Introduction: Works of literature have the power to transcend

time and place. They may be set in times past or times yet to
come, but their central concerns are always relevant to the time
in which they were written. Two such works, Persepolis by
Marjane Satrapi and Othello by William Shakespeare, reflect the
historical, cultural, and social contexts of their respective
periods. In this essay, the two works, Persepolis and Othello
explore the concept of power, identity crisis and control and
domination through language, form and style of the two
authors to convey their central concerns.

Body Paragraph 1: One of the central concerns of Persepolis

and Othello is the concept of power and its effects on
individuals and society. In Persepolis, Satrapi explores the
oppressive regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its impact
on the lives of ordinary citizens. She uses simple language,
black and white illustrations, and a childlike perspective to
convey the horrors of the regime. In Othello, Shakespeare
examines the corrupting influence of power through the
character of Iago, who manipulates Othello into believing his
wife is unfaithful. Shakespeare's use of soliloquies and asides
allow the audience to see into the mind of Iago and understand
his motivations.

Body Paragraph 2: Another central concern in the two work is

the theme of identity and how it is shaped by cultural and
social factors. Satrapi examines both her own identity as an
Iranian lady living in Europe and the greater identity crisis that
Iranians are currently experiencing in the context of the Iranian
Revolution in her book Persepolis. She illustrates the insanity of
the situation and the challenges of managing numerous
identities with humor and irony. Shakespeare examines how
race, class, and gender are used to form identity in Othello. He
examines the difficulties experienced by oppressed minorities
by using Othello, a black man in a mostly white culture.
Shakespeare emphasizes the significance of identity to the
characters and the themes relevant to that era through the use
of metaphors and symbolism, such as the handkerchief.

Body Paragraph 3: The last central concern Control and

domination shown in both "Persepolis" and "Othello," as
characters attempt to exert power over others in various ways.
In "Persepolis," the Iranian government uses censorship,
intimidation, and the imposition of strict Islamic regulations to
try and dominate and control its citizens. The main character,
Marjane, protests against this control by participating in
prohibited activities including listening to Western music and
wearing non-traditional clothes. Similar to this, Iago in "Othello"
tries to dominate and control everyone around him by taking
advantage of their feelings and behaviors, especially Othello's,
in order to further his own selfish interests. The destructive
results of uncontrolled power and control are shown in these
works. Both authors emphasize the themes of power and
dominance through the use of illustrations and rhetorical
devices in their language and writing styles. Shakespeare uses
dramatic irony and metaphor to emphasize Iago's deceitful
nature, while Satrapi uses black-and-white paintings to convey
the oppressive environment of Iran.

Conclusion: Though "Persepolis" and "Othello" are set in vastly

different times and places, their core themes of identity, justice,
and control are universal. Both authors make use of their
authorial choices to produce works that are not only appealing
on the eye of the reader but also stimulating for the mind and
relevant to the time they were written.
Theme
Persepolis
Religion, Repression, and Modernity

Nationalism, Heroism, and Martyrdom

Violence, Forgiveness, and Justice

Children, War, and Growing Up

The Personal vs. the Political

Gender
Rebellion

Malcontent

Culture

Othello
Prejudice

Appearance vs. Reality

Jealousy

Manhood and Honor

Womanhood and Sexuality

Trust in marriage

Trust and mistrust

Betrayel

Identity and culture in Persepolis

The presentation of Western culture shows the how influential cultures can be. It allows Satrapi to
really show her personal identity, which is the western political and social belief that she and her
family holds.

She wears her denim jacket with a Michael Jackson button and Nike, and says ‘of course, my
headscarf’. This displays Satrapi’s multiple personal identities: following Middle Eastern
customs while sharing western values.

Identity and culture in Othello

The Identity and Culture are very important issues in Postcolonial studies. In Shakespeare’s play
Othello it seems that Othello tries hard to be accepted in his host country as a native Venetian but
he is always excluded. Being a black in a white society, he suffers from identity crisis. Moreover, he
suffers from alienation too. His identity in Venice is completely vague. He thinks himself to be an
insider to Venice but he is perceived by the Venetians as an outsider who is black in colour. Culture is
another important postcolonial issue in Othello. In the play, a marked contrast has been shown
between the Western Venice and the Eastern world, where Othello belongs to. It seems that
Othello, being a cultural “other”, neither can understand Venetian culture nor can adjust to it and so
the tragedy happens.

Protagonist
Persepolis
Marjane “Marji” Satrapi

Othello
Othello

Malcontent in Persepolis

Persepolis

Marjane uses veil as oppression on women

(Restriction impose on the women)
Mirror is the symbol for truth
Bread swan symbolises darkness even in the light
Tone is informal with a touch of humour
Marjane – middle class
Mehri – Lower Class
(Denied education)
Mali – upper class (uses everything due to violence of war)
Constant fear of violence and especially for children’s

Juxtaposition
Implies difference btw gender, good and bad,

Satire

Dramatic Irony
Gender inequality (women are treated very badly)
No rules for men only for woman
Internal conflict (her desire for freedom the westernised education
as appose to Islamic education leading to conflict)
War btw countries and btw their own people
Tragedy and violence can transform feelings about religious faith
and god
Feminism
Marjane and her family is standing up against the oppression
Task
Exploration of Ideas of technique from Othello
Languge imagery themes Setting Dramatic Irony Symbolism
Themes
Racism, Incompatibility of heroism and love, danger and isolation,
jealousy, deception and treachery, justice

Close Analysis
The key features of the non lit text, the purpose of the author, deepened
understanding of the text

Paper 2
Broad literary exploration of 2 work and appreciation of authorial choices
outlining similarities and differences in a comparative essay of 1200 words

Work cited

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/persepolis/themes

https://www.litcharts.com/lit/othello/themes

https://blogs.ubc.ca/nataliewu/2014/10/21/cultural-differences-in-persepolis/

https://arsartium.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/17.-Identity-and-Culture-as-Postcolonial-Issues-in-
Shakespeares-Othello-by-Sandeep-Kumar-Dubey.pdf

thesis content should contain

REASON YOU SAW TRANSFORMATION

How your essay showed that