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The Namesake

2008-06-11T22:49:00.001-07:00

In, "The Namesake," Jhumpa Lahiri continues to show how Bengalian families dislike being comparable to the American culture. After his father's death, Gogol meets Moushumi, a girl whom his parents knew of when back in Bengali several years ago. Within a year of meeting, Gogol and Moushumi marry in New Jersey with a traditional Indian wedding. Having been so accustomed to the American values, the couple wanted to seal their nuptials in the American style, but with such traditional parents, Gogol and Moushumi had to have a wedding with three hundred guests served with Indian food and easy parking. Just like any Bengalian wedding, the couple gets married a couple of weeks after their engagement as opposed to the whole year of preparations a "normal" American has to go through. After their marriage, Moushumi creates a wide furry within the Indian people, as she decides to keep her last name instead of taking that of her new husband. Just like any other Americann tradition, the Indian families did not understand this new American way and wanted their children to keep the Bengalian traditions they had once followed.

Quote: "But their parents insist on inviting close to three hundred people, and providing Indian food, and providing easy parking for all of the guests.

Question: Why did Gogol begin to miss his father at the nearing of graduation and become more understanding of his culture after his death?

The Namesake

2008-06-11T22:28:00.001-07:00

The next 25 pages of Jhumpa Lahiri's, "The Namesake," explain that Gogol's dad moves to Cleveland , Ohio and leaves Ashima alone. Ashoke, Gogol's dad, only goes back home to visits every three weekends, and during each visit, he has a lot of things to do due to Ashima never learning how to do the work of a "man." When Ashima is alone at home, she looks through pictures and old letters an documents, and remembers how life used to be when she lived with her parents. Each time Ashoke comes home, she puts the memories away and focuses her life on his existence. Finally, one day comes when Ashoke dies and Ashima is left all by herself. At the time of his father's death, Gogol begins to understand Bengalian traditions. He learns that when a father dies, the son has to completely shave off all of his head and the whole family goes onto a mourning period of ten days where they are not allowed to eat any type of meat or fish—only rice and vegetables. Each day, people call to send the family their dearest condolences, and at the end of the mourning period, Ashima is forced to change all bills and important documents to her name,, and as she does so, she comes to "understand" that the reason why Ashoke had left her before, was so that she can get used to the loneliness she would soon have at the time of his death.

Quote: "She refuses to be so far away from the place where her husband made his life, the country in which he died."

Question: Will Gogol become more appreciative about his culture and begin to become more aware of Bengali traditions after his father's death?

The Namesake

2008-06-11T22:16:00.001-07:00

In, "The Namesake," Jhumpa Lahiri continues to tell the life of Gogol throughout his college life. In these next 25 pages, Gogol's twenty-seventh birthday arrives, and for the first time, he does not spend it with his parents. He leaves to New Hampshire with his friends, and while they're there, they throw him a party with several people he does not know. While he is there, he comes upon an ignorant woman—Pamela. She begins to ask Gogol questions about where it is he is from in India, and then moves on to saying how all Indians are skinny and don't get sick, never considering that Gogol is also part of the American culture having been born here in America. Having been his first birthday spent without his parnets, Gogol felt arush of indepencdence. Neither of his parents called to wish him happy birthday because Gogol had decided to isolate himself from his parents to isolate form the ciulture. Even though he knows his parents will not call, he still expects that phone call and begins to miss the presence of his parents—something he had thought would never expected to occur.

Quote: "With work as an excuse, he does not go home to Massachusetts all Summer."

Question: Why are people so ignorant about different cultures?

The Namesake

2008-06-04T19:46:00.001-07:00

The next 25 pages of "The Namesake," by Jhumpa Lahiri, describes Gogol's life as an older man. At this time, Gogol has graduated, has a girlfriend named Ruth and has decided to move to New York—away from his parent's reach. While in New York, Gogol begins working, but not in the way he had imagined himself working, back when he was a student. When he meets Ruth, he becomes very surprised that her parents are nothing like his parents, something that makes him like her even more. Ruth gets much more freedom from her parents than Gogol ever did, and that truly attracts him even more as it is something he had never really experienced before. Gogol feels that being with Ruth would indeed give him that independence he had always longed for, and so he wished to live his life with her. A few months later, he notices that Ruth was not the woman he had been looking for after all, and notices that all he wanted from her was the cultural independence that she held from her family. Gogol decides to move on and continues his search for love with other women in his path.

Quote: "He prefers New York, a place which his parents do not know well, whose beauty they are blind to, which they fear."

Question: Why is Gogol so desperate to get away from his parents and separate from his culture?

