Expressing agreement or disagreement

Nikhil and Moushumi were invited to a dinner party in Astrid and Donald’s house because Moushumi’s friends wanted to integrate Gogol into their plans. The conversation was focuses in baby’s names because Astrid was pregnant. In that moment, MoshumI told to everyone that Gogol changed his name, and Gogol felt betrayed because this was his secret and he didn’t want to share this secret with people who didn’t like him. Also; Nikhil gave his opinion about baby names, and he said that people should choose their name when they turn eighteen. I agree with Gogol because our name is for all our life, and what happen if it doesn’t like, we should live sad because our name is not good for us i.

 I think that people must choose the name that they like because our name is the thing which makes people different from others, and we need feel happy with it.  When I was born my mother wanted named Guadalupe as Guadalupe virgin because I born in the same day that she, and my mother was devote. Fortunately, my father chose my actual name if I was named Guadalupe, I would change it because I didn’t like that name. I like my name because it combines with my family name and its pronunciation is easy. However, many people don’t have the same luck than me, and they are named with fun names or difficult to pronounce. For them Gogol’s idea is very practical because they can choose their names for one that they like

I think that he chooses Gogol because now he knows why his father named him with that name, and how that name saves his father's life. Also; when he knew all true about his name he felt ashamed for the change that he did. Now, Gogol is more united to his family and gives more importance to his family traditions.

Chapter 9 summary and personal response

In the chapter 9 of the novel “The Nameske” by Jumpha Lijary , Gogol asked Moushumi to marry him on her birthday and gave her the hat that he bought for her in their second date into the hat was the ring.  They were married in Bengali ceremony and received as wedding gift the amount of $7035 form their families and friends. Moushumi decided to hold her maiden name although that Gogol hoped that she changed it. In March, Gogol accompanies Moushumi to a conference in Paris while she prepared the paper for her conference was sightseeing. They started to spend time with Astri and Donald, who are Mushumi’s friend, but Gogol didn’t feel happy in that time because he always was silent. In one occasion, they was discussing about babies name because Astrid was pregnant, and she was looking for a beautiful name for her baby.  Mushumi told everyone how Gogol had changed his name. Consequently, Gogol was irritated because he didn’t want that people know about that.

 

Personal Response

The novel “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri, Moshume and Gogol married in Bengali traditional ceremony as their parents.  I think that their previous relationships teaching them that it is difficult to change of costumes. Although they don’t born in Calcutta, they have a strong connection with this culture because they grew up in.

chapter 8 Summary and personal respond

Summary

In chapter 8 of the novel “The Namesake” by Jumpha Lahiri , Nikhil breaks up with Maxine after his father had death, and he learns from Maxime’s parents that she has a new boyfriend. Gogol spend all weekends with his mother and sister, who now live together in Massachusetts; in one of these visits, her mother persuades him to call Moushumi , who is the daughter of her friends, lives in New York and is a graduate  student in French at NYU; also, she doesn’t married because days before her wedding she and her boyfriend broke up.  Although, Gogol vaguely remembers her, he calls and invites her for a drink, and she accepts. Therefore, they have a nice time, she invites him for a dinner in her apartment where they sleep together, and over three months they start dating. Moushumi tells to Gogol about her relationship with Graham, who was her fiancé and the reason why she came back to New York. However, the broke up because Graham talked bad things about her Indian customs.

 Personal Response

In chapter 8 of the novel “The Namesake” Gogol is thirty years old and doesn’t marry, but he doesn’t worry about this. However, Ashima is concerned about that his son is single because at that age she had celebrated her then wedding anniversary. I think that Ashima is worry about that Gogol is single because in her culture people get married young. It is like to my country, where year ago people were married at the age of 20-25, and people who didn’t get married at that age were possible that they never could get married, but now everything changed. Ashima remembers me my mother when I was 29 years old, and I still single. My mother and siblings were worry about that because they were married at the age of 24.  However, I didn’t feel concerned with that fact that I was single because I had my boyfriend, but the married for me was not important. My wedding day was the happiest moment for me and especially for my mother.

Chapter 7 and personal response

In the chapter 7 from the novel” The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri the author argues that Ashima made the Christmas cards by herself because she was along due that Ashoke was in Ohio, but he came home regularly to see her wife. One day, Ashima was in home when Ashoke called her and told that he was in the hospital for a stomachache, and he promised to call after he left the hospital. Ashima was waiting for his husband calling, but he didn’t call. Consequently, Ashime called to the hospital where the doctor told that her husband suffered a heart attack and died. Gogol went to recognize his father body, and he spend few days put all his father things in order. When he came to Massachusetts spend long time with her mother and Sonia, the first days they never were alone because their parent’s friends visited them. On the eleventh day The Ganguli invited their friends to mark the end of the mourning period, and that day Maxine visited Gogol and invited him to go to her home in the lake, but he refused. Sonia decided to come back home to spend time and help her mother. In January, Gogol was traveling to New York, and in the train he was remembering the many times that his father brought them in cold Sundays to the sea, and once they drove to Cape Cod where he and his father walked to the furthest edge of the breakwater.

Personal response

In chapter 7 from the novel "The Namesake"  Gogol is at home with his family celebrating the end of the mourning period, and Maxine comes to Gogol’s house and invites him to New Hampshire to celebrate holidays, but Gogol doesn’t accept because he wants to help his mother to pass this bad time. I think that Maxine doesn’t understand the bad moment that Gogol living; also, she didn’t know Gogol’s traditions, which are very important for him in this moment. Because he is remembering many things that he shares with his father, and now his mother is alone and need his support. I think that one should keep his tradition because that persevere family values.

Chapter 6 and personal response

In the chapter 6 from the novel” The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri the author argues that Gogol was graduated from architecture program as Columbia, and he started to work  in New York. One day, one of his coworkers invited him to a party where He met Maxine; then, the next morning Maxine invited him for dinner in her glamorous house where she lives with her parents. Gogol has a nice time with her parents, Gerald and Lydia Ratliff. Consequently, Gogol began date Maxine, expended all his time with her and got all customs from Maxine. Gogol didn’t say anything about his relationship with Maxine to his parents and always has an excuse when asked why he didn’t come home. However, in summer his parents should travel to Ohio for a research, so his mother asked him to come home to great his father before he stated his trip. In that moment, Gogol told to his mother that he didn’t come home because he took a vacation with his girlfriend.  When they are traveling to New Hampshire, they stopped off in his home for lunch, but he told Maxine that they wouldn’t to touch or kiss in from his family. In New Hampshire Gogol celebrated his 27^th birthday with Maxine family and friends, but he didn’t know anyone in his party.

 

 

Personal Response

In chapter 6 from "The Namesake" Gogol doesn’t want to come to Massachusetts, so he chooses study architecture at Columbia because he wants to live in a place that his parents don’t know and has new experiences away from his parents. He doesn’t like to come home or assists at Bengali parties; he prefers New York along and independent. I think that Nikhil has the necessity to live away from his parents because he doesn’t feel controlled for them, so he wants to live with freedom. I lived the same experience that Nikhil when I was 23 years old. I decided to live away from my family and lived my own experiences although my family was open mind very different to Nikhil family I did that. The first year was amazing experience because I lived in a new country, I live alone and did everything that I wanted without ask for permission anyone; however, that experience helped me to change my character and personality and appreciated more my family specially when I had problems and I didn’t have anyone near to me .

Chapter 5 Summary and Personal response

Chapter 5 summary

In the chapter 5 from the novel” The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri the author said that In 1986, Gogol had changed his name before left his home, and he pursued his ungraduated studies at Yale. In his first semester, he took five courses and the last one was drawing because he likes architecture, but he didn’t say anything about this course to his parents. When he was in his second year of studies, he met Ruth in the train going to visit home, and they continued their relation cheap until Ruth went to London and left alone Gogol. Also, Gogol attends a panel discussion, where the panelist talks about ABC’s (American-born confused deshis) . For him everything that was talking in this panel was very familiar, so he asked himself maybe he is an ABCD too. After that, in his senior year, he was traveling to his home to celebrated thanksgiving whit his father because his mother and Sonia were in India, but the train got delayed because one person committed suicide. Finally he arrived to the train station, where his father was waiting for him, this incident made that Ashoke told Gogol the real story about his name; Gogol finally knew the true about his name.

Personal Response

Gogol decides change his names because people don’t take him seriously and make fanny of him, it is not Bengali name, and he knows about the mental problems of Nikolai Gogol. Finally, Gogol changes his name and this made he felt more confident with himself.  For a teenager is hard tolerated that people make funny of his or her name, sometimes it can cause psychological problems for teenager. I like Gogol‘s decision because his name makes feel him sadly and hates it. I have an uncommon last name for my country Perú because my grandfather was born in Italy; for that, when I was in elementary and high school, I hated my last name because sometimes my classmates and my new teachers made funny of its. Many times, I said my mother that I wanted to change it, but in my country this was impossible to do ,Fortunately, everything changed in the University where my teachers and classmates ask me about the correctly pronunciation of it. Now I love my last name

Personal Response (chapter 4)

( Pag 93)

Gogol didn’t have a date in the school, but his parents didn’t feel worry about that because at the same ager of their son they didn’t have a date. Ashoke’s was worried that his son joined at the math team and maintained his A average. However, Ashoke and Ashima didn’t suspect that Gogol smoked pot, and when he went to spend time in his friends’ home, they drove to other places to see bands, so he did everything that an American teenager did. Gogol has two personalities because in his house he does everything that his parents wanted from him, and he respects his parent’s culture. However, when he is with friends his friends, he does all things that he likes. I think that it is difficult for a teenager to live under two cultures especially if their parents are strict and don’t accept that their children grow up in a different culture. In many cases that difference creates arguments between parents and children; consequently, most children choose to avoid problems with their parents by embracing the two cultures.

Summary Chapter 4

In chapter fourth of The Namesake, Gogol celebrated his fourteenth birthday with a party, and he had nearly forty guests. In the night, his father gave him a present, which was a book written by Nikolai Gogol, but Gogol didn’t have interest in that book because he preferred another kind of lecture; also, he was pensioned for the Beatle’s music. The next year, the Ganguli family traveled to Calcutta and expended eight months there where they visited the Taj  Mahal, and Gogol was impressed with the architecture of this Temple.  When they was returning to Calcutta in the train one of the passenger was stabbed and robbed, and Sonia has an allergic reaction. In that moment, Ashoke remembered his accident that happened many years ago. The Ganduli family came back to Massachusetts, and Gogol began high school, where his English teacher gave as homework to read the book “The Overcoat”; however, Gogol was not happy with this homework. One weekend, Gogol’s staid alone at home, and he was invited a party in a dorm at the university. In the party, Gogol met a girl, who is named Kim, and he introduced as Nikhil. It was the first time that Gogol used that name, which made him felt more courageous, and he kiss Kim. It is his first kiss.

 

 

Personal Response

“for reasons he cannot explain or necessarily understand, these ancient Puritan spirits, these very first immigrants to America, these bearers of unthinkable, obsolete names, have spoken to him, so much so that in spite of his mother’s disgust he refuses to throw the rubbings away”

 

When Gogol was in sixth grade, he went to a trip to visit the house of a famous dead writer, and he and his class went to the cemetery where they had to rub the surface of the gravestone. Some of the children found graves with their names, but Gogol knew that was impossible for him found his name. While he was rubbing the names of the tombs, his classmates were playing between the grave.  Gogol felt connection with those names or spirits because he had an unusual name as them.  For that he wanted to keep the rubs with him because he Know that he never would meet people with those names although his mother was disagreeing with that.

Summary Chapter 3

In the chapter 3 from The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri the author argue that The Ganduli family moved to outside Boston because Ashoke found a new job as an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the university. After, two years to live in an apartment, they had enough money to buy a house in the suburbs. When Gogol started the nursery school, his father give him a new name, which was Nikhi , but Gogol didn’t want  to use that name. Also,  Ashima discovered that she was pregnant again, and she suffered of morning sickness  and expend most of the time in bed. The Ganduli family had their second baby, who is a girl, named Sonali, who in her rise ceremony grabbed the money and the ground unlike Gogol. When he was in the sixth grade wet on a field trip to visit the home of famous dead writer, visited the cemetery, and he brought rubbings to his home. His mother was shocked for that trip.

Personal response

Chapter #2 
pag(26-28)

 

Ashima and Ashoke couldn’t leave the hospital because it was required the baby’s name for the birth certificate, and they didn’t have a name for the baby. They tried to explain to the doctor that they couldn’t name their baby by themselves because the tradition in their country is that the eldest of the family gives the name. The doctor explained that the policy of the hospital said that the baby could leave it if he had a birth certificate with his name; also, he said to them that it was possible that they might name their baby after left the hospital, but they would have to appear before a judge and pay a fee. After this episode, they learned that in America the tradition about named a baby was very different to their country, here a baby should have a name the same day that he or her born because it was necessary for a birth certificate. Many people have problems when they are in a different culture especially if the new country has very different costumes. However, people should try to learn about these new costumes because this way they can avoid troubles. When I lived in Italy in a city named Bologna, I started to use my bicycle as transportation, but I didn’t get information about the rules of using bicycle on the street. In my country the pedestrians and bicycles transit in the same place, so I did the same in Bologna. However, one day a police officer stopped me and gave me an infraction ticket because it was prohibited to use the bicycle in the pedestrian zone, the bicycle was only permitted in the ciclovias. This experience helped me to pay more attention in the costumes of this city.

