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Omid mentions that he lives in “the gap” between “not from there” and “not from here.” Even though he knows English very well, he still never feels like he fits in due to the nature of his upbringing. In America, it seems that Omid will always be looked down on, even for his very slight accent. However, in Iran, or specifically in the English class, Omid can feel admired for how he stands out, and this is preferable to him than the alternative. 

I believe Omid, like other characters, is also a tragic character. Eve n though he clearly appears to be very, very close to fitting in with both Iranians and English-speakers, the mere existence of a distance between him and fluency, in other words, “the gap,” seems to diminish his identity.

On the other hand, Elham might be the only non-tragic character in the play. Even though she seems to suffer and express the most hardships, from not being able to express herself and repressing her identity and intelligence through learning English to being treated unfairly harshly by Marjan, the teacher herself, for the crime of having a rough accent. Yet she is able to pass the TOEFL and embrace her own identity in her bad English, acknowledging that even though she will always “sound like a stranger” she is still herself, and that confidence in herself is what Marjan has lacked the entire time. I like that Elham doesn’t suddenly speak perfect English in the end – the happy ending here isn’t to conform to the standards placed on their society to “become more American,” but to hold on to themselves while they chase their dreams. That’s why I consider Elham’s ending the best ending, an inspiring one, as it’s preferable to “bulldoze” through something we hate then hopelessly try to change an identity until we lose ourselves.

There are many people with foreign accents in my life. I’ve never found anyone with an accent funny, but I know many people do. Look up “(any group of people) humor” and you’ll mostly find videos of people putting on a thick accent to make a joke out of it. Even Borat is a prime example of this, and a line between light-hearted humor and malicious mocking is blurred. Is it really okay for us to associate these accents with foreigners when they very often wish to be rid of them, just like the cast in English? Even my mom, an ESL speaker, is still incredibly insecure about her accent and English skills and uses many translators in order to sound better, even when it isn’t that serious.

Omid is also interesting to me as more than a character – I’d like to posit the Omid Phenomenon, in which as the disinterest a Marjan has to their job increases, the probability of an Omid in the classroom approaches 1. Take Aslan Khan, a prime Omid, for example. Insecure, aloof, and a bit rude at times, Khan is a pitiful man who flaunts his sharp tongue and eloquent diction to hide his identity crisis of being outcasted by every society except English class.

I also feel like an Omid at times. For example, in my dual enrollment classes, my professor usually picks on me to answer questions and is nicer to me because he assumes I’m smarter than the other college students since I’m a high schooler. I feel a bit bad because I don’t think I’m smarter than them and I wish we could all learn equally, but he is scary so I don’t say anything.

All three of the professors I’ve had (at OU) have been immigrants with noticeable accents too. I wonder if it’s a regional thing, or if immigrants have a preference for becoming professors, but I’m not sure. Still, I think since these people have gone through the hard work of becoming professors, they are treated with respect despite their accents.

How much do accents actually matter in the real world? I have an accent, of course, and sometimes I believe it also puts me into “the gap,” as Omid describes it. Being mixed race, I often felt like I didn’t belong on either side. I know some Chinese, but I can’t speak fluently because I’ve never had to. So am I Chinese? No. Am I White? Also no. (I didn’t really grow up integrated with White culture. American culture is arguable, but I think there are differences. Also, the other reason I can claim this is because in my experience every White person has thought I was Asian and every Asian person has thought I was White). So I’ve always thought of myself as nothing. I live in the gap, just like Omid. Insert thought-provoking concluding sentence which reveals the implications of this blog to the greater world because this is getting too long and boring.

*Chinese text says "Your English is very crappy," represented by an unhappy rain cloud. Another person proudly claims "I don't car," represented by an umbrella sheltering him from the rain and keeping him in the bright peaceful sun.