Lahiri's The Namesake

I HATED THIS MOVIE. It was horrible. I couldn't take it seriously and the plot was so incredibly different from the book. 

1. “The Overcoat” and The Namesake are very similar in that they both show growth of their main characters. In “The Overcoat,” Akaky begins to come out of his shell when he purchases his new overcoat. However, he dies soon after his personal revelation. Gogol’s story is similar that he also grows up into a new person at the end of the story, but he does not die. Instead, it seems as if he is reborn to be the person he was meant to be. A name is like an overcoat because it’s a first impression of you. A name like “shaw-quie-nay-nay” does not seem very professional so employment might be more difficult, just like if you do not dress nicely for an important job interview. People are quick to judge, so if you have a bad first impression, it ca stick with you the rest of your life.

2. When Gogol was little, he loved it his name. He loved the fact that it was unique and special, and when his parents tried to give him a different school name he became confused and refused to use it. Once he starts to hit puberty though, he resents his odd name and the traditional Indian familial expectation that come with it. He thinks it is embarrassing and nonsensical, because everyone asks him if it is an Indian name when it’s actually Russian. Finally, when he turns 18 he changes his name to Nikil, so that’s what everyone who knows him by after he’s moved out and is on his own. When he gets recognized as Gogol, he is usually ashamed, especially because it’s only his family members who still call him that, people from his old life. Yet as he matures into an adult, he begins to accept his original name and love the culture he grew up in. So yes, he make peace with it and views it as a sign of his parents’ love for him.

3. Ashima moves to Boston as a young girl in her 20’s to be with her new husband. At first, she feels completely isolated and hates her new home. As time goes by and children are born, she begins to become more comfortable in America. Most of her closest family members in India die, so she begins to realize her family is in America, with her husband, son, daughter and other Bengalis. At the end of the story when she decides to live in India for six months of the year, it is the new home she’s made in America that she will miss the most.

4. All of Gogol’s relationship with women fail because of a difference in culture. While in college, he dated a girl named Ruth. They were madly in love, until she studied abroad in England for a semester. Then after the semester, she wanted to stay for a summer session and take more classes. When Gogol went to pick her up at the airport, he could sense the distance between them. She had changed after living in a different country for so long.

Then when he moved to New York City, he started to date Maxine. She lived at home with her parents, who were very wealthy and had a completely different family dynamic than Gogol’s family. Gogol slept over, went on family vacations with them and witnessed her parents showing affection toward each other many times, which his own parents never did. He dated Maxine at the time in his life when he wanted to run away from what he grew up. This changed when his father died because Gogol finally embraced his culture and appreciated his family. He and Maxine broke up not long after because she didn’t understand where he was coming from.

His last relationship in the book was with Moushumi, whom he married. She walked into his life at the perfect time, when he wanted to return to his roots and find comfort in similar culture. However the marriage didn’t last long because Moushumi became anxious. She felt like she was turning into her mother and started having an affair with an old flame. She also felt that Gogol was holding her back because she wished to return to France and be independent again. Again, culture separated Gogol from his partner.

5. A train, because it is always moving, signifies change. In the story, Ashoke’s life was changed after a train wreck, which is why he moved to America. Then when Gogol is in college, he returns home almost every weekend by train. The train keeps the family connected, but also symbolizes the change that happens to all the members in the family, but especially Gogol.

6. India does function as a ghost in the story. It is always a presence in the life of Gogol and his family, even though they are not actually there. But it seems like the story always goes back to India. India is where the Ganguilis came from, so naturally it carries great importance in the life and heritage. Though at first Gogol tries to escape the “ghost of India” in his life, he comes to love it. 

The Motorcycle Diaries

The Motorcycle Diaries was about the important road trip that Ernesto "Che" Guevera, a future radical revolutionary, would make that forever shaped his life. Joining him on his journey was Alberto, who was also pursuing a career in the medical field. Their trip would take them around the South America continent, and they wanted to be back before Alberto's birthday. Che was 22 when he started the journey on La Pondersoa, what they named the motorcycle. They visit a Leper Colony on the Amazon in Peru and Che really relates with the patients. He is the first person to actually touch them. The patients love him back. He also experiences a personal wonder when visiting Machu Pichu. 

This story is a great example of a bildungsroman because it is a coming of age novel. Another good example is The Namesake. It shows the growth of Che into the man he would become. It also has several characteristics of an identity plot which include: 

A narrative revolving around the question of how to define and understand their identity

Character must be member of a minority within a larger society

Character is at odds with minority group

Character is conflicted w/ difference from min and maj

Authenticity and origin are always at stake on the quest

Another event that was influential to Che was meeting the impoverished Chillean miners. They were communists and often harassed because of their political beliefs. Che really sympathized for this couple that was traveling out of necessity, not pleasure like he was. He gave them a $10 bill. He also saw the inhumane treatment that miners received (they weren't given water, etc).

Leslie Silko's "The Yellow Woman"

What happens to the narrator in "Yellow Woman"--is it reality, fantasy, or something else?

I think that the Narrator does exist in reality. Yes, she was taken by a mysterious man (Silva) in the wild who sexually excited her and she didn't want to return home to her normal family and husband. She was able to experience sexual freedom if only for a little bit of time. I don't think Silva was a ka'tsina, or spirit. I think the narrator just saw that as an excuse to explain her sudden desire. 

Who is the story of Yellow Woman about?--Silva, the narrator, the culture?  Explain

The story is about the Native American culture. "The Yellow Woman was included as a compilation of narratives in Silko's "Storytelling" mostly focused on themes centering around liberation of female sexuality. Those stories often included an encounter between a woman and a mysterious man who she would run off with. 

