Vocabulary	Definition
Abhorred	Abhorred is extremely disliking someone or something. ‘Michael abhorred his parent's chatter about his poor grades’.
Acquaintances	Acquaintances are used to describe people that Ashima was in contact with, but they aren't extremely close. An acquaintance is supposed to be a person whom one knows, but they aren't best friends or extremely close.
Acrid	Sharp or biting in the taste or smell; bitterly pungent.
Acridness	To be extremely resentful.
Admonish	To warn someone or scold them, but in a good manner. ‘He admonished the new staff member in private rather than issuing a public warning’.
Adorn	Verb: make more beautiful or attractive. ‘Pictures and prints adorned his walls’, ‘the living room is adorned by eastern-Asian decorations’.
Aftermath	The consequences or after-effects of an especially unpleasant event. ‘The emotional aftermath of Ashoke's train accident may have been what led to his spontaneous decision to move to America’.
Aloof	One is aloof when they are antisocial and distant. ‘Maria was aloof at the party because all of her friends already left’.
Anglicize	To make English in quality or character.
Arbitrary	To come about without reason, but from personal idea or impulse.
Aspirated	Pronunciation of sound with an exhalation of breath. ‘The Bengali language is known to have many aspirated 'K' sounds when pronounced correctly’.
Azure	Azure is the blue color of the sky. ‘The Azure sky was slowly fading into darkness’.
Batik	A piece of clothing designed using a method of applying wax to areas not being colored before applying dyes.
Bedridden	Restricted to a bed. ‘The bedridden patient sat all day in his room, only able to read books, watch TV, and look out his window’.
Bequeath	To give or leave behind for someone. ‘I bequeath unto you my chest of drawers’.
Berth	Noun: A ship’s allotted place at a wharf or dock, a fixed ben or bunk on a ship.
Besieged	To be surrounded by. ‘During the concert, Marco felted anxious because he was besieged by hundreds of people’.
Betel	A leaf of a plant that comes from the pepper family.
Betrothal	A sort of agreement for a marriage to take place in the future.
Bewilderment	Being completely surprised, confused, and perplexed.
Bhalonam	(pg. 26) What is considered one's "good name”, or a name for public use only.
	‘Official’ name, by which the bearer is known to the outside world.
Biryani	Rice based dish.
Blind Date	When two people on a date have never met before and were set up through a mutual friend.
Bogies	The individual railcars on the train.
Boldness of her pursuit	To be confident in pursuing someone. ‘Many women wait for men to pursue them, but she was confident when talking to Gogol’.
Bonnet	A hat, usually tying under the chin and often framing the face. It was used mostly by women in the old days but now used more by babies or young children.
Born again	When someone gains insightful knowledge or experiences a revelation, becoming a new and, usually, improved person.
Boston air	In the wintertime, Boston is cold.
Boston Globe	A newspaper based in Boston. It focuses on a combination of local events, sports, and world news.
Bouillabaisse	A soup or stew containing several kinds of fish and often shellfish, usually combined with olive oil, tomatoes, and saffron.
Boutique	Small story that specializes in one specific product, usually clothes or accessories. ‘I like to shop at boutiques, but often they are too expensive!’
Burden	Something that is carried or something that is emotionally difficult to bear. ‘It is possible that Sonia and Gogol may have seen their ethnicity and culture as more of a burden rather than a gift while growing up in America’.
Cambridge	An area in Boston.
Capitulation	The action of surrendering or ceasing to resist an opponent or demand. The high point of a rising plot or story.
Catch-22	When there's a opportunity cost in making a decision.
Cavalcade	A larger quantity of more than one of the same or similar objects all together or in a row. A cavalcade used in this story applies to Ashima’s bracelets.
Ceased	Stopped, ended.
Ceremoniously	A gesture or practice that is very polite and follows a kind of ceremony.
Cheerless sky	Usually a cloudy sky; or the absence of the sun.
Chelsea	A historic and wealthy district in New York City, located on the island of Manhattan.
Chirp	To sing or to cry like a bird.
Churning	The action of the fan: making a repetitive circular motion.
Clandestine	Done in a private place or way, secretly. ‘Fatima was afraid her mother would not approve of her boyfriend, so she decided to have a clandestine relationship behind her back’.
Cloistered	Sheltered.
	Cloistered is used to refer to being secluded or kept away from society. Line 27 on page 158 uses the word to show that in this secluded area Gogol is free.
Coincidence	Two events that happen simultaneously and have a connection but were not expected. ‘Every girl in the room was named Jessica, by coincidence!’
Cold cream	This is a type of thick cream that is used to moisturize skin. Many people also use cold cream to remove their makeup, and Ashoke uses this type of cream for shaving.
Colonial	A style of house popular in American, loosely based off housing during the late 1700s.
Commemorate	To make a memory into something physical as a form of remembrance.
Concoction	The mixture of beverages or medicine.
Consternation	Anxiety, anxiousness.
Conveyed	To take or carry from one place to another; to communicate or make known. ‘A sense of tranquility and euphoria was conveyed brilliantly through the author's text as she was describing the family’s first visit to the Taj Mahal’.
