Persepolis+II+and+Embroideries

==//[|Persepolis 2]// and //[|Embroideries]// by [|Marjane Satrapi]==

Synopsis:
//[|Persepolis 2:]// A graphic novel, //[|Persepolis 2]// picks up where the first volume in the series leaves off, with the author ([|Marjane Satrapi]) having left Iran to attend school in Austria. [|Satrapi] is portrayed as being around fourteen years of age at the beginning of the book, although she seems much older in the text. The first indication that [|Satrapi] will have difficulty fitting in is in how she perceives the family she stays with before leaving for school; they are friends of her mother and although [|Satrapi] expects the family to be warm and welcoming of her this is not the case. She does not fit in well at the boarding school either; her roommate speaks only German and irritates [|Satrapi] with her hairdryer every morning. [|Satrapi] finds an odd group of friends at school, including a punk whose culture she idolizes. She wants desperately to fit in, but doesn’t find this an easy task. //[|Persepolis 2]// takes the reader through the events that marked [|Satrapi’s] experience as an adolescent including mockery from people she had hoped to impress, the beginnings of drug use, and homelessness after being kicked out of her boarding house. [|Satrapi] eventually returned to Iran where she experienced a mental crisis and attempted suicide. After having worked herself through this, she attempted to conform and married an Iranian man after a long courtship. //[|Persepolis 2]// ends with [|Satrapi’s] divorce and departure from Iran.

//[|Embroideries]**:**// A delightful book pertaining to the many and varied experiences of women in [|Satrapi’s] family. The stories are insightful, honest, and often bitterly funny. It was fascinating to read on as the women in [|Satrapi’s] stories try to outdo one another with their storytelling. //[|Embroideries]// offers a glimpse into the lives of each of the women; bitter, dark, hilarious, happy, and cynical in turn.

Response:
//[|Persepolis 2]// and //[|Embroideries]// deal with coming of age topics including identity, angst, and the desire to fit in. These topics make it highly relatable to readers from high school up. Some topics addressed in the books, particularly sex, attempted suicide and drugs may make it sensitive material but not unduly so. Indeed, this is particularly why it would be relatable to many teens and others who have dealt or are dealing with similar experiences. The humor in particular escalates the connection a reader has to the author and the experiences she undergoes. In addition to this, the graphics within the novel are beautiful and expressive. They also may be enthralling enough to encourage readership by students who may otherwise be discouraged by traditional novels.

Teaching These Texts Together
These texts correlate and differ in ways that will be useful for teachers of literature to demonstrate. One way in which the texts correlate is that they are both told mainly from the perspective of the protagonist, [|Satrapi], and are presented in graphic novel form. These considerations would also apply to //[|Persepolis 1]//, but a way in which //[|Persepolis 2]// and //[|Embroideries]// connect to one another that //[|Persepolis 1]// does not is that //[|Persepolis 2]// and //[|Embroideries]// tell the stories of women both young and old, and //[|Persepolis 1]// is told from a child's perspective. This is an important difference given the focus of the material being read. [|Satrapi's] experiences growing up in can be compared and contrasted with the stories of her female relatives in //[|Embroideries]//; this may also give perspective to students on the changing atmosphere regarding perceptions of women and their "place", as well as the political environment. In addition, studying these texts together grants the instructor a way of demonstrating on how form can either enhance or simply be a vehicle to the literature. //[|Embroideries]// is beautifully illustrated, and the format of the graphic novel certainly enhances the impact of how the stories are told; however, with //[|Persepolis 2]//, the illustrations actually have a bold, positive impact on the literature. //[|Embroideries]// could possibly be altered to fit a traditional book without the illustrations; this would not be possible in //[|Persepolis 2]//. Studying these texts together gives the instructor unique opportunities that should be capitalized on.

