The F Word By Firoozeh Dumas Analysis

The essay, “The F Word,” written by Firoozeh Dumas, fulfills its purpose to entertain with a humorous, enriching account of her interesting history of stories related to her hard-to-pronounce name. It also attempts to describe the way in which Americans respond to unfamiliar, foreign names. Dumas presents this engaging essay that holds the reader’s attention by making it a very fun piece to read. This work was originally incorporated into an excerpt titled “Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America (2003). This essay written by Firoozeh Dumas utilizes the appeal of emotion and the use of an informal, entertaining tone to draw in the audience. She starts out by using a mix of sympathy and humor and then gets serious to inform
At times, the essay makes the reader laugh and feel concern for her struggles. Dumas tries to earn our sympathy by describing the situation of her family’s difficult names. To avoid setting an over serious tone, she attempts to reflect her humorous perspective through laughable quotes such as, “She Whose Name Almost Incites Riots” (page 751). This wise introduction lets the audience know that the essay will be an enjoyable one to read with plenty of humorous lines and content. This use of pathos makes the reader learn the message of the essay without even noticing it. Another classic example of her making the audience feel sympathy is when she said people used to think her brother’s name (Neggar) sounded like a derogatory name for African Americans. The strategy of making the audience feel sorry for the author let’s them feel as if they are somehow connected to what she is saying. They feel the urge to know what happens next and their curiosity becomes stronger with each step of her life. Because readers can become tired of hearing “sob” stories, she decides to blend in the humor throughout the main portion of the
Such an irrational thing as this calls for attention to be drawn to it. Dumas does not want the reader to be angry or bitter about the negative situations she went through. Rather she wants us to simply realize that it is an issue that is affecting many immigrants and their children. Dumas does a very effective job of not shoving this issue down our throat. She talks about her experiences and what needs to be done in a very kind, light-hearted manner. For example, she says “Despite a few exceptions, I have found that Americans are now far more willing to learn new names, just as they’re far more willing to try ethnic foods. Of course, some people just don’t like to learn.” By saying this, she is implying that more people need to be open to diversity and more willing to learn how to properly pronounce foreign names. She understands that more and more people are trying to identify with foreigners, but she also knows at the same time not everyone can change for the better.
In the end, “The F Word” by Firoozeh Dumas accomplishes its goal of informing, while at the same time, entertaining readers. She relates to her audience and lets them know about the issue in a humorous manner. The audience should be able to fully comprehend her message with much ease and fun. The readers will be able to learn the point of the essay