Analysis Of The F Word By Firoozeh Dumas

In response to "Mericans", the first sign of American identity that is noticed by this short story is the classification of relatives in the style of traditional American names such as "Auntie" and "Uncle". The next thing that is

The n-word is considered one of the most vicious racial slurs in the English language today. True that the n-word is closely associated with slavery and the oppression of blacks. Even after the abolition of slavery the word still haunted African Americans, especially in more segregated areas; where blacks were viewed as inferior to whites. In recent years the n-word has become less of a malicious slur in parts of our country. Public figures who use the n-word run the risk of losing their jobs. However, since the 1960s African Americans have coined the term “nigga”, when addressing one another. The rise of hip hop culture also enhanced the use of the word-they felt as though they are using the word as a term of endearment. Critics of the

Pathos is used in order to link the essay with the reader’s emotions and ethos is used to show the writers moral character. For example, pathos is used when Kozol speaks to a student of a Bronx high school, “Think of it this way,” said a sixteen-year-old girl. “If people in New York woke up one day and learned that we were gone…how would they feel?...I think they’d be relieved.” (Kozol 205) This part of the essay really made me feel sad for this girl who lives in a society where she has grown up feeling like now one cares about her or others of her race.

She does so by using short anecdotes such as, “ I remember being sent to the corner of the classroom for “talking back” to the Anglo teacher when all I was trying to do was tell her how to pronounce my name.” If you want to be American, speak ‘American’. If you don’t like it go back to Mexico where you belong.” Stating this in her essay clearly shows how she has faced discrimination for her language. This short story also proves the relationship between language and identity and how the teacher tells her she belong in Mexico and why? She says that only because of her language and ‘American’ is not a language. The ethos in this essay clearly gives her the right to write about this topic because she’s had harsh experiences with being oppressed because of her language. Although the anecdote is ethos it could very well be pathos as

Do you take the time to try and pronounce someone's name correctly? In Firoozeh Dumas’s memoir “The ”F Word” she explains how she immigrated to America from Iran. When her family arrived she had to hurdle many obstacles just from her name. The kids in her classes would make fun of her and her family members names. This went to the extent of not getting job interviews,even with a good education. Dumas argues that she should at least get a chance. Although, she does admit that over time, people have gotten better with trying to pronouncing her name and accepting her.

The events in Dumas’ flashbacks prove stereotypical behavior and close-mindedness of Americans hinder assimilation. Dumas tells the reader of the difficulty she has while trying to get a job due to her name. “Even though I had graduated with honors from UC– Berkeley, I couldn’t get a single interview... After three months of rejections, I added “Julie”

In Firoozeh Dumas's narrative, she uses rhetorical terms such as: ethos, logos, repetition, and flashback. “The F Word” explains how to overcome obstacles as an iranian immigrant. She persuades the audience that they can trust her because she's an immigrant; herself. Her move to California impacted her life forever. Dumas appeals to the audience's emotion BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She won a PEN/USA award in 2004 and writes this narrative from a first hand experience; she is someone who can be the voice of those who can relate. Dumas felt the need to write this because she never thought her name would affect her name in America. Surprisingly, she learned that her name would be a conundrum she would have to face for the

He also creates a very strong and intimate bond with other immigrants throughout the entire paper. He used pathos by telling the story of his own immigration, of the day he was brought to America, and of having to jump through certain loops to stay under the radar. He discusses having to lie to friends and coworkers and not being able to obtain a driver’s license or job without going to the extremes. By laying out every obstacle he had to jump over he immediately creates credibility and a link between him and other

In "The F Word," Dumas bases her argument and claim around the experiences she encountered regarding her foreign name in America. Throughout the essay, Dumas constantly argues that Americans are often times closed-minded and ignorant to unfamiliar cultures. In coordination with this argument, she develops her claim that not only Americans, but all people in general need to be more open-minded and accepting towards different cultures. She further supports her claim through different anecdotes in the essay. For instance, the anecdotes of her sixth grade class and job résumé story both support her claim. In the anecdote regarding her sixth grade class, Dumas mentions that her classmates were extremely racist and constantly stereotyped Iranians.

Activist, Gloria Anzaldua’s narrative excerpt “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” She goes into depth of ethnic identity, while knocking down walls of linguistic and identity down. How one would identify themselves while broadcasting the struggles any person with culture has felt. She uses ethos, pathos, and logos alongside all five senses. Making the reader feel as though they witness the struggles she went through if not witness then actually experienced. Anzaldua’s thesis is that language is a part of one’s identity. It is what makes a person who they and connects them to their roots. People shouldn't let others try to tame their tongue or cut off their native language; because once they do and are given that power they can disconnect the person from their culture and roots.

At several points within “The Approximate Size of my Favorite Tumor,” Alexie plays with the use of nicknames to relay relationships between characters. A name is an integral part of one’s identity, being given at birth and held on to till death, representing who a person is. Sometimes people go by different names depending on how close the person is to another. Names are altered to tease lovingly or show sincerity. Such an instance takes place within the text. Surnames in the Native American community differ from that of western society. Descriptions took the place of a typical last name, creating more intimate and interesting names. For example, the main character of this excerpt is

Throughout the context of “Bless Me Ultima,” it is evident that there are many motifs and examples of dichotomy. I believe that Anaya uses the previously mentioned elements of literature in order to provoke his readers’ thinking and help embody a struggle of understanding the world we live in. Motifs in this novel include: family, dreams, religion, education, and the list continues. For examples of dichotomy, the idea of good versus evil is the most vivid in this novel.

Experiencing death can sometimes be the best event someone can go through. Death is more than just someone stopping from existing, it’s a concept that can be perceived as a new beginning. Being able to take the death of someone and turning their philosophy into consideration can be beautiful. In the novel “Bless Me Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya Antonio gets his faith put to the test when the arrival of Ultima brings him the beginning of the end.

When Firoozeh Dumas, who at the time of moving here, had her maiden name which she left unknown, she was taunted by other school children because of her hard to pronounce name. She failed to mention the twists people made of her name, unlike the amusing nicknames her cousins and brothers received. After coming up with her much more Americanized name of Julie, she was no longer an outsider. All of a sudden,

In the story, Funny in Farsi, the author Firoozeh informs the reader about her previous wars that she has gone through. The author relates to her to her internal conflict that she goes through during her lifetime.In the beginning of the story the author tells the reader about her struggle with her name and how people kept on miss pronouncing it. Firoozeh then decides to “...chose the name “Julie”...”(64) to help the people pronounce it with ease. She also changes her name to Julie, due to that fact that now people of the saw her as an American, and without the new name, “...[American] people would