Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
I Ran and I Ran and I Ran
Page 112:
"A fruit basket would have been nice, but instead we found that a flyer had been slipped under the door.
Dear Brainwashed Cowards,
You are nothing but puppets of the corrupt Shah. We will teach you a lesson you will
never forget. Death to the Shah. Death to you."
This is extremely cruel, and I couldn't believe that they would actually send that to the Iranians. Firoozeh and her family and all of the other Iranians in America have just as much of a right to be there as people born in America. It' so awful how discriminative, and mean people can be to each other. Despite the circumstances, I think that Firoozeh's parents handled the situation well. They stood their ground; knowing that they deserved to be in America. They didn't let people push them around and make them go home out of fear, rather they stayed strong and stood up for what they believed in.
Page 113:
"But his voice was drowned out by the twenty-one-gun salute announcing the arrival of the Shah's limousine. People started to cheer, but the cheering wasn't entirely cheerful. The demonstrators had crossed the road. They were stampeding toward us waving sticks with nails driven into them. People were screaming and running. Instead of Iranian flags, the lawn was suddenly covered with bloody and injured Iranians. My parents and I ran and ran and ran."
When I read this it shocked me. I knew the threats from the demonstrators had been serious, but I didn't think they would harm so many people just because of their ethnicity. It was extremely sad to read this, and know that it actually happened- happens. People don't realize that we're all equal and have the same right to live where we want. America is full of people with different nationalities, and people who are of a different nationality but born in America are discriminated and told to "go home". But they were born in America; so they are home.
"A fruit basket would have been nice, but instead we found that a flyer had been slipped under the door.
Dear Brainwashed Cowards,
You are nothing but puppets of the corrupt Shah. We will teach you a lesson you will
never forget. Death to the Shah. Death to you."
This is extremely cruel, and I couldn't believe that they would actually send that to the Iranians. Firoozeh and her family and all of the other Iranians in America have just as much of a right to be there as people born in America. It' so awful how discriminative, and mean people can be to each other. Despite the circumstances, I think that Firoozeh's parents handled the situation well. They stood their ground; knowing that they deserved to be in America. They didn't let people push them around and make them go home out of fear, rather they stayed strong and stood up for what they believed in.
Page 113:
"But his voice was drowned out by the twenty-one-gun salute announcing the arrival of the Shah's limousine. People started to cheer, but the cheering wasn't entirely cheerful. The demonstrators had crossed the road. They were stampeding toward us waving sticks with nails driven into them. People were screaming and running. Instead of Iranian flags, the lawn was suddenly covered with bloody and injured Iranians. My parents and I ran and ran and ran."
When I read this it shocked me. I knew the threats from the demonstrators had been serious, but I didn't think they would harm so many people just because of their ethnicity. It was extremely sad to read this, and know that it actually happened- happens. People don't realize that we're all equal and have the same right to live where we want. America is full of people with different nationalities, and people who are of a different nationality but born in America are discriminated and told to "go home". But they were born in America; so they are home.
It's All Relatives
Page 96:
"It's said that Inuits have more than twenty words for "snow." This seems logical given that the average Alaskan spends a lifetime surrounded by snow, observing details that the rest of us have never noticed."
This reminds me of Children of the River. Sundara talks about how there many specific words for different relatives, in Khmer. Her aunts and uncles on her mother's side have different names than those on her father's side. Soka calls Naro "husband" rather than by his name, and he sometimes calls Soka "Younger Sister" even though they're not actually siblings. Firoozeh, coming from Iran, also has this aspect in her culture and language. She has multiple names for one thing, whereas in English there might be only one word for it. For example, her father's brothers are her amoo, her mother's brother is her dye-yee, and her aunts' husbands are shohar khaleh or shohar ammeh. That's four different names for a person that would just be called her "uncle" in the English language.
Page 97:
"Aunt Sedigeh also had a beautiful garden full of nasturtiums, roses, snapdragons, and sweet peas, a veritable Disneyland for the olfactory sense. We went to her house for lunch every Friday; while the smells of her cooking filled the house, I would go in her garden and smell every flower over and over again. Even though I went there weekly, each visit to her garden was as exciting as the first."
