Group work

Hill, Amanda
Bethune David,
Barrera Maria
Butron, Mariah

English 1B

Ms. Knapp

September 22, 2001

Group One T.E.A.

            As a group we came to the conclusion that the biggest adjustment we had to make when reading the graphic novel Persepolis, as oppose to a traditional novel, is the lack of imagination needed to interpret the work. We found some of the heavier subject matter to be taken more lightly when they were accompanied by cartoon style illustrations.

We have four main examples for this.

     First, Marjane depicts a torture scene in which her parents friends were victims of the prisons. Ahmadi is seen being brutally tortured. He is whipped, burned by an iron, and ultimately cut into pieces as punishment for his crime (51-52). if this were a traditional novel, the torture scene would have been open to the individual's own interpretation. 

      The second example we have is when Marjane and her family learn about the fate of the young boys who have the plastic gold keys around their necks. these keys grant the boys passage into paradise (102). this scene in the book requires very little dialog and if it were in a traditional novel it my lose its impact on the reader. 

     Another example would be when Marjane describes her grandfather. She gives the reader a very specific image of him on an elephant, looking very powerful. the reader is given such specific information about this person, any of their own interpretations would not have been accurate.

Finally, Marjane illustrates the massacre which occurred in a theater. 400 people lost their lives because of the shah (15). Again, we see the authors interpretation of the event. This is going to be inherent in any graphic novel as opposed to the traditional novel.