Summary Of Laughing Without An Accent By Firoozeh Dumas

With all of the cultures, religions, and governments in today’s world, it can surely be a shock transitioning from one culture to a completely new one. You may not speak the language of the people around you, eat the food they eat, or wear the same clothes they wear. Firoozeh Dumas experienced this kind of difficulty growing up, having to grow up as an Iranian child in America when the world wasn’t as accepting of the Islamic culture and religion. In her memoir Laughing Without an Accent, Dumas recalls stories from her past about her family, her experiences in America, and her observations of the differences between American and Iranian life. These stories act as real-life examples that reveal the importance of family and how different cultures

In America during the late 20th century, there was a growing disdain of Middle Easterners due to issues in the Middle East. A prominent example that Dumas discusses is the Iranian hostage crisis. She says how, as the crisis went on, there continued to be negative coverage of her home country. This negative coverage helped contribute to many people’s fears of the Middle East. She also makes a point of saying how, when Americans watch the news, “they’re really seeing the worst of every country” because “[o]nly bad news is news” (411). When Americans watched the crisis unfold, it contributed to their views on Iranians, which wasn’t good for Dumas and her family. Some people even treated her and her family disrespectfully because of their Iranian background. Racism was very common for them, which made trying to fit in a real challenge because no one was willing to accept them. The way Americans viewed people like Firoozeh is what created the conflicts that she experienced throughout her life and outlines in this

She makes note of how different the American culture is from Iran’s. These differences are even prominent from a very young age, as shown in how Dumas described her American school experience. One difficulty in assimilating into a new culture is the feeling of not fitting in. Dumas describes this feeling as “becom[ing] permanent foreigners, belonging neither here nor there” and “floating between worlds but never fully landing” (134). As she, or any other immigrant, spends more time in America, there is a point where they don’t feel they can identify with one distinct culture. 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. Paranoia over Muslims gets so high that Dumas points out how “a large group of Middle Easterners these days scares people enough” and any kind of traditional expression can be enough to lead her family to “trying to convince the nice men from Homeland