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.
Your homework for the weekend, in addition to reading to p. 158 of The Namesake, is 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.
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.
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in the namesake Ashima is in the hospital and isn't used to the culture of the U.S hospital policies, so she didn't know that she couldn't leave with Gogol before leaveing the hospital. She said "i want my grandmother to name him". She had to give the child a "pet name" in order for her to be able to leave the hospital with Gogol. just like Ashima many of the immigrants that come to anerica are not used to the american ways and they to have to change.
ReplyDelete-Allanzo T
In the Namesake Ashima is worried about Sonia dying her hair to blond, nad many immigrants today are worried about their children having influences, they consider bad."Ashima lives in fear that Sonia will color a streak of it blond..." (Lahiri 107). This is important to me because I too am an immigrant and sometimes my parents fear that I might be influenced to be someone I'm not, and as to the world many immifrants are afraid their children will adapt and be influenced by customs and ideas they do not agree with.
ReplyDeleteAdriana O.
In the article and the novel, it talks about how often times children of the immigrants have an easier time adapting to the new culture than their parents. This is also shown in the Namesake when Ashima and Ashoke don't seem to be adjusting as well in American society for example "For when Ashima and Ashoke close their eyes it never fails to unsettle them, that their children sound just like Americans, expertly conversing in a language that still at times confounds them, in accents they are accustomed not to trust." (Lahiri 65). The story then goes on to show how Gogol and his sister have become part of American society where as Ashoke and Ashima still remain outsiders in a foreign land.
ReplyDeleteNatalie B.
In the article, it talks about how immigrants come together and often live in the same communities especially if there originally from the same coutry. This is shown in the Namesake when the Gangulis find all their Bengali friends. For example, "They have meet so many Bengalis that there is rarely a Saturday free..."(Lahiri 62). I think the reason the Gangulis are trying to meet other Bengalis is to keep their traditions and for there friends to almost act like make shift family members.
ReplyDeleteAnna L.
In the article, it talked about how immagrents have a diffucult time adapting to a new culture but eventually can adopt american habits quickly. In the Namesake, Gogol likes being around his american friends and listens to american music. " His own friends from school were invited to the previous day, a tame affair"(Lahiri 72). This shows that Gogol is getting used to the American ways of life and he is pulling away more and more from Bengali traditions.
ReplyDeleteIn the article it generalizes that most immagrants end up in dead end up jobs and don't have any education.In the Namesake, it's the opposite for the gangalis they came here to go to prestigious schools and become something."if not an engineer, then a doctor,a lawyer, an economist at the very least.These were the fields that brought them to America"(Lahiri 105). It shows that not all immigrants don't have an education en end up doing labor work and stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteLoic A
In this article, I found that many similarties apply between the article and The Namesake. In the book, Ashima distants herself from Americans by not going out often, and having mainly all her friends as well as Ashoke's be Bengali. In the article, it talks about a division in America between some Hispanic and white people. Although no division should occur, it does. But both in the book and the article, it is showed that the children of these immigrants evolve to the American culture while the parents have quite a bit more trouble with the concept.
ReplyDeleteSara M. period 5
Though many immigrants today do not assimilate, their children tend to. Many immigrants' children that were born here or came here at a very young age tend to be more American than their parents and follow American traditions more than there own cultures'. "'You're too young to get involved this way' Ashoke and Ashima tell him...At times he hangs up on them.He pities his parents when they speak to him this way, for having no experience of being young and in love." (Lahiri, 117) In India, marriages are mostly arranged, so there is no need to date. Because Gogol does not live in India and was not raised there he does not follow this tradition, he follows the American tradition of dating.
ReplyDeleteJordyn M.
In the article they talk about how immigrats sometimes form tight knit group or communities, this is also true in "The Namesake"."As the baby grows,so,to does their circle of Bengali acquaintances... though the Nandis... they meet the Mitras, and though the Mitras, the Banerjees." (Lahiri, 38) This show that these Bengali families form a small communities, just as the the Latino Immegrants did in the article.
ReplyDeleteSam C.
