Difference Between the American and Iranian Culture-3 PDF

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essay debating differences in culture in USA and Iran...

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Difference Between the American and Iranian Culture Firoozeh Dumas memoir Funny in Farsi, tells about her life as of now living in America and adjusting to the American culture. Throughout the book she highlights the ways that the Iranian culture is different from the American culture. Some ways that the American culture is different from the Iranian culture is especially in the concept/ area of family, marriage, education, life styles such as birthday celebrations, jobs and in liberals and conservative views. Throughout the difference, the American culture and the Iranian culture is both equally good in their own ways. First, family is a big part in the Iranian cultural. They would go to great lengths just to keep the family close. In chapter 16 It’s all Relatives on page 103 Firoozeh writes “together, my relatives form an alliance that represents a genuine and enduring love of family, one that sustains them throughout difficulties and gives them reason to celebrate during good times. My father and his sibling have even purchased burial plots together, as my father told me, ‘we never want to be separated”. Family is really important for Iranians. Nevertheless, her father and his siblings have even bough burial plots together as they never wanted to separated. Even though a good relationship is within many families in America is important, would they go this far too keep their family together even though death. Another difference in both the American culture and the Iranian culture is the way someone would marry. In chapter 5 Swoosh-Swoosh on page 24, Firoozeh writes “Marriage, like my culture, has nothing to do with romance. It’s a matter of logic. If Mr. and Mrs. Ahmadi like Mr. and Mrs. Nejati, then their children should get married. On the other hand, if the parents don’t like each other but the children do, well, this is where sad poetry comes from”. Firoozeh highlights another major difference between her Arab culture and her American culture; here love comes first and marriage follows, but there, marriage comes first and if one is lucky love comes afterword’s, but even if it does it doesn’t affect whether the couple should be married. Iranian marriage is more of a transaction than a union. This method of meeting a spouse was not imposed on Firoozeh whose parents were happy for her to choose her own husband, welcoming him into the family with open arms and an enormous Persian meal. An interesting thing that Firoozeh mentions in her book is her marriage between her and her French husband. In chapter 22 The Wedding, on page 141, Firoozeh writes “My marriage

started out with a big fat lie. I told my parents that Francois’s family was happy about our engagement. I had too. In the Iranian culture, fathers will consent to a marriage only if the future groom and his family worship the bride. There’s no getting around this deal. If there is any problem with the groom’s family, forget it. engagement off. Moving on to the next suitor”. The French culture and the Iranian culture is so different that 4 members of François’s family went to the wedding because Firoozeh was from Iran. The first thing that although she is American and entitled as an adult to marry whom she chooses. Firoozeh would not be able to marry from the cultural perspective without having her father’s approval. The other interesting fact is that while women are controlled and have less freedom than men, they are worshiped and put on a pedestal. It is ironic that Firoozeh was completely accepted by her new country. It was the French family of her French husband who did not accept her because of her heritage. Along with the major difference between Firoozeh family and her husband Francois’s family is finding someone to get them married. In chapter 22 The Wedding on page 146 Firoozeh writes “ the tough part was finding a Catholic priest who would be willing to officiate at a mixed marriage.” This show how that in America there is a religious struggles and hardship in mixing of cultures. Coming two culture can be extremely difficult and cause mass amount of tension between two families coming together in marriage. After marriage, another major difference between both culture is education for young girls. Young girls to older girls have the privilege to go to school and get an education where in Iran that is not accepted. In chapter 11 Leffingwell Elementary School on page 5, Firoozeh writes “The problem was that my mother, like most most of her generation, had only briefly educated. In her era, a girl’s sole purpose in life was to find a husband” this shows how in the Iranian culture the women were not educated which causes tension between Firoozeh and her mother. Also, another difference is how birthdays are celebrated. In chapter 13 America, Land of the Free, on page 78 Firoozeh writes “My father has no idea of this exact birthday”. This shows how in the Iranian culture they do not celebrate their birthdays with great excitement as we do in America do. In personal connection with the book, I know I enjoy celebrating my birthday every year and it seems odd to me that they do not celebrate their birthdays. Another difference between the people living in America and the people who live in Iran, is that when coming to live in America, the Americans think that the Iranian will start taking everything away from them. This includes jobs, their homes and cars in doing so they think the

