Symbols
Characters
Big Ideas
Historical Context
Form and Structure
100

This piece of clothing becomes a central symbol of political control and identity during the Islamic Revolution.

What is the veil?

100

These adults support education and resistance while also worrying about her safety during the revolution.

Who are Marji's parents?

100

Through childhood misunderstandings and later maturity, the memoir examines the loss of this stage of life.

What is innocence

100

This conflict is the backdrop of the beginning of volume I.

What is the Iranian Revolution

100

This is the number of volumes the text is divided into.

What is two?

200

The recurring presence of God in early chapters symbolizes Marji’s childhood sense of this.

What is faith or moral certainty?

200

This relative was a prince before the Shah overthrew the dynasty.

Who is Marji's grandfather?

200

Many characters risk punishment to listen to music, host parties, or wear forbidden clothes, illustrating this theme.

What is resistance to oppression

200
This other conflict seemed to begin almost immediately after the first conflict.

What is the Iran-Iraq War?

200
This is the primary visual tool in the text.

The use of black and white imagery.

300

The key given to poor boys and soldiers, said to open the gates of paradise, symbolizes this manipulation by the government.

What is the exploitation of martyrdom/children/the poor

300

This relative was a political prisoner under the Shah and becomes a heroic figure for Marji.

Who is Uncle Anoosh?

300

Marji had too little of this in Iran and too much of it in Austria.

What is free will?

300

These secret police were responsible for imprisoning protesters under the Shah's regime?

What is the SAVAK?
300
The most accurate way to refer to the form of The Complete Persepolis.

a graphic memoir

400

Marji’s cigarette symbolizes this moment in her life.

What is her declaration of adulthood/rebellion?

400

This character was like a sister of Marji.

Who is Mehri, the maid?

400

Each time Marji feels uncertain, she turns to books. This represents the importance of what Big Idea?

What is education?

400

These citizens were given power to regulate and police other citizens under the new Islamic regime.

Who are the Guardians of the Revolution

400

The use of similar imagery in different parts of the book to highlight symbols and ideas is called this.

What is parallelism?

500

Bread shaped like swans during a time of hardship symbolizes this theme about family resilience and creativity.

What is hope during suffering?

500
Marji's husband.
Who is Reza?
500

Ultimately, Marji's biggest struggle throughout the text can be represented by this one Big Idea?

What is Identity?

500

This "Supreme Leader" took over after the Shah left the country.

Who is Khomeini?

500

The best way to differentiate between the author and the character.

author - Satrapi

character - Marji

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