Kadin Cariaga-Sayegusa

Dr. Malashewski

IB English HL

6 December 2023

Marjane Satrapi in her graphic novel, Persepolis, expresses contempt against religious

fundamentalism in her country because of the traumatic experiences she has endured. On page

99 Marjane utilizes graphic weight in order to emphasize the significance of the keys given to

young boys. These keys are given to young boys in order to convince them to join the army, the

boys are told “that if they went to war and were lucky enough to die, this key would get them

into heaven” (99). This quotation is on the middle panel which carries graphic weight as it is the

only panel on the page with an all black background, magnifying the heavy-heartedness that

Satrapi portrays with this scene. On page 133, Satrapi uses emanata and speech bubbles to

express the hypercriticality of religious fundamentalists that in turn make Satrapi have bitterness

towards fundamentalism. Satrapi uses emanata to emphasize the speech bubble where the

Guardians of the Revolution pull down her veil and say, “Lower your scarf, you little whore”

(99). The emanata of the motion of the Guardians pulling down her veil show their swift and

harsh motion that disregard the comfort and dignity of Satrapi. Marjane hatred against religious

fundamentalism is shown through her bad experiences with these fundamentalists.