This quote reminds me of a time when I experienced the same thing as Firoozeh. Whenever I went to my grandmother's we would walk down the street to see her neighbor's garden. They loved their garden, and loved even more when people went to admire it. Spanning their entire backyard, the garden was magnificent. There was a winding path leading through it so that you could see everything. They had every kind of flower you could imagine that would grow in Maine. They would work on their garden for hours everyday, making it as perfect as they could get it. I would go through the garden and smell all of the flowers; never wanting to leave.
"It's said that Inuits have more than twenty words for "snow." This seems logical given that the average Alaskan spends a lifetime surrounded by snow, observing details that the rest of us have never noticed."
This reminds me of Children of the River. Sundara talks about how there many specific words for different relatives, in Khmer. Her aunts and uncles on her mother's side have different names than those on her father's side. Soka calls Naro "husband" rather than by his name, and he sometimes calls Soka "Younger Sister" even though they're not actually siblings. Firoozeh, coming from Iran, also has this aspect in her culture and language. She has multiple names for one thing, whereas in English there might be only one word for it. For example, her father's brothers are her amoo, her mother's brother is her dye-yee, and her aunts' husbands are shohar khaleh or shohar ammeh. That's four different names for a person that would just be called her "uncle" in the English language.
Page 97:
"Aunt Sedigeh also had a beautiful garden full of nasturtiums, roses, snapdragons, and sweet peas, a veritable Disneyland for the olfactory sense. We went to her house for lunch every Friday; while the smells of her cooking filled the house, I would go in her garden and smell every flower over and over again. Even though I went there weekly, each visit to her garden was as exciting as the first."
This quote reminds me of a time when I experienced the same thing as Firoozeh. Whenever I went to my grandmother's we would walk down the street to see her neighbor's garden. They loved their garden, and loved even more when people went to admire it. Spanning their entire backyard, the garden was magnificent. There was a winding path leading through it so that you could see everything. They had every kind of flower you could imagine that would grow in Maine. They would work on their garden for hours everyday, making it as perfect as they could get it. I would go through the garden and smell all of the flowers; never wanting to leave.
Waterloo
Page 70-71:
"I had never actually let go of my father in the pool, preferring instead to cling to him like a koala on a eucalyptus branch during an earthquake. His determination to peel me off himself matched, but did not exceed, my determination to hold on to him."
I liked this passage a lot because it made me laugh. The simile the author used really allowed me to picture it in my head. It was both helpful in that way, and funny. This is just another example of the author's whimsical style that really added to the book.
Page 73:
"Once we arrived, I went straight to the beach. I took a few steps into the water, where a gentle wave lifted me and I started to swim. Simple as that.
When we returned to Abadan, I proudly told my father the news. He did not believe me. He and I headed straight for the pool, where he watched in disbelief. "You, Firoozeh," he said, shaking is head, "are an odd child." "No," I said, "there was nobody yelling at me in the sea.""
Firoozeh's strength, determination, and courage prevails throughout the book. Coming to America as an immigrant was extremely challenging, however she jumped right in and wouldn't let anything stand in her way. Her learning to swim was a similar situation. When her father yelled at her in the pool, she didn't respond because she knew she deserved better than someone making her feel bad just because she was afraid of the water. When she- not her dad- was ready, she decided to take the initiative and learn to swim on her own. Despite her fears, she learned to swim on her own in the ocean. Her character is so mature, strong, and determined. She keeps amazing me when she does something so courageous as this.
"I had never actually let go of my father in the pool, preferring instead to cling to him like a koala on a eucalyptus branch during an earthquake. His determination to peel me off himself matched, but did not exceed, my determination to hold on to him."
I liked this passage a lot because it made me laugh. The simile the author used really allowed me to picture it in my head. It was both helpful in that way, and funny. This is just another example of the author's whimsical style that really added to the book.
Page 73:
"Once we arrived, I went straight to the beach. I took a few steps into the water, where a gentle wave lifted me and I started to swim. Simple as that.
When we returned to Abadan, I proudly told my father the news. He did not believe me. He and I headed straight for the pool, where he watched in disbelief. "You, Firoozeh," he said, shaking is head, "are an odd child." "No," I said, "there was nobody yelling at me in the sea.""
Firoozeh's strength, determination, and courage prevails throughout the book. Coming to America as an immigrant was extremely challenging, however she jumped right in and wouldn't let anything stand in her way. Her learning to swim was a similar situation. When her father yelled at her in the pool, she didn't respond because she knew she deserved better than someone making her feel bad just because she was afraid of the water. When she- not her dad- was ready, she decided to take the initiative and learn to swim on her own. Despite her fears, she learned to swim on her own in the ocean. Her character is so mature, strong, and determined. She keeps amazing me when she does something so courageous as this.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The "F" Word
Page 65:
"When I went to college, I eventually went back to using my real name. All was well until I graduated and started looking for a job. Even though I had graduated with honors from UC-Berkeley, I couldn't get a single interview. I was guilty of being a humanities major, but I began to suspect that there was more to my problems. After three months of rejections, I added "Julie" to my résumé. Call it coincidence, but the job offers started coming in. Perhaps it's the same kind of coincidence that keeps African Americans from getting cabs in New York."
It amazes me how cruel and discriminatory people can be to others. So much discrimination takes place because of what? Different ethnic backgrounds. Yet we all have ancestors from somewhere with different nationalities. The United States is nothing other than a melting pot of different nationalities, religions, backgrounds, and skin color. So what gives someone the right to pick on someone else for their background when they came from somewhere else too? Everyone likes Firoozeh until they find out she's Iranian, but why should that matter? The Iranian Revolution may have taken place, however it's astonishing that people will blame an entire population for just a small group's doings. Despite the discrimination pointed toward Firoozeh, she continues to show her strength all throughout the book, because she knows that she has just as much of a right to be in America as anyone else.
Page 67:
"One mom at my children's school adamantly refuses to learn my "impossible" name and instead settled on calling me "F Word." She was recently transferred to New York where, from what I've heard, she might meet an immigrant or two and, who knows, she just might have to make room in her spice cabinet."
So many hardships have been posed for Firoozeh, however she doesn't let them fade her. This women at her children's school was just another inconvenience that she didn't let bother her. Instead she side-stepped the problem and continued to live her life in America. These little things are what continues to make Firoozeh such a strong character. Her strength comes through every time someone is discriminative toward her, her background, or her country.
Another reason this passage stood out to me was because the author continues to show her unique writing style. She uses so many similes and metaphors that add to the book so much. Comparing immigrants and their acceptance to a spice cabinet is extremely clever, and her cleverness repeatedly comes through in her funny ways of comparing things to one another.
"When I went to college, I eventually went back to using my real name. All was well until I graduated and started looking for a job. Even though I had graduated with honors from UC-Berkeley, I couldn't get a single interview. I was guilty of being a humanities major, but I began to suspect that there was more to my problems. After three months of rejections, I added "Julie" to my résumé. Call it coincidence, but the job offers started coming in. Perhaps it's the same kind of coincidence that keeps African Americans from getting cabs in New York."
It amazes me how cruel and discriminatory people can be to others. So much discrimination takes place because of what? Different ethnic backgrounds. Yet we all have ancestors from somewhere with different nationalities. The United States is nothing other than a melting pot of different nationalities, religions, backgrounds, and skin color. So what gives someone the right to pick on someone else for their background when they came from somewhere else too? Everyone likes Firoozeh until they find out she's Iranian, but why should that matter? The Iranian Revolution may have taken place, however it's astonishing that people will blame an entire population for just a small group's doings. Despite the discrimination pointed toward Firoozeh, she continues to show her strength all throughout the book, because she knows that she has just as much of a right to be in America as anyone else.
Page 67:
"One mom at my children's school adamantly refuses to learn my "impossible" name and instead settled on calling me "F Word." She was recently transferred to New York where, from what I've heard, she might meet an immigrant or two and, who knows, she just might have to make room in her spice cabinet."
So many hardships have been posed for Firoozeh, however she doesn't let them fade her. This women at her children's school was just another inconvenience that she didn't let bother her. Instead she side-stepped the problem and continued to live her life in America. These little things are what continues to make Firoozeh such a strong character. Her strength comes through every time someone is discriminative toward her, her background, or her country.
