Faults in the American Educational System

Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” focuses on the life of a young Indian-American girl named Lilia. Like most children, school is a key part of Lilia’s life. However, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” criticizes the American education system, particularly its history lessons for not having a broad world view. Lilia describes her schooling: “That year, and every year, it seemed, we began by studying the Revolutionary War” (27). Lilia proceeds to explain how she takes field trips to American monuments, makes dioramas of American historical events, makes finger puppets of American presidents, and can recite the original thirteen colonies and their capitals (26). The American education system is depicted as being redundant, simple, and narrowly focused.

It seems that both Lilia and her parents recognize this educational inadequacy. When the war begins in Dacca, no one at school even acknowledges the huge event that rocks Lilia’s world. Lilia remembers, “We continued to study the American Revolution, and learned about the injustices of taxation without representation, and memorized passages from the Declaration of Independence” (33). Similarly, a blatant depiction of the American-centric education system occurs when Lilia is working in the school library. She is curious about Pakistan, and sneaks off to read a book called Pakistan: A Land and Its People. When her teacher, Mrs. Kenyon, finds her researching another country instead of the surrender at Yorktown, she says there is “no reason to consult” the book (33). Lilia’s parents also seem to recognize the educational inadequacy, such as when her father questions, “What exactly do they teach you at school? Do you study history? Geography?” (26)

In my opinion, the issues about the American education system discussed in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” are still applicable today. Speaking from my own experience, I feel like I had a solely American-focused education throughout elementary and middle school. We focused on things like memorizing the capitals of all 50 states and singing the names of all 44 presidents, but most students couldn’t identify more than five other countries on a map. I think a more broad, inclusive education system would be much more beneficial for our students, and certainly for Lilia.

Yunior's Confidence

I saw Junot Diaz’s “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie” as a story largely about confidence issues. Yunior’s dating guide for teenage boys attempts to come across as self-assured and suave, but beneath the surface, Yunior is really a self-conscious young boy.

The mere fact that Yunior has to create directions for dating demonstrates his lack of confidence. Dating, making moves, talking to girls, and talking to their parents all seem like skills that would come naturally to men like Papi and Rafa. Yunior, however, has to make a concentrated, focused effort to come across as cool. His dating guide is technical, nerdy, and forced, and is definitely not something that a confident, self-assured man would create.

Although the story itself is only a mere six pages, readers are exposed to various aspects of Yunior’s self-consciousness. Before the date begins, Yunior scours the house, cleaning and hiding things. He moves the “government cheese” out of sight and takes down embarrassing childhood photos of himself (143). Yunior makes a very concentrated effort to present himself in a cool, confident way. Similarly, when he greets the girl’s mother, he says “run a hand through your hair like the whiteboys do even though the only thing that runs easily through your hair is Africa” (145). Here, Yunior is trying to be someone he’s not in order to appear more cool. Then, at dinner, Yunior says he is “not good at talking to people [he] doesn’t know,” indicating that he is shy and self-conscious (146). Finally, when Yunior brings the girl back to his house, he advises, “tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love your own” (147). Yunior doesn’t love himself and his own features, and he loves a girl that he’s just met more than he loves himself. Although Yunior tries to come across as a cocky, confident, experienced advisor, he is truly a shy, nerdy, self-conscious teenage boy.