Lahiri AP Prompt

Authors frequently use culture to emphasize the theme of their work. Choose an author or work or literature that uses this strategy to portray the theme and in a well-developed essay explain the efficiency of this peculiar technique.

Once in a Lifetime

After reading Lahiri's Once in a Lifetime, I couldn't help but think about how friendships change through time and how my own friendships are going to change after graduation and into my college years. Hema and Kaushik's mothers used to be as close as sisters and after years apart they didn't pick up right where they left off, like most people assume will happen with very close friends. Instead, they were strangers to each other. This makes me look at my current friendships now and wonder who I am friends with now who I will remain friends with in a couple of years. It's a scary thought that the people who I treasure the most right now may not even be relevant in five months time.

Nobody's Business

Although I understand why Sang wanted to leave for London come the end of her relationship with Farouck, I still do not believe that she did so in the most appropriate manner. She left someone [Paul] who so obviously cared for her without even a proper goodbye. I am also extremely curious as to what Farouck would actually say to Sang on the phone if she was home when he called - no words could ever make up for what he did to her so I'm not quite sure why he repeatedly called the house. Another thing that I am slightly confused about is the significance of the dog at the end of the short story. Is that dog the reason that Freddy "never liked dogs"? So that the dogs would never notice the other dogs scent? Or is that dog a symbol that the entire situation with Sang changed Freddy and now he is pursuing an actual relationship?

Only Goodness

My main question about this chapter is whether or not Sudha's guilt surrounding the beginning of Rahul's drinking problems is justified or not. Although she blames herself for giving Rahul his very first beer while he visited her at school, I don't believe that she is truly the cause for his drinking problems. She may have been a gateway into him using alcohol to deal with his emotional issues, she cannot blame herself for all of the emotional struggles that cause his absue of alcohol. In a way, this story reminds me a bit of my own family problems. When I was a bit younger my brother had an issue with abusing drugs, which I knew about and did not take any measures to put a stop to it. Although I did not blame myself for the onset, I couldn't help but blame myself for the continuation of the substance abuse as an outlet for other outstanding issues. In this manner, I see many similarities between Sudha and myself - we both unjustly blamed ourselves for things outside of our control, because after all it was our brothers' own choices that were harming them, not ours.

A Failing Marriage or Just the Next Step?

The relationship between Amit and Megan fascinates me greatly. Throughout the majority of the chapter it seems that their relationship is on the decline. Their actions towards one another - Amit ditching Megan at the wedding, Megan flirting with Ted, Amit still having unrequieted feelings for Pam - makes it seem like they no longer love one another and that divorce is eminent for the couple; however, after watching the nuances of their relationship a little bit more closely throughout the chapter, it seems apparent that they still deeply love eachother, it is just no longer a passionate and all-consuming love. The way that Megan still notices how much Amit drank at the party, and how she still understands the ins and outs of his mind enough to find him in the hotel room, makes it apparent that they have fallen into a more comfortable version of the love that they still feel for eachother. Although this is not the type of love that little girls dream about, it is a comfortable love where both participating parties can truly be themselves without filters.

Intercultural Marriages

The short story of Hell-Heaven makes me question the practice of intercultural marriage. Deborah and Pranab could never quite set aside their cultural differences and just be happy together, even though they made it seem as if they had done so. The only way that their marriage could've possibly succeeded was if they had both aknowledged and nurtured both cultures, but instead Pranab shut out his Indian heritage and embraced his new western family without a thought to how that might affect him and his family in the future. Overall, this story of Hell-Heaven makes me think that intercultural marriage is nearly impossible, as people are accustomed to living their lives in the same fashions as their parents and those whom they grew up around; however, if it is to succeed I believe that both partners need to go into the relationship with their eyes - and hearts - open to the other's culture and their needs/desires that stem from the manner in which they grew up.

Ruma's Jealousy of her Three-Year-Old

Dadu's visit to Seattle to visit his daughter and grandson was a successful visit, as he was able to really enjoy the time he had and build bonds with his grandson that he had yet to do; however, I can't help but think that the explicit interest that Dadu had in Akash did not necessarily bring joy to Ruma. Ruma spent her entire life trying to win the affection of her father. She was always trying to get better grades for him, go to law school for him, get a job for him, etc. and yet, he had never shown such keen interest in her daily activities as he did with Akash in the short period that he was visited. On one level, I think it brought joy to her that her father cared so deeply about her son, her own flesh and blood; however, I also think that it was difficult for her to see him videotape Akash's swim lessons and show him how to garden, when he had never reached out in the same way to his own daughter. If I were in Ruma's shoes, I would have felt slightly depressed that my father loved his grandson significantly more than his own daughter.

