Blog Assignment #2

Jamel Rogers

Professor Richard Dragan

Creative Non-Fiction ENG 274

Blog assignment #2

Response: Tara Bahrampour “Persia on The Pacific”

After reading “Persia on the Pacific” by Tara Bahrampour. I have a better understanding of the Iranian culture and lifestyle. The title “Persia on the Pacific” is in correlation to Los Angeles as the city on the Pacific, and rather than saying Iran, Bahrampour describes Iran with a less implicit name, Persia. Throughout the passage, Bahrampour gives readers tons of effective details, some, in particular, would be the phrase “Irangles” as stated in the passage. This, in fact, is a clear indication for readers to understand the amount of Iranians residing in Los Angeles. As stated by Bahrampour “the number of Iranians in the greater metropolitan area falls somewhere between a hundred thousand and six hundred thousand.” In comparison,  “The city has Iranian republic clubs, Iranian rotary clubs, and Iranian nightclubs; Iranian bank tellers, and Iranian insurance agents, and a few Iranian homeless people” stated by Bahrampour. This gives way that the Iranians who migrated to the U.S live a normal and blended life , just like most Americans. Bahrampour uses precise detail throughout the passage, helping readers identify with the identity struggle faced amongst Iranians, a constantly experience for them within America. In addition, another phrase that really stood out to me is “traffic-plugged, smog filled-bowl, where Iranian retirees putter in gardens and wait at bus stops.” This statement reminds me of my neighborhood in Queens, NY where there's an abundance of diversity and movement by people surrounded by smog-filled air, and nonstop traffic. I decided to choose “Persia on the Pacific” simply because I’m intrigued by Bahrampour style of writing and descriptive detail on explaining the detachment that the Iranian people are facing. There’s a clear message being depicted, as a reader, Bahrampour narration was clear and personally I feel she stepped outside herself as a narrator by describing the experiences, struggles, and day-to-day life of the Iranian people.