VolciakLens5Persepolis

When first reading this text, I immediately related it to //Maus//, another graphic novel that I have read. I find it interesting how both novels make the reader feel the tragedy through their technique and very little words. //Persepolis// gives the reader a firsthand view, as opposed to //Maus//, who is telling the story through the perspective of his father.

The technique that graphic novels use to make the story come alive is brilliant. For example, when the people were burning alive in the theater, no better picture could illustrate the effect of the scene. I also admire the way they choose to organize the frames, making instant shots, smaller frames, and larger frames to demonstrate time length. Organization of pictures plays a key role as well. For example, the page that shares the image of Marjane at the party and the kids dying from war. It exposes the horror of how orphans and poorer children were given up to be slaughtered, while the rich found ways around the government. Their faces were also blank, while the Marjane and the party guests were in full detail; the poor’s identity was sacrificed. By looking at these two novels, I learned that you can expose many different thoughts, themes, and ideas through graphic techniques.

Another media //Persepolis// compares to is the film //Desert Flower//. It may be a novel too, but I have only seen the movie. In the movie the girl escapes from the Middle East and comes to America. Poor, not aware of our language and customs, and nowhere to go, she ends up being discovered by a modeling photographer and becomes a supermodel. It reminded me of how Marjane met Julie and the rest of the gang, and struggled to become “westernized.” She cut her hair, learned about the pill, and learned how teens disobey their parents. By comparing the two texts, I realize how difficult it would be to transition from one culture to another in a matter of an instant.