Coolie	A native worker in Asian countries considered to be unskilled.
Covet	Verb: Yearn to possess or have (something). ‘He won the coveted Booker prize for fiction’.
Crammed	Forced into, shoved. ‘They crammed the banana peels into the garbage cans, but were not able to close the top’.
Cul-de-sac	A street which comes down to an end in a circle shape.
Cuticura	A medicated powder which helps to keep healthy skin.
Dahl	Dish composed of lentils and similar things.
Dais	A type of platform or podium.
Daknam	Pet name, usually utilized only by intimates.
Dal	An Indian dish prepared with legumes.
Depot	A location where something is stored for retail. In the novel the author is defining a place.
Depression	A crevice or dip in the ground. Depression could also be defined as an illness that affects the mental state of an individual.
Desecration	This word means to disrespect or violate. On pg 67, line 32, the word is used to show that the disrespect of his last name is intended more for his parents, not him and his sister.
Deterioration	When something is slowly falling apart.
Devised	To plan. ‘The robber devised a way to steal the diamond from the gallery’.
Dida	Affectionate form of address for a grandmother, similar to ‘nana’.
Dilated	Expanded.
Diminished	Decreased, reduced. ‘Lynne’s enthusiasm for her anniversary diminished as soon as she saw her husband in a clown suit’.
Diminishing	Something fading in strength, similar to dwindling.
Discombobulate	Confused, a state of mental uncertainty.
Discomfit	To upset someone.
Disembark	To leave or remove oneself from a vehicle.
Disembodied	Lacking in substance, solidity, or any firm relation to reality.
Disheveled	Adjective: (of a person’s hair, clothes or appearance) untidy, disordered. ‘A man with long, disheveled hair’.
Dismantling	To break down into pieces.
Down coat	A coat made with small soft feather of goose or bird.
Durga pujo	A festival celebrating the goddess, Durga, that allows Bengalis to connect with friends and family
	Hindu annual holiday.
Dwell	To dwell in a place means to be present there, or to live there.
Dwindle	Something fading in strength.
Eccentric	Not like the usual; weird.
Efface	To delete.
Elation	Having a high sense of joy.
Elicit	To bring or draw out, to arrive at, to call forth, or provoke. ‘Often times Ashoke may have felt as if he needed to elicit interest and curiosity of their new country to his otherwise disinterested wife Ashima’.
Elusive	Difficult to find, catch or achieve. ‘The elusive street signs were driving her mad with fury when trying to find her way to the train station’.
Emboss	Verb: to carve or mold a design on (a surface) so that it stands out in relief or to decorate (a surface) with a raised design.
Entablature	The entire construction of a classical temple or the like between the columns and the eaves usually composed of an architrave, a frieze, and a cornice.
Environs	The surrounding parts of a district; of a city, etc.
Exasperate	To make someone annoyed or irritated.
Exasperation	This word means annoyed or frustrated. Exasperation is used to describe how the person feels about their own parents.
	A feeling of annoyance.
Expired	When something has come to an end, usually not the term used when meaning death, usually applied to food items or coupons.
Fastidious	‘Caterina's fastidious uniform illustrated how serious she was about following the school's dress code’.
	Picky. ‘He was a fastidious eater; he only liked corn flakes’.
	Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail.
Fathom	Difficulties to grasp, understand, or conceptualize an object or idea.
Fiber optics	The use of thin flexible fibers of glass or other transparent solids to transmit light signals, chiefly for telecommunications or for internal examination of the body.
Five-o'clock-shadow	Stubble; the growth of a man's beard to the point where the color of his chin, upper-lip, and jaw is gray.
Flickering and fading in his mind	(pg. 24) An expression meaning hard to remember due to trauma, in this case.
Flokati	A thick, wool rug of Greek origin with a hand-woven appearance.
Frescoes	A method of painting done quickly with watercolor on a wall so that the colors penetrate as they dry. It was made popular by the Italian Renaissance.
Fundamentalism	Being strict about following certain beliefs or ideas/practices.
Garrison	Type of house typically two stories high, with the second-story overhanging in the front.
Gauntly	To be gauntly is to be very thin, almost bony. Sometimes used to describe having an attractive, defined bone structure.
Good Name	One’s good name seems to be the real name that they are given at birth and that usually has some sort of meaning to the parents or family. Often time’s good names are used in more formal and professional situations, but they can also sometimes be shortened into a nickname which is related to the other type of name in this book called the pet name.
Haphazard	Confusing, unorganized.
Haughtiness	‘Although his daughter did not have a tutor, his haughtiness was obvious that he was proud of her’.
	Arrogant or snobbish; expressing feelings of superiority towards others.
His expression is lost on her	She didn't notice his expression, so his expression was essentially pointless.
	This quote is used to describe Gogol at a dinner party with Moushumi and her friends. This saying means that the person whose expression has been lost on someone else has been caught off guard and is in disbelief that the other person would have brought up some information that may be personal in a situation that they may not have been inclined to share it.
