The Namesake-Week 3 Post B

The baby has been born! Baby Gogol has arrived, and Ashima stays recovering in the hospital for now. The novel is now being shown through the voice of Ashoke. I would say that Ashoke is really sort of an awkward person. I don't think he really knows what to do with a new baby, let alone a wife. This whole arranged marriage thing really just comes off as an awkward situation to me. I feel that Ashima doesn't mind it so much, but I get this constant vibe that Ashoke doesn't want to be apart of it, because by being a part of an arranged marriage, he is being a part of his traditional Indian culture, and that I think is what bothers him the most. I find it sort of rude really. Why can't the man accept that that is where he comes from and that he is always going to be a part of it. You can't help where you come from. Really I just feel bad for Ashima because she has this awkward husband and now she has a baby from her awkward husband, and I can just feel that it is all just going to be very awkward when they get home. So what I'm trying to say is: Dear Ashoke, get over yourself please and act like you love your wife or something because it's annoying when you treat her like you are stuck with her just to remind you of your culture. Thank you.

-Grace

The Namesake-Week 1 Post A

More culture is shown threw the novel when the narrator talks about the importance of a nickname. Nicknames in Indian culture are the name you are always called by. It is really a pet name sort of, but the nicknames are chosen with love. When a baby is born the parents may try out more than enough nicknames, until finally one will stick. As for real names, they are never used in public. They are only used in times of intimacy and addressing one on an envelope. The nickname however is a reminder that life doesn't have to be so serious all the time, and a reminder of love. Ashima's parents never address by her full name, but by her nickname "Monu." Here in America we do have nicknames and pet names, but I would say that about 80% of the time we are addressed by our full name, only being addressed by your nickname by your friends and sometimes parents. I think it is really interesting and cool that probably all indians have a nickname, and I love that they say it is a reminder that life doesn't have to be so serious all the time, becuase I know when people call me by my nickname I instantly lighten up a little bit. 

Research Topic

The topic I'm choosing to research is the issue in Tibet about Mount Everest, and other political issues.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/20/nepal.torch.oly/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/mteverest.tibet/index.html

http://www.cnn.om/2008/WORLD/asispcf/04/19/india.tibet.ap/index.html

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307-0-2362&artno=0000273933&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Official%3A%2016%20Dead%20in%20Tibet%20Riots&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307-0-2362&artno=0000259164&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Tibetan%20Human%20Rights%20Get%20U%2ES%2E%20Congressional%20Attention&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SMN0307-0-2362&artno=0000274954&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Protests%20Mar%20China%27s%20Grand%20Plans%20for%20Olympic%20Torch%20Relay&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y

The Namesake-Week 2 Post B

"The Namesake" gets very interesting when the point of view goes from Ashima to Ashoke, but still in the third person. The narrator goes back to when Ashoke was a young college student, and constantly reading. Ashoke's parents always said, "Your going to die reading a book,"and this is very interesting because he really almost does. When Ashoke's grandfather is ill, he asks Ashoke to come spend time with him (mostly because he had a huge collection of books he knows Ashoke would love). So Ashoke boards the train out of Calcutta and on the way to where his grandfather resides. On the way Ashoke stays up all night reading his favorite piece of literature by the famous Russian writer, Gogol, which plays a role in the novel later, but while he is lying in his cabin reading he is thrown across the country side in seconds from a horrible train crash. Ashoke is terrified for his life, and is lost within the rubble. When search and rescue come, they almost miss him, leaving him there to die, but after raising his hand out of the rubble they take notice of him and get him out. After the train wreck he was left in bandages, lying in bed for months unable to move, but once he is healed he announces to his parents that he is going to attend MIT. A huge shock and disappointment hits the family, but he carries on to America anyways. That is the story of how Ashoke almost died reading a book like his mother said, and Ashoke will continue to have nightmares of that day for many years after. All very intriguing.

