We study this book in Part 3 of the course: Literature in context. And context not only refers to the time and place in which the book was written (and drawn), but also to its form - which is, in case of Persepolis, very different from the other books we have studied.
Use the following sources to come up with your ideas (some may lead you to other posts on this blog.)
Essay matters
Questions to consider
The visual language of comics
In the same way that linguistic devices contribute to the meaning of the text do visual devices create meaning in graphic novels. Comic book artists Scott McCloud has written a rather fabulous book - graphic novel, actually - on the visual language of comic books: Understanding Comics.
The entire book can be viewed here. (And very likely there will soon be a class copy as well.)
I recommend that you study at least p. 2-59.
Also, check out McCloud's talk about the same topic at TED.com (a site which cannot be recommended highly enough!)
The same text used in a different context
Persepolis vividly depicts the changes and revolutions in Iran in the late 1970s. When the current Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was re-elected in 2009 a flurry of protests spread across the country. With author Marjane Satrapi's permission, Iranian-born artists Payman and Sina (artists' names) wrote new text for original frames from Persepolis - very effectively updating the frames to 30 years later and sadly showing that not that much has changed since in Iran.
A perfect example of literature in context, if you ask me!
Download Persepolis 2.0 (from my dropbox).
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