Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Jenny - The Namesake
1. Characters -
* Ashoke – His pet name known as “Mithu”, he “had gone to St. Xavier’s and then B.E. College, graduating first class first from both institutions.” (Page 9, The namesake) He married Ashima and had two children named Gogol and Sonia in Boston.
* Ashima- Her pet name known as “Monu”, she was five feet four tall Bengali woman and around ninety nine pounds. She was nineteen when she was introduced in the book and was in the middle of her studies. Ashima’s mother who always tell Ashima that she is great in knitting and cooking. She had Gogol in Boston and Sonia in the new house they had brought when Ashoke became a professor in Harvard University.
* Gogol (Nikali) - named after a famous Russian writer that his father loved during his years when he was young. His grandmother supposed to name him something else but, they never received the mail of the “name”. He ends up with the name Gogol on his birth certificate. Gogol realized that name was very important because it was the way people would recognize him. He didn’t like his name because it wasn’t American enough like Alan, Tom or something everybody knows.
* Sonia (Sonali) - was given an American name and also a pet name. After Gogol had his name, Ashoke and Ashima knows that now they live in America, they need an American name. She grew up with Ashoke, Ashima and Gogol in the new house they brought. She went to trips with the family to Calcutta.
2. Themes
* “Every pet name is paired with a good name, a bhalonam, for identification in the outside of the world. Consequently good names appear on envelopes, on diploma, in telephone directories and all public places. Good name tends to represent dignified and enlightened qualities. Pet names have no such aspirations. Pet names are never recorded officially, only uttered and remembered.” (Page 26, The Namesake) In other words, pet names were considered important in Indian’s traditions because they believed that every person should have a pet name paired with a good name to be identified in the outside of the world. Like for example, when Ashima’s grandmother mailed her a letter, her grandmother would put Ashima on the outside and Monu in the inside. Pet names are something you will remember forever but not recorded.
* Gogol’s Annaprasan, “Rice Ceremony”- “The food is arranged in ten separate bowls. Ashima regrets that the plate on which the rice is heaped is melamine, not silver or brass or at the very least stainless steel. The final Bowl contains payesh, a warm rice pudding Ashima will prepare for him to eat on each of his birthday as a child, as an adult even, alongside of a slice of bakery cake.” (Page 38-39) Rice ceremony was a very important tradition to Indians (Bengalis) because it gives their son or daughter to try different bowls of rice. Food was something they enjoy being surrounded with friends and family to see how lucky the child is.
* “The Grand Finale, the moment they have all been waiting for. To predict his future path in life, Gogol is offered a plate holding a clump of cold Cambridge soil dug up from the backyard, a ballpoint pen, a dollar bill, scholar, or businessman.” (Page 40) The Grand Finale was part of the ending of the rice ceremony where they predict the path of their child. Gogol had chosen nothing and began to cry.
3. Formulate a Question
* Do you think identification is important? Why?
* Do you like your own name? If you do, why? If you do not, why? What will the name you prefer and always wanted?
* Ashoke – His pet name known as “Mithu”, he “had gone to St. Xavier’s and then B.E. College, graduating first class first from both institutions.” (Page 9, The namesake) He married Ashima and had two children named Gogol and Sonia in Boston.
* Ashima- Her pet name known as “Monu”, she was five feet four tall Bengali woman and around ninety nine pounds. She was nineteen when she was introduced in the book and was in the middle of her studies. Ashima’s mother who always tell Ashima that she is great in knitting and cooking. She had Gogol in Boston and Sonia in the new house they had brought when Ashoke became a professor in Harvard University.
* Gogol (Nikali) - named after a famous Russian writer that his father loved during his years when he was young. His grandmother supposed to name him something else but, they never received the mail of the “name”. He ends up with the name Gogol on his birth certificate. Gogol realized that name was very important because it was the way people would recognize him. He didn’t like his name because it wasn’t American enough like Alan, Tom or something everybody knows.
* Sonia (Sonali) - was given an American name and also a pet name. After Gogol had his name, Ashoke and Ashima knows that now they live in America, they need an American name. She grew up with Ashoke, Ashima and Gogol in the new house they brought. She went to trips with the family to Calcutta.
2. Themes
* “Every pet name is paired with a good name, a bhalonam, for identification in the outside of the world. Consequently good names appear on envelopes, on diploma, in telephone directories and all public places. Good name tends to represent dignified and enlightened qualities. Pet names have no such aspirations. Pet names are never recorded officially, only uttered and remembered.” (Page 26, The Namesake) In other words, pet names were considered important in Indian’s traditions because they believed that every person should have a pet name paired with a good name to be identified in the outside of the world. Like for example, when Ashima’s grandmother mailed her a letter, her grandmother would put Ashima on the outside and Monu in the inside. Pet names are something you will remember forever but not recorded.
