Authors Firoozeh Dumas and Mawi Asgedom both tell their stories of moving to America. In Funny in Farsi, Dumas talks about her experiences moving to America. In Of Beetles And Angels, Asgedom tells about moving to America and his experience at Harvard. While both authors talk about their experiences moving to the U.S, they use different strategies to describe it. In “Funny in Farsi”, Dumas amuses the reader by narrating her experiences in America. For example, she uses humor. She talks about a boy who asks about having camels, and she tricks him and told him she had two camels.(151) That’s humorous because she didn’t have any camels and he got mad after finding that out. Additionally, she uses anecdotes. One short anecdote was that she tried to explain where Iran was, but she failed and got bad reactions from people when she explained like “Fish eggs? Gross,” and not knowing anything she would talk about.(149) Thats an anecdote because it’s a short story or memory she experienced. One other thing Dumas uses is figurative language. She uses this multiple times, referencing that she felt like she was in an Oprah show and being a celebrity being pursued by paparazzi.(149,151) …show more content…
To do this, one strategy he uses is reflection. He reflects on some of the life lessons his mother shared with him like “Don’t forget where you came from.”(162) He gives it serious thought and consideration. Another strategy he uses is metaphors. He talks about how “one small act of kindness can be tomorrow's big whirlwind of human progress.”(165) He over-exaggerates it, or uses a hyperbole to emphasize it. One last strategy he uses is imagery. He uses vivid descriptions to describe how the small act of kindness the Harvard student did to help a little lady write a letter meant so much.(163) Asgedom’s perspective is that we all are part of a community and must help each other
Help and devotion are shown in many different varieties throughout communities. These good acts are documented often in literature. Such is the topic in Ben Mikaelsen’s novel Touching Spirit Bear. People step out of their lives to help others become a better individual. Edwin and Garvey take on the challenge of making Cole Mathews a better person. In Ben Mikaelsen’s Touching Spirit Bear, the help of others enables an individual to transform as illustrated through characterization, epiphanies, and symbols, which shows others that even at peoples worst times, help is all they need.
He was taught at an early age to think about others and to care for the needs of those around him.
The author uses word choice like, “good people” and “educators”, to make his theme stand out and that he wants us to have these traits. After he explains his experience of the Holocaust, Fred Gross tells the viewers how they could make a difference in any kind of situation. “What I would like you to be in general, is educators. Educators to make a difference. But to take part in areas to improve the lives of other people.”
One million people, each year, immigrate to the United States of America dreaming of a better life. Many come by their own free will but many are forced by unfortunate situations in their home country. Those people generally have to leave behind whatever possessions they have and deal with an ever saddening situation. In the novel Interpreters of Maladies by Lahiri, Lahiri discusses in multiple short stories the specifics of the cultural struggles of adapting to a new land with different people and different traditions. In the stories A Real Durwan, Mrs. Sen’s and When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine she talks about how a person from India has come to America against their will. The immigrant’s story
In the short stories “A Drug Called Tradition,” “The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor,” and “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore” collected in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, author Sherman Alexie uses humor to reflect the life on the Spokane Reservation. In “A Drug Called Tradition,” the story starts with a joke by having Thomas sit down inside a refrigerator in response to Junior’s comment as to why the refrigerator is empty. The Indians are having a party hosted by Thomas, who gets a lot of money from a corporation for leasing some of his land. Alexie’s three second selves, Victor, Junior, and Thomas, later go to the Benjamin Lake and use the drug that Victor brings with him. In “The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor,” Jimmy Many Horses, who suffers from terminal cancer, humorously describes his tumors to his wife, Norma, who cannot bear Jimmy’s humor and leaves him. At the end, Norma comes back to Jimmy because the person she lives with is too serious. In “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore,” Victor and Adrian talk about the basketball stars on the reservation, hoping that someone on the reservation can resist alcohol and develop his or her basketball skills to be a successful ballplayer. The function of Alexie’s humor shifts throughout his stories. In “A Drug Called Tradition,” Alexie’s humor effectively accomplishes one of his goals by obliging readers to reconsider their concepts, while his humor helps his characters improve their situations in “The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor.” In “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore,” humor mitigates the characters’ pain and despair. One common function hum...
