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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:
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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.
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Throughout the memoir, Firoozeh has criticized Iranian notions of femininity and womanhood. She finds it outrageous that Iranian society frowns on women who pursue careers and educate themselves and celebrates women who get married and have children before they’re eighteen. Another aspect of Iranian standards of womanhood is the emphasis on physical beauty. Iranian women are trained from an early age to worry about their appearances, especially their noses, so that they’ll be able to marry handsome, successful men and lead “successful” lives. Indeed, many Iranian women get nose jobs so that their noses can be as attractive as possible. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repell
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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
...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
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)
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)
...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)