Immersed	Submerged, plunged into something. ‘He immersed the dishes in water and soap, trying to clean them off’.
Inauspicious	Unpromising, unfavorable.
Incestuous	Excessively or improperly intimate, involving sexual intercourse between two closely related people.
Inconceivable	Impossible to comprehend or grasp fully.
Intermittently	When something starts and stops again.
Ivy League Colleges	Ivy League Colleges are a group of colleges in the United States that are considered to be some of the best higher education institutions in America.
Kabadi	Sport commonly played in India, a combination of wrestling and tag played in teams.
Languidly	Lethargic in manner, or lacking in energy.
Lopsided	Uneven. ‘The artist adjusted the lopsided painting so it was even’.
LSATs	The LSATs are a professional test that individuals need to take and pass in order to attend Law School.
Make love	Having consensual intercourse.
Mansard	A Mansard roof has 2 slopes where the lower slope is steeper than the other slope. ‘The Mansard style of roof is popular from 17th century French Architecture’.
Meager	Adjective: (of something provided or available) lacking in quantity or quality, (of a person or animal) lean, thin.
Meek	Adjective: quiet, gentle and easily imposed on, submissive. ‘I used to call her mouse because she was so meek’.
Melancholic	Being in a state of gloom or depression.
Minaret	A ‘tall, slender tower’, part of the architecture of a mosque.
Minuscule	Minuscule is used to indicate the very small or tiny amount of space. Using a descriptive word like minuscule, the reader truly understands that the space was extremely small.
	Small, tiny. ‘I had to put on my glasses to read the minuscule writing at the bottom of the page’.
Morose	Being gloomy, depressed, or hostile.
Mundane	A boring adjective, signifying a dull, everyday routine.
Namesake	One’s namesake is related to the background behind one’s name. The meaning or significance behind the name is linked to another person that is important to the child’s parents or family.
Nomenclature	A system of choosing names to organize things.
	Nomenclature is naming something that usually has to do with scientific discovery. ‘The nomenclature for the planet "Jupiter" came from the Roman name for Jupiter, the God of the Sky’.
Nonsensical	When something does not make sense or doesn't mean anything.
Obstetrician	A doctor specialized in who oversees the birthing process.
Paella	A spanish dish with rice, shellfish, chicken, and vegetables.
Partition	A Partition is a wall or a screen that divides a room into sections. ‘The basement had a partition to create a game room and a workout room’.
Paternal	Related through the father.
Pediment	A low gable, typically triangular with a horizontal cornice and raking cornices, surmounting a colonnade, an end wall, or a major division of a façade.
Pegboard	A wooden board, usually used for games.
Pelting	Constantly hurl or throw at something.
Penned in calligraphy	Gogol's name was written in a decorative handwriting on his diploma, which showed it was an impressive accomplishment.
Pensive	Pensive is when someone appears to be thinking very hard about something. Could also refer to sad thoughtfulness. ‘Peter, an honors student, remained very pensive in his studies at the library all semester’.
Perished	To die. ‘The goldfish perished after the bowl that held it broke’.
Perpetual	Seemingly lasting for a very long time.
	Lasting for eternity or continuing to last indefinitely for a long time. ‘After Gogol had lost his father, Ashoke, he drove into what he thought would be a perpetual state of grief and guilt’.
Persistent	Continuing firmly in a course of action despite the difficulty of opposition presented before the subject; characterized by a specified typically negative habitual behavior pattern.
Perversely responsible	(pg. 92) Feeling responsible or accountable for something not your fault that you did not do.
Pester	Verb: Trouble or annoy (someone) with frequent or persistent requests or interruptions. ‘She pestered him with telephone calls’.
Piri	Litter.
Pop bottles	Refers to opening bottles of alcohol. The phrase is derived from the sound they make.
Pradeep	Lantern or light.
Progressively increasing fanfare	A fanfare is a short tune played at ceremonies, so, this phrase means that the ‘tune was getting longer,’ or that the family began celebrating more American holidays.
Prominent	The prominent scar on his face showed how badly injured he was from the assault.
	Distinguishable, something that stands out. ‘He was insecure about prominent nose; People always noticed his prominent nose first’.
	Prominent means well known and easily seen, so it could refer to a person or a description of an item. ‘The prominent politician won enough votes to become a senator’.
Pujo money	Refers to money received as a gift during a holiday or important occasion; analogous to ‘Christmas money’ or ‘Confirmation money’.
Quality time	Time spent when getting to know another person and making a bond.
Quotidian	Of or occurring every day; daily. This brief work shifts the emphasis toward the concrete and quotidian.
Ransacked	To search for thoroughly.
	To search through crudely and quickly. ‘The thief ransacked the house, throwing clothes and books everywhere, looking for the necklace’.
Rattan	Plant whose wood is used to make furniture as in ‘rattan chair’, same as ‘wicker chair’.
Raucous	Adjective: Making or constituting a disturbingly harsh and loud noise. ‘The raucous voice of a bear’.
Ravishing	Ravishing is used when Gogol is describing Moushumi on this line. The word means very attractive.
