Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi Start by considering your opinion—what you feel—then support your opinion using specific textual evidence.

SETTING: The novel begins with a picture of Marji’s class but Marji herself is absent. Consider why Satrapi started here.

How does Satrapi convey mood and changes in mood?

How does the interior of the homes reflect the changes outside?

What are the strengths of telling this story through a graphic novel? What are the weaknesses?

CHARACTERIZATION: Did you like Marji and how did your reaction to her affect your reading?

What role does religion play in Marji's life? Show how this role changes as Marji matures.

According to Marji, who is a hero and how do they get to be heroic?

How can children become heroic? Does Marji’s opinion of heroic behavior change as she matures?

After Neda dies, does Marji change and how? Show the change using textual evidence.

PLOT: Why didn't the family leave Tehran rather than take vacations? Why did they send Marji off to school?

Even children risk arrest for small acts of rebellion, yet they continue rebelling. Show the impact of Marji’s acts of rebellion on herself, her friends, and her family.

Why does Marji violate her parents' trust and what are the consequences?

Show the impact of the acts of rebellion the Satrapis perform on Marji, the family itself, and Iranian society.

What does Marji see in terms of class structure and what's her reaction? Identify some of the biggest concerns with this class structure in the text.

What's the teachers' relationship to students and how does it change after the revolution?

Show how people attempt to live ordinary lives despite revolution and war.

During the revolution, who could leave the country? Who had to stay?

Persepolis tells a story and reflects on the importance of stories in Marji’s life. How do readers see stories shape the characters’ lives?

PERSPECTIVE: Do you trust the narrator of this memoir or could she be considered an unreliable narrator? Why? Support your ideas with textual evidence.

The children’s play reflect the political events as they understand them. What do readers know Marji and her friends don’t, and how does knowing this shape readers understanding of the text?

STRUCTURE: Review Persepolis’s organization and structure. Speculate on why Satrapi chose this structure and its impact on the reader. What’s missing?

How is time shown to pass?

THEMES: How does Marji determine what’s propaganda versus what's real? How do other characters determine what’s true and what’s propaganda?

Explain Marji's disappointment in her father’s behavior or what she sees as his lack of response.

There are multiple examples of children not knowing how to respond to their parents' behavior. What does this show?

Marji explores freedom of thought and action in a place where both are dangerous. What characteristics make her especially vulnerable to political repercussions?

Satrapi suggests Persian traditions helped Marji and her family cope during difficult times. How do readers see this?

Satrapi explores different kinds of captivities and freedoms people experience. In the text, what’s shown preventing people from being free? How do readers see people circumvent and defy the rules imposed on them?

ENDING: By the end of the text, has Marji found a balance between freedom and responsibility?  
What stereotypes does Satrapi dispel in Persepolis?

What stereotypes does Satrapi confirm in Persepolis?  

In the Introduction, Satrapi says she has two motives for writing Persepolis. Identify each motive and explain if she is successful with either.

What will happen to Satrapis and Marji? Does the text leave readers with hope or dread for the future of Iran, for the Satrapis, and for Marji?
In the end, do readers see the Satrapis and Marji want love, justice, or vengeance for the people of Iran?