Iranians are taking advantage of the opportunities in America. In chapter 13 page 75 America, Land of the free”, Firoozeh writes “My relatives and I are proud to be an Iranian. But we also give tremendous thanks for our lives in America, a nation where freedom reign”. This is a common misconception about immigrants. Most people in the United States think people from other countries come and take advantages of the system and take our jobs and don’t appreciate it. it is a huge misconception that people have but it’s not always true in every situation. Firoozeh also writes about the different kind of freedoms between American and Iran. Something that is normal in America can easily get an Iranian in trouble in Iran. In chapter 13 page 75 America, Land of the free”, Firoozeh writes “but although ‘land of the free’ refers to the essential freedom that makes this country the greatest democracy on Earth, it could also refer to the Abundance of free samples available throughout this great land. In our homeland, people who taste something before buying it are called shoplifters. Here, a person can taste something not buy it and still have the clerk wish a nice day. This kin d of freedom can be afforded by the citizens in America and the complete of freedom in Iran. Firoozeh also shows that one of the father’s favorite pastimes- getting things for free. On one occasion he and his brother went to lunch at a grocery store with no cafeteria but aisle upon aisle of free samples. Her father will enjoy foods he would never normally choose or finish because they are free. This passion for the freebie develops into a full blown hobby when he retires he beings attending sales pitches for timeshare, enjoying the free trips and dinners offered by companies without any intention of buying a timeshare. The ability to get something free as a consumer right is one of the things Kazeem loves best about America. The difference between the Iranian and America culture is that the Iranian culture is more conservative while the American culture is more liberal. “I would think that a lot of it has to do with the aging of our population”, says Lou Manza, professor and department chair of psychology at Lebanon Valley College. “ People growing up in the 1940s and 1950s…were raised in a board culture that was way more conservative than people coming of the age in the 1960s and beyond. And which each passing generation, our culture, collectively has become more and more accepting of ideas that, many years ago, had negative connotations” ( csmonitor). He continues to say “ These longer- term trends… may be a result of population changes, with younger, more liberal Americans entering adulthood while older, more conservative adults pass on,” Gallup said in its report” (csmonitor).

The Iranian culture is more conservative in many ways. Iranian culture is based on three things. “Iranian culture is Class based, traditional and patriarchal. Tradition for most is rooted in religion and class and particularly have been constant features of Iranian society since ancient times. Class in its simplist form is mainly based on income or financial status or family genealogy, through modernity and traditionalism might also be used to distinguish classes” (iranchamber). Iranian sticks to that because it is what they are used to. “Iranian culture is patriarchal, legally and culturally males have more rights and priveleges than females. Centuries of gender discrimination and segregation of sexes has created distict roles and codes of behavior for both the sexes and many are still practiced today” (iranchamer). In Iran the males have more rights because they think that females should being the house taking care of the children and husband. “ Gender roles are normally well defined and clear. The priority for females is marriage and childbearing” (Iranchamber). The next difference is how males and females are seen when it comes to the opposite sex.”There are more restrictions for girls compared to boys with respect to individual freedoms, dress code and association with the opposite sex. Virgin brides are still in demand by many Iranian males and their families, while there is little stigma attached to males having girlfriends and sexual relationship while” (iranchamer). In America, this is not the case. Many females have boyfriends before settling down and getting kids. Americans are becoming more socially liberal now than they used to in the past. “In fact, increasingly liberal attitudes on social issues reflects a wider leftward shift as Americans become more liberal in general. For the first time in Gallup’s records on this subject, an equal number of Americans now identify as socially liberal and socially conservative. Thirty- one percent of Americans describe their views as liberal, matching the number who describes their views as conservative, according to Gallup” (csmonitor). Iranian culture is more conservative that they don’t believe in the same sex marriage while in America this is normal because most Americans are liberals. “ As more Americans have LGBT friends, relatives and others, they become far more accepting of different lifestyles,” he says. “And as more states legalize gay marriage, the purported threat of gay marriage simple dissipates. In other words, familiarity breeds acceptace” (csmonitor). Females in Iran don’t have much a choice when it comes to many things because males are in charge of the household, which in many cases are the father and the husband. In America,

this is not the case because both males and females play a big part in each others lives. They both make choices on many things where in Iran it’s not allowed. The rise in popularity of libertarianism- a political philosophy that emphasizes anoutomy and freedom of choice- may also play a role. Most everyone understands the desire to be free and make personal choices to live their lives: (csmonitor) In conclusion, Firoozeh Dumas Memoir Funny in Farsi, highlights they ways that the Iranian culture is different than the American culture. The American culture is different than the Iranian culture is through family, marriage, education, life styles in birthdays, jobs and in liberals and conservative. Through the differences, the American culture and the Iranian culture is both equally good in their own ways.

Work cited: Haq, Husana. “On social issues, American are more liberal than ever before. What’s behind the sudden shift?” The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2015. Web. 28 March 2017

“Iran Chamber Society: Culture of Iran: Codes of behavior, Iranian Experience. “ Iran Chamber society: Culture or Iran: Codes of Behavior, Iranian Experience. N.p., n.d Web. 28 March 2017

Dumas, Firoozeh. Funny in Farsi: a memoir of growing up Iranian In America. N.p.: n.p., 2014. Print....