Blogs by Midnight

1. Satrapi’s book seeks to convey a complex political history stained with national and individual tragedy. Would you say she’s achieved her goals while using a graphic novel?

I think Satrapi achieved her goals using a graphic novel. She described a complex political history through the perspective of someone who lived during through it. The story of the main character's individual struggle unravels as she tells the bigger story of national tragedy. By doing so, the storys intertwine, portraying the particular historical context from the inside out.

2. We’ve discussed the use of color as a way to evoke emotion. What does Persepolis gain or lose in its utilization of black-and-white (with no shades of gray whatsoever) illustration?

I think Persepolis only utilizes black and white in order to show the darkness of the times, but also the lack of expression. In my opinion, gray tones represent sadness and despair. Although I'm sure these feelings were present at the time, based on my interpretation of Persepolis, most people kept this feelings inside and simply except things the way they were. The Veils, for example, represent this theme of oppression. They keep the women hidden, almost as if to put a wall between them and the world around them. Everything in these times were in black and white; they simply were the way they were, and most people werent equipped to do anything about it.

3.Choose one frame (a single box on any page) to analyze. Briefly discuss its visual rhetoric: Who or what is being depicted? What emotion is being conveyed? What does the text add to or take from the picture? What tone (sincerity, irony, humor,information) does the picture exhibit? What figures in the frame remain stationary?What figures imply action? What is the purpose of this? What shapes are used? Is there a sense or lack of realism?

I chose the 5th frame on the tenth page. This frame is illustrates the police officers who kept people locked in a building while it burned down. The police officers are drawn much bigger than the people trying to get into the building, and they appear to be standing over them. This shows that the police officers have all the power and the other people are helpless and weak. There are flames of fire behind the police men. I think this is showing that the police men either started the fire, or are controlling it because they have done nothing to stop it. It also seems as though the fire and the policemen are standing together, meaning that they are both equally destructive. This frame exhibits a very serious and hateful tone. There are shadows across the faces of the policemen, depicting their evil and dark side. The fact that the policeman have faces, whereas the other people are just solid white figures, again represents the division of power. The policemen remain stationary while the people outside seem to imply action. This represents the fact that the policemen enforce the current political structure and hold most of the power while doing so, while other people try to change things. The fact that the police officers have there arms locked implies that they arent going to move out of the way.