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Ask Me No Questions By Marina Budhos Summary

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In Ask Me No Questions, by Marina Budhos, America's fast food culture collides with Bangladeshi’s traditional values. In Bangladesh women are stuck as housekeepers and usually must obey their male counterparts. Taslima, Nadira’s fiery cousin, goes against the rules of her background and assimilates almost completely into the American culture. The Hossains aren’t as traditional as their family and give the girls many more freedoms and choices. They practice their Muslim faith while enjoying all the freedom America has to offer. Freedom is really just a state of mind; which one of the girls is using freedom to its greatest potential? Family dynamics play a huge part in Bangladeshi culture. Taslima, the spiky haired Americanized girl wants none of her family’s rules and ideals while members of Nadira’s family are able to incorporate a bit of both cultures into their lives. Throughout all the stories Nadira is told, the men and women all have specific roles. The family lives in a circle of houses in Bengal. There were houses for the elderly and the married, for the unmarried sisters, and another for the brothers. The women primarily cleaned and prepared food while the men were “diving to the bottom of the marshy river to pull up jute plants.” (20) The only women treated …show more content…

Taslima, the politically inclined girl, doesn’t obey her family’s rules while members of Nadira’s family are able to live with a foot in each culture. Bangladeshi families are normally divided into two groups: the breadwinners and the housekeepers. Traditionally the men are the workers and the women keep the house in order. Taslima fully assimilates into American culture and takes a stand on something she believes is right. She uses America’s freedom of speech to voice her opinion, which is something her family doesn’t approve of. Nadira’s family is able to blend in with American’s by learning and using some of their mannerisms and

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