The Namesake

2008-06-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

As "The Namesake," continues, Jhumpa Lahiri shows how Gogol lives with his undesirable name each day. One day, Gogol finally decides that since he is so unsatisfied with his given name, that he will officially change it. Gogol goes to court and asks to change his name to what was supposed to be his 'good-name'— 'Nikhil.' When he is asked to fill out paperwork regarding the name change, Gogol does not know what to write for his reasons on changing his name so turns in the form blank, but verbally explains that he has always hated his given birth name. The judge gives Gogol the name change he had desired for years, and his excitement becomes so big, that he begins to tell his new name to everyone he meets on the street. When it is time for Gogol to go to New Haven University, his new roommates are the first to call him by his new name Nikhil, but even though he feels a rush of freedom from his Bengali culture, he feels as though a piece of him is missing. As time goes by, Gogol's parents meet his roommates and his parents begin to refer to him directly as 'Nikhil,' and just as that happens, he feels awkward and begins to miss the Gogol he used to be. Gogol learns that even though he has wished to be someone else throughout all those years, that he will always be Gogol and that that will never change.

Quote: "Stranger still is when one of his parents addresses him, in front of his new friends, as Nikhil directly..."

Question: Will Gogol begin to feel remorse for changing his birth name and trying to assimilate into another culture, and change back to the Bengali Gogol he used to be?

The Namesake

2008-06-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

In the next twenty-five pages of Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake," Gogol turns fourteen and he 'finds out' why it is his name is 'Gogol." He learns that his father became fascinated by a book author by that name—but he never received any further explanation. Gogol begins explaining how he does not like his name for it being uncommon and unusual. He thinks his name is too weird and would like something simpler like those of his classmates. Gogol comes to a stage in his life where he begins to assimilate into the American culture and wants to have his name, 'Gogol' shortened and abbreviated into something other than the "catchy" name he already has. He begins to forget his culture and begins to listen to American music and never cares to open the case of Bengali music his father gave to him. In this section of the book, Gogol shows how much he hates having his 'pet-name' also be his 'good-name' but even though he blames his father for that matter, he partly blames himself for not choosing to go by 'Nikhil' when asked to do so in school.

Quote: "...it dismays him that his parents chose the weirdest namesake."

Question: Will Ashoke continue to allow his son to assimilate into the American culture and forget his Indian roots?

The Namesake

2008-05-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

In, "The Namesake," Jhumpa Lahiri continues to follow the lives of Ashoke and his new family. In the third chunk, Gogol, their son, is finally old enough to start school. Before taking Gogol to his first day of kindergarten, Ashoke and Ashima try to find a "good-name" for their son to be used only at school. Ashoke proposes the name Nikhil; even though she does not fully agree, Ashima accepts and so they take Gogol for enrollment. As they arrive to school, the family comes upon the very ignorant school principal who states that the school has two other Indian children enrolled, and perhaps the family may know them. Gogol is then introduced as Nikhil, but when he does not respond to the name, his father Ashoke mentions to him his real name and at the end of the day, the principal ignores the parents' decision to call Gogol by his "good-name," Nikhil and uses his pet name, Gogol instead. A couple of months later, Ashima becomes pregnant once more and in May, gives birth to Gogol's sister. At the time of the girl's birth, Ashima and Ashoke had already planned a "good-name" for the new baby, as they did not want to relive the difficult experiences of Gogol's name. The new baby was named Sonali—a combination of both her "good-name" and her "pet-name," though later in life, she will be known by her family only as Sonia. The family learns that in America, life is very different from what they are used to, and that it is now time to adjust to the American society they are now surrounded by.

Quote: "They've learned their lesson after Gogol."

Question: Why are American's so ignorant and why don't they accept other culture's traditions?

The Namesake

2008-05-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, "The Namesake," continues to trace the life of Ashima and Ashoke with their new baby. Ashima finally arrives home with her new baby and begins to notice how her husband truly is as a person. As she begins to look around her home, she feels grateful to be back again, but notices Ashoke's negligence towards the home's cleanliness—dirty dishes, dirty carpet, dirty clothes, dirty everything. Even though Ashima has been at the hospital awaiting to give birth to their child, Ashoke decides to stay home and do nothing, only because he is "a man." At that time, Ashima resignates to having to do everything around the house, but regards she cannot do it all. Ashima becomes overwhelmed with the duties of motherhood and the duties of being a housewife. Ashima then confesse that she is incapable of doing such things, but heedless Ashoke shows no consideration and offers nothing, but a cup of tea to help his wife.

Quote: "She begins to pride herself on doing it alone, in devising a routine."

Question: Why doesn't Ashima confront Ashoke to kindle him into caring for his child?

The Namesake

2008-05-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, follows the life of a couple that migrates from Calcutta, India, to the United States. The novel begins with Ashima feeling as though it is time for the baby to arrive, and is rushed to the hospital. As she waits for the coming of her baby, Ashima recaps on her life before marriage. Ashima and Ashoke—her husband—were married through an arranged marriage, and are now expecting a baby in a foreign country. Having just migrated into the United States, Ashima, the mother of the baby, is afraid of raising a child alone in a country she is not familiar with, and around people that are "unlike her." As she is about to delivery her baby, Ashima begins to think of how difficult life with a child will be in the United States without knowing anyone around her. When the child is finally born, he remains unnamed until a family memebr arrives with suggestions.

