Once in a Lifetime

I would like to know more about the context of this story.  Why is Hema expressing all of this after what seems to be years apart.  Is she telling this directly to Kaushik or is she simply reminiscing to herself?  If she is talking to Kaushik, what has caused her to be so open?   Kuashik never responds to anything Hema says, which sets a tense mood over the story.  My guess is that Hema and Kaushik ran into each other, much later in life and agreed to meet for dinner.  Perhaps Kaushik was rude, or the two became inimate, which caused Hema to spill all of her memories.  This story feels almost as if it is a rant at first, and then turns into a fond memory.  I would like to know what happens next; whether they become friends or lovers.

Poor Paul

Sang's abrupt departure to England really bothered me.  Throughout the story she had a bad relationship with her husband, Farouk, and very superficial ones with the rest of her suitors from Calcutta.  Her defection excluded one key person: Paul.  Paul was the one person in her life that truly loved Sang for who she was.  Sang instead of seeing Paul as an opportunity for love, left him behind without even saying a proper goodbye.  In many love stories, it is the patient, loving friend who ends up in a romantic final scene.  This is what I was expecting, but once again Lahiri eluded my predictions.

Response to Finley

I agree with Finley that Rahul's parents need to let him foster his passion.  The arts may be a more difficult way to make money, but college is not about letting yourself make money, it is about creating an identity for yourself.  I was at Boston College this pas weekend, and a pastor spoke to the accepted students and parents in attendance that day.  He told the parents that the goal of college should not be so that the child makes money, but that the child emerges happy and with a love for himself, so that he can then use this to serve other people.  At a time when Rahul is looking for happiness, he is instead shut down by his parents.

Rahul's Alcoholism

Although Sudha blames herself for the alcoholic habits of her brother Rahul, it is not her fault.  Handing Rahul his first beer is of no blame.  I blame both Rahul and his parents.  His parents pushed him to maximum lengths to get him into the best college possible.  When Rahul then finds himself at Cornell with a passion for writing and the arts, he is shot down by his parents and told he is wasting their money.  This is one of the saddest parts of the story for me.  College is about finding yourself and creating an identity away from your parents and finding what you love.  When Rahul is shut from his passion, it shows the control that his parents have over him.  I believe that it is this strictness and his own feelings from being so tightly wound that ultimately lead to his alcoholism.

A Choice of Accommodations

The title for Lahiri's third short story A Choice of Accommodations, speaks to the relationship of Megan and Amit.  It appears at first that the marriage between the two is is no longer bounded by love.  At the wedding, Megan Flirts with Ted, and Amit still withholds feelings for the bride herself.  However, as the story progresses, it is clear that the distance between the two is merely "a choice of accommodations."  They still love each other, just not in an all-consuming fashion.  Megan and Amit instead "accommodate" each other's needs while maintaining a comfortable bond between each other.

Hell-Heaven

In Hell-Heaven, Lahiri once again depicts a story of loneliness, and home-sickness.  This story deals with relationships and how they help/hurt the characters cope with their isolation in a new country.  Aparna, the mother of Usha, falls in love with Pranab.  Pranab is her crutch for her transition from Bengali.  When Pranab marries Deborah, it is a Hell-Heaven difference.  Pranab converts from an aid in the new world to an added pain in Aparna's life.  The backwards metaphor "Hell-heaven," immediately struck me as an awkward phrase because the word hell is used first.  In this sense, word order matters.  We subconsciously think of heaven and then hell because goodness triumphs over evil.  In the case of Aparna, she feels more pain than goodness, and sadness and dejectory takes precedence in Pranab's change.  It is "Hell-heaven."

Response to Grace

I agree with Grace that it must have been difficult for Ruma having Dadu reaching out to Akash more than he ever reached out to her.  This must leave her with a difficult realization that her dad loves her son more than he ever loved her.  However, I find this to be untrue.  I think that Dadu's affection for Akash is his own way of showing Ruma how much he loves her.  It must have been uncomfortable for Dadu to have reached out to Ruma after long years of distance.  Akash is a common ground between the two where love can be shown.  Ruma should not feel jealous but rather happy and thankful.