Remnant	Something left over, a remainder.
Retract	To go back.
Rice Krispies	A common American breakfast cereal of puffed rice.
Rickshaw	A small vehicle similar to a bicycle in which passengers can be seated behind the driver. It is primarily seen in Asia.
Ridden	Dominated / harassed or obsessed. ‘Gogol may have been ridden with guilt (or guilt-ridden) after his father's death’.
Rossogollas	A Bengali dessert. They are white cheese balls dipped in a sugary syrup.
	Or ‘rasgullas’, are an Indian dessert consisting of paneer (curd cheese) in the form of a ball and cooked in syrup.
Sabbatical	Period of leave or vacation granted to university professor after a certain number of years that is used to expand on/do research.
	After a college professor has spent a certain amount of years teaching, he or she is allowed a paid absence, sometimes to go abroad.
	A sabbatical is an extended amount of time that certain professionals, especially professors at a university, are given to take off from work to do something else. In order to earn the option of a sabbatical, the individual must work for a certain amount of time before being eligible.
Sabotage	To deliberately cause damage or harm. ‘Claude sabotaged Sara’s play by running on stage during her monologue’.
Sahib	Form of address, like Mr. or Mrs.
Saltbox	Type of house mostly found in New England, generally two full stories high in front and one story high in the back
Salwar kameeze	Loose pants and a long shirt worn mostly by Asian women.
Sanatoriums	A clinic where people receive treatment for chronic diseases.
Sari	A traditional scarf worn by an Indian woman that covers shoulders.
	An article of clothing traditionally worn by women that is draped over and around the body.
	A typical item of clothing worn by Indian women
	Traditional Indian dress for women, usually brightly colored.
Sentimentality	This word is used to describe how one is feeling or excessively or extremely sentimental.
Sheer	The word sheer on pg7, line 30, is referring to thin or transparent. This is used to provide vivid detail to the sari that the author is describing in this sentence.
Shingles	A thin piece of wood, slate, metal laid in overlapping rows to cover the roofs and walls of buildings
Simultaneously	When something is occuring at the same time as something else.
Slanted	To be leaned toward one side.
Spartan	Spartan refers to a stubborn existence on pg 139, line 23.
	A barren stubborn existence.
Spitting Image	Someone who bears a strong resemblance to someone else.
Steady	Firmly fixed supported or balanced. Something that is moving steadily is something that is moving in fixed amounts of times. ‘Ashima's love for Ashoke grew steadily over time as she got to know him better’.
Sweltering	Overly or uncomfortably hot.
Tattered	To be torn.
Telegram	Form of communication sent in written form using a machine called a telegraph.
	A telegram is a form of communication used in the past in which people could communicate with others, even in different countries, through short messages.
Telescoped	The action of the train when it crashed. Telescope could also be defined as an object that an individual looks through to see magnified images of the night sky.
Tender Age	Someone who is younger; a child.
Tentative	Adjective: Not certain or fixed, provisional, done without confidence, hesitant.
Terrazzo	Smooth flooring material consisting of concrete and marble or granite; originating from Italian to mean ‘terrace’.
The Overcoat	A story by Nikolai Gogol focusing on the purchase of the coat.
The red tape is endless	This quote is used in the hospital when Gogol is born when his parents are working on naming him. Saying this means that in order to get what you want, you will have to go through a strict process in which there are many specific bureaucratic steps and guidelines that one must follow directly.
Tiffin rack	Tiffin means lunch but can be used to describe any light meal. A Tiffin Rack is an object used to transport this meal, much like a lunch-box.
Turmeric	An Indian herb belonging to the ginger family.
Twitch	To pull something
Ululate	To cry loudly. Sometimes used as a sound of intense sorrow and mourning. ‘A group of mothers ululate upon seeing their children walking their first steps’.
Unforeseen	Not felt or realized before hand, unexpected. ‘The sense of alienation and loss was unforeseen when the Ganguli newlywed's had decided to move to another country’.
Unobserved	Not being watched or cherished. Ashima feels that her life is not being completely observed by her family.
Unsuccessful schemes	Schemes are like a plan, where someone is usually tricked or pushed into doing a task that they originally did not want to do.
Unwittingly	Without humor or charm.
Vagabonds	A homeless person who wanders from place to place.
Vague	Something that is unclear or hazy. In the novel the author is using the word as an adjective to describe how Ashoke sees the palm trees.
Vestibule	A vestibule is a lobby or an entrance to a building. ‘I forgot my sandals in the vestibule of your house!’
	Vestibule is used to describe an area in the train. The word itself means an enclosed entrance of a train car. The word is used so the reader better understands what the train car looks like and how crowded it is.
Walkman	Portable CD player.
Widow’s white	Refers to an Indian tradition of the widow wearing only white clothes to symbolize mourning, similar to some European traditions of widows wearing only black.
X's and O's	Written at the bottom of personal letters, symbolizing kisses and hugs.
Yale	A prestigious university based in New Haven, CT.

