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Summary Of Born In Amrika By Mona Masami

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“Born in Amrika” written by Mona M. Maisami (2000), is a personal essay that illustrate how she is struggling with her identity and cultural differences with her Iranian-born family. Maisami uses an anecdote to shows how her family treats her different due to her lack of enunciation of the Persian language and her choice in clothing. She confused by her her family members being judgmental of her for a deficiency of Persian culture that to find herself she feels she must make a choice for her family to accept her. Maisami relates to many who have cultural barriers in immigrant families due to western civilization being adapted by the younger generation that is born in America.
I enjoyed Maisami’s essay because I often go thought the same issues …show more content…

For example, this is shown in the title of this essay with the word “Amrika”. This is commonly used by many that believes America is a repressive country. The family call her “de-hauty” and in this line the author suggests how her family feel she has an attitude of superiority over them due to her being Americanized. The author thinks she can bond with her cousin so that she can find out more about their culture. Unfortunately, Maisami offends her cousin by asking her “Don’t you ever get hot wearing a scarf and robe?” Her cousin Nina responds with “It’s not a robe, it’s called a chador. You should get your facts straight if you are going to make fun of other people lives.” This also implies how the family feels she is not connected with the culture and they even comment on her looks; “My overseas relatives say that I don’t even look Iranian anymore”. This is not the truth Maisami is out of touch with her Iranian culture due to her being born in America unlike Nina who only had been in America for three months. Maisami longs for her overseas family to have the freedom that she does in American. Fortunately, her mother assures her that she does not have to choose but embrace both cultures. Maisami essay resonates with many immigrants that family that have moved to America but they are the first to be born in America and lack a bond due to cultural

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