Persepolis Essay

Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis is a coming-of-age story that shows how the Iranian Revolution changed the lives of Iranian families, and especially how it affected Marjane’s education. The book shows that education can give people the power to fight for change, while also highlighting how political turmoil can disrupt education and lead to violence and oppression.
The book shows that education played a key role in the Iranian Revolution. Marjane’s parents were both educated professionals who were active in opposition to the Shah’s regime. They taught Marjane about Iran’s history and encouraged her to think for herself, which helped her become more politically aware and gave her real-world experience at a young age. Additionally, Marjane’s school gave her a sense of agency by offering opportunities for activism. For example, she and her classmates organized protests and made posters to challenge the Shah’s regime. By giving students like Marjane a chance to learn about their country’s political situation and take action, their education helped them develop the skills they needed to engage in the struggle for democracy.

The school was closed for months, and she was unable to continue her studies for a time. Her family also had to deal with the trauma of losing friends and relatives to the violence of the new regime that overthrew the Shah. Even after schools reopened, the revolution continued to disrupt the educational system. The textbook censorship and religious indoctrination enforced by the revolutionary government caused many educators to lose their jobs, and Marjane’s school became much less diverse as a result. Furthermore, the war against Iraq further degraded the educational system, as schools were regularly closed to shelter from air raids, and resources were diverted from teaching to the war