An Unexpected End and Unexpected Friend

The death of Ashoke was very surprising to me, but even more surprising was the way that Gogol responded to it. Ashoke's death begins with stomach pains that seem like they would call for a visit to the local walk in rather than the hospital. I believe that Lahiri made the illness a sudden heart attack purposely so that Gogol could not go see him in time. Even if he could go back, I do not know if Gogol would have. He loved his father, but he may have played it off. When his sister, Sonia, finally told him that his father died, he aborted all else and made the trip to have his father buried. One of the defining moments of Gogol's final break from his Bengali culture is that he did not shave his head in deference to his father. 

However much Gogol wants to leave his Bengali culture behind, it always comes back to him again in one form or another. This time, Moushumi was the one to deliver it. Gogol realizes that this is just another Bengali girl, but he is interested after a date or two. The amazing part is, because he has blocked out his culture and the parties that came with it, he did not even realize that Moushumi was the girl in the corner who only read. Looking back with his new "refined" tastes, this quiet, studious girl might have been more attractive to him. His hatred for all of the partying and yelling with food in one's mouth is not present with Moushumi. I cannot wait to see how Gogol deflects his Bengali culture after chapter eight.

Big changes for Nikhil

The Namesake has changed greatly from chapter one to where I am now, at the end of chapter six. Nikhil has changed greatly as a character as well. In his time at Yale and Columbia, he began to move even further from his parents. He decided to mostly avoid The Bengali culture that he grew up with. He hated the large dinner parties with huge families and annoying kids. Most of all, he hated how his mom made obscene amounts of food for the whole party and never catered to her guests. He is disgusted that his mom eats with her mouth open most of the time. 

Aside from disliking the Bengali culture, he in fact loved the American culture and the mixtures of European heritage and influence. He enjoys the diverse architecture that he sees in New York City and other cities outside of Boston. He might like these different designs solely because of his parent's hatred for them. Many of his decisions are for the same reason, for example him changing his name instead of leaving it as Gogol. Also the complete Americanization of his whole life, for instance his English accent and when his parents speak to him in Bengali, "he waves and drives off, pretending not to hear" (150). Even his girlfriend, Maxine, cannot believe that he is related to his parents. The interesting thing is that he is happy with that, and he is glad to be disconnected from his parents. 

Throughout chapter six, Nikhil seems to be doing pretty well. He has a girlfriend that he loves and her parents seem pretty awesome. He has been at a lake house and has had one of the best times of his life. He loves the lifestyle that the Ratliffs live, but he is harshly reminded of what awaits him at home when he encounters one of the Ratliffs neighbors who tries to ask "at what age he moved from America to India" (157). She even believes that "the climate wouldn't effect [him], given [his] heritage" (157). He is offended by her upfront nature, but keeps his cool and escapes her sharp questions. Nikhil has endured a lot of pressure, but it seems so far that he is being repaid with a new pseudo-adopted family and separation from his parents.

Ashima's Homesickness

Throughout the first chapters of The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Ashima is consistently homesick. She does not just long for her home itself, but also the culture and traditions of the Bengali people that she lived with. She often feels alone and deprived of all of the great things that she had at home. She often looks past the great parts about America and if it is more advanced, she claimed that she likes the old way. Obviously there is a lot of stress that comes with moving to a new country, but she hides from the challenges rather than embracing them. When she has her child, Gogol, she feels more alone even though the baby occupies a lot of her time.

Her husband Ashoke does everything that he can to comfort her, but he is confined by the ritual and tradition of Bengali culture. He often wishes to say something nice to her, but there is only so much that he can say. He works long hours as a teacher so that they can live in a small apartment and have food to eat. She should be grateful to have friends around her and a healthy child to take care of. I hope that she can relieve herself of this feeling of regret and homesickness for my sake as a reader. Maybe when she goes home, she will realize that she lives in a really favorable lifestyle and be appreciative of what she has.

New and Improved Short Story Intro with Outline

Seamus Heaney uses characterization in "Digging" to create a speaker who first thinks he doesn't measure up, but then realizes he has a valuable skill. Immediately, Heaney shows that the speaker, a writer, values the hard work ethic and skill that his father and grandfather have. The speaker becomes unsure that his abilities as a writer will measure up to the legacy his father and grandfather have left behind. Heaney ultimately empowers the speaker with a spark of self-confidence, and he begins to believe in the power of his pen. Heaney uses the speaker as an example of how we should believe in our abilities as we reach for individuality.

I.               In the beginning of the poem, Heaney shows us that the speaker respects hard work.

A.                 “By God, the old man could handle a spade. / Just like his old man.”

B.                  “My grandfather cut more turf in a day / Than any other man on Toner’s bog”

II.             Throughout the poem, the speaker does not believe that his writing measures up to the hard work of his father and grandfather.

A.                 “Once I carried him milk in a bottle / corked sloppily with paper”

B.                 “But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.”

III.           At the end of this poem, Heaney turns the speakers view and gives him some self-confidence.

A.                 “Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests.”

B.                 “I’ll dig with it”

Blog Post 3: Miniver Cheevy (Wishes and Dreams)

In the poem "Miniver Cheevy", Miniver is not living in the past, but wishes he was born in that time. Many people often wish that they had been born in a different era, but Miniver takes this dream to a whole new level.

Miniver destroys the life that he has for something that he really cannot control. He wishes that he could live in a time, "When swords were bright and steeds were prancing" (Robinson Line 6). Obviously this dream that he has is not at all possible. He frets and complains throughout the day because he cannot have exactly what he wants. I think that Miniver is extremely arrogant and ridiculous, to want something so much yet do nothing about it.

Miniver makes me want to hate him. I bet that many other readers feel the same way. In a childish way, it seems that he is dreaming of some happily never after, when really he is just a pretentious guy drinking his valuable life away. I could see how one would feel sympathy for Miniver, blocked from the bright light of life, as his brain sulks in misery.

Robinson is trying to tell us to pull ourselves out of the situation that faces us and realize that there is more than that. I think that Miniver represents a blip in our everyday lives that most of us see as adversity and take on, while some can get stuck like Miniver, just, "Scratching his head" (Line 30).