ipl-logo

A Narrative Essay About Being An American

736 Words3 Pages

Every time I look in the mirror I am reminded of why I am on this path of becoming a lawyer. It is like the saying, “for a successful relationship to work, you must fall in love with that person every day”. Well it is not so much that I am falling in love with myself, yet it is I am falling in love with the path I am taking. I am an Iranian, but look nothing like it. If anything I look American or European. This physical contradiction in my life has taught me about so much throughout the years. It has brought about lessons about discrimination, self-realization, and finding a purpose for myself. Looking like an American, yet being Iranian has brought on discrimination upon me from both my American peers and also my Iranian peers. Growing up in the aftermath of the events of September 11th, 2001 showed me …show more content…

I began this journey by being an active member of my Iranian community. I chose to volunteer in multiple Iranian events in the Bay Area every year. Becoming an integrated part of the community helped shed light on the different types of people there are within Iranian Americans. Every event had people asking, “how are you Iranian, you look nothing like it”. This ice-breaker was always my chance to show people that just because I was born in raised in America, doesn’t mean I don’t support, or have a love for my culture and background. These days I strive to integrate my American friends with my Iranian friends. Over time this has educated both sides on how similar they each actually are. Many of them have created bonds and friendships within themselves. None of these actions from me felt forced in any away, it always felt like the right thing to do. Through many trials and tribulations, bringing people together and educating was one large step in figuring out that I wanted to do on a larger

Show More
Related
2009 Words | 9 Pages

The Artistic, Moral, and Inventive Progress of America A six month long fair with lights and technology that the world had never seen anything like, a charming, blue eyed killer, and the beautiful city of Chicago; all elements that make up the novel, Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This book is a retelling of the events that transpired in the city of Chicago before, during, and after the building of the Chicago World’s Fair, also called the World’s Columbian Exposition. For the majority of the book, each chapter switches off between the production of the fair and the life of the killer H.H. Holmes (his real name being Herman Webster Mudgett). Holmes is considered by many to be America’s first serial killer, and his actions are covered

Read More
1830 Words | 8 Pages

This feeling becomes a big part of the conflict. Firoozeh’s stories represent aspects of both American and Iranian cultures, showing the constant battle between identifying with one specific culture. Another roadblock in assimilating into American culture comes in the form of racism. Over time, there has been a growing fear of Middle Easterners due to issues such as terrorist attacks. This prejudice makes it hard for Firoozeh to feel American when Americans around her are afraid of her and her culture.

Read More
704 Words | 3 Pages

Have you ever felt like you were the only one that understood your feelings? That you were the only one on your side? In the book, Darius the Great is Not Okay, by Adib Khorram, Darius Kellner, a Star Trek loving high school student, constantly battles unpleasant nicknames from his classmates, feeling only half-Persian, depression, criticism from his father, and the embarrassment of working at Tea Haven. When Darius and his family travel to Iran after learning of his grandfather’s health issues, his fear that his Persian family will not accept him begins to rise. After arriving in Iran, tensions begin to dissipate when he befriends the next-door neighbor, Sohrab: someone who has no knowledge of Darius’ life in the United States or at Chapel

Read More
518 Words | 3 Pages

There is a picture emerging of a society that is complex in marking cultural compromise and struggle. Getting Iran as wrongdoers is a thread that has single linked administrations of America of all the persuasions made politically. Getting it wrong was involved

Read More
1266 Words | 6 Pages

This realization of the difference between Francois and Firoozeh’s experiences opened her eyes to how truly unfair she and her family were treated. This in turn shows that how Americans view the country that the immigrant originated from has a massive impact on how they view that person. Americans at the time viewed Iran as a dangerous and corrupt country, so that is how they viewed people from Iran. At the same time, Americans viewed France as a classy country, so that is how they viewed people from

Read More
891 Words | 4 Pages

Immersing oneself in a new community can come with difficulties such as language barriers and balancing two different identities. Firoozeh may have decided to add a “simpler” name, but had to deal with the emotional turmoil that came with people not knowing her actual Iranian heritage. Firoozeh also had to help her mother adapt to American culture by translating because her mother could not speak English. Firoozeh’s father had to adapt to the language barriers because his version of English was incomprehensible to the average American. Every single member of Firoozeh’s family had to adapt to American culture by giving up parts of their original identity because they had to make a place for themselves in their newfound

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

Have you ever wondered about your culture and who you really are? In my book, Darrius wants to find out more about himself and who he really is as a person. Darius goes on an adventure to Iran to see his dad and see what he thinks about his Persian culture. Darius' story sheds light on the intricate journey of self-discovery in the face of cultural expectations of himself and his family. Through his struggles, we're prompted to reflect on our own identities and societal influences.

Read More
446 Words | 2 Pages

What does it mean to be an American today? Being an American isn’t hard,but sometimes people just like to not follow things. First thing is being to say The Pledge of Allegiance in school than sitting down on your lazy butt. Second thing is being yourself. Three thing is if you are at a game standing up and put your hand on our heart for The Star Stander Bender .

Read More
354 Words | 2 Pages

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Being American to me means the ability to pursue happiness, an education, an income, and any of my dreams. Being able to live in a country that you can do anything that you set your mind to do and not having a dictator ruling the citizens. By being apart of this nation you are fortunate enough to have and make your own choices in life. Two main symbols that most people can immediately name when they think of the U.S. is the bald eagle and the American flag.

Read More
657 Words | 3 Pages

What does it mean to be an American today? Or rather, what does being an American entail? Does that pertain to a certain individual’s perspective? Or is Americanism defined through a collective consciousness projected around the world? Over the course of time, Americans have gone through various embodiments of who they are, without loosing the essence of what they represent.

Read More
1222 Words | 5 Pages

Satrapi starts her article out by stating “ We’d see pieces about Iran on television, but they didn’t represent my experience at all. I had to keep saying “No, Its not like that there.” I’ve been justifying why it isn’t negative to be Iranian for almost twenty years” (Satrapi 10) this statement shows how Marjane has gone through criticism about her country in certain parts of her life. The people that meet her think and believe of her experiences in a different way because of how the media portrays the contents of Iran.

Read More
769 Words | 4 Pages

To be an American can mean a great many things to a person, not everyone in this country has been created equal to live with the same point of view. In todays world there are many different ways "American" can be interpreted. Everyone in America besides the native American people have different backgrounds from around the world, this meaning our country is diverse in its ethnicity and in its cultural differences. To me the meaning of American is that there is a peace of living between people of different races, although we're still trying to figure it out ourselves there can be a sense of pride in that. My only question is with different view points on the definition of American what will we, as a nation, strive to live for?

Read More
517 Words | 3 Pages

Uniquely American: The Pursuit of Happiness I believe in the pursuit of happiness, the ability to chase after your own passions and goals for personal fulfillment. I believe that this pursuit is a quality that is unique to America. I believe the ability to pursue is what brings me happiness.

Read More
492 Words | 2 Pages

Being an American can mean many different things all depending on the different perspectives of different ethnic or religious groups. So what does being an American mean to me? Being an American to means that everyone can live a happy stress free life where they don’t have to worry about being discriminated against or feeling like they don’t have equal rights. To start with, being an American can range in definition depending on a person 's perspective of America. Personally, I would say being an American is when you can live a happy life where you don 't have to worry about being treated differently because of the color of your skin.

Read More
1321 Words | 6 Pages

Most nations can be identified with a particular culture; this is evidently important. A country establishes a culture which allows other individuals to understand the background on a country like Iran. Within the bearings of certain cultures, individuals can face dilemmas. In addition, these dilemmas can turn into social differences within a society. In the country of Iran Marjane Satrapi encountered many social discrepancies in her youth.

Read More

More about A Narrative Essay About Being An American

Related Topics

Open Document