I agree with the statement "when learning about a new culture it is better to overlook differences and fucus on similatities. "though, there was a danger that Americans, obbsessed with abberviation, would tuncate it to Nick." (ashoke pg 56. Here Ashoke makes a sterotype based on only some Americans but not all. He focused on the fact that Americans prefer shotening names and not that both nicknames and petnames are a similare concept in India and America. Because he makes this stereotype he sepperates himself more from assimilation and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteNatalie P
I think the most important similarities between the article and “the namesake” is that both families are foreigners in America who are concern about the influences the American culture as on their children. For example in “the namesake” Ashima and Ashoke just a child and are trying to raise the child all alone; far away from their hometown (India). In the article, Maria and her husband Aristeo are immigrates from Mexico who are trying to build a better life in America. In the article and “the namesake” both families are afraid that their children will somewhat abandon their own culture and adapt the American’s culture. “Leo or Anton, he could have lived with. Alexander shortened to Alex he would have greatly preferred. But Gogol sounds ludicrous to his ears, lacking dignity or gravity.” (Lahiri 76) Gogol is basically getting sick of his name and is wishing to change it because it doesn’t fit an American or an India name. Sonia on the other hand has threatened to dye her hair blond more than once. “Ashima lives in fear that Sonia will color a streak of it blond...” (Lahiri 107) In the article, Maria is saying that the American’s culture has too many immoral influences that she doesn’t want her children to be influenced by.
ReplyDeleteAngel W.
Immigrating to a new country would be very difficult for me. I would try to hold on to part of my culture for as long as I could, just like Ashima and Ashoke are trying to in "The Namesake" and Maria Jacinto. In both the "Namesake" and for Maria's family the parents are resisting assimilation but their children are adapting to American culture causing a rift between the parents and children. Ashoke and Ashima would never publicly display affection for one another but When Gogol and Maxine are at his parents house Gogol and Maxine do show public affection. "They avert their eyes when Maxine accidentally leans over to run her hand through his hair." For Maria as she tries to preserve her families Mexican heritage her kids simply sit by the TV and watch "The Simpsons." I think that the first generation will try and maintain their culture (Ashima, Ashoke and Maria) but their children and grand children will slowly be assimilated into the American culture like so many before them
ReplyDeletePatrick M.
In the article it talked about immigrants looking at american influence on their kids as bad. In the Namesake when Nikhil is thinking to himself and says "These were the fields that brought them to america, his father repeatedly reminds him, the professions that have earned them security and respect. But now that he's Nikhil it's easier to ignore his parents, to tune out their concerns and pleas." (Lahiri 105) This quote shows that maybe immigrants concerns are indeed truthful. It shows that no matter what they say it is very easy for their children to get assimilated into american culture and disobey their parents. Most adults can keep their culture alive and stay away from american culture, but for children it seems near immposible.
ReplyDelete-Evan P.
In both the article and in The Namesake, there are two families who are trying to keep there own culture and stay away from the influences of the american way of life. In the article, Maria talks about how its difficult to adapt to the culture here and how in mexico family comes first, not money. Maria also explains how she doesn't want her children to be influenced by immoral things. In The Namesake, similar things are happening, however, Gogol's parents have a harder time controlling him and keeping him away from the "immoral" things. " 'Who? Who does not take you seriously?' his father wanted to know, lifting his fingers from his plate, looking up at him. 'People' he said lying to his parents."(Lahiri 100) In this quote all Gogol wants is to be a normal american teenager. Have a normal name, go to a normal school, live a normal life. But that is exactly what his parents don't want him to be. The idea of assimilation is breaking families apart in the world today. The children want to become americans and to do so they are going against their parents wishes.
ReplyDeleteMorgan F
In the article we read in class as well as the novel, The Namesake there is a lot of talk about how immigrants tend to stick together when coming to a new country. In Ashoke and Ashima's case this is true for early on in the novel they start to make many Bengali friends around their neighborhood and they become part of a very tight knit community. Although this has been said already in previous blog comments i'd like to add that Gogol had a very different experience because he made many friends from school. He joined a different community that was more diverse and what not. In The Namesake I recall the descriptions of the Bengali Saturday night get togethers and how Gogol never quite fit in for the men we're too old and the children too young to spend time with. It may be true in some cases that immigrants stick together but this made me think that children who grow up in the U.S. may assimilated easier and quicker than adults.
ReplyDeleteWhen immigrants come to another country, they quickly look for others from similar backgrounds. In 'The Namesake', Ashima and Ashoke make friends with many other Bengalis once they come to America, as seen on Gogol's fourteenth birthday, when his parents invite their Bengali friends to their party for him; "Close to forty guests come from three different states" (Lahiri, 72). This shows just how many friends Ashima and Ashoke have with similar backgrounds to theirs.
