The First Persepolis

2.) Written as a memoir, is Persepolis more powerful than if Satrapi had fictionalized the story? Why or why not? Compare this book to other memoirs you have read. What are the benefits and drawbacks of memoirs?

- I think it's stronger as a memoir. This way, the author can really explain in detail about the experiences that he/she went trough rather than trying to imagine how it'd be like and write about that. He/she won't need to make up something just so that their story makes sense. Persepolis as a memoir has a voice of its own. The readers can relate to it in a way. Like going against the laws sometimes just because of that great adrenaline rush kinda feeling(: The benefits of memoirs are that you can relate to them. If a reader is able to relate to the book, it's more likely that the reader will actually finish reading the book. I've read a lot of memoirs and some are just down right depressing but this one is different. Satrapi does a good job at looking on the bright side of life during the Islamic Revolution. Although she explains and shows a lot of horrible things happening, she also lets us have a feel of hope and see how charming a child she is.

4.) How is Persepolis organized and structured?

- Persepolis is organized from left to right and top to bottom. It's like a comic book but easier to read. It's just like reading a novel but with pictures. That's right, PICTURES (: Whew.Thank goodness for pictures! The drawings are easily understood. You can look at the picture and get an idea of what's happening. All the drawings are black and white which, to me, shows that it's a time of sadness but the drawings don't let that take control of the mood of the story. The drawings help the text out a lot because most people are visual learners. Being able to read and see what's happening makes it a whole lot easier to understand what the story is about. The pictures and text both help out one another. Without the text, the pictures will be a bit confusing because it probably take you awhile to understand the story and without the pictures, the text will be hard to understand.

5.) Describe the writer's voice. Is it appealing? Which aspects of Marji's character do you identify with or like the most, the least? Did your reaction to the little girl affect your reading experience?

- The writer's voice is strong and very appealing. Reading about a bright and funny little girl made reading this graphic novel so much fun. Marji is full of wonder and dreams a lot. She seems to understand a lot things. Her personality as a teen is so common to teens now. We want to skip school to be considered "cool". Her character has a great sense of humor. She's always day dreaming and you never know what she's going to do next. She believes in herself. She's always confident in what she does and says but that'll only get her in trouble. She skips schools and lies to her mom only to get in trouble.