Firoozeh Dumas The F Word

Language is central to every single culture on Earth. Not only is it the human race’s main method of communication, it also is the only truly accurate way to record the human experience with integrity. Therefore, language shows most everything about who we are, from one’s homeland to education and everything in between.
For instance, in Firoozeh Dumas’ The ‘F Word,’ a young Iranian girl is judged for who she is without any of her contemporaries taking a moment to figure out why. By not having a common English name, it is obvious she is an immigrant. Due to the bulk of her childhood taking place during the Iranian Revolution, Firoozeh was not a stranger to prejudice, mostly because of her name. So she makes a bold choice--to changer her name
Steven Pinker writes, “Whenever you speak to someone, you are presuming the two of you have a certain degree of familiarity--which your words might alter. So every sentence has to do two things at once; convey a message and continue to negotiate a relationship.” People say first impressions are important, and the main way one will first impress upon another is through speech. So one has to manipulate the words they say to make oneself seem like an upstanding person. If I am meeting a new teacher or employer, I am going to be polite, kind and courteous because that is the kind of person I believe I am and want them to believe I am. Language and speech are the only ways to bring manners and kindness into the world, and to build prosperous and fulfilling lives and relationships. However, Pinker also states, “Language is a window into human nature, but it is also a fistula, an open wound through which we’re exposed to an infectious world.” Language can also show what is wrong in the world. In Firoozeh Dumas’ experience, her peers talking about those “damn I-raynians” showed the true prejudice inside their hearts without them even trying. Lack of manners can be correlated with lack of