ReplyDeleteIsaac S
Even as the adult immigrants begin to fall into the American way of life, they will never think of themselves as Americans. "For being a foreigner Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy -- a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts" (Lahiri 49). In this quote, Ashima feels like she is waiting in a place where she will never belong. Jacinto expresses similar feelings in the article which says, "Jacinto became a U.S. citizen last April, but she does not feel like an American" (Branigan). Although the women may act American, they will forever feel as though they belong to their old culture.
ReplyDeleteCarly C.
When immagrants move to another country they don't fit in, in this article it's saying even though they have been living in the U.S.A for a long time they still don't feel like an american. In the namesake (Lahiri) 27, "We are waiting for a letter" Ashoke says, explaining in detail." That is unfortinate, I'm afraid your only alternative is to have a certificate read baby boy Ganguli." This sentence is saying Ashima and Ashoke have been living in America for a while and they still havn't adapted to all the american culture yet and fit in. My main point is that immagrants who move to another country won't ever adapt to the culture completely, making it harder for thier kids to adapt the the culture.
ReplyDeleteNick S.
In both the article and The Namesake, there is a similarity of the two families trying to adjust to the new life, but not leave behind their culture and old way of life. In The Namesake, there are several times when you can see the changes the family is forced to make. For example, when Ashima agrees to cook Gogol one "american" dish per week, but then all other day's he eats traditional Indian food.This is a good way of showing how the Gangali family adjusts to America, but works to keep the Indian tradition in the family. The article also portrays this same idea. Maria talks about how she doesn't want her children to be influenced by the American way of life. However when you are living in the country, there is only so much she can do to prevent that.
ReplyDeleteElena T
In both The Namesake and the article, one of the main points has been that there is a push to assimilate into American society but it is getting increasingly weaker. Ashima and Ashoke both try to hang on to the traditions they practiced in India while slowly adopting some american customs. When Gogol refers the New Haven as his home his mother is outraged saying that she still considers Calcutta her home after living in America for twenty years. This shows something that was said in the article about immigrants, their american born children and the conflicting views they have about America.
ReplyDeleteDavid M.
In The Namesake and the article it shows that immigrants would rather stick to their own traditions than to change. Many immigrants come only for jobs or better pay but don't expect to have to change their traditions. For example Ashoke stops wearing ties to work because he is becoming more American. This shows that even though they may not want to change they have to too make life easier.
ReplyDeleteAaron p.
The point that the article and The NAmesake are trying to make is the fact that, first of all that immigration is obviously very challenging, but also that when a foreign culture attempts to assimilate themselves while living somewhere else, they often become more and more of the society that they actually live in. Such as when Gogol realizes his name isnt common in America, then when he visits India, he feels like he doesnt fit in.
ReplyDeleteIn both the "Namesake" and in the article "immigrants shunning the idea of assimilation" the point is made that some immigrants such as Ashima chose to ignore as much of the new culture as possible. Ashima in the beginning of the book goes out of her way to try and buy only the food she is use to (while both of her children grow up eating hamburgers, french fries, etc.). The Ganguli family also makes it a habit of mostly only conversing and meeting other families from Calcutta. "Only once, when Clover had a cold, did they ask Ashima if she could check in on them. Ashima remembers their apartment with abiding horror-just beyond the ceiling yet so different from her own..." Because of Ashima's lack of interest to branch out and meet new people, from the culture she has joined, she finds the world she is immersed in even more terrifying. To me this is surprising like joining the high-school or any such school for the first time. On the first day, you are often filled with utter bewilderment at whats around you and the sheer fear of not knowing anyone. But as time goes on, and you eventually do meet new people things progressively get easier. If you were to though, try your hardest to ignore the need to make new friends and people for whatever reason, school and the rest of the world remains as difficult as it was the first day.
ReplyDelete-Carter G.
In the article that we read and in The Namesake it talks about how it is extremly hard for people to different cultural experiences, but they learn to adjust in many different ways. For example this quote shows how Ashoke adjusts to the way he tells time"Given that there is a clock everywhere he turns, at the side of his bed, over the stove, where he prepares tea, in the car he drives to work, on the wall opposite his desk, he stops wearing a wristwatch, resigning his Favre Leuba to the depths of his drawer." (Lahiri 65) The main point that is trying to be said is that Immigration is very challenging when you are accustomed to different traditions. Ashoke and Ashima are doing their best to adapt to the American Culture so then their children will learn as well. But Gogol seems to be learning fast and may continue to learn faster than his parents because he is younger. Moving into a new country is just like changes schools, expect a lot harder. It is harder because it is an entire different lifestyle. After reading that article I now know how hard it really is to make an adjustment like moving.
