Category: Persepolis Study Guide (Page 1 of 2)

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles wrote a pamphlet called the Communist Manifesto. They introduced a social construct that created two classes in society. The two social classes were the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoise were the capitalists. They oversaw the means of production. By them overseeing the means of production that meant they were in charge of the proletariat. A negative impact of the bourgeoisie being in charge meant that they exploited the proletariat. The bourgeoisie were politically and economically powerful. This meant they had the authority to implement property and legislation rights. Having all this power also meant the bourgeoisie owned the majority of the wealth. On the other hand, the proletariats were the working class laborers. They produced materials in factories using an assembly line method. They created profit for the capitalist. This caused the proletariats to face exploitation. Some of the ways they were exploited were by unfair wages and being replaced quickly. This starts the revolution between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

Medes were an ancient Iranian people, they spoke Median and lived in Media, which was northwest Iran. A great portion of their history is missing as there was no written source left. The most that is understood about them comes from foreign sources such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Armenians, and Greeks. It is suggested that the Median empire was a very strong kingdom that competed with Babylonia. The Medes founded the first Iranian nation in the seventh century B.C, but it ended up being destroyed by Cyrus the Great, who then went on to establish the Persian empire. Persia is the Greek name. Iranians are descendants of the Medes and the Persians.

In the Proletariat is a term referring to the class of workers and working-class people, and has a great relation with Marxism.  Marx in the Marxist Theory capitalism exploits the power of the proletariat for the benefit of the bourgeoisie. Marx also argued that eventually the Proletariat would displace the capitalist system and the Proletariat would take power. This would remove the class system and that it would naturally develop into a communist society. The term Proletariat is important in the Persepolis as the importance of Marxism is connected through out the entire story, such as the relation with Marx and God that Marjii sees and that she sees Marxism as a way to combat the oppression that is happening to her family as well as her people.  Mariji is also shown the struggles of the Proletariat and the differences that her family and other less well off famines encounter.

Mohammad Mosaddegh, born on June 16, 1882, in Tehran, Iran to then pass away at the age of 84 on March 5^th, 1967. He was married to Zahra Khanum who unfortunately passed away two years before his death. While he was alive, he became the Prime Minister of Iran from 1951-1953. Mohammad was the 35^th Prime Minister during this time.  The inevitable occurred during this time when his government was overthrown in 1953. A coup d’état was orchestrated by the United Kingdom causing Mohammad to lose the current power that he had. Why was he thrown out? The reasoning behind it was that he was perceived as unreliable for his region. Not only was he perceived as unreliable, but he seemed to deem is authority to make Iran a communist country. This eventually caught the attention of two powers. The United Kingdom and the United States. They sent over their power to help overthrow Mohammad’s current government. In “Persepolis”, this character is important due to Marjane talking about her life during this time in her comic and explains that when he was pulled from power. That killed the dream of democracy for not only Iran but the entire region.

In the novel “The Complete Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapies, the term “AXIS,” from World War Two, demonstrates a correlation between the Axis Powers and Iran and the state they were in during World War Two. According to “Axis Power, WWII Coalition” by Encyclopaedia Britannica, it states “Axis powers, a coalition headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan that opposed the Allied powers in World War II. The alliance originated in a series of agreements between Germany and Italy, followed by the proclamation of an ‘axis’ binding Rome and Berlin, with the two powers claiming that the world would henceforth rotate on the Rome-Berlin axis.” This quote demonstrates the countries that were part of the Axis Powers, showing how their alliance started and their goal. However, later on, Italy separates itself from the Axis Powers and joins the Allies after the collapse of Mussolini’s power. “The Complete Persepolis” demonstrates how Reza Shah declared Iran as a neutral nation. However, it is known how Reza Shah has a great connection with Nazi Germany, which was part of the Axis Powers, resulting in the occupation in western Iran by the Allies.

