Hi guys! I've written an intro and a body for the prompt below. If anyone could give me some feedback on my piece, it'd be great! Thanks
Prompt:
The images convey not just the appearances of people and places, but the underlying emotional and psychological realities. Discuss.Marjane Satrapi’s coming-of-age graphic novel, Persepolis, is a poignant autobiographical account of the life of a young girl, Marji, amidst the increasingly turbulent political turmoil of the Islamic revolution, cruelties of the authoritarian regime and a harrowing war with Iraq. Whilst Satrapi’s graphic representations serve as an establishment of the characters and settings central to the narrative, they ultimately conceptualise the state of mind of individuals as they navigate life under Iran’s grim conditions. It is through incorporating monochromatic elements in the portrayal of individuals that Satrapi elucidates the inner turmoil within them, resulting from their exposure to trauma. Additionally, the depiction of Marji’s environment demonstrates the reconstruction of her identity as she attempts to interpret the political and social conflict in her country during a period of revolution and war. Furthermore, by drawing on the features of individuals, Satrapi explores the extent to which constraints imposed upon them play a role in manipulating their sense of self.
Satrapi, through the illustrations of Marji’s interactions with her environment, explores how her perseverance in confronting the complexities of the world contributes to the psychological changes within her, redefining her identity. This notion of mental change, outlined within Marji’s maturation process as she witnesses the social and political realities of Iran, is embodied through the setting of the scenes. This is encapsulated in ‘The Heroes’ where Marji learns of the torture inflicted on political prisoners, wondering on how “[she] never imagined that [one] could use [an iron] for torture”. This scene captures her realisation of the dire circumstances many were subjected to – the iron a symbol of inhumanity and the subsequent embodiment of her loss of innocence. The impact this has on her is further alluded to through Marji’s stance as she stares at the iron, conflicted, coupled with the positioning of the door. This depiction of her glancing back at the closed door signifies that she is closing in on her innocence, underscoring how such traumatic events are imprinted on her, causing a deviation from her former self. These changes are further conceptualised later on in the novel as the war progresses, and this is particularly evident in ‘The Cigarette’ where Marji is illustrated to be walking down a basement, noting the cruelties of the regime and the resulting casualties. Marji’s descent to the bottom of the basement, accompanied with her reflections on how Iran “plunged deeper into war”, metaphorically alludes to her dwindling hope and faith in her once optimistic and naïve perceptions of the world that parallels Iran’s devastating decline. The significance of this moment is then accentuated as Marji surmises that “[they] could have avoided it all… [and] a million people would still be alive”, her narrative voice mirroring the tone of the adult voice narrator, conveying how she is affected psychologically and matures as a result. Her transition is symbolised through her act of opening a door, signalling a closure of the child-like aspect of herself and a shift into the realm of adulthood. By portraying this, Satrapi illustrates how Marji’s identity is eventually moulded by her growing awareness of her surroundings, revealing the large magnitude to which Iran’s conflicts are entrenched in her formation as an individual.
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