ReplyDeleteBecause there are so many mexicans coming into the united states, mexican immigrants don't feel the same need to adopt all aspects of american culture. They often live in separate communities. Although the Gangulis live out in the suburbs like other american families, on weekends and holidays they get together with other bengali families and eat bengali food and celebrate indian holidays. The indians depicted in the namesake are less like the mexicans in the article in that they try and become more like americans and the mexicans try to stay and live together
ReplyDeleteMatt m.
In The Namesake, mostly for Ashima, and the immigrant article, the idea of assimilation is ignored. In the book, Ashima is forced to do things ways she isn't necessarily happy with. For example, when Gogol is born, she is a little bit unhappy. "Without a single grandparent of parent or uncle or aunt at her side, the baby's birth, like most everything else in America, feels somehow haphazard, only half true." (Lahiri 24-25) This quote demonstrates that Ashima doesn't like the American way in this instance, but is going along with it anyway. I guess you could say that although immigrants are going to keep some of their previous relgious beliefs and customs, not adapting at all is just impossible, so their culture will be changed whether they like it or not.
ReplyDeleteBrian B.
Granted as more mexicans come to America, there is less of a NEED to adapt or assimilate, some immnigrants just kind of get swept by the tide. In the Namesake, Ashima is kind of like the woman in the article, trying to resist assimilation, Ashoke adapts to some things but not all, Gogal and Sonia are examples of assimilation. Like at the rice ceramony when Sonia put the dollar bill in her mouth and played with the dirt when a guest said "This one is the true American." I could imagine coming from somewhere far away and trying to keep hold of my values but immediatly twitering and facebooking the next year
ReplyDeleteDavid G.
In both "The Namesake" and the article, people were finding it hard to assimilate because they lived so long in their home countries. In "The Namesake" Ashima found it hard to assimilate because she didn't want to lose the traditions of Calcutta. For example she still wears a sari even though she has been in America for many years. An example from the book is (Lahiri 65) "Though Ashima continues to wear nothing but saris and sandals from Bata..." Even is today's world we have to go out of our comfort zone when moving houses let alone countries, so keeping traditions and culture helps us feel at home.
ReplyDeleteMegan R.
In the article, immigrants dislike the idea of assimilation as they try to keep their own culture and deny the influences of the American lifestyle. This is also shown in the Namesake, as Ashima try’s to keep tradition by wearing Saris’ and cooking Indian food. In the article, Jacinto says that even though she became a U.S citizen, she is still a Mexican. “When my skin turns white and my hair turns blonde, then I’ll be an American.” “Gogol has already been taught to eat on his own with his fingers, not to let the food stain the skin of his palm. He has learned to suck the marrow from lamb, to extract the bones from fish.” (Lahiri 55) Even though Gogol is born and raised as an American, his parents make sure that he is taught Indian traditions. If I were to move to a foreign country, I think it would be very hard to adapt to the new customs, and would feel like an outsider at times like Ashima and Ashoke.
ReplyDeleteHaley N.
In the article, it talks about how the Jacinto household "mixes the old country with the new" by making traditional Mexican meals; This is similar to the assimilation of Ashima and Ashoke in The Namesake because, like the Jacinto family, Ashima is reluctant to give up Bengali culture completely. Ashima 'mixes the old country with the new' by keeping the tradition of the rice ceremony for Gogol, and making Bengali food for the occasion: "Ashima sets out paper plates that have to be tripled to hold the wight of the biryani, the carp in yogurt sauce, the dal, the six different vegetable dishes she'd spent the past week preparing.". Ashima is similar to the Jacinto household because they both avoid complete American conformity and assimilation by keeping simple traditions/ aspects of their homeland culture, by cooking traditional meals.
ReplyDelete-Allie A.
In both the article we read in class and The Namesake, both the Jacinto and Ganguli families go thru a difficult time adjusting to the American culture. In The Namesake, Gogol doesn't have a hard time living in the United States, but when he goes to visit his family in India he feels like he doesn't fit in there. Right when they arrive in Calcutta you find out how different daily life is there, " In the days that follow they adjust once again to sleeping under a mosquito net, bathing by pouring tin cups of water over their head." (Lahiri 82) After reading that quote we realize how different both of these cultures are and how big of a change it is to live in America one day and another in India.