* Gogol’s Annaprasan, “Rice Ceremony”- “The food is arranged in ten separate bowls. Ashima regrets that the plate on which the rice is heaped is melamine, not silver or brass or at the very least stainless steel. The final Bowl contains payesh, a warm rice pudding Ashima will prepare for him to eat on each of his birthday as a child, as an adult even, alongside of a slice of bakery cake.” (Page 38-39) Rice ceremony was a very important tradition to Indians (Bengalis) because it gives their son or daughter to try different bowls of rice. Food was something they enjoy being surrounded with friends and family to see how lucky the child is.
* “The Grand Finale, the moment they have all been waiting for. To predict his future path in life, Gogol is offered a plate holding a clump of cold Cambridge soil dug up from the backyard, a ballpoint pen, a dollar bill, scholar, or businessman.” (Page 40) The Grand Finale was part of the ending of the rice ceremony where they predict the path of their child. Gogol had chosen nothing and began to cry.
3. Formulate a Question
* Do you think identification is important? Why?
* Do you like your own name? If you do, why? If you do not, why? What will the name you prefer and always wanted?
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Myeung Je Cho - The House on Mango Street
1.
-Esperanza
She thinks that boys and girls live in different world. When she was young, she really wanted to escape from Mango Street. She did not like anybody around her and responsibility to her family. She shows readers how she develops her feeling toward people around her and finally she realized of her writing ability.
She is the narrator of this novel. She wants to have her own home. Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish.
-Sally
Sally’s sexual behavior gives Esperanza uncomfortable, because Esperanza has not yet built a concept of sex.
Esperanza’s friend. She likes to drive boys.
-Nenny
Nenny is Esperanza’s responsibility so Esperanza tries to keep her away from bad things. Nenny and Esperanza are dreamer and they do not seem to have similarity but they are alike.
She is Esperanza’s younger sister. Her name is Magdalena.
-Marin
She is from Puerto Rico. Because of baby, she can not leave home. She has a dream to escape from Mango Street.
-Rachel and Lucy
Esperanza’s friend. They are from Texas.
-Allicia
She attends a local University. She is the one who does not try to escape from where she is through marriage.
-Cathy
Esperanza’s first friend. She does not want Esperanza to be a friend of Rachel and Lucy.
2.
Esperanza moves in a house on Mango Street. When someone ask where she lives she realized that she wants to escapes from where she is because her house is not good enough to show it to someone. The house on Mango Street is the first house Esperanza’s parents own.
Esperanza makes friends after her moving. And this novel shows how Esperanza matures and makes friends. Esperanza and her friends learn about boys from Marin. In each chapter, Esperanza meets new friends and she is adapted to people’s life on Mango Street. Finally, Esperanza realized that she can not leave Mango Street. And she knows that her writing will help her situation better later.
Themes
Knowing language is very important. Because Esperanza’s father, mother, and Mamacita do not speak and writing English fluently so they treats as low level people in society. Esperanza knows mastering language gives people power and her aunt Lupe encourage Esperanza keeps writing. Because it will help her free emotionally.
3.
Why Esperanza and her friends wear high heeled shoes and imitate adult lady?
-Esperanza
She thinks that boys and girls live in different world. When she was young, she really wanted to escape from Mango Street. She did not like anybody around her and responsibility to her family. She shows readers how she develops her feeling toward people around her and finally she realized of her writing ability.
She is the narrator of this novel. She wants to have her own home. Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish.
-Sally
Sally’s sexual behavior gives Esperanza uncomfortable, because Esperanza has not yet built a concept of sex.
Esperanza’s friend. She likes to drive boys.
-Nenny
Nenny is Esperanza’s responsibility so Esperanza tries to keep her away from bad things. Nenny and Esperanza are dreamer and they do not seem to have similarity but they are alike.
She is Esperanza’s younger sister. Her name is Magdalena.
-Marin
She is from Puerto Rico. Because of baby, she can not leave home. She has a dream to escape from Mango Street.
-Rachel and Lucy
Esperanza’s friend. They are from Texas.
-Allicia
She attends a local University. She is the one who does not try to escape from where she is through marriage.
-Cathy
Esperanza’s first friend. She does not want Esperanza to be a friend of Rachel and Lucy.
2.
Esperanza moves in a house on Mango Street. When someone ask where she lives she realized that she wants to escapes from where she is because her house is not good enough to show it to someone. The house on Mango Street is the first house Esperanza’s parents own.
Esperanza makes friends after her moving. And this novel shows how Esperanza matures and makes friends. Esperanza and her friends learn about boys from Marin. In each chapter, Esperanza meets new friends and she is adapted to people’s life on Mango Street. Finally, Esperanza realized that she can not leave Mango Street. And she knows that her writing will help her situation better later.
Themes
Knowing language is very important. Because Esperanza’s father, mother, and Mamacita do not speak and writing English fluently so they treats as low level people in society. Esperanza knows mastering language gives people power and her aunt Lupe encourage Esperanza keeps writing. Because it will help her free emotionally.
3.
Why Esperanza and her friends wear high heeled shoes and imitate adult lady?
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