Another reason this passage stood out to me was because the author continues to show her unique writing style. She uses so many similes and metaphors that add to the book so much. Comparing immigrants and their acceptance to a spice cabinet is extremely clever, and her cleverness repeatedly comes through in her funny ways of comparing things to one another.
A Dozen Key Chains
Page 46:
"There was one bathroom on the floor for all of the girls to share. Oddly, the door to the bathroom had been removed, so any girl who needed to use the toilet or the sink could walk in on someone taking a shower. Coming from a modest culture and an even more modest family, I had never seen another person naked, not even my mother, so the idea that someone could walk into the bathroom while I was naked in the shower seemed unbelievable. I decided then and there not to bathe."
Because Firoozeh comes from such a modest family and culture, I can't imagine how she felt realizing that there was no door to the bathroom. It must have been so uncomfortable for her, and the decision not to bathe for two weeks, in order to keep her modesty, was very noble. She must have felt so out of place because she couldn't bathe. It must have been extremely hard for her to go through with that, knowing that she could possibly get criticism from the other campers.
Page 47:
"Since I wasn't going to bathe, I decided to minimize getting dirty by participating only in arts and crafts. I skipped the horseback riding, the overnight camp out, the archery lessons, the hikes to the Indian grounds, and basically every activity outlined in the camp brochure. Every morning I showed up at the macramé station ready to make another key chain."
Firoozeh decided she wasn't going to bathe because she wanted to remain modest. She stuck by that and even missed out on all of the fun camp activities that she had been looking forward to. Most kids her age wouldn't think to not participate so that they minimized how dirty they got. Firoozeh continues to show how mature she is at such a young age. She doesn't act her age at all, and is at a lot higher of a maturity level than other kids her age. I think that all of the things she's had to go through have really made her more mature because they've required her to grow up faster and take on more responsibility. She had to learn the English language when she was only seven, and had to be the interpreter for her mother. These two things alone require a high maturity level and higher understanding on Firoozeh's part.
"There was one bathroom on the floor for all of the girls to share. Oddly, the door to the bathroom had been removed, so any girl who needed to use the toilet or the sink could walk in on someone taking a shower. Coming from a modest culture and an even more modest family, I had never seen another person naked, not even my mother, so the idea that someone could walk into the bathroom while I was naked in the shower seemed unbelievable. I decided then and there not to bathe."
Because Firoozeh comes from such a modest family and culture, I can't imagine how she felt realizing that there was no door to the bathroom. It must have been so uncomfortable for her, and the decision not to bathe for two weeks, in order to keep her modesty, was very noble. She must have felt so out of place because she couldn't bathe. It must have been extremely hard for her to go through with that, knowing that she could possibly get criticism from the other campers.
Page 47:
"Since I wasn't going to bathe, I decided to minimize getting dirty by participating only in arts and crafts. I skipped the horseback riding, the overnight camp out, the archery lessons, the hikes to the Indian grounds, and basically every activity outlined in the camp brochure. Every morning I showed up at the macramé station ready to make another key chain."
Firoozeh decided she wasn't going to bathe because she wanted to remain modest. She stuck by that and even missed out on all of the fun camp activities that she had been looking forward to. Most kids her age wouldn't think to not participate so that they minimized how dirty they got. Firoozeh continues to show how mature she is at such a young age. She doesn't act her age at all, and is at a lot higher of a maturity level than other kids her age. I think that all of the things she's had to go through have really made her more mature because they've required her to grow up faster and take on more responsibility. She had to learn the English language when she was only seven, and had to be the interpreter for her mother. These two things alone require a high maturity level and higher understanding on Firoozeh's part.
With a Little Help from My Friends
Page 33:
"Another neighbor, a kindly old lady who taught me how to take care of indoor plants, asked whether we had many cats back home. My father, with his uncanny ability to forge friendships, said, "We don't keep pets in our homes. They are dirty." "But your cats are so beautiful!" our neighbor said. We had no idea what she was talking about. Seeing our puzzled expressions, she showed us a picture of a beautiful, long-haired cat. "It's a Persian cat," she said. That was news to us; the only cats we had ever seen back home were the mangy strays that ate scraps behind people's houses. From that day, when I told people I was from Iran, I added "where Persian cats come from." That impressed them."