“The “F Word”” is a great story of Firoozeh Dumas who opens a wide window about the problems and struggles of immigrants in America. Firoozeh Dumas was born in Iran, and she moved back and forth between her native country and America. She finally stabilized her life in California with her family at the age of eleven. She attended the University of California at Berkeley and got married with a Frenchman over there. Firoozeh Dumas is an amazing writer that is well known by many fantastic writings such as “Funny in Farsi,” “Laughing without an Accent,” and “The “F Word”.” “The “F Word”” is one of her best short stories that deeply expresses the problems as well as the struggles of immigrants in the United States. That is her own story, her own
In a short story called, “Thank you ma’am”, the author is trying to convey the theme, or message, of the importance of showing random acts of kindness towards others to help institute change. Mrs.J show one act of kindness when she washes his face. Another when she makes Roger food at her house. Mrs.J is kind and shows multiple examples throughout the story.
He learned over some time, that it is possible for one to retain separateness but keep individuality, and one can be a public person as well as a private person. He says that at first he wanted to be like everyone else (fit in), and only when he could think of himself as American it was than okay to be an individual in public society. He speaks of a man from Mexico who held on to Spanish: "For as long as he holds on to words, he can ignore how much else has changed his life" (35). The message is to not take words for granted and not to misuse words because they certainly do have meaning. For example, `brother' and `sister' is becoming a public repetition of words. The meaning will become lifeless. Words mean something when the voice takes control "the heart cannot contain!" (39). It forms an intimate sound.
For example, Sedaris uses hyperbolic statements to connect to the audience by using humor. The statement, “... and had front teeth the size of tombstones...” (P8) is meant to be humorous, which creates a sense of amiability between Sedaris and his audience. When Sedaris says, “Her reaction led me to believe that these mistakes were the capital crimes in the country of France,” (P16) he is referring to his poor pronunciation, and is highlighting the teacher’s extreme responses to the slightest mistake. Language is also used to create an easygoing relationship between the speaker in the audience. Sedaris uses informal language--as can be seen in the quote,“the teacher killed some time …” (P14)--to create a companionable tone, and makes it appear as though the story is being told to you by a friend, rather than reading an essay. The point of view is also essential to achieving the purpose of the essay; it is a first person
Therefore, Funny In Farsi and this historical news article do relate to one another. They both taught us that you are the creator of your own destiny; others cannot hold you back. It also taught us that America is in constant change. This country has evolved in the means of educating, treating one another the way we would want to be treated, and much more. The change is only just beginning,
According to Gazzaniga, Heatherton, and Halpern in Psychological Science, an effective to regulate emotion is through humor (430). Humor allows individuals to distance themselves from negative emotions and can strengthen social connections to others (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, and Halpern 431). In Native American communities, laughter and humor are often utilized to cope with stereotypes imposed upon Native Americans by non-Native people. Illustrations of this occurrence can be found throughout works by Native peoples, such as that by Sherman Alexie. These sources involve Native Americans embracing, rebelling against, and bringing attention to stereotypes about who they are and who the can be, all while using humor to cope with the emotions involved
Although everyone on this planet is a human being, some people don’t understand or accept that as well as others. In the books Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas and Running For My Life by Lopez Lomong, this was very well demonstrated in both good and bad ways. Funny in Farsi is a story about Firoozeh and her family, who immigrated from Iran to America. The story is in her point of view. When she was just seven, her entire family moved to California. Little did they know, their lack of knowledge for the English Language and American culture would cause many troubles for them throughout their lives in America. Running For My Life is about Lopez Lomong’s life and successes as he becomes a world renowned athlete from a poor, kidnapped Sudanese kid.
“The Importance of Being Earnest”, by Oscar Wilde, is a novel that defies most of society’s morals. The characters react the complete opposite to how a normal person in today’s society would react. Wilde creates a sense of humor through an eccentric tone and also through actions and reactions of the characters and their situation.
to America with grace and compassion. This story by Jhumpa Lahiri, is an allegory establishing an identity with using symbolic meaning between two cultures that intersect. The themes throughout the story refer to immigrant experiences, the conflict of cultures, the contrast of assimilation and the connection between generations. The Namesake, opens the worlds of emotions Ashima experiences, while straddling her two worlds. This story of identity allows readers to travel with Ashima on an intimate journey through her life as an immigrant.
For instance, it was an extremely sunny day in Ghana, West Africa, and I had gone out to the well to fetch water. It was while carrying the bucket of water on my way back that I noticed my neighbor’s children fighting over the insufficient amount of food that they had to share. My family and I were not rich but from what I saw, I knew that we were better off than other people I knew. I carried the bucket of water inside the house and came back outside to call the two youngest children that were fighting over the last grain of food. I shared my food my food with them and though it was not sufficient for all, feeding the younger ones alone was better than not helping any one of them at all. There was only little that I could possibly do but by sharing, I had helped them in a great way, even if it was just for the time being.