Persepolis Blog 2

Q:Written as a memoir, is Persepolis more powerful than if Satrapi had Ficionalized the story? Why or why not? Compare this book to other memoirs you have read what are the benefits and drawbacks of memoirs?

A: I think that it is more powerful because Satrapi has taken the inicents of a comic book (very little difference between comic book and graphic novel) and used it to talk about the dark era in which she grew up. If she had fictionalized the story it would've been just another story about a child growing up in dark times (which are some how all original). I personally like this book more than most memoirs I've read because I can finish it quickly and get it over with. I absolutely hated The Diary of Anne Frank with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. This may sound childish but in a dirt boring book it helps to keep you sain if there is something to look at.

Q: "Every situation has an opportunity for laughs." Give some examples of how the ordinary citizens of Iran Enjoyed life despite the oppressive regime. What made you laugh? How does Satrapi add comic relief? How are these scenes relevant to the story?

A: Most of the laughs happened during school. Eventually all the girls started making fun of the various ceremonies. Marji would pretend to be a dying soldier. When told to decorate the class room they used toilet paper. Most of the other enjoyment came from pretending everything was fine and just living their lives. Nothing made me laugh. Satrapi adds comic relief by showing the characters TP-ing the class room and stuff like that. These scenes are relevant because the story is about Satrapi's child hood and not the revolution.

Q: At the core of the book is Marji's family. What are they like? What is important to Marji's parents? What environment do they create for their daughter? Where do they get their strength?

A: Marji's family is more or less a regular high middle-class family. Marji's parents keep up with the news and are really into what's going on. They went to several protests. They do not keep Marji in the dark about what's happening. They don't just up and tell her everything but if she asks they sit down with her and explain. They have lots of friends who are wrongly imprisoned which helps to drive them on to oppose the government.

Persepolis Blog 1

Q: How is Persepolis organized and structured? What has Satrapi chosen to emphasize in her childhood? How is the passage of time presented? Describe Satrapi's drawings. How do the drawings add to the narrative story?

A: Persepolis is a graphic novel about a girl growing up in Iran during war and revolution. The story is centered around Marji and her understanding of whats going on. Lots of talk of family members who are in prison reach her ears. She hears adults talking about protesting and how the emperor must be overthrown. She doesn't quite get the seriousness of it all.

     The book is in graphic novel format, which is basically a long comic book. However, the book is not full of colorful, pretty pictures. It is in 2D black and white to fit the mood of the story. The drawings add to the readers understanding of the size of whats going on.

Q: Describe the writer's voice. Is it Appealing? Which aspect of Marji's character do you identify with or like the most, the least? Did your reaction to the little girl affect your reading experience?

A: The writer narrates like an adult who lived everything being talked about (Probably because that's what she is) and Marji talks like a little girl who doesn't understand whats going on ( probably because that's what she is). I dislike Marji. I think she is annoying. I don't really like any part of Marji's character. What I like least is probably that its never her fault. The character of Marji Made the book very difficult to enjoy, which is saying something because I didn't enjoy the book.

Q: "In spite of everything, kids were trying to look hip, even under risk of arrest." How did they do this? What do you think you would've done had you been a child in this environment? What acts of rebellion did you do as a teen? In what ways is Satrapi just a normal kid?

A: A lot of the kids would simply wear a tee shirt over the robes to look hip and still be in the dress code. I couldn't care less about what people think I should wear. I would were what I want. However if wearing jeans and a tee shirt got you arrested I would suck it up and wear what they want me to wear. I never really rebelled. The closest thing to it would be not doing chores when I'm told to. In the previous questions I talked about how Marji is just little girl who doesn't understand what's going on. She hears something on the news, blows it out of proportion, and then pretends to kill people with her little group of friends.

Movie Review

This post will change alot. I will be reviewing a movie that I recently saw and rating them on a 5 star scale with 1 meaning I hated it, 2 means I didn't like it, 3 means I liked it, 4 means I really liked it, and 5 means I loved it.

I recently watched: X-Men Origins Wolverine.

***** This movie was packed with unbelievable action and effects and had lots of witty humor. Anyone (Including the critics) who says the movie was bad simply went dumb from over exposure to pure awesomeness. Luckily for me I've built up an immunity from watching so many great movies. The movie answered a few questions about the past that I didn't even know were there. Here's a tip: If you watch this movie wait in the theater until all the credits are over.

I recently watched: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

**** This was a very interesting movie for a couple reasons. One, its cool to see Brad Pitt as a 90 year old man, even though he's just 7. Its also interesting to see him grow younger and younger and how people react to his "condition." Its the kind of movie thats really fun the first time because you have know idea how it will end. The second time around its just a good movie.