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?
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6 comments:
I believe identification is important in any form of living or non-living. The reason behind is that without identification, the order of society will be in great chaos.
Human livings are involved in choices from the beginning of their lives. For example, infants display emotions on their faces. It was discovered lately that even infants manipulate the environment to get benefits from others with gestures such as smiling, crying, and this is also a form of choices. It is human nature to choose or to be chosen but without identification this will be impossible.
However, I believe identifying each other could bring somewhat problematic events as well, and this could be a negative side of living. For example if there is a discripancy between how people see you from how you see yourself, this could end in negative situation such as life long depression, and believe it or not this isn't uncommon in modern society.
From the novel, Gogol spends his young life thinking about his true identity. He goes through his name change event in order to reset or define his true self, though it wasn't that pleasant after name change as he thought it would be.
I liked my name that was given to me by my parents. However it didn't take a long time to realize that there were differences between how Koreans direct me from non-Koreans do in USA. Like the way Gogol felt at the court at the moment of his name change, I also felt a similar experience, a pang of sadness. Anyway, one clear point to me is that even after my name-change, I know myself that I would be the same exact person the way I used to be, and if I have anything changed after name change, it wouldn't be from my changed name itself but changed my behavior or insight or even personality.
-Kristen
Identification gives people a sense of who they are. It also allows others to have a brief understanding of who that person. Identifications however can be abused, like using the color of ones' skin to explain who they are without speaking to the person and learning about them.
The name by parents give me is the only identity I accept because it was given to me when I entered the world. Everything else was decided before I was born and I had no decisions in it, or if I would accept those classification. My name is my own identification which I can shape to mean whatever I want, depending on my actions.
Identification is a guiding force that is often not even fully realized, as to say that to what or with whom we identify influences so many of the choices we make in life. The choices we make help us tell ourselves who we are, which in turn also affects the choices we make, forming a cycle.
I like the name my parents gave me, and I know why they choose that name. I think liking your name is a big part of liking yourself because your name is so closely associated with yourself.
I believe identification is an important factor of each individual’s life. Your name is your personal identification which you are given as soon as you enter this world. A name was simply given to you by your parents; you are the only one who really gives it a true meaning. You create your own identity, the one you want to be recognized by. Your identity is what defines you and makes you who you are or become.
Identification is important to me as a immigrant. Because when I came to America all I bring is my identity, my name is the only thing remind me that I am a Chinese, and no matter where I go after I say my name they all know that I am Chinese. That's why for me my name is who I am.
I like my Chinese name because each word they have meaning, and not many people would have same name as me. However, I hate my English name, because English name is so common a lot people name's same. Even a same class would have two same English name. That's why if I more prefer to change my English name to something that not many people have.
I believe that identification is important because we need an identity as an individual.
The day we are born our parents choose our names and it is something we cannot control at such early age but when we grow older we have the choice to change it. I like the name my parents gave me. I know that a name is important but in reality what is more important is the way we behave and how we portray our name.
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