Maria Jacinto, with her husband, Aristeo, and one of their five children, speaks only Spanish. "When my skin turns white and my hair turns blonde, then I'll be an American," she says.(By William Branigin– The Washington Post)
Today in class we completed an anticipation guide to prime our brains before reading an excerpt from The Washington Post's "Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation." (Notice how blog posts have hot links to articles in case you have forgotten yours at school.)
Here were the questions you marked agree or disagree and stated why:
___ 1. Schools have a responsibility to promote American culture.
___ 2. Immigrants are often unskilled and uneducated.
___ 3. Immigrants should be encouraged to assimilate into the American national identity.
___ 4. When learning about a new culture, it’s better to overlook differences and focus on similarities.
___ 5. It would be easy to move to a new country.
___ 6. People should follow the customs of the country they live in, regardless of where they’re from.
In second and third hours these topics really generated some heated debate. I think this is where real learning happens, when we can talk about perceptions or misperceptions that we have about others in a safe environment. I also enjoyed learning about stories of students whose parents have immigrated from Russia, Chile, India and Mexico. Keep telling your stories- we all benefit from learning more about one another's history.
Your homework for the weekend, in addition to reading to p. 158 of The Namesake, is to finish the Keyword notes for the article and to comment on this blog post. Your comment needs to make a connection between the article "Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation" and The Namesake. You should consider the assimilation of Ashima, Ashoke, Gogol, Sonia and other immigrants in the novel.
A thoughtful comment deserving of an "A" would include three sentences, at a minimum.
Sentence 1: Write the POINT being made about assimilation and the immigrant experience. This is a general, analytical statement about an idea that is found in both the article and the novel.
Sentence 2: This sentence is an ILLUSTRATION of the point being made in the previous sentence. Direct quotations from The Namesake would be the most credible illustration here. When using direct quotations, be sure to cite the page number where the quotation is found. MLA format looks like this (Lahiri 15) for a quotation that appears on page 15.
Sentence 3: This sentence contains further EXPLANATION of your main point and illustration. Think about why the main point matters today to you and to the world and further explain your ideas.
Have a great weekend. I am really enjoying the start to our year.
Here were the questions you marked agree or disagree and stated why:
___ 1. Schools have a responsibility to promote American culture.
___ 2. Immigrants are often unskilled and uneducated.
___ 3. Immigrants should be encouraged to assimilate into the American national identity.
___ 4. When learning about a new culture, it’s better to overlook differences and focus on similarities.
___ 5. It would be easy to move to a new country.
___ 6. People should follow the customs of the country they live in, regardless of where they’re from.
In second and third hours these topics really generated some heated debate. I think this is where real learning happens, when we can talk about perceptions or misperceptions that we have about others in a safe environment. I also enjoyed learning about stories of students whose parents have immigrated from Russia, Chile, India and Mexico. Keep telling your stories- we all benefit from learning more about one another's history.
Your homework for the weekend, in addition to reading to p. 158 of The Namesake, is to finish the Keyword notes for the article and to comment on this blog post. Your comment needs to make a connection between the article "Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation" and The Namesake. You should consider the assimilation of Ashima, Ashoke, Gogol, Sonia and other immigrants in the novel.
A thoughtful comment deserving of an "A" would include three sentences, at a minimum.
Sentence 1: Write the POINT being made about assimilation and the immigrant experience. This is a general, analytical statement about an idea that is found in both the article and the novel.
Sentence 2: This sentence is an ILLUSTRATION of the point being made in the previous sentence. Direct quotations from The Namesake would be the most credible illustration here. When using direct quotations, be sure to cite the page number where the quotation is found. MLA format looks like this (Lahiri 15) for a quotation that appears on page 15.
Sentence 3: This sentence contains further EXPLANATION of your main point and illustration. Think about why the main point matters today to you and to the world and further explain your ideas.
Have a great weekend. I am really enjoying the start to our year.
