begins her first memoir with a chapter entitled The Veil. In the second panel of the first page, Satrapi uses graphic weight to demonstrate the emotional toll that Islamic fundamentalism has taken on young girls. As you flip through the page, the second panel stands out because it takes up more space and contains expressive portraits of four girls. Each girl looks very similar and they all look unhappy. This negative similarity shows that girls, by being forced to wear the veil, feel like objects rather than unique individuals. Veils do not allow girls to express themselves, because the more they are covered, the better. It can be inferred from their facial expressions that they feel very unhappy about this. Thus, the Islamic fundamentalist tradition of veiling weighs on them emotionally, especially during adolescence. In the same panel on the first page, Satrapi incorporates another element, context. Specifically, a blank background demonstrates the emotional effect of fundamentalism. Behind the girls is a blank white background without any details. Not only does this lack of detail focus on the girls, but it also downplays their sad expressions. The background is a solid color representing how Islamic fundamentalism forces young girls to fit an "ideal" role outlined in the holy book. There is no difference between young girls, they are all expected to act in the same modest and conservative way. This undoubtedly causes emotional stress in girls. The second memoir of Persepolis follows Satrapi into adulthood. In this book, she finds herself alone in Europe. Here, without the pressure of a fundamentalist regime, she pursued higher education and discovered her true personality. Although her character has changed a lot, as an author she writes the second memoir in a similar style and emphasizes similar ideas. Again, Satrapi uses size and facial expression to give the panel on page 91 graphic weight. The graphic weight of this panel draws attention to the emotional impact of fundamentalism. In her illustration, she becomes full of sorrow when she lifts the veil and realizes that she must return home. She knows she will abandon the freedoms enjoyed by Western women to return..