The Namesake summary

Chapter #2

 

The Ganduli’s baby was born at 5:05 in the morning; he is welcome for his parents, and visited for three Bengali friends. After three days of staying at the hospital is time to go home, but the Ganduli couple have a problem because they didn’t name their baby yet; since they are waiting for Ashima’s grandmother letter, which has the baby’s name which is a Bengali tradition where the elder of the family choose the child name . The hospital required the baby’s name for the birth certification, so Ashoke decided to call his son Gogol in honor a Nikolai Gogol who is the author of the story which he was reading when he had the train accident. In February, when Gogol is six months old, Ashoke and Ashima celebrated his annaprasan or rice ceremony where Gogol should choose between three plates, one with a clump of soil to predict if he will be a landowner, other with ballpoint pen to predict if he will get a scholarship and the last with money to predict if he will a businessman, but Gogol doesn’t choose anything. In August, the Ganduli are preparing to visit their families, so Ashima spends time buying gifts, which she lost in the train. Fortunately, in the following days she could recover everything, and this miracle causes Ashima to feel connected to Cambridge. One night, they received a call from Calcutta with bad news; Ashima’s father suffered a heart attack and died; consequently, they decided to travel to Calcutta six weeks before what they planned.

Summary (22-29)

Chapter two (22-29)

The United States and India are very different when they choose the name of a baby. In U.S.A the name of a baby is choose for parents when he or she is born. They can give the name of another member of the family. Therefore, in India the baby’s name is giving by grandparents, and they cannot use the name of another family member because they consider the name sacred and inviolable. Also, they don’t have specific each to get a child name, and they have two names a good name is use in public places and the pet name which is used by family. The Bengali couple, who are from India and living in America, couldn’t name their son because they were waiting for Ashima’s grandmother letter which has the baby’s name. For these reason, they had problems with the hospital when they wanted to leave the hospital because it needed the baby’s name to give the birth certification. Consequently, the couple were agree to give their baby the name of Gogol.

In my country Perú is similar to America, parents and family choose the baby’s name which can be of another family member. Also, the baby gets a name when the parents know the sex of the baby before their born, and it is confirmed in the moment of the baptism which is celebrate in the first six months of the baby born.

personal response

“PACK A PILLOW AND BLANKET AND SEE AS MUCH OF THE WORLD AS YOU CAN “

When Ashoke was in the train met Gosh who was returning to India after living in England for two years. Based in his own experience Grosh advised Ashoke traveled to England or America where he could know better things than in India, and he should do that because he was young and single. Also, he said “pack a pillow and blanket and see as much of the world as you can.”  In this phrase Gosh said to Ashoke that he should travel for meeting new countries and cultures because it can give him other way to see his life. Only in this way he may have the possibility to compare his country with others, also he could choose where he has more opportunities to have a better life. I like this quotation because it invited people to see new countries, and cultures which can change their mind. In my case, when I was 23 years old  I had the opportunity to travel to Italy  and decided to stay there to live because I liked its culture and lifestyle. Also, living in Italy helped me to change my mind and see the way of thinking of different cultures. For example, in my family my siblings and cousins got married at around the age of 24 because it was like a rule in my society.  People said that the best age to married was that because if you passed that age maybe you never got married, so I grew up with this thinking too. I was afraid about my future because I was 23 years and didn’t have boyfriend, so it was possible that I passed the perfect age to get married and stay alone without husband and children. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to travel to Italy, and my fear of not getting married vanished because in Italy people didn’t think in specific age to marry. They had other things in their mind before marring as working in a good company, spending time with their friends, buying a house or car, traveling to other countries

summary (pag. 15-18)

 

Ashoke was traveling from Calcutta to Jamshedpur to visit his grandfather who was blind and wanted that Ashoke read to him some books. Ashoke was happy because he would receive some books from his grandfather as heritage. When Ashoke was in the train started to read a story called The Overcoat writing by Nikolai Gogol.  In the coach where he was there are other three people one of them that his name was Gosh started to talk with him.  Gosh was came to England, and he said that in England the live is like a dream  because in this country  the streets and trains less crowed and more cleans; furthermore, he advised Ashoke to change his mind and travel to other countries because he was young, and it was the perfect time. Ashoke answered that his grandfather said that he could traveled and knew other countries though of the books because they described everything.   After all people were slept, Ashoke was continuing reading his book when suddenly he heard a sound like a bomb. The train where he was traveling had an accident some coaches were destructed, and the people of these coaches died. Fortunately, he was alive but suffered many injuries in his body especially in his legs.