- Grace

The Namesake-Week 2 Post A

In the next section of "The Namesake,"there is not a lot of cultural differences that are presented, but you will see acts of rebellion against the indian culture from the husband, Ashoke. Ashoke is a well educated man who attends college in India, but then he is also accepted to MIT in America. What he fails to do is tell his parents he is doing this until he is accepted and ready to leave. Now in Indian culture, most families stay pretty close to one another, and if they do want to live further away from their family they usually have to get permission from the parents first, but not Ashoke. Even though his mother didn't eat for three days after hearing his news and his father and brothers cried, Ashoke still goes to America with seems like not a lot of guilt on his mind. This is very rebellious in their culture, but Ashoke really wants to be apart of the 1960's American culture that he finds in Cambridge, MA. Another small, but qualified piece of rebellion one may notice, is when Ashoke first comes to Ashima's house and he wears laced-up work shoes, very unlike the slippers you would find in India. Ashoke's acts against being part of his culture I think plays a large role in the novel, and I'm sure he has more acts of rebellion to come. 

The Namesake- Week 1 Post B

Within just the first 20 pages of Jhumpa Lahiri's novel, "The Namesake," I have already been drawn into the intrigue of a different culture and a woman's time living in a completely different country than hers. Mostly it is just discussion about how Ashima Ganguli, the woman, met her husband, Ashoke Ganguli, and her time living with him in Cambridge where he attends school and she stays at home with her big pregnant belly. It is how they got to that point that I find interesting because there marriage was arranged by their parents back in Calcutta. The book is told in the third person so you kind of get to read the feelings of each character. One thing that I don't really like, and is kind of odd, but it does is the time period of which it takes place in. It takes place in mostly the nineteen sixties, but men and woman in that time already kind of had the roles of the woman staying at home, and the men going to work. I think it would be more interesting to see a modern day arranged marriage than one that took place back then, because I feel it was more common then. Although her story is still interesting. 

The Namesake- Week 1 Post A

I would first like to say that these cultural blogs won't be to difficult because the culture in this novel is really apparent, and quite different than our culture here in America.  "The Namesake" is about a Indian woman living in America who recently gave birth to her first son. Within the first few sentences you can already tell that this woman, Ashima Ganguli, is not from here. She is combining a bowl of Rice Krispies, Planters Peanuts, onion, salt, lemon juice, green chili pepper, and wishing for mustard oil to add to the concoction. A common snack found on the streets of Calcutta, where she was born and raised. Her desire to eat this is mostly due to her pregnancy, which is due any day. It is this pregnancy that continues to tell more about her culture. Her husband, Ashoke Ganguli, does not appear to be readily at her side to bring her to the delivery room, but tends to keep his distance most of the time, and is even a little awkward between the two. This awkwardness most likely comes form the fact that they are an arranged marriage, as most are from where they come from. Ashoke and Ashima got married just within two weeks of meeting each other. I think that they both care for each other, and love each other, but Ashoke seems to have school at the top of his priorities. Ashima doesn't bother with that, because it is courtesy of the wife to not disturb the husband. She mostly stays at home all day waiting for him to come home for the dinner she prepares him. It is a very stereotypical "man goes to work all day while the woman cleans the house" type of relationship plus a different culture marriage. The difference between the stereotype of men in women in a marriage is that Ashoke doesn't seem to much of anything for his wife. He wasn't even sure if he should get his wife flowers after she gave birth, and it never even crossed his mind. Also, when the wife was in the hospital for a few days in labor Ashoke went home and stayed there until the hospital informed him of when the baby was being born. A lot of times you'll see the husband stay with his wife, and even go into the delivery room.  These are only a few observances found so far throughout. 

"THE NAMESAKE" (Quarter 4 Outside Reading choice)

I chose a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri who is an Indian writer, called "The Namesake." The central reason for choosing this book is it's critical acclaim, and also the recommendation from peers.  The novel is about an immigrant Indian woman's experience in America, and the challenges she faces, especially with her son, Gogol. "The Namesake" has won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for literature, and has more recently been made into a motion picture. The story seems very intriguing, and offers a lesson in culture, which I think makes it a good read. I Can't wait to get started.

-Grace :)