Ruma's Relationship With Her Father

In this first story, the distance between father and daughter and the close bond between grandfather and grandson is a major issue in the tale.  Though Ruma inwardly blames her father for his stand-off ways, it is not her father's fault.  I believe the indifference towards his daughter is for two reasons.  The first is an over-protective mother, the economic I attribute to the Indian culture.  With an overly attentive mother, I see Ruma's father laying off to create a balance.  For this, Ruma is upset.  Secondly, though they now live in Brooklyn, the Indian traditions still played a roll in their relationship.  For Ruma's dad, it was how men treat women in India versus in America. For Ruma, she struggles in her debate for whether or not she should let her father live with her.  These bounds, accompanied with the grandfather's love for Akash, Ruma's son, get under Ruma's skin, especially as she is in a depressed state to start the book.

Indians and Greeks

The first story in Unaccustomed Earth deals with the relationships between father, daughter and grandchild, and how the native culture of the three affect their lives.  The story deals with the father and daughter trying to cope with acclimating to their new life while struggling to let go of their previous traditions.  Ruma's son, Akash, on the other hand has no issue with this new culture; he is immersed in it.  Instead, Akash takes interest in his grandfather's Indian culture.

This story rings very true to me, growing up in a very Greek family.   I bear witness to the dilution of Greek culture and the movement into the westernized world.  However, many of my cousins, including me, have taken special interest in our ancestral traditions.  We love to here the old stories and keep the Greek ways alive.  Greek school, and, like Akash, language is a major part of keeping the culture alive.

Response to Morgan

Morgan, I agree that enough will never be enough for MacBeth.  He has dug himself such a deep hole that it is impossible to repent for his sins.  You said he had the choice to run away, continue to kill or kill himself.  Here is where I think you are wrong.  None of these options sound like the character of MacBeth, besides, perhaps, continuing to kill.  Instead I believe that MacBeth chooses to show the power he holds to intimidate anyone apposing his throne.  At this point, many people suspect MacBeth as a psychopathic murderer.  Instead of killing anyone he suspects, I believe the next step for MacBeth is to blot out any uprising by becoming the ultimate tyrant that no one dares to cross.  Either way, the downfall of MacBeth is unavoidable as Shakespeare writes to prove a point about the destructive capabilities that unbridled ambition and lust for power can have on a human being.

The Witches and Their Meaning

It is interesting to see the different ways the witches predictions twist the mind of MacBeth.  In the first case, they light the prospect of power and MacBeth takes this as a sign that he is to kill the king. The next prophecies are warnings, "Beware of Banquo."  MacBeth again takes this to mean he must kill.  Finally, the witches predict Fleance to become the next king.  Instead of heading the words of the witches and taking them as truths, as he had done before, MacBeth seeks out to stop the prophecy and kill Fleance.  This contradiction shows how the witches have no true power over him, but simply influence his thoughts.  The witches put forth an idea, but it is MacBeth who chooses how this idea will influence the world around.  To me, this symbolizes how we perceive things in life.  We may see signs in life and choose to perceive them as a positive influence or a negative influence.  Likewise, we are provided opportunities, but it is our choice in what we choose to make of them.

The Toll of Murder

In scenes three and four, we see MacBeth turn from a man feeling the immense guilt of one murder, to a maniacal killer, willing to do anything to maintain his power.  I do not understand how this can happen over such a short time.  Within a matter of days, MacBeth has either killed off or alienated all of his friends and turned into a cold-blooded monster.  The guilt of one murder, instead of acitng as an inhibitor, acts as the driving force behind the following massacres by MacBeth.  His wife, many predicted to be the driving force behind MacBeth's ambitious characteristics, is now deathly afraid of the monster she has made.  I do not believe that the obsession that overtakes MacBeth is realistic for the time period set forth by Shakespeare, however, Shakespeare puts forth a fast-forwarded version of what can happen to an ambitious man with no moral restraints.  Guilt and suspicion plague MacBeth's concience as he strives forward to maintain his reign.

Response to Evan

I agree with Evan's argument that Lady MacBeth seems to be the driving ambition behind her husband.  At this stage in the play it seems as if she is the one who wants him to be king instead of MacBeth himself.  Where MacBeth is on the fence, Lady Macbeth's mind is made up and it is her decisiveness that pushes MacBeth to murder.  I agree that at this stage, she is very cunning and very dangerous.  Evan, your prediction that Lady MacBeth shall become the all-powerful Queen may be a little ambitious, but as this play shows, ambition without a regard for ethical values can carry you far.

Why Read Shakespeare?

Why Read Shakespeare?

Read the following speech delivered by Dr. Michael Mack for the 2008 Freshmen convocation at Catholic University of America. In your AP blog, respond thoughtfully to the following prompts:

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

The author presents the idea that students have a hard time understanding Shakespeare because it was not meant to be understood; at least the first time through. He compares his answer to listening music.  One must read shakespeare again and again to truly pull apart the meaning and understand the beauty.  Just as a song might seem ordinary at first and then become beautiful as the listener begins to separate the guitar lines, the bass lines, the drum lines, and the meaning of lyrics from the song, so does Shakespeare reveal itself to the reader after multiple repetitions.

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

When you finally "get" Shakespeare, you are getting a mirror into the real world, experiencing the real world vicariously through his books.  Just as science and history give you a glimpse into that area of the real world, shakespeare gives you insight for life.  "When you learn to read Shakespeare you are learning to read the world," says Mack.  Shakespeare uses his stories to teach you about the world.  His characters relate to yourself or someone you know.  This provides a virtual world to help understand what is going on in your own life.   Shakespeare depicts love, loss, and emotions in a way that can help guide you through yours.  The more Shakespeare you read, the more you are able to read the real world.

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

-The first argument Mack made was why do anything at all?  The question why simply leads to many more questions more ambiguous than the first. Why read Shakespeare?  Why learn Literature?  Why learn?  His answer is to learn for the love of learning and to utilize what you have learned as you go forth in the real world.

-Mack argues that Shakespeare provides the reader with the "skill of skills."  The ability to polish your mind.  Since people tend to switch jobs so often and sometimes delve into areas outside their realm of expertise, it is more important than ever to hone the fundamental real world skills that make a person successful in any field.  By reading shakespeare, you learn about the world and how to handle real life situations, better equipping you with the fundamental skill needed to survive and adapt outside the area of your particular major.

-The third reason Mack gives is that Shakespeare teaches the reader about relationships. Love and love sickness thread Shakespeare's plays and, as Mack says, will save you from many a bad date.

-Shakespeare is necessary to read because it connects the head and the heart.  Mack says that reading about the heart and understanding your own emotional state is critical as a human being.  Reading about the heart connects your heart with your head and helps you grow as a person in life and in faith.

-Mack makes that argument the getting to know shakespeare is getting to know where ideas come from.  For example the idea that love and marriage coincides dates back to shakespeare.  Furthermore, reading the roots of ideas gives a better understanding of the life you live today.

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

I find the idea of reading and rereading a very convincing thought.  Mack's parallel between music and Shakespeare resonates very true to me.  Understanding shakespeare is like understanding and art and being able to play an instrument is like being able to read shakespeare.  His "Why learn?" argument got me thinking as well, and I linked it once again to his music idea.  Why do music?  The answer is because it makes you feel something and learn something about yourself.  Just like biology, chemistry or physics, Shakespeare teaches you about yourself and the world around you.  These arguments were very convincing to me and did achieve his goal of making me wan to learn.

The Power of the Witches

I wonder whether the three witches truly have the power to speak the future or whether they are simply nudging MacBeth towards an inevitable fate.  Banquo says that devils often tell half truths in order to "win us to our harm."  I believe this is the case for MacBeth.  Their foretelling moved him to the point of killing Duncan.  While Banquo wisely lets events take their natural course, it is MacBeth that is taken over by this curse.  Throughout the play, the three witches serve as the unconscious temptations of the human mind.  Their dark, supernatural aura makes the characters believe their foresights, but I believe that their power comes through understanding the vulnerabilities of each individual and preying on their weaknesses.  They tell the future of MacBeth by telling him what he subconsciously wants to hear.  The witches prey on his ambition and serve as a subconscious driving force behind his actions.

Ambition

The beginning of the play depicts a very interesting situation between ambition and morality.  MacBeth emerges as a successful general and Thane of Glamis without so much as a dream of becoming king.  It is amazing how, when the idea is put forth by the witches, the prospect of becoming king goes from nonexistent to mind-consuming.  When the witches profesy MacBeth to become the king, he is left with two choices: wait patiently and trust that he will someday come to power, or take action to ensure his destiny.  The ambition driving MacBeth makes it seem as if it is his duty, not passion, to kill the king, and that this route is the only available course of action.  When MacBeth questions the idea of killing Duncan in innocent blood, it is his wife, Lady MacBeth that acts as the driving force behind his self-promoting treachery.  MacBeth ultimately cannot withstand the idea of supreme power, and succumbs to ambition by killing the king.  This play serves to show what happens when ubridled ambition is not hindered by a moral compass.