Quote: "It was only after the betrothal that she'd learned his name."

Question: Will the baby be accepted by the American people?

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

2008-05-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Johnathan Edward's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," argues the belief that without the presence of a god, humans are doomed for our sins. The only reason we have remained out of hell for so long, is due only to God's sovereign power and his good will. The main theme of the discourse, is the way that religion plays a part in a human's life and the way that a human plays a part in religion. Edwards' sermon states that people are meant to serve God, and that disobeying his rules will cause the world to "spew you out," for "you are a burden to it." "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," illustrates the theme of the book with the continual use of imagery and metaphors, such as being at the edge of hell the way you would hold a spider above a dreadful fire. God has no obligation to retain us from falling into the pit of eternal damnation, yet he conceals our wickedness and keeps us at his side. I certainly did enjoy Johnathan Edward's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," because it gives us a stance in the goodness that God holds among us—no matter how horrid our misdemeanors may be.

Question: Does religion form who we are as individuals?

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

2008-05-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, is a memoir of Frederick Douglass's life as a slave and his hope to someday be free. Written by Frederick Douglass himself, the main themes of his story, are the quest to freedom and success, and the power of the human spirit to achieve that goal. In his narrative, Douglass argues the principle of how slavery is ethically wrong, and that the time for abolition has arrirved. Due to being born a slave, Frederick Douglass did not grow up with many opportunites, but he took advantage of any possibility he had to excel in learning—hoping that someday his education will make him free. Frederick Douglass illustrates the themes of his narrative by recapping on his suffering as a slave and his attempts for freedom and escape. I enjoyed reading Frederick Douglass's memoir of his life as a slave, because it gave me detailed insight on how difficult a slaves' life truly was and proved how one can accomplish any goal if we truly set our mind to it.

Questions:
How did Douglass discover at such a young age that an education was the key to freedom?
Why did Douglass' desire to be free seem bigger than the desire of other slaves? Why did it seem like he had more hope than the other slaves?

Bait and Switch

2008-03-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

Barbara Ehrenreich's bestselling book, Bait and Switch, shows how difficult it is to find a job in the real American world. In the first "chunk" of our reading, Barbara Ehrenreich says that her ego, Barbara Alexander, was going to easily swift through finding a job s a blue-collared woman, but in our second "chunk" of reading, Barbara Alexander seems to be having a much more difficult time on a task she thought would be very simple to complete. Barbara Alexander was bound to have found a job after a couple of weeks of searching, yet after four months of turning every stone in her path, Mrs. Alexander was nowhere near finding the job that was right for her. Alexander has gone seeking for jobs through several programs that were to help her obtain the job she desired, though no company or interviewer ever called her back for a second chance at the position she hoped to receive. Throughout all that wasted time foraging for the perfect job, Barbara Alexander spent thousands of dollars on internet job searches, job coaches and counselors, and career boot camps—all which were useless in finding a company that will hire her. As she continues her search for the perfect job that will bering her up form the blue-collar class, to a white-collar member Alexander considers herself useless, yet striving for success. Even though Barbara Ehrenreich believed her life as Barbara Alexander would be very simple, in the past few chapters, she is beginning to learn that life in the real world is not as easy as she once thought.

Tone: Determined and Weary

Metaphor: "I am 'angular' in shape..."
Page: 107

Allusion: For a moment I reeled, feeling like a character in an early Pynchon novel..."
Page: 123

Question: Why does Barbara Alexander attend so many programs, boot-camps, and job consultants, only to find a job, when a 'real' average person searches for a job only through simple resources?

Bait and Switch

2008-02-19T22:02:00.001-08:00

Bait and Switch, by Barbara Ehrenreich, follows a woman's life who lives undercover as a member of the middle class. Throughout the process, the author, who goes by another name not yet stated, searches for jobs in every place that she can, and arranges for her daily interviews. While being undercover, Ehrenreich learns how that for, "normal" people, losing a job, means entering a painful world causing psychological damage. Ehrenreich then states that as an undercover middle class woman, she has no possibilities of going into poverty or being rejected. Whether or not this is true or not, we will only come to know as the reading continues.

Tone: Informative

Logical Appeal: "In 1993, the Myers-Briggs test was administered to three million Americans; eighty-nine of the Fortune top 100 companies use it to help slot their white-collar employees into the appropriate places in the hierarchy."
Page: 32

Imagery: "She asks me to think of two overlapping circles. One circle is me, the other is 'the world of work,' and the overlapping area is 'the ideal position for you.'"
Pages: 22-23

Question: Why does Ehrenreich go undercover for the writing of her books?

