Alyssa Chen
How does Satrapi establish her historical perspective as a child?
In Chapter 1, ‘The Veil’ of ‘Persepolis’, an autobiographical graphic novel, Satrapi effectively
establishes her historical perspective as a child as disoriented with powerful visual and
literary devices. At the very beginning of the graphic novel, Satrapi incorporates a panel
caption which includes the parallelism technique. Her childhood self is trimmed from the
borders as she lists her friends from left to right. The reader’s inability to see her despite
being able to see the names of her peers emphasises her displaced identity and how she feels
lost from the rest of the community. Furthermore, Satrapi utilises a symbol in the frame
where she is examining her mother’s photo in a magazine. The letter blocks on the shelf
represent her well-educatedness while highlighting her childish and innocent perspective on
the world. Similarly, Satrapi uses juxtaposition with colours black and white as well as
contradicting symbols such as rulers and religious drawings. The rulers represent the
innovative and modern side of her family while the drawings symbolise her religious faith.
This demonstrates that her perspective is diverse and may be conflicting since she is a mix of
both categories. Ultimately, the author establishes her ambiguous historical perspective while
reflecting on her complex childhood experiences.
How does Satrapi establish her historical perspective as a child?
In Chapter 1, ‘The Veil’ of ‘Persepolis’, an autobiographical graphic novel, Satrapi effectively
establishes her historical perspective as a child as disoriented with powerful visual and
literary devices. At the very beginning of the graphic novel, Satrapi incorporates a panel
caption which includes the parallelism technique. Her childhood self is trimmed from the
borders as she lists her friends from left to right. The reader’s inability to see her despite
being able to see the names of her peers emphasises her displaced identity and how she feels
lost from the rest of the community. Furthermore, Satrapi utilises a symbol in the frame
where she is examining her mother’s photo in a magazine. The letter blocks on the shelf
represent her well-educatedness while highlighting her childish and innocent perspective on
the world. Similarly, Satrapi uses juxtaposition with colours black and white as well as
contradicting symbols such as rulers and religious drawings. The rulers represent the
innovative and modern side of her family while the drawings symbolise her religious faith.
This demonstrates that her perspective is diverse and may be conflicting since she is a mix of
both categories. Ultimately, the author establishes her ambiguous historical perspective while
reflecting on her complex childhood experiences.
