once again, I did not like the ending of this book! something is incomplete and I HATE it!!! I wanna know what happens!!!! is Ama actually waiting or will arrive at the tribe? or is she actually banished for the four years? did the world actually start fresh again?
one thing that was answered for me, however, was the power of place...I think that being in Ama's house helped Omishto root her beliefs, feelings and especially confidence in a way we did not see before about who she was and what she was doing...I don't think the transition was smooth because there are times when she wants to cry and feels weak and alone...and I found it interesting that these feelings were expressed with her sister and Annie Hide...I really wasn't expecting that, especially with her sister...
I also found the meetings with Omishto and her mother really...odd and interesting?...I could definitely see my mother acting the same way...thinking that I was either too young or not ready to be on my own yet...and how that would make her feel...and I don't picture it going too well...it was kinda surprising that Omishto thought about her interpretation of her mother's religion instead of her emotional feelings...
another thing that was interesting was that she called home to say she was going home...kinda ironic...I really feel like her mother knew she wouldn't be coming back to her house...that she would eventually returned to what she left...so why did she have to call at all?
what do you guys think? did you like the book or did it leave questions that you wanted answered? what do you make of the relationships and visits to Omishto in the last part of the book?
20 April 2009
14 April 2009
who has the "power"?
I finished reading the assignment last night and I was actually shocked the way the court trial ended...Omishto described many of the whites as descendants of destroyers of the land and her people...they wanted Ama in jail and she partially agreed, but on the other hand, "her people" also bring a form of tension because she doesn't know what or how to believe in this situation...
Ama wants to be convicted, take the blame for what she had done, be it right or wrong...and flat out says "I KILLED IT"...would that not be enough evidence to put her away? what do you think about the need to have enough physical evidence to condem her? what is the reason they let her go even though she admitted to the act? therefore, is the power in truth or in evidence and logical thought?
Omishto thinks they let her go because she wanted to be convicted...she thinks they were compelled because of their animal nature..."It seemed we went against our wills, and who am I to judge, me being such a part of this other world, both these other worlds" (143). I have the same question Professor asked us: what are these two worlds? are they the ones she described between Americans and Taigas, or is it the traditional nature of the Taiga and what she has learned in school and the modern world? or is it simply between what Omishto wants to believe and what she is told to believe?
Ama wants to be convicted, take the blame for what she had done, be it right or wrong...and flat out says "I KILLED IT"...would that not be enough evidence to put her away? what do you think about the need to have enough physical evidence to condem her? what is the reason they let her go even though she admitted to the act? therefore, is the power in truth or in evidence and logical thought?
Omishto thinks they let her go because she wanted to be convicted...she thinks they were compelled because of their animal nature..."It seemed we went against our wills, and who am I to judge, me being such a part of this other world, both these other worlds" (143). I have the same question Professor asked us: what are these two worlds? are they the ones she described between Americans and Taigas, or is it the traditional nature of the Taiga and what she has learned in school and the modern world? or is it simply between what Omishto wants to believe and what she is told to believe?
06 April 2009
momma says...
I don't know about you guys, but a section of the reading reminded me of the infamous "Momma said" on page 19...the judgment from her mother is one reason why she feels "called" and connected to Ama...
in this reading, we learn a lot about Omishto...the relationship with her mom, her mother's husband, with Ama, and her feelings about herself...at such a young age, she is so descriptive!!!! she personifies everything; the house, the wind, the earth...
I also found it interesting that she is caught between two different religious beliefs and seems to associate with both...she rebels against her mother and her religion, but as she describes Ama against her house she says she seems "crucified" (37). on the other hand, she associates with Ama and the elders beliefs of nature and its representation of God...
finally, I wonder if both Ama and Omishto are prophets...with the apparition of the "messengers" (25) and in the feeling they both get at the end of chapter two...what do you guys think? is the title an indicator of a common bond/experience the two have, or is it only the description of the world around them?
in this reading, we learn a lot about Omishto...the relationship with her mom, her mother's husband, with Ama, and her feelings about herself...at such a young age, she is so descriptive!!!! she personifies everything; the house, the wind, the earth...
I also found it interesting that she is caught between two different religious beliefs and seems to associate with both...she rebels against her mother and her religion, but as she describes Ama against her house she says she seems "crucified" (37). on the other hand, she associates with Ama and the elders beliefs of nature and its representation of God...
finally, I wonder if both Ama and Omishto are prophets...with the apparition of the "messengers" