Funny in Farsi Immigration Essay - 1202 Words

Nicola Rahman English-Ms.Esmail America has often been called â€Å"The Land of the Free†, where opportunities are like the bounteous fish caught at sea; the catch may be large or small, may come sooner or later. Just as the Gold Rush prompted for many miners to come about, the promising opportunities have prompted for immigrants to pour into in America. Although this chance for a new beginning has vastly beckoned immigrants, there are sacrifices immigrants must make along with newfound chances. Succumbing to social alienation is one of the sacrifices that immigrants must make. In the memoir,†¦show more content†¦Nobody wanted to hire an Iranian.†(Dumas 117.) Coinciding with the urgency of unemployment due to societal prejudices, Djuro J. Vrga’s views on the matter are quite blunt, â€Å" An immigrant must make two kinds of adjustments: (1) to his own ethnic group, and (2) to the larger society.† (Vrga 239.) Without restriction to the Iranian Revolution, Dumas’ experience and Vrga’s analogy reveal a now unearthed concept that social alienation is composed of both a minority and a versing majority. All throughout her life, Firoozeh Dumas was forced to contend to a traditional upbringing contrary to the contemporary surroundings she lived in. These two opposing factors were the necessary ingredients creating the recipe for social alienation, whereas if Dumas were not Iranian and born purely American there would be a missing ingredient. Even in marital matters, Dumas faced the same kind of discouraging social issues, â€Å" Francois and I had agreed that we would be married both in the Catholic Church and in a traditional Persian ceremony. The tough part was finding a Catholic priest who would be willing to officiate at a mixed marriage.† (Dumas 145-146.) The interracial circumstances binding the wedding like a serpent does its prey, Firoozeh Dumas consistently meets with American shortcomings. In 1977, Washington, D.C., Iranians were invited to welcome the Shah, or Iranian leader, who was scheduled to meet Jimmy Carter, a newlyShow MoreRelated Marjane Satrapis Persepolis3668 Words   |  15 Pagesinvaded Iran in hopes of capturing the oil- rich country amidst the Revolutionary turmoil, further contributing to Iranian emigration to European countries. The Iran Iraq War continued until 1988. The mass exodus resulted in the forced dispersal, immigration, displacement and establishment of reconfigured transnational communities, now known as the Iranian diaspora (Agnew 19).Such abrupt uprooting of a citizens identity and physical connection to their homeland leads to a conflicting sense of