Who's That Character?
The main character of Persepolis.
Marjane (Marji) Satrapi
The traditional name of the country now known as Iran
Persia
This is how God looks in Marji's head
This article of clothing becomes compulsory for women and girls after the Islamic Revolution
Veil / hijab
This American President was born in Hawaii
Barack Obama
When Marji finds out that he spent time in a "water cell", she spends a long time in the bath to try and imagine his suffering.
Marji's grandfather.
This is one immediate effect of the Islamic Revolution on Marji
She is separated from her male classmates / she has to wear a veil
After this happens, Marji says to God, "Shut up, you! Get out of my life! I never want to see you again!"
Her uncle Anoosh is executed
This word for king in Persian
Shah
This early 2000s rock band was famous for how cool they were - and for hits like "Last Nite" and "Someday"
The Strokes
This character gets Marji in some hot water when she asks Marji to read and write her love letters
Mehri, the family's maid
The event, beginning in 1979, that would replace the Iranian monarchy with an Islamic Republic
The Islamic Revolution
Marji thinks that God has a striking resemblance to this political figure — which is interesting, because he was very anti-religion
Karl Marx
This word means someone who dies for their country or religion
martyr
This professional athlete had a very public date with Taylor Swift this weekend
Travis Kelce
This relative of Marji flees to the USSR to avoid being imprisoned or executed by the Shah; years later, once he has returned to Iran, he is imprisoned and executed.
Uncle Anoosh
This event begins while the Satrapis are on vacation in Spain (and they can't understand the news, because they don't speak Spanish)
The Iran-Iraq War
After the revolution, Marji realizes that men who are "against Islam" — and against the new government — are doing this to their appearance
Shaving / wearing a mustache
This word refers to an important, sometimes divine religious figure who speaks by divine inspiration
Prophet
This word means "the direct opposite point on the Earth"
After her father, a fighter pilot for the Iranian army, is killed, this friend of Marji's writes a letter to her mother and brother saying she'll take care of them
Pardisse
This is the name of the exiled religious leader who returns to Iran to lead the country after the revolution
Ayatollah Khomeini
Marji's father has to explain to her that the Shah was not actually chosen by God — in fact, he was put in place by this country in order to keep controlling Iran's oil exports
Great Britain
This word refers to the social class who does all the labor — the class who would control the means of production (and power) in Marxism (which will later become communism)
Proletariat
This bird lays its eggs in other birds nests, sometimes pushing the host birds on eggs out, and then abandons its eggs to be raised by the host mother without her knowledge. (This practice is called brood parasitism)