Hydrangea: Respect or Duty

I found it odd that Dadu still planted the Hydrangea in honor of his wife, when it was so blatantly obvious that he did not greatly love her. To me it seems that the only reason that he planted the symbolic flower was for Ruma's sake, since she would be the one to watch it grow and remind her of her motther on a day-to-day basis. My question is did he plant the flower because he actually had respect for his deceased wife or was it because of the marital duty that was so deeply engrained in him through his Indian unbringing. The relationship between Ruma's father and mother saddens me greatly, as it is obvious that it was a relatively loveless marriage that both partners were stuck in for the grand majority of their lives. It reminds me of why I am grateful to have been brought up in a society in which marriages based upon love are the norm and not arranged marriages.

Rethinking of my Previous Opinions on "Behind Every Great Man is a Great Woman"

In one of my previous blog posts regarding Macbeth, I portrayed my thoughts that this particular Shakespearean tragedy supported the statement "Behind Every Great Man is a Great Woman." After reading further into this play, I must say that my feelings regarding this matter are slightly muddled. After Act III, Lady Macbeth no longer stands behind Macbeth's decisions, especially with the murders of Banquo and Macduff's family. So is it Macbeth who is no longer a great man because his wife no longer is behind him? Or is Macbeth still a "great" man in spite of the fact that he no longer has a great woman standing behind him? I think that this all depends on the reader's perception of the word great. For example, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Mr. Ollivander refers to Voldemort as a great wizard, "terrible, but great." In this sense of the word, great simply refers to ones skills or powers; however, when I generally think of the word great, I think of positive impacts on the world, not just the quantity of someone's power, although, the two can be related. In the mind of Mr. Ollivander, I'm sure Macbeth would still considered to be a great man, as he is still King of Scotland, and came into that position with the work of his own two hands; however, I'm not sure that I am in agreement with that idea. Once Macbeth turned to the dark side, I believe that he no longer was a great man, but instead a terrible one, which would still support the idea that "behind every gray man is a great woman" because Macbeth is no longer great, and his wife no longer stands behind him.

Fear of the Monster

After the commencement of Act III in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth's fear of the monster that she created is extremely apparent. Lady Macbeth could justify to herself the murder of Duncan, since doing so would result in Macbeth becoming King; however, the murder of Banquo and the attempted murder of his son definitely negatively affected her conscience. Although it was she who originally convinced Macbeth to commit his first murder even though he felt slightly uncomfortable with the idea, she was whole-heartedly against any other murders from Macbeth, as she could not justify the killing of multiple innocent people just because Macbeth felt threatened. In my opinion, Lady Macbeth play a significant role in the making of the murderous monster that Macbeth came to be, and yet, she grew to fear it [him]. Shakespeare wove a significant moral into the story in my opinion, and that is to always think about the consequences of your actions before you make them, something that Lady Macbeth obviously did not do when she practically forced her husband to kill his King.

The Question of Ambition

Shakespeare's portrayal of ambition through the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is rather stumping. I view myself as a rather ambitious person, yet I am not sure if I would go to the same lengths that the characters do to achieve an end such as becoming King. I am not sure I could justify ending an innocent person's life. But then again, I think to myself that I am not in a position like this. There is not even a slight possibility of me becoming queen (especially since we don't actually have a queen) but I am curious to see that if I were faced with an opportunity such as this if I would make the same attempt to fulfill it, even if it meant going against my morals. Personally, I believe that the fact that Shakespeare can make me question myself and my actions so thoroughly after only reading approximately 50 pages of Macbeth attests to reasons that he stays so relevant in the literary circles.

Behind Every Great Man is a Great Woman

Throughout the portion of Shakespeare's Macbeth that I have read, I believe that the statement above is most certainly supported. Lady Macbeth, in my opinion, "wears the pants" in her marriage. It was mainly her idea, and it was definitely her scheming, that lead to the King's death. Although the thought may have crossed Macbeth's mind, it was Lady Macbeth who implemented the plan. When Macbeth first stumbled upon the witches and found that he was destined to be king, Lady Macbeth was the first person to whom he wrote. It seems that every major event throughout Macbeth's life has been closely tied to Lady Macbeth and her opinion on the matter. Because of this close relationship between the decisions that make Macbeth a "great" man and Lady Macbeth's decisions, Shakespeare's Macbeth most definitely supports the idea that behind every great man is a great woman.

Why Read Shakespeare?

1. According to the article, what are some reasons that students find Shakespeare difficult to understand? What does Mack present as an answer to this?

Typically, for students, Shakespeare is hard to understand because when first read, it does no come across pleasantly. This is due to the language used throughout his works as well as the manner in which he presents the stories. Mack compares Shakespeare to music and songs. He states that Shakespeare is much like a song that seems completely random when first listened to; however, after you listen to it time and time again [or in Shakespeare’s case, read] it begins to make sense and every time that you listen to it again you pull something completely new from the song [or the play].

2. According to Mack, when you finally “get” Shakespeare, what do you actually get?

According to Mack, when you finally “get” Shakespeare you gain a reflection of the world – and yourself – in their true nature. He says that once you finally understand the plays, you being to understand that the Shakespeare’s works are actually multiple interpretations of yourself, which can be seen throughout the plethora of characters who all represent something that resonates with you. Basically he says that to read Shakespeare is “to read the world,” and that Shakespeare’s interplay between life and literature help you find beauty and meaning in life – things that you will only find after “getting” Shakespeare.