Challenge One:
The main challenge to the utilization of //[|Persepolis 2]// and //[|Embroideries]// in the classroom may pertain to the simple frustration encountered by readers expecting a definitive beginning, middle, and end. Satrapi is true to her experiences; sometimes they are abrupt or unexpected, and often loose ends stay that way. It may be difficult for students to keep focus in the face of this difference between fiction and reality.
 * Suggestions:**
 * Students could journal about possible end stories to the characters whose threads are lost: for instance, the punk character Momo is introduced early on in the novel, and his influence is felt but his story ends fairly early on. In addition, [|Satrapi’s] first roommate in Austria, Lucia, ends up befriending her but Lucia’s character is also lost early on. By encouraging students to speculate on the characters that affected [|Satrapi’s] life but are ultimately lost in the passages, students can develop empathy for those characters and perhaps insight to their motivations.
 * Students could be encouraged to imagine what Bakunin was attempting to say and speculating on why it was difficult for [|Satrapi] to comprehend before looking up information on Bakunin’s philosophy.

Challenge Two:
Another challenge in the instruction of these books is the lack of context and history of Iranian politics and culture. Many popular Western sources have a clear bias and that is not acceptable for instructors with an eye for veracity. This challenge will almost certainly be addressed by the students themselves as they grow more interested in [|Satrapi’s] character and that of her relatives and friends. However, this should be seen as encouraging; as their interest and curiosity grow so will their levels of education and comprehension.
 * Suggestions:**
 * In order to address this challenge and encourage their curiosity about other cultures, let them brainstorm and discuss ideas they already have about Iran and Middle Eastern culture; include their ideas about women, politics, religion, food, and customs. Have students discuss how they formed these ideas, and whether or not they are true or false. After this, encourage students to look up the information and see what they find; just be sure to not only discuss their discoveries, but their resources as well. This empirical exercise will raise student awareness not only about what they know, but about how they know it. Particularly relevant to this discussion is the passage in //[|Persepolis 2]// regarding Iranian reactions to Americans who were stocking up on food during the Gulf War.

Teaching Suggestions:

 * Punk culture was particularly relevant in //[|Persepolis 2],// as it was an aspect [|Satrapi] desired to encompass within herself. Students could be encouraged here to research punk culture and discuss their ideas about punks: this could include reasoning for their music and dress, as well as a thesis regarding punk philosophy. Why was Satrapi attracted to this culture?
 * The women whose stories were told in //[|Embroideries]// had a wide range of experience; this parallels in many way the experiences of women discussed in //[|The Vagina Monologues]//. Students could be asked to compare and contrast stories from both books; they could also be encouraged to write out a story of their own either for a group workshop or a personal journal.
 * [|Satrapi] experienced trouble with mental illness, and had difficulty grappling with it toward the end of //[|Persepolis 2]//. This Bildungsroman experience echoes aspects of [|Sylvia Plath’s] //[|The Bell Jar]//. Students could write about attitudes they have toward mental illness, and compare and contrast this to attitudes toward mental illness portrayed in //[|The Bell Jar]// and //[|Persepolis 2]//. How did the protagonists deal with their mental illness? Was this effective?

Information on Iranian Culture:
http://persia.org/ The Iranian Cultural Information Center is hosted by Stanford University.

http://www.parstimes.com/iran/ The Iran Index – includes links to Iranian news, TV, radio, arts, entertainment, business, education, and many others.

http://www.persepolis.com/ The Persian community on the web.

Information on Marjane Satrapi, her Work, and her Influences:
[| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjane_Satrapi] This is the Wikipedia entry for Marjane Satrapi. It is not terribly detailed, although it seems fairly comprehensive.

http://teachmulticulturallit.wikispaces.com/Persepolis+I+and+II This wiki page includes information from my classmate, Kyle Krol. Kyle has some wonderful suggestions for classroom instruction, including ideas pertaining to themes of politics and the veil in Islamic culture. Kyle also includes further resources at the bottom of her page.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.pastis.org/joann/&prev=/search?q=Joann+Sfar&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8 The site of Joan Sfar, a French cartoonist and an inspiration to Marjane Satrapi.

http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/graphicnovels/satrapi2.html An interview with Marjane Satrapi by Pantheon Comics on why Satrapi wrote //Persepolis//.

Information on Punk Culture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_ideology The Wikipedia entry on Punk ideology.

[| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_subculture] A Wikipedia entry on the Punk subculture.

http://www.punkculture.com/pages/1/index.htm A web site on punk culture.