 

 

 

 

 

Italy Reads 2013 The Namesake Discussion Topics

           

 

Identity:

 

1.      Would Gogol's life have been different if his name had not been Gogol?

2.      How important is the name that a child is given and what does it determine?

3.      At the end of the novel, how would Gogol define himself? (As an Indian or American, as Gogol or Nikhil?)

4.      The first theme is the subject of identity, and struggling to discover who you are, and who you are meant to become. Many of the characters struggle with identity because of the differences between American culture and Bengali culture.

5.      The second theme is the subject of being an outsider, and feeling like you don't belong somewhere. Within this theme we could discuss the difficulties of trying to "fit in." This theme flows nicely with the theme of identity.

6.      How does the death of Ashoke affect Gogol’s identity?

7.      Gogol changes his name to help him find a new sense of identity. Would you change your name now if you could? What do you think is contained in one's name? Do you think it was worth it for Gogol to change his name?

8.      Sonia has a much easier time accepting her identity as an Indian-American than Gogol. Why do you think this is? Do you think it has to do with the fact that she is the second sibling?

9.      Gogol has a strong dislike of the name he is given. How much does your name define your identity?

10.  Do Ashoke and Ashima also undergo identity problems, as their son does?

11.  How does one's name tie into one's identity? Does one's first name matter as much as one's surname? Should one always accept their namesake?