I believe that the article and the namesake both revolve around the struggles that minority families are going through. For example, in the article, it says that schools try to influence culture and ignore what the parents want. This connects to the namesake because Ashoke wanted Gogol to go by Nikhil. However, when Ashoke left, they asked Gogol what he thought and he said he wanted to go by his originial name (Gogol). Ashoke had found out about this and wasn't pleased. The book states "They've learned that schools in America will ignore parents' instructions and register a child under his pet name." this proves that schools ignore the parents and go about their business, regardless of what the parents beliefs are.
ReplyDeleteIn both the article and The Namesake, parents seem to be holding on to their ethnicity longer then their children. In the article the Hispanic people are reluctant to assimilate into the American culture. In The Nakesake Ashima wears a sari everyday of her life while her children are wearing polos and jeans. Ashima continues to hold on to her Indian heritage even though her family is so reluctant to try the Indian ways. I think that even though some parents try and bring their culture to the new world their children will most likely assimilate completely where they will not.
ReplyDeleteThe article and The Namesake are both centered around the issue of minorities assimilating into the American culture. A connection that is made between the two is the similarity of the parents' relationships with their children. The elders stick to their own customs, which would make sense considering that's how they were raised, and the kids tend to lean towards the American way. Although this may upset their parents, it is only natural for them to be closer to the way of life they were brought up in.
ReplyDelete"Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation" and The Namesake both consider the difficulty and resistance for foreign families to assimilate to American culture. I think one major connection between the two is when the immigrants refuse to assimilate they become isolated. In The Namesake it is apparent that Ashima is clinging to her native culture and exclusively associates with other Bengali families, "They all come from Calcutta, and for this reason alone they are friends" (Lahiri 38). Also in the article they describe the American "melting pot" turning into more of a "salad bowl", "In many places, new Hispanic immigrants have tended to cluster in niche occupations, live in segregated neighborhoods and worship in separate churches". When foreign cultures congregate and separate themselves it creates cultural tension and divides the country.
ReplyDeleteIn both The Namesake and the article we read in class, parents want to hold onto the culture of their origin country, where as the children adjust to the culture of the country they're living in. "Lately he's been lazy, addressing his parents in English though they continue to speak to him in Bengali" (Lahiri 75). The language they speak indicates whether they're adapting to the new culture or continuing with the old.
ReplyDeleteI find that sometimes immigrant children or the native-born children of immigrants see themselves as more American than a member of their culture of origin. For example, often when visiting Calcutta, Nikhil and Sonia feel alienated and out of place while visiting their family (Lahiri 84). In fact, no matter how hard their parents seem to try, Sonia and Nikhil seem to reject their ancestral culture, so in effect, the exact same behavior pointed out in the above article seems to manifest in these two children.
ReplyDelete-Morgan W, Hour 2
In this article and The Namesake we see parents trying to hold on to tradition and culture of their countries, but children adapting quicker and more easily to the American culture. Gogol and Sonia have to consciously remember to speak correctly and follow customs on their visits to Calcutta (Lahiri 81). It is harder for Gogol, Sonia and the children in the article to obtain roots that many of them never truly knew.
ReplyDeleteIn both The Namesake and the article I have noticed that the kids have a different point of view on assimilation than the adults. The adults dont want to adapt to American society but the kids only know the American society. I have a qoute from The Namesake that reflects this. "At his insistence, she concedes and makes him an American dinner once a week as a treat, Shake 'n Bake chicken or Hamburger Helper prepared with ground lamb," (Lahiri 65). This shows Gogol likes American food as a break from all the Bengali food they eat. In conclusion, immigrants who are kids have a much easier time assimilating than their parents do.
ReplyDeleteIn the namesake and the Article you can tell that kids seem to absorb the American culture faster than there parents who try to stick to the traditional ways and still try to mix the old ways with the new ways. For example Ashima and her husband both eat traditional food and dress traditionally but they cook American for there kids and i can quote" For Gogol and Sonia sake the celebrate the birth of Christ, an event the children look forward to far more than the worship of Durga and Saraswati. In conclusion i believe that the kids adapt more easily to the american culture than their parents of have spend most of their lives in their home land
ReplyDeleteIn the article and The Namesake it seems that the children are assimilating to American ways more so than the parents are. In the article it seems that the parents are distressed because their children are watching too much tv and doing other things that they percieve to be things Americans do. This correlates to The Namesake because Ashima is also worried about Gogol. He is away a lot of the time and when he comes back to visit he doesn't appreciate the food, clothes, and other things from his heritage as much as he use to. In conclusion, the parents try to hold onto their heritage as best as they can but the children are slowly letting go of it and becoming more Americanized.