I like this passage because it's funny, and really brings out the book's uniqueness. I love how confident Firoozeh is when she begins to add "where Persian cats come from." She doesn't really care what others think of her, and is fairly laid back. She's intrigued by the Americans, and seems to take all of the peculiar things they say and think about Iran in stride. Despite all of the inaccurate assumptions about Iran and Iranians, she doesn't let it bring her down, and that shows just how strong Firoozeh is.
Page 35-36:
"My mother was particularly sad to return to Iran. I had always assumed that she would be relieved to return to her family and to a land where she spoke the language and didn't need me to act as her interpreter. But I realized later that even though my mother could not understand anything the crossing guard, Mrs. Popkin, said, she understood that this woman looked out for me. And she understood her smiles. Even though my mother never attended a Brownie meeting, she knew that the leader, Carrie's mom, opened up her home to us every week and led us through all kinds of projects. No one paid her for this. And my mother knew that when it had been my turn to bring snacks for the class, one of the mom's had stepped in and baked cupcakes. My best friend Connie's older sister, Michele, had tried to teach me to ride a bike, and Heather's mom, although single with two daughters, had hosted me overnight more times than I can remember. Even though I had been the beneficiary of all the attention, my mother, watching silently from a distance, had also felt the warmth of generosity and kindness. It was hard to leave."
This paragraph really stood out to me, because there's so much kindness being directed toward Firoozeh and her family. People are going out of their way to help them out. They know that they're having a hard time with the American culture, and are trying to make their lives easier. I think that Firoozeh's mom was extremely grateful for everything their American friends did for them. She didn't take it for granted, but was truly grateful for their kind acts. In Iran, people thought of Americans as selfish and disrespectful to one another, yet Firoozeh and her family realized that not all Americans are like that; some are extremely kind and generous, and it was because of this, that Firoozeh's mom was hesitant about returning to Iran.
"Another neighbor, a kindly old lady who taught me how to take care of indoor plants, asked whether we had many cats back home. My father, with his uncanny ability to forge friendships, said, "We don't keep pets in our homes. They are dirty." "But your cats are so beautiful!" our neighbor said. We had no idea what she was talking about. Seeing our puzzled expressions, she showed us a picture of a beautiful, long-haired cat. "It's a Persian cat," she said. That was news to us; the only cats we had ever seen back home were the mangy strays that ate scraps behind people's houses. From that day, when I told people I was from Iran, I added "where Persian cats come from." That impressed them."
I like this passage because it's funny, and really brings out the book's uniqueness. I love how confident Firoozeh is when she begins to add "where Persian cats come from." She doesn't really care what others think of her, and is fairly laid back. She's intrigued by the Americans, and seems to take all of the peculiar things they say and think about Iran in stride. Despite all of the inaccurate assumptions about Iran and Iranians, she doesn't let it bring her down, and that shows just how strong Firoozeh is.
Page 35-36:
"My mother was particularly sad to return to Iran. I had always assumed that she would be relieved to return to her family and to a land where she spoke the language and didn't need me to act as her interpreter. But I realized later that even though my mother could not understand anything the crossing guard, Mrs. Popkin, said, she understood that this woman looked out for me. And she understood her smiles. Even though my mother never attended a Brownie meeting, she knew that the leader, Carrie's mom, opened up her home to us every week and led us through all kinds of projects. No one paid her for this. And my mother knew that when it had been my turn to bring snacks for the class, one of the mom's had stepped in and baked cupcakes. My best friend Connie's older sister, Michele, had tried to teach me to ride a bike, and Heather's mom, although single with two daughters, had hosted me overnight more times than I can remember. Even though I had been the beneficiary of all the attention, my mother, watching silently from a distance, had also felt the warmth of generosity and kindness. It was hard to leave."
This paragraph really stood out to me, because there's so much kindness being directed toward Firoozeh and her family. People are going out of their way to help them out. They know that they're having a hard time with the American culture, and are trying to make their lives easier. I think that Firoozeh's mom was extremely grateful for everything their American friends did for them. She didn't take it for granted, but was truly grateful for their kind acts. In Iran, people thought of Americans as selfish and disrespectful to one another, yet Firoozeh and her family realized that not all Americans are like that; some are extremely kind and generous, and it was because of this, that Firoozeh's mom was hesitant about returning to Iran.
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