37 pages 1 hour read

Firoozeh Dumas

Funny In Farsi

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2003

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“To him, America was a place where anyone, no matter how humble his background, could become an important person. It was a kind and orderly nation full of clean bathrooms, a land where traffic laws were obeyed and where whales jumped through hoops.”


(Chapter 1, Page 3)

Dumas describes her father, Kazem, in this passage. It points to both his belief in the promise offered by the American Dream and his tendency toward abstract idealism.

Quotation Mark Icon

“After spending an entire day in America, surrounded by Americans, I realized that my father’s description of America had been correct. The bathrooms were clean and the people were very, very kind.”


(Chapter 1, Page 7)

While it seems that Firoozeh’s first encounter with Americans leaves a good impression on her, her father’s positive views toward Americans may have shaped his daughter’s. This is the first of multiple occasions throughout the book of Dumas’s highlighting what she concludes is the kindness of Americans.

Quotation Mark Icon

“Somewhere between his thick Persian accent and his use of vocabulary found in pre–World War II British textbooks, my father spoke a private language.”


(Chapter 2, Page 9)

Dumas and her family become aware that Kazem’s mastery of English is not what he made it out to be when they witness how others do not understand him. This passage provides a humorous explanation for why that is the case.

Related Titles

By Firoozeh Dumas

Study Guide

logo

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

Firoozeh Dumas

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

Firoozeh Dumas

Plot Summary

logo

Laughing Without An Accent

Firoozeh Dumas

Laughing Without An Accent

Firoozeh Dumas