In Islamic culture, a veil is worn by women to signify religious and cultural traditions. It is also worn to show modesty, which in turn would eliminate any temptations to a man’s desires. This is seen in chapter 11 of Persepolis, “The Trip.” On one night, Marjane’s mother was threatened because she chose not to wear a veil. In 1980, women were obligated to wear the veil. Different types of veils were worn based on cultural and religious beliefs. There is the Shayla, Hijab, Al-amira, Khimar, Chador, Niqab, and Burqa. In Persepolis, there is a depiction of two types of women. There were the fundamentalist women who wore the Chador, which is a full-body cloak. Then there were the modern women who wore a hijab, which covered the head and neck. Letting a few strands of hair show would signify their opposition to the regime. Marjane is depicted as a modern woman. This is shown at the start of “The Complete Persepolis.”

Aryans were Indo-Iranian speaking people who named themselves. They lived in what is now modern day Iran and had many significant accomplishments throughout history. The Aryans invaded and successfully conquered Northern India, they also had many inventions like the steel plow which allowed them to improve their farming. Aside from Improving their farming, when the Aryans invaded Northern India they presented a language called SanSkirt. The Aryans also used a Caste system in their society. It’s believed that this Caste system was mostly based off of skin color and wealth. Previously before invading Northern India, The Aryans would raise cattle but after moving and settling down in Northern India, a majority of cattle raisers became Farmers. Which lead to the Aryans transforming the Ganges River Valley into good farmland. Overall the Aryans were creators of a language that helps historians and archeologists depict stories and songs that the Aryans had passed down for generations. The Aryans inventions are also still present modern day due to their significance. The steel plow has been incorporated into modern day technology which should tell you how important it was throughout all the years. 

Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III of Macedon was the king of Macedonia.  According to wiki Alexander was the king of ancient Greek and took the throne in 323 BC.  Alexander was also known to be a conquer he focus heavily  onto his military strength. One of the nations that he conquered was the Achaemenid Empire, also known as the first Persian empire however it was also a Iranian empire and was called Persia because of the founding Emperor Cyrus the Great. After his death years later people began to speak out calling the country Iran. Iran at the time of Alexander the Great’s ruled was filled with riches which in turn lead to lots of invades by other nations. Alexander himself had invaded the Achaemenid Empire to pay his military by destroying and pillaging this is also what had lead him to begin the conquest of Persia. He fought with King Darius the III and successfully took over all of Persia as well as the start the invasion of India, however Alexander did celebrate after the conquering of Persia similar to the story of Persepolis how they spent an insane amounts of money that should have been used for taxes. With his conquest’s and death following, there was no emperor to hold the nations together. The Complete Persepolis talks about how the mother also had wanted to revolt against the current leader of their country and explains to Marjane that they were living in poverty due to their inadequate leader.

Persia, a historical region of southwestern Asia associated with modern-day Iran. For centuries, the term Persia was used to refer to a region of southern Iran formerly known as Persis, alternatively as Prs or Parsa, modern Frs. The ancient Greeks and other peoples gradually extended the use of the name to include the entire Iranian plateau. The people of that region have traditionally referred to their country as Iran, which means “Land of the Aryans.” In 1935, that name was officially adopted.

In the novel she wrote the name  Persepolis Marjane father told her that  before this country was named iran it was persia empire but later in 1953 Reza shah and the father of the last shah named persia as Iran.British wants someone who rule persia, that works under them so they chose low rank soldier Reza shah to rule that country and they help him but in return british wats oil which was big source of their income .That’s how destruction of Persia began.

Cyrus the Great is a Persian conqueror who was born into royalty. Upon the death of his father, Cyrus was next to rule the Achaemenid Dynasty- while ruling, Cyrus was able to make his dynasty into a strong empire by expansion. Cyrus was given a well reputation not only by the Persians but also by the Greeks, and many others; he was a very skilled military man but he was also praised for his leniency and compassion that he showed to his rivals. Cyrus even tried to learn from his conquered people; uniting them with the Persians in a dual monarchy. He wasn’t just a man who founded a great empire, but he was also someone who became the living embodiment of what qualities a great ruler should have. He relates back to the reading Persepolis, because Marjane and her family are going through a time period where Iran is being ruled by corrupted folk who are trying to manipulate their people and limit their freedom by use of censorship on what teachers teach to the children, propaganda, and strict enforcement of the veil for all women and girls, etc. Marjane and her family are all fighting for their freedom and rights back in hopes for an ideal ruler for Iran, a ruler like Cyrus the Great, who is a strong but yet compassionate figure to his people.