I also think that Silko wrote this with herself in mind as The Yellow Woman. Growing up in Laguna Pueblo culture, Silko felt separated from the majority.  Her family lived on the outskirts of the reservation, just like the narrator in the story. Silko was often excluded from sacred rituals and their societies.

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Garcia Marquez wrote this as part of a book of short stories, originally aimed towards children. Here are some of the characters from the story:

Old Man/Angel- fell to the Earth one day. Is very old and has crappy looking wings that don't work. Is held captive by Pelayo and Elisenda who make a ton of money off of him. It is never found out if he was actually an angel, as believed.

Pelayo- the husband; originally concerned but then exploits the angel

Elisenda- wife; comes up with idea to charge admission to see the old man in the coop. Is relieved when he "flies" out of her life

Father Gonzaga- doesn't believe the old man is an angel; sends word to higher religious authorities to check out the man

Neighbor woman- she "knows everything" about life and death; suggests the old man was an angel on his way to pick up Elisenda's sick child and take him to heaven

The spider girl- turned into a "spider" for sneaking out of the house one night; becomes carnival attraction and takes away the old man's attention.

Though there are many interpretations, I believe that Marquez wrote this simply as an entertaining children's story filled with magic-realism elements. He meant it to be a moral fable to teach children a lesson. A major theme was uniqueness. The old man with wings is NOTHING like the townspeople. He speaks a different language and has enormous wings growing out of him. He also just fell out of the sky one day, mysteriously. Instead of treating him with respect, the townspeople harass him for his uniqueness and see him as an object, an animal to exploit for the own well-being.
Marquez wants to teach the children reading the story to embrace people for being different, not condemn then. Marquez recognizes that not everyone is the same, and he wants to ensure children understand and love everyone.

Things Fall Apart, pt 1

Question: discuss if you think (Joseph Conrad's) apology was enough when compared to Achebe's text.

I don't think it's fair to compare these two texts in that way. Things Fall Apart (1958) was written half a century after Heart of Darkness (1902).
Conrad's book was the very first thing that had ever been written about the horrible treatment Africans were receiving at the hand of Europeans. It was groundbreaking, being the first critical look at imperialism in Africa. Though it might not have gone as far as Things Fall Apart, based on the time period it was written in, it was very controversial. Yes, Conrad could have been more sympathetic toward Africans as he commonly referred to them all as savages and didn't distinguish different tribes from one another, he still recognized crimes of humanity occurring. He didn't see them as complete animals like other Europeans did, though he did still place them lower than Europeans. Without Conrad's book, Achebe would not have had a precedent to follow.

I think that the destruction of the authentic African tribes and cultures was a horrible thing to do. White people were taught the "white man's burden." The white man's burden is that it is the job of white people to civilize indigenous people, and teach them the Christian religion and assimilate them to be like Europeans. That the white people must "better' the poorer ones. This meant they were completely indifferent to local culture and traditions. 

Though Europeans might have become rich in natural resources and money, it came at a great cost to human life and culture.

The Shawl

In Ozick's "The Shawl,"  the shawl is considered "a magic shawl."  How is it magical?  In what ways does it nourish?


I believe that the shawl is considered magical because it somehow kept Magda, the small child/baby, alive without much food or water. Somehow, it tasted like nuts and Magda would gnaw on it all day. Her mom, Rosa, was mystified by this and the shawl never left Magda. Until one day, Rosa's niece Stella steals the shawl because she is cold. When Magda cannot find it, she screams until a Nazi guard throws her into the electric fence and she dies. To make herself feel better, Rosa then sucks on the shawl trying to get the same magic nourishment that Magda did. Except Rosa needs hope and a reason to live.

Are there ways to celebrate the human spirit and the strength of humans based on Ozick's text?
Yes. The Shawl highlights the human spirit's ability to stay strong and adapt even in cases of enormous hardship.  Humans will do many things to survive.

The Fly

Though this story was one of the shortest so far, I found it had deep emotional depth. There are many different interpretations of what the fly and the boss are! I hope everyone liked our presentation today. Here is a summary of our theories:
1. Fly = Katherine Mansfield
Boss = God/ Fate
In this theory, it is argued that Mansfield is writing this story about herself. She's angry with how the world has been pushing her down when she struggles to live. After the war killed her brother, she became especially disillusioned with God/fate and feels like no matter how hard she tries, she will just die in thee end. After finishing this story, Mansfield passed away form tuberculosis.

2. Fly = Europe
Boss = War
In this one, Europe is the fly slowly but brutally being destroyed by the war, who is the boss in the story. Mansfield HATED the war because it killed her brother and other family members. Also, at the end of the story when the boss forgets what he was thinking about before the fly, it could be showing that the heroes who died fighting have been forgotten too.

Serrano's question: "Although the story “The Fly” never overtly mentions World War I, make a list of details which indicate that the story is related to WW I and takes place shortly thereafter."

"to the photograph over the table of a grave-looking boy in uniform... It had been there for over six years."  
"The girls were in Belgium last week having a look at poor Reggie's grave, and they happened to come across your boy's."
"There's miles of (graves)."
Although over six years had passed away, the boss never thought of the boy except as lying unchanged, unblemished in his uniform, asleep for ever."

 " The boy had been in the office learning the ropes for a year before the war."

The story references "the war" and "graves" and "six years" and "Belgium." When Mansfield was alive, there was one war that killed more than all the others. It was called The Great War until WWII and it changed the make-up of Europe. It took place in Europe, where Belgium is located, and many mass grave sites were placed throughout the continent.