Funny in Farsi

by

Firoozeh Dumas

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Funny in Farsi makes teaching easy.
Noses Symbol Icon

Firoozeh explains that, as a child growing up in America, native-born Americans tease her for her nose, which is somewhat larger than the average white American’s nose. She also explains that in Iran, women are judged on the size and shape of their noses, and often have expensive surgery to reshape their noses. In all, noses could be said to symbolize the xenophobia and sexism that Firoozeh experiences while growing up—as an Iranian and an American and, in particular, as an Iranian-American woman.

Noses Quotes in Funny in Farsi

The Funny in Farsi quotes below all refer to the symbol of Noses. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Immigration and Cultural Assimilation Theme Icon
).
Chapter 24 Quotes

I remembered how much I admired Jane Fonda's nose when I was in fourth grade in Tehran, and how much I hated my own. Thinking of all that wasted energy, I wanted to scream and tell my fellow countrymen and countrywomen that a nose by any other name is just a nose.

Related Characters: Firoozeh Dumas (speaker)
Related Symbols: Noses
Page Number: 165-166
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Funny in Farsi LitChart as a printable PDF.
Funny in Farsi PDF

Noses Symbol Timeline in Funny in Farsi

The timeline below shows where the symbol Noses appears in Funny in Farsi. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8: A Dozen Key Chains
Immigration and Cultural Assimilation Theme Icon
Prejudice  Theme Icon
Family Theme Icon
American Values Theme Icon
...years before. On the bus, everyone stares at Firoozeh’s sleeping bag. Someone tells her, “your nose points downward, so I figured that’s because you’re always looking at the ground,” and everyone... (full context)
Chapter 24: A Nose by Any Other Name
Immigration and Cultural Assimilation Theme Icon
Prejudice  Theme Icon
Women and Feminism Theme Icon
During her time at Berkeley, Firoozeh becomes obsessed with the big, ugly nose of a school librarian, whom Firoozeh nicknames the Toucan. What fascinates her most, however, is... (full context)
Women and Feminism Theme Icon
At the age of eighteen, Kazem takes Firoozeh to a plastic surgeon to fix her nose. During her initial conference with the plastic surgeon, however, Firoozeh decides that she doesn’t like... (full context)
Immigration and Cultural Assimilation Theme Icon
Prejudice  Theme Icon
Women and Feminism Theme Icon
American Values Theme Icon
...nudity, and about how she’s come to accept her body—which Firoozeh interprets to mean her nose. Watching the interview, Firoozeh becomes deeply sad. She thinks about all the Iranian women she’s... (full context)