3. List and summarize five convincing arguments in answer to the question “Why read Shakespeare?

• ·      To develop new interests and take a deeper look into understanding things that might look not-so-appealing the first time around, such as certain songs or Shakespeare’s plays.
• ·      To gain insight into the world, as stated in the answer above. To better understand yourself and the rest of the world and look upon it in different manners than you would originally do by yourself.
• ·      To learn the source of the majority of my so-called innate beliefs, such as the idea that love and marriage go together. To fully understand the origins of all of my ideas
• ·      To develop my “skills” and erase my defects AKA developing my soft skills that are required in all walks of life, such as communicating clearly with people, and erasing detrimental automatic (whether or not they are innate or learned) actions, such as not jumping to conclusions.
• ·      To better understand the heart. To fully understand your own emotional life and the manner in which your head and your heart work together and depend on one another, especially since fully understanding this marks a person as an educated person or an uneducated person. 

4. Which one of these arguments do you find most convincing? Why?

To me the most convincing argument of the five listed above is to gain insight into the world. As a relatively quiet person, I quite enjoy spending time by myself pondering my surroundings and trying to fully understand them, as well as reflecting and understanding myself. If Mack says that Shakespeare would add insight to myself, that makes me take a second look and think that I maybe should pick up the Twelfth Night or Hamlet the next time that I am at the library. Understanding all of the aspects that make up all humans – but particularly myself – is appealing, especially as I think that it would help me handle certain situations with other people in different (and hopefully more effective) manners.

Hagar's Minor (and by that I mean Major) Breakdown

Upon her initial frenzy to physically improve herself for Milkman, it is obvious that something is terribly wrong with Hagar, since the rate at which she tries to improve is simply impossible to achieve. Perhaps Hagar would've lived through this if Reba and Pilate did not aid her in this ridiculous task. Instead of giving her money to go shopping with and supporting this twisted idea that Hagar could improve herself enough in one single day to make Milkman love her, Reba and Pilate should have put an end to Hagar's absolutely preposterous mission. Hagar's death, which in my opinion was a result from her obsession, could have been avoided if she had been raised correctly and not spoiled throughout the entirety of her life. Her wretched appearance in the mirror is really just a reflection of the unappealing person inside of her. She had no identity outside of Milkman, and because of that once he left, she had no purpose to her life.

Milkman's Transformation

Perhaps one of the largest symbols for Milkman's transformation from an immature boy into an adult was the moment when he selflessly helped the man lift a crate. Although this moment was apparent to the reader when it occurred, it was not apparent to Milkman until his conversation with Guitar after Guitar's first attempt on his life. This realization for Milkman, that he was capable of helping others with nothing in return, shocks him, as well as Guitar. To me, this seems to be an example of Milkman starting to "fly" as he distances from his family and the [lack of a] life that he left behind in Michigan and as he begins to become more in-touch with his familial roots and discover the important aspects of life.

Milkman: A New Perspective

Throughout the entirety of Song of Solomon, I have found Milkman to be a rather worthless character, which is rather ironic considering he is the main character of the novel. But on page 180, we get to see a little bit deeper into the character of Milkman, and in my opinion, it is an integral turning point for his character development in the novel. After reading the passage in which he describes his hatred for his parents way of life and their relationship, I began to understand that there actually was reasoning behind his adoration of entangling himself in "whatever was light-hearted and without grave consequences" (180). Before this point, this part of Milkman has always peeved me, especially since I always think closely about ever decision I make and do not enjoy being involved in trivial activities; however, after this Milkman actually became my favorite character in the book (however, some of this is due to the fact that I don't like many of the other characters either). Morrison used this portion to make Milkman a relatable character and by letting known his reasons for his decisions, she succeeded 

The True Destruction of the Seven Days

Something that definitely caught my eye whilst reading the eighth chapter in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, was Guitar’s brief thought of perhaps using the money from his and Milkman’s peculation at Pilate’s house to help his family; however, that thought was quickly muted by his obligation to fulfill the murders of four little innocent white girls for The Seven Days. 

Although I am not in agreement with the intrinsic purpose of The Seven Days, putting that aside, it seems that this might be another detrimental aspect of the group. For because Guitar and the men from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday have to adhere to the group, and therefore spend energy and possibly money carrying out the murders, they do not spend time on caring for their loved ones or their community in the least. Guitar’s family, who are probably poverty stricken and in desperate need of some financial aid, are not going to receive any help from their son/brother because he is too busy killing innocent little girls. My understanding of the overall purpose of The Seven Days is helping the black community become equal with the white community; however, is this goal even attainable if every opportunity to aid any blacks monetarily or vocationally is not seized with fervor? And don’t the members of The Seven Days seem to be putting that imperative aspect of their goal on the back burner and instead focusing on the negative? It seems to me that the just a tiny bit of the destruction of their own community may in fact be due to their negligence.