12.  Do you think that Gogol's decision to change his name to Nikhil was the right one and why?

13.  Why does Gogol struggle accepting his name and understanding his Indian-American identity?

14.  How does Gogol use his public name and his pet name? How does he try to remake his identity and what was the outcome? Do you have any nicknames? Do you ever wish for a new name?

15.  Gogol's struggle with his name is reflected in the book title: The Namesake. Even as a child, Gogol creates his own cultural identity through refusing to adapt to the tradition of having a public name and a private pet name. How does Gogol adapt his cultural identity to create his own identity? Why are names important and how does our name affect us and shape who we are? Does a pet name put us more at ease and in a level of comfort as opposed to a public name?

16.  Do you think that Gogol would have the same identity issues if he had received his Bengali name from his grandmother, instead of being named after a Russian author?

17.  Is there anyone in the book who doesn’t struggle with their identity?

18.  The final choice second generations tend to make after coming to terms with who they are, the final choice being whether or not to identify oneself with their original cultures, or their new one, or both, and how that is balanced throughout one's life.

 

Immigration and Alienation:

 

1.      Compare and contrast Gogol, Moushumi, and Sonia's attitude to growing up as first-generation American citizens.

2.      Discuss Ashima’s feeling of alienation in the United States. Is it a feeling she will ever be able to escape?

3.      Discuss the theme of alienation in the novel, particularly for the characters of Ashima and Gogol.

4.      How does Ashima try and adapt her home in Cambridge to remind her of what she has left behind in Calcutta?

5.      What hardships do Ashoke and Ashima encounter while adapting to the American lifestyle?

6.      In what ways does Lahiri illustrate the differences between the USA and India?

7.      Indian culture in America, in the interview with NPR, Jhumpa Lahiri had stated that growing up in America in the 1970's was hard for her because of the lack of knowledge by Americans of her Indian culture.

8.      Familial immigration struggles.

9.      Growing up bilingual.

10.  Were any of you born in another country and then moved to Italy or have you lived in another country? What difficulties did you have adapting to a different culture?

11.  The struggle of assimilation versus keeping a strong identity when one moves to a new place.

 

 

 

Heritage and Tradition:

 

1.      Can one 'escape' their past or heritage?

2.      Self fulfilling prophecies

3.      Indian traditions are a very important part of Gogol's family. Are there any traditions that are very important to you and your family?

4.      How would Gogol's life had been different if he was more accepting of his heritage?

5.      Indian traditions are a very important part of Gogol's family. Are there any traditions that are very important to you and your family?

6.      Gogol's family has many Indian traditions that embarrass him. Are there traditions in your family that make you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed?

7.      Discuss the different meanings of "home" for the characters of Ashima and Ashoke, Gogol, and Moushumi.

 

 

 

Family and Relationships:

 

1.      The importance of a parent and child relationship.

2.      A theme is rebellion, since many times in the story characters chose to rebel from their parents, or from what their parents expected.

3.      A theme in the novel is family: Gogol and Sonia have a very different sense of family than Ashoke and Ashima do, and it influences their decision on how to spend their adult life.

4.      How does Gogol’s relationship with his parents develop throughout the novel? How do certain events in his life spark a change in attitude toward them?

5.      Why do you think Gogol's father waited so long to tell him about the train accident? Why does Ashoke wait to tell Gogol the story of his name and about his past?

6.      Ashoke is influenced by both people (his grandfather, Ghosh) and books. Where do you find your influence in life?

7.      Have you ever been away from your family for an extended period of time as Gogol and Sonia eventually are? Did you find it freeing or did it make you feel helpless?

8.      Gogol's whole life changes when his father dies. How could his life have been different if Ashoke had lived further into Gogol's adulthood?

9.      What are the differences between Gogol and Sonia?

10.  Why do you think that Ashoke named his son Gogol?

11.  What were the main differences in the relationships between Gogol and his parents and Maxine and her parents? Does this directly relate to the differences between the American and Bengali culture?

12.  What is Gogol's relationship with his father like? How is there relationship important to Goglo's identity?

13.  Describe how Gogol's relationship changes with his family throughout the story.

14.  How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his family? How does it change Sonia and Ashima's relationship as well?

15.  Discuss the importance of family in the novel and the importance of family in your house and culture and compare it to the novel.

