Funny in Farsi: Post #6

Funny in Farsi
Quote #1: In Iranian culture, a woman’s nose is much more than a breathing device; it is her destiny. A girl with an ugly nose learns early on to dream of one thing only- a skilled plastic surgeon. –Firoozeh –Page 161

Significance: This quote relates to the question, “What was the life/role of the characters in their home country? I think that this quote is important because Firoozeh really tells you about what happens if you have a big nose in Iran. This could mean two things. It could mean being nosy or literally having a big nose. But I knew that she meant literally having a big nose because she said you would need a plastic-surgeon to fix it. To me, that’s kind of a weird tradition but it’s what Iranians lived through. If they did that here in America then people would think Firoozeh and her family are weird.

Character Judgement: Firoozeh was also talking about how her mom’s side of the family didn’t have a big nose and how her dad’s side of the family did have a big nose. Something that made me like Firoozeh even more as a friend is that, she doesn’t care what people say about her nose, she knows that she was born beautiful. Firoozeh always gets compliments about how beautiful, smart, and polite she is, so just because her nose isn’t that perfect she is still thankful for even being born with a nose. I like Firoozeh’s actions and feelings on what people say to her or about her, because she is very strong on the inside and she is brave as well.

Question: Would you get surgery on your nose to make it perfect or would you be glad of what your nose looks like?

Quote #2: “The chicken is twelve dollars? Does that mean we get the whole chicken? Let’s see. They have two, four, six, eight, ten… twenty tables here, four people per table average….. Geez, I should’ve opened a restaurant.” –Kazem (Firoozeh’s Dad) –Page 185

Significance: This quote relates to the question, “What hardships do the characters endure as they make a new life? Since, Kazem (Firoozeh’s dad) is surprised how much chicken cost, he notices that the prices in restaurants are very expensive, so that’s what this quote talks about. The currency in Iran is very different compared to the U.S. currency. Firoozeh talks about how tomatoes are less than a dollar in her home country. There are a lot of differences between the U.S. and Iran. For example, the economy, currency, culture, lifestyle, traditions, etc. are different. But some things we have in common are that Iranians food influenced in the U.S. so that’s why we serve some Persian food from Iran and Iranians come to live here in America.

Personal Connection: I can connect to this quote because the currency in Eritrea (where my parents are from) is different than the U.S. The lifestyle is different too. We have our differences and similarities. MY parents probably felt the same way Firoozeh’s parents did because things in America are very expensive. I would think the same way my parents are thinking because nothing is cheap nor free in this whole world, you have to work your way up to it and earn the money. If you want something, you have to just try and get it. Money is something that’s very important and Firoozeh’s family is going to have to work hard in order to survive and live a happy life in America.

Question: Is currency very important to you, whether it’s from another country or here in America?