ReplyDeleteFallon S.
In the article we read in class, it talks about "the melting pot." This is relevant to the book because in the article, the mother of the Jacinto family is worried about becoming "too American" where as Ashima has the same feelings. "Only in America.."(Ashima 84). This is saying that Ashima doesn't agree with the American ways,and we know from the article, Maria feels the same way. This matters in today's world because so many more immigrants are coming to the US. The immigrants are eventually going to be more American because their living here.
ReplyDeleteIn both the assimilation article and The Namesake the first generation of immigrants attempt to maintain their culture within their new country while often subsequent generations attempt to adopt the American ways of life. In one example the author states "[Ashima's] grandmother had not been fearful of such signs of betrayal; she was the only person to predict, rightly, that Ashima would never change." (Lahiri, 37) The grandmother knew that Ashima would cherish the Bengali traditions, even if in future generations such traditions would fade.
ReplyDeleteJohn H
The article talks about how hard it is to adapt the cultures and information in a new country. Also how different countries are. This also takes place in the namesake trough out the whole book but mostly in the beginning when Ashoke and Ashima first move to America and send Gogol to school. '' what was that? mrs. Lapidus says'' ''i beg your pardon madam?'' ''That name you called him. Something with a G.'' ''Oh that, thats is what we call him at home only. But his good name should be -is Nikhil.'' The teacher does not understand which shows the difference between the countries cultures and religion. I think it is good that the people that come from different countries keep their culture and religion the same, its what make things interesting, and great to learn about. Even with keeping most of their culture and religion the same i would think moving to a new country would be very difficult.
ReplyDeleteEmily V.
One subject that was brought up in the article was that children have a much easier time adapting and joining the American culture, even if their parents don't. In The Namesake, Gogol speaks English with his friends, wants American food, and despises Bengali class. This shows that Gogol, along with other children of immigrants, adapt and assimilate easier then their paretnts.
ReplyDeleteJon H
An important theme demonstrated in The Namesake and the assimilation article was that children adjust to culture faster than their parents. In the article, Maria Jacinto is said to only speak Spanish, but her eleven-year-old son is bilingual. In The Namesake, Gogol and Sonia adopted American culture by eating food such as Hamburger Helper and Shake 'n Bake, while Ashima and Ashoke didn't eat that food. In my opinion, this is because their children are forced to adapt in order to fit in and find friends at school.
ReplyDeleteHannah S.
In this article it talks about the differences of many kinds of immagrints. this is similar to the namesake because Gogls parents moved to america and started a familly there. they to are not accustom nor in like of the amercan customs. I think that if you dont like the american lifestyle then dont mover here.
ReplyDelete-Peter W
In comparing The Namesake and the Assimilation article, one can see that Ashima and Maria Jacinto are both worried that their kids will adapt to the American culture and completely leave their original culture behind. "Ashima lives in fear that Sonia will color a streak of it blond, as Sonia has threatened on more than one occasion to do, and that she will have additional holes pierced in her earlobes at the mall." (Lahiri 107) In the article, Jacinto is worried that her children will be influenced by the ideal that money is more important than family in America. It shows that this is a common fear of immigrants and a similarity between the article and The Namesake.
ReplyDeleteKatybeth B.
in the article and the namesake the point being made is that when immigrants come to america it is no longer being a melting pot and intertwining all ethnicities but but more of a salad bowl by keeping them all separate even though they are all in the same place."...f or they remind him too much of the way his parents choose to live, befriending people not so much because they like them, but because of their past they happen to share." (Lahiri 118) The article explains that the hispanics immigrated to america and all moved to the same neighborhoods to be with their familiar race and culture. In the Namesake the Gangulis befriend other Bengalis simply because of their heritage. This is true in some places and with some people but most definitely not all. For example when my grandma came to america from china she did have alot of chinese friends because they were familiar with her ways but she also had many other friends and lived by many others that were from anywhere around the world including america.
ReplyDeletegriffin c.
In the Namesake Ashima worries about losing her Indian heritage much like Maria Jacinto worries about hers. So in return Ashima is trying to retain everything Indian "Though Ashima continues to wear nothing but saris and sandals from Bata..." (Lahiri65) Although all her family is starting to melt into the pot Ashima has this stubbornness to not lose her culture.
ReplyDeleteAndrew P
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