Did mozzies, not a meteor, do for the dinosaurs?

2008-01-06T23:57:00.001-08:00

"Did mozzies, not a meteor, do for the dinosaurs?" an article from January 6, 2008 found in the Daily Mail, shows how today, scientists are beginning to believe that the cause of dinosaur extinction may not have been caused by massive meteors or volcano eruptions;instead the cause being nothing but the bite of a tiny insect-a mosquito. Since mosquito's are known for carrying and passing on diseases, the unknown author, who refers to "husband-and-wife team" George and Roberta Poinar as his/her main reference, suggests that the mosquitoes from that time era may have infected enormous dinosaurs the size of "double deckered buses," with deadly diseases. Throughout recent research, different types of malaria dysentery have been found in insects preserved in amber organisms. With this new information, scientists have begun to share their opinions on the new theory, and believe that if it were to be true, then dinosaurs may have slowly died out from several other diseases they may have become infected with. According to the Daily Mail, how dinosaurs died out, still has no exact explanation, but if people begin to believe this new theory, it can be that great controversies may begin to arise on this matter.

Tone: Informative

Question: With this new theory, will scientists begin to research more on the topic and lead people to believe/change their perspective on how dinosaurs became extinct?
Will people begin to fear that mosquitoes may slowly die out the human race just as they are said to have done with dinosaurs?
Why were the mosquito's being examined at the time this discovery was made?

Want to read the article yourself? Click below!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=506440&in_page_id=1965

Skinny Santas?

2007-12-29T23:59:00.000-08:00

"Skinny Santas?" an editorial found in the Los Angeles Times on December 24, 2007, explains how the British are beginning to 'notice' how Santa's paunchiness is said to be a "health hazard" setting bad examples of obesity. "It's not possible for one man to eat 5 billion or so sugar cookies on the night before Christmas and be anything but a butterball." By eating so many cookies on Christmas Eve, there is no doubt that Santa is 'obese', yet that does not make Santa responsible for the obesity arising in England. The editorial states that Santa is highly promoting Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which may not only lead to a large amount of Britain's population to become obese, but also to suffer from several different health issues. To try to prevent this from happening, Britain's malls and shops have demanded to have slim Santa's appear at their sites. It is said that if slim Santas continue, Christmas time will perhaps soon begin bringing buff Santa's and Santas with six-pack abs. Britain's emporiums seem to be so serious about slimming their Santa's, that shopping centers have even begun sending their Santa's to santa boot camp if the excess weight cannot be lost on its own. "Skinny Santa's" finally says that it just may be that Britain is beginning to catch up on some of our(the US/American's)bad eating habits;causing unwanted burden on our bodies-and Santa should not be blamed.

Tone: Humorous

Question: If this Santa idea continues, will it spread to the US and next year, find ourselves waiting for 'hot' santas to arrive and workout with body building weights instead of eating our high calorie cookies and drinking a glass of milk?
How is it that England chose Santa as their cause for obesity?

Want to read the article yourself? Click Below!
www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-santas24dec24,0,6003216.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials

Tracking the mild coyote

2007-12-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

Meghan Daum's Los Angeles Times article from December 22, 2007, "Tracking the mild coyote,"shows how a city girl takes in an orphaned coyote into her Wyoming home, causing others to debate whether her actions with nature are right or wrong. The article shows how Charlie, a wild coyote becomes domesticated after living in a home with Shreve Stockton(the woman who took him in shortly after birth), and her cat Eli who each night, all sleep together on the same bed. Stockton has created a blog with over 30,000 hits each day, where she posts pictures of Charlie being both a fierce and a delicate animal. With all those people viewing Charlie's blog, Stockton is sometimes led to receive negative comments for holding a wild animal away from its natural habitat. The article states that Charlie has become so tame and kind, that apart from living indoors, he walks on a leash and is fed different foods such as dog food and organic cheese. Inclusively, Charlie has been taught to be so much like a friendly domestic animal that when out in the wild, is intimidated by humans other than his owner and neighbor, as well as several different wild animals, leading him to hide at Stockton's side for "protection" from other coyotes. Stockton says she wants to protect Charlie from people nearby her home, causing her to keep her homes' location a complete secret so not to be tracked down by residents. Meghan Daum's article, "Tracking the mild coyote," shows how people have become so interested in the existence of such a disastrous violent animal becoming domesticated, that more and more people are beginning to express their opinions;not only on the issue itself, but on the overall population of wild animals around their area as well.

Tone: Informative

Question: After reading this article will people begin wanting to domesticate wild animals as well?
How will stockton deal with people who are against her domesticating a wild animal?
How does Stockton keep her home's location a "secret?"

Want to read the article yourself? Click Below!
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-daum22dec22,0,1212930.column?coll=la-opinion-center