ReplyDeleteThis article and The Namesake both emphasize the main idea that children assimilate to a new culture fairly quickly, while their parents try very had to hold onto their traditions and customs. "For Gogol's lunches they stand at the deli to buy cold cuts, and in the mornings Ashima makes sandwiches with bologna or roast beef. At his insistence, she concedes and makes him an American dinner once a week as a treat." (The Namesake, 65)It is clear that immigrant parents do not want to change their ways, but they are willing to do so at the insistence of their children. This is important because it shows us that second generation immigrants may not even honor their native traditions at all, and become totally americanized.
ReplyDeleteIn the article and the novel, there is a major correlation between the assimilation of the children versus their parents. In both instances, the parents are unwilling to accept the American culture and way of life. Instead, they would rather do the things they have been taught, and that has been passed down through generations of thier families in their homelands. They are afraid of change and often become social outcasts as a result. They tend to focus on the negatives of American culture rather than the positives, and have a bad perspective of the American way of life. On the other hand, the children are the opposite. Both in the novel and article, the children are open to the American customs and experience them forthemselves, against their parents will, and end up enjoying them very much. They get offered more opportunities because they are able to communicate successfully, unlike their parents, and will do the jobs that they are presented with, even if it's not what they would traditionally do back in their own countries. In the end, it all comes down to the willingness of change. The chidren prove that in most cases, they are the most accepting to make these changes. To become Americanized.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, and Namesake they both seem to spread the message that changing culture and assimilating in to America can be very difficult, especially for the Adults. For example, the children made friends and quickly learned the ways of America like Christmas unlike their parents. At the beginning Ashima said to Ashoke, “I don’t want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's not right. I want to go back.” (pg33) Things are still strange for her like others who come to America and can for ever or a very long time to get used to.
ReplyDeleteThe article and the namesake have similaritis because they both have moved to a new country and have to adapt to new culture while trying to keep their own at the same time. This can relate to the namesake as the children go to school and start to speak english. There parents try to keep them speaking in the Bengali language by sending Gogol to classes. The family have started to change there culture and start living their lives as the americans do but it is easier for the children than the parnets because the parents have been living with the old culture longer and it is hard to change.
ReplyDeleteThrough out both the article we read during class and the Namesake the common message that is conveyed is that parents and children assimilate at different speeds and levels. "Assured by his grades and his apparent indifference to girls, his parents don't suspect Gogol of being, in his own fumbling way, an American teenager." (Lahiri 93)The older generation immigrants who were born and raised in their native land have a much harder time letting go and blending in with the American society. While on the other hand, the younger immigrants become immersed in the American way much faster and smoother than their parents do, sometimes even forgetting their heritage.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that in The Namesake and the article “Immigrants sunning idea of assimilation”, that the adult/parent immigrants are against or do not want to assimilate but the children do. In the article it clearly states this in one of the sentences but in The Namesake it is shown to us through the differences of Gogol and his parents. For example one instance that shows the difference of how they’ve adapted is when they are heading off to Calcutta for 8 months and Gogol thinks, “He dreads the thought of eight months without a room of his own, without his records and his stereo, without his friends.” (Lahiri 79) Whereas when Ashima gets there she is described as, “Ashima, now Monu, weeps with relief” (Lahiri 81). This point matters today because I believe it is still true. Often the parents who are immigrants are trying to hold onto and keep their beliefs when the children are simply American and hardly care. I think this causes some conflict between some parents and children, although I do think that this problem is unavoidable because parents cannot let go of their culture because its how they’ve grown up and lived for many years of their lives.
ReplyDeleteEmily G. hour 2
The aricle "Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation" and the novel The Namesake describe assimilation and the immigration experience to be a challenging process where there are differences between how older immigrants such as parents do not adapt as quickly as younger immigrants. An example of this difference from the book is, "For the sake of Gogol and Sonia they celebrate,with progressivelt increasing fanfare, the birth of Christ, an event the children look forward to far more than the worship of Durga and Saraswati."( Lahiri 64) The young children of immigrants have an easier time blending and adapting to American culture than their parents. For the parents, it is harder for them to let go off their old heritage and culture and immediatley conform to the ways of American. For the children, they are bettter at forgeting their old country's tradtions and culture and adopting American culture.
ReplyDeleteBoth The Namesake and the article "Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation" talk about accepting a new culture. In the novel, Ashima still likes living with her traditional Indian customs; ". . . all his parents' friends are Bengali, that they had had an arranged marriage, that his mother cooks Indian food every day, that she wears saris and a bindi." (Lahiri 138). Even though they live in the United States, Ashima likes to live like she lived in India, not like Americans. In the Namesake, it is easier for Gogol to adjust since he has lived in America his whole life.
ReplyDeleteIn both the Namesake and the article we read in class, i noticed that the children seem to have a different point of few on American culture than their parents do. For instance, in the Namesake, Ashima is more accustomed to her Bengali ways and has trouble adjusting to the new way of life in America. 'All this is less stressful to her than the task of feeding a handful of American children . . .' (Lahiri 72). Ashima is much more comfortable with the Bengali traditions because it is what she grew up with than trying to adapt to the new American culture.
ReplyDeleteI think the article and Namesake are quite simmalar, because they bolth have to deal with the hardships of moving into a different country and assimulating with the new culture. It is very noticable that the parents have a harder time doing this than the kids because the kids seem to like the American life style. But the parents feel bad because they liked their old culture and life style. to support this statement Ashima says "I dont want to raise Gogol alone in this country, its not right. I want to go back." pg. 32 Even though they didnt move it shows how its hard to adapt into differnt customs. Therfor adapting into a different country is hard by itself but leaving traditions behind is the hardest. And to further explain leaving traditions behind is when she excepted the fact that Gogol will only have one name. And leave the tradition behind of having two names.
ReplyDelete"Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation" and The Namesake are the same in the sense that the families have to deal with a whole new culture. The members in the families react differently to the changes. The children are the ones that adapt to the surroundings the fastest. In The Namesake, Gogol accidentally says that his dorm room is “home” and Ashima gets upset. She says “Only three months, and listen to you.”.(Lahiri 108) She is upset that he has moved on with his life and doesn’t care about the homeland of India. In another perspective, Maria Jacinto is happy to reamin herself and her ethnicity. She says “I’m still Mexican, when my skin turns white and my hair turns blonde, then I’ll be American.”(ISIA) Clearly people react differently to changes in their culture.
ReplyDeleteBrian Baker Hour 3
The article and The Namesake have similar themes of the challenges immigrants face while trying to fit into a different culture. In the article, it is the parents who are the most against assimilation even though they are the ones who chose to bring their families to America and seek a different life. It is pointed out that the kids often serve as the translators for their parents and it is the kids who are ones most likely to work to fit into the new culture and assimilate. In The Namesake, Gogol's challenge is much the same. He is the one who changes to Nikhil to better fit in yet still feels the tug of his old culture. "Part of the problem is that the people who now know him as Nikhil have no idea he used to be Gogol. They know him only in the present, not at all in the past." (Lahiri, 105) What Gogol faces could be very similar to what the children in the article face he still has a past and isn't totally comfortable with the present or the future. In other words, the tug of what one is used to and what a person was brought up to be sometimes is a tug that is very difficult to fight off or to change. Yet the change is inevitable over time that people have to change because the place they left behind is changing without them there and the place they are in is different and also changing all the time.
ReplyDelete-Nick Omodt hr.4
In the Immigrants article and Namesake they both seem to spread the message that changing cultures and adapting the American ways is very difficult, especially for the Adults. The change was usually easier for the children. When Gogol was born Ashima said, “I don’t want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's not right. I want to go back,”(Lahiri 33). This proves that it was very hard on Ashima to get used to the American ways of raising your children without your family. Unlike Gogol and Sonia who adapt and grow up in America as though they were brought up to be Americans.
ReplyDeleteThe Namesake and the article we read in class are both the same because they talk about what life in America is life for immigrants. In the article we read, Hispanic families talk about how much different America is than their home country of Mexico. They say that they won't act like Americans even when their children who were born in America adapt to the life style easily. The same situation happens in The Namesake. When Ashoke and Ashima move to America they want to live their lives like they did in America because they don't support American culture, but since Gogol and Sonia were born in america and act like american children, they need to give into the lifestyle a little.
ReplyDeleteJoe B Hour 4
ReplyDeleteIn both The Namesake and the article we read in class there are ideas expressed about how immigrants into this country don't want their children exposed to american culture and ideas. An example from this is from the article when the woman being interviewed, Maria Jacinto, says this. "It's important for our children not be influenced too much by the gueros"(Branigin 2). Gueros meaning blondies in English is refering to the American people. I find this idea of the parents wishes to not be exposed to American culture to be very confusing because you would think that the immigrants would have thought of this beforehand and not come to America if they didn't appriciate the culture
"Immigrants shunning the idea of assimilation" and The Namesake are similar because they both include a family that is trying to adapt to their new cultural traditions, yet at the same time, they find it hard to move away from their old traditions. An example of this is in "The Namesake" when Ashima and Ashoke still think that their son should have a good name and a pet name, when in this new culture (American) it's different and people only have one name. Ashima and Ashoke find it hard to adapt to that, and eventually begin to realize that this is a new way of life.
ReplyDelete-Ben Dahlberg
The article and The Namesake both illustrate how powerful the surrounding culture can change one's life. In The Namesake, Ashima is so accustomed to living the Bengali life that when she gets to America it is hard to let go. The same story with the Mexican families. Also, Gogol and the Mexican children develop the American culture and even though their parents try and bring in their native culture it is very difficult to change. "'Why do I have to see him off?' Gogol asks his mother now. He knows that for his parents, the act of travel is never regarded casuallly, that even the most ordinary of journeys is seen off and greeted at either end." (Gogol P. 144) Gogol has been Americanized and is annoyed with his parents culture. That goes to show that culture can't be taught or learned, you actually must be in the environment and develop it yourself.
ReplyDeleteIn both the article called "Immigrants Shunning the Idea of Assimilation" and "Namesake", the main point being made is that children tend to assimilate into a new country at a faster pace then their parents. This is usually because the children of the immigrants have been raised in the new country, or in this case, America or they have immigrated at such a young age that adapting to "American ways" are simple, Whereas for the parents, they've been raised in India throughout their whole childhood, therefore "Indian ways" are basically imprinted in their minds. Because of this they are forced to learn new habits and ways of living because they aren't used to it at all, which is much more difficult for them than for their children. For example, in "Namesake",when Ashima is in the hospital to soon have her baby, she thinks about her moving to America. "It is not so much the pain, which she knows somehow, she will survive. It's the consequence: motherhood in a foreign land"(Lahiri 6). She thinks about this throughout the whole story so far and how she cannot handle America. But for Gogol, life is great in America. He feels the opposite way, he doesn't like it when his Bengali friends are over, the one moment Ashoke and Ashima love. Overall, Ashima tries her best to think poorly about America because she loves India so much and she doesn't want to lose it. She's afraid that if she starts to like and soon later, love America, she'll forget India. This is the same for Jacinto, when she says she doesn't want her children to be influence by the gueros.
ReplyDeleteWhen she sees that Gogol and Sonia are drifting away from their culture, and into the American one, they've started to lose hope in holding onto their background. I can definitely agree on the point stated earlier because I am going through the same exact experience right now. My parents are from India but my siblings and I were born in America and they feel we are losing our culture. So I can relate to this point exactly and I feel it is important today as well because people like me and the characters, Gogol and Sonia are going through it every day.
The Namesake and Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation are both showing how hard it is to try to adapt to a new culture and at the same time keep your old traditions. Also, in both stories it seems the children adapt to the new culture more easily because they didn't live in their old culture as long as their parents did. The same goes for the parents not being able to get rid of old traditions because they have been doing them longer than the children. An example from the namesake is how Ashoke wants Gogol's teacher to call Gogol by the name Nikhil because of Indian tradition, but Gogol doesn't like having two names and goes by Gogol. The main problem with immagrants adopting to a new culture is if they should keep old traditions or change thier ways for their new culture. The more immigrants that come into a new culture and keep their traditions, those trditions will become apart of the culture they moved into.
ReplyDelete-Nick Rallis
It seems as that in The Namesake, Ashima and Ashoke are worried about Gogol and Sonia Assimilating to the American culture, this relates to the article because In the article it explains how the parents are worried about their kids becoming too american. In both situations the paretns are worried about their kids and they want to keep them within their own culture. I think that this causes some tension within the families because the children want to fit in and become american children in many respects whre as the adults would like life to continue under there old culture.
ReplyDeleteIn the Namesake, Ashima and Ashoke hold on to their traditions and culture much longer than there children do. The Immigrants Shunning the Idea of Assimilation also hold onto their culture and traditions while their children adopt the American ways. Part of the reason why children accept american life so much easier are because of their influences and memories. Gogol and Sonia were both raised in America and don't have memories about the Indian culture. Therefore, the children much more easily accept the American ways. However, Ashima has many memories of India and holds onto them dearly. she can't let them go and so she honors them by keeping the Indian culture by wearing saris and cooking Indian food every day.
ReplyDeleteI found that in both The Namesake and the article "Shunning the Idea of Assimilation" There is ideas about how immigrants coming into this country do not want their children being exposed to the American cultural ways and ideas. An example I found for this is from the article of when the woman being interviewed, Maria Jacinto, says this. "It's important for our children not be influenced too much by the gueros"(Branigin 2). Gueros meaning blondies in English is refering to the American people. I find this idea of the parents wishes to not be exposed to this new American culture, to be very confusing because coming to a whole new country i would have thought that they would have thought about this before coming.
ReplyDeleteBoth the article and "The Namesake" are alike in portraying the struggle new immigrants are forced to face with the challenge of assimilation. In the article it tells of a family that has combined both american and their natural born Mexican heritage together. "Like many others in her neighborhood, where most of the residents are Mexican immigrants, the Jacinto household mixes the old country with the new." (Pg. 1 of Immigrants Shunning the Idea of Assimilation") This is like the Ganguli's because that is what they also do. Another way in which the article and the book are similar is when it talks about how the younger generation changes and adapts more to the new culture. This is what we see happening to Gogol and Sonia in "The Namesake". In conclusion, the longer a person or culture is surrounded by another, the more those people will adapt and change and their will be a finer line between the two cultures.
ReplyDelete~Tierra Davis
In the namesake and the article both depict how life for the minorities, is hard particularly for immigrants. Assimilating into a new country and culture seems like one of the hardest things to do, it is pretty much like someone asking and forcing you to completely change your life upside down. In the article there are real life stories and experiences. It starts out with showing the life of a family who is in the process of assimilation, wearing American clothes, watching American TV, and so forth. Later, it tells another families experience stating “It is difficult to adapt to culture the here.” and, “In the Hispanic tradition, family comes first, not money.” Same is with the namesake, we see Ashima’s feelings about raising a child in a new country/ culture, “I don’t want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's not right. I want to go back,” (Lahiri 33). Even though these are just some stories/ views, most of it is actually true. Some immigrants are actually skilled and very smart, coming to America in search of good jobs and careers. The actuality of it however is that many of the immigrants start out unskilled and come to America, but suffer instead of making it big. Also, along with not just trying to get good jobs, but also trying to “fit in” and assimilate their culture with America’s is a very large struggle for them as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Namesake and the article are similar in many ways such as both the parents in the story's resenting the American culture and not wanting to expose their children to it. Their kids nevertheless are exposed to it in school and the parents can't do a thing about it, such as the time when Ashima and Ashoke told the teachers at Gogol's school to call him by his "real" name instead of his nickname but the school denied their request and still called him Gogol. Both the parents written about in the article and The Namesake also believe in stereotypes about the American culture, when Jacinto asked the person that was interviewing her if the American families here were like the television show "The Simpsons" and that someone had to have blonde hair and have white skin to be an American. The parents in both the article and The Namesake only look at the differences in their culture and the American culture when instead they should look at the similarities and get to know it as their kids know it.
ReplyDeleteBoth the article and the novel talk about immigrants and getting used to the American culture. A lot of them have a hard time adjusting to the new culture. For example, Ashima is having a hard time adapting and says, "I don’t want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's not right. I want to go back"(Lahiri 33). Ashima and Jacinto (from the aticle), who said that when her hair is blond and skin is white she'll be American, are both having trouble fitting in and don't believe it will ever happen. This seems to be a common dilemma for immigrants.
ReplyDelete-Alison Peluso
In both the Article and the Namesake it is difficult for minorities to keep their culture when they move. It seems that the children are more likely to adapt to the American culture than their parents. I think this is because most of the people their age live the American lifestyle so they try and fit in with them. When Gogol is leaving his family and driving up to Maxine's cabin he thinks. "It's a relief to be back in her world, heading north, across the state border." (Lahiri, 150) This shows that he is eager to leave his parents and continue on with his life in a new family and their way of living. In both the article and The Namesake it seems like where you grew up has an impact on what culture you will have when you are older. The children born in America tend to have a more American culture than their parents.
ReplyDelete-Zoey Wright
The Namesake and the article we read about in class are alike in a couple different ways. First of all, the parents in both articles don't feel apart of the country they moved to. They both also want to hold onto their customs as much as possible, while their children venture off into a more "American" way of doing things. "For Gogol's lunches they stand at the deli to buy cold cuts, and in the mornings Ashima makes sandwiches with bologna or roast beef. At his insistence, she concedes and makes him an American dinner once a week as a treat." (The Namesake, page 65). This quote shows how Gogol's parents are still encouraging him to eat in an Indian manner, but Gogol likes the American food better.
ReplyDeleteI think Immigrants shunning idea of assimulation is similar to the Namesake because it deals with families coming to America. Each have troubles at the beginning getting accustomed. Fitting in to our culture is difficult and new for them. Assimulation in my mind would be a huge obstacle. I would feel scared and lost. It makes me think about the people who come here and what they have to go through.
ReplyDeleteThe point being made about assimilation and the immigrant experience is how difficult it is for minority families to adapt to the American culture. In The Namesake, the parents of the Ganguli family, Ashima and Ashoke, only hang out with other Bengali families. They do not try very hard to assimilate with other American families in their area. All of this matters today because there are many people immigrating into America right now that may or may not assimilate well into our culture, thus creating cultural tension.
ReplyDeleteThe main point that i saw repeated in both was that that they wanted to hold onto their old culture.
ReplyDeleteI think the article and the book are very similar. Both mothers are trying to hold oon to the culture of their previous homes. Also, their children are being brought up differently then they want, and are becoming more like the country they live in. “I don’t want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's not right. I want to go back,” (Lahiri 33). This quote shows how Ashima is upset that Gogol must be brought up differently then how she wanted.
ReplyDeleteI think that the main point of "Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation" is the struggles that foregin families have adjusting to American culture while still retaining their individuality and own culture. This drastic change can pull people of similar cultures together as shown by the following quote from The Namesake. "They all come from Calcutta, and for this reason alone they are friends," (Lahiri 38) is a prime example. Ashima dearly misses Calcutta and her family, and is therefore drawn to these other Bengali families who are similar to her and she can relate with. The same is most likely true for the Jacinto family in the article. I feel it would be safe to guess that they associate with other families in their area that came from the same region in Mexico.
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