16.  Why did Ashoke bless Gogol’s decision to change his name?

17.  What do we see in the relationship between parents and their children? Language, social, or generational barriers?

18.  How is Sonia's minor role important to the story? How does her life develop in parallel to her brother's?

19.  The importance we give to family as children and as parents to our personal life decisions.

20.  How does socioeconomic status affect the lives of the Bengali characters, specifically Gogol and Moushumi.  Gogol witnesses Maxine's life first hand, while Moushumi envies Astrid and Donald and reminisces of what she could have had with Graham. How does socioeconomic status affect your lives in Italy?

 

 

 

Love and Marriage:

 

1.      Another theme is love/marriage. There are many different kinds of loves presented in the novel, from Ashoke and Ashima's arranged marriage, to Gogol's many loves, then Sonia's happy love.

2.      Infidelity.

3.      What is the significance of the different women in Gogol’s life? What lessons does he take from his relationships with each of them?

4.      What do Gogol's experiences with women represent for his character? What do the women in Gogol's life represent to him?

5.      Comparing and contrasting the romance of Gogol and Maxine versus Gogol and Moushumi.  Who was he better off with? What did he learn from both relationships? Would Gogol have been better off with an arranged marriage, like Ashoke and Ashima?

6.      Do you think that Gogol and Moushumi's marriage was doomed from the start and why? Was Moushumi's affair understandable or unforgivable?

7.      How do the various characters culture and views affect their choices made in romantic relationships?

8.      When Gogol's father dies, his relationship with Maxine ends really quickly. Why do you think that their relationship couldn't survive his grief?

9.      What are your opinions on an arranged marriage, such as Ashoke and Ashima, versus a marriage develop like Gogol and Moushumi, or Sonia and Ben?

10.  Was Maxine's immediate marriage expected? Was Moushumi's infidelity expected?

11.  The story begans with Ashoke and Ashima's arranged marriage. What do you think of arranged marriages? Do you think Gogol would have done better with an arranged marriage?

 

 

 

Language and Culture:

 

1.      Acculturation/deculturation.

2.      Assimilation - mixing two cultures into one. The theme of different cultures interacting.

3.      Cultural Norms.

4.      How does the language/culture barrier affect the Gangulis? In what ways do they overcome it?

5.      Ashima makes herself an Indian dish while she is pregnant to try and make her feel less homesick. Do you have a comfort food you like to make/eat? What else do you do to comfort yourself?

6.      Americanization - how does it affect Americans, how does it affect those living in other countries?

7.      Why is cultural identity so important? Why do the characters feel like they need to choose one culture or another, not both?

8.      Besides Gogol, which character struggled the most with his or her cultural identity?

9.      Why does Gogol struggle accepting his name and understanding his Indian-American identity?

10.  What ideas did this book give you about life and culture in America?

11.  Do we need to experience other cultures? Why?

12.  Besides Gogol, which character struggled the most with his or her cultural identity?

13.  Growing up in a different culture can affect how an individual develops their cultural and personal identity. Gogol struggled with his identity while Sonia effortlessly had two different cultural identities. I would further get the class involved in the discussion by asking the class to give different examples as to how they identify themselves culturally and personally and how these identity perspectives change depending on individuals and how they differ from different countries.

14.  Food is a very big part of the book. Is there any food that you like to cook? Or a food that you love that you tried to make yourself and it just wasn't the same?

 

Plot, Style and Characterization:

 

1.      Although there are several times in the story when Gogol seems content, he rarely seems truly happy. At what point in the novel do you think Gogol is happiest? If you were in his shoes, when would you have been happiest?

2.      Jhumpa Lahiri leaves the story of Gogol's life unresolved. How do you imagine he continued forward in life?

3.      What is this story ultimately about?

4.      Why does the novel conclude with Gogol reading his namesake's book?

5.      Do you think that Gogol's decision to change his name to Nikhil was the right one and why?

6.      What are some factors that cause the major characters to become unhappy with their own reality because it is not living up to their expectations?

7.      How does one's background (social, educational, etc.) contribute to how the characters live their life?

8.      What do you think Gogol wants most from his life? How is it different than what his family wants for him, when they first came to America? Has there ever been a strain in your family like this? Do you want something different for your children than what your parents wanted from you?

9.      What effect did the novel have on you as a reader?  Did the book make you feel any specific emotions or did you linger and think about a specific topic the novel discussed or mentioned?

10.  What characters did you relate most to and why? Did any of the characters make you feel any specific emotion?  Did any of characters make you rethink previous opinions on any specific topic mentioned in the novel?

11.  What significant changes are there in the novel? (Gogol's name change, Ashima's move, Ashoke's accident) How are they related and are there similar themes?

12.  Why is Gogol so restless and, sometimes, unhappy? What is the main source of discontent for Gogol? What is the plot's conflict?

13.  Is there more significance to Nikolai Gogol other than the main character's name?

14.  How would you feel and what would you do if you were Gogol?

15.  The descriptions of the characters are very detailed and you see a lot how they emotionally change throughout the story. Did you feel very connected to one character? Did you see yourself in any characters in the book?

 

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

Italy Reads 2013

presents

Destination Italy:

Immigration in a Changing Nation

JCU Prof. Isabella Clough Marinaro will discuss

L e c t u r e

migration, integration, etc...,

from an Italian perspective.

Monday, 7 October 2013

6:30 – 8:00pm

Aula Magna Regina

Guarini Campus

John Cabot University, Via della Lungara, 233 00165 Rome

Please register

at:

http://italyreads2013johncabotuniversity.eventbrite.com

/

You will be asked to show photo ID at the door.

Pu b l i c

Roma 23/09/2013

TAL Aviation Italy nuovo GSA della compagnia aerea BinterCanarias per l'Italia



Binter Canarias sceglie TAL Aviation Italy come GSA per il mercato italiano. La compagnia aerea spagnola opera servizi di linea tra tutte le 7 isole principali dell’arcipelago delle Canarie, inoltre opera voli dal suo hub di Las Palmas verso Marocco (Agadir, Casablanca, Marrakech, Laayoune), Portogallo (Madeira e Lisbona), Senegal (Dakar), Gambia (Banjul) e Capo Verde (Praia). I passeggeri italiani possono quindi raggiungere le Canarie volando Binter Canarias via Lisbona o Casablanca.

La flotta Binter Canarias è composta esclusivamente da ATR 72 –500 noti per il rispetto dell’ambiente e il comfort in cabina, equipaggiata con sedili ergonomici in pelle.

I voli Binter Canarias sono prenotabili in tutti i principali gds; le tariffe sono pubblicate e la biglietteria può essere emessa tramite BSP (il codice numerico di Binter Canarias è 474) con commissione dell’ 1%.

TAL AviationItalyè a vostra disposizione per richieste di prenotazioni per gruppi (minimo 10 passeggeri) etariffe negoziate per Tour Operator

TAL Aviation è un Network Globale di rappresentanze per compagnie aeree con oltre 40 uffici checopronopiù di 50 paesi nel mondo. L’attività principale di TAL Aviationè la rappresentanza, la distribuzione e la venditaper più di 30 compagnie aereeinternazionali, oltrea Enti del turismo, catene alberghiere, crociere, autonoleggi, distribuiti attraverso il suo network globale. Tal Aviation èanche distributore ufficialedel prodottoIATA IBCS chepermetteal trade l’accessoai servizi di un numero sempre crescente di compagnie aeree. Glialtri servizioffertiincludono: Destination Marketing –sviluppo di strategie di Marketing e rappresentanza di enti del turismo; PR –lancio di campagne internazionali e media planning.

Per maggioriinformazioni:



TAL Aviation Italy

Via Adolfo Ravà, 106 -00142 ROMA (Italy) Tel. : +39(06)54242544 E-mail: gsa@talaviation.it

TAL Aviation Group in breve

:

Industry News




Binter Canarias S.A. è una compagnia aerea spagnola con sede a Gran Canaria. E’ un vettore regionale che opera servizi di linea tra tutte le 7 isole principali dell’arcipelago delle Canarie, inoltreopera voli dalla suo hub di Las Palmas verso il Marocco (Agadir, Casablanca, Marrakech, Laayoune), Il Portogallo (Madeira e Lisbona), il Sengal (Dakar), Il Gambia (Banjul) e Capo Verde (Praia). La compagnia è stata nominata Europe's best regional airline nel 2005 e, nel Settembre 2010 ha vinto il premio della European Regions Airline Association (ERA) come migliore compagnia aerea 2010/2011. Inoltre secondo FlightStats, BinterCanariasè la comagnia aerea più puntualenelMondocon un indice di puntualità del 99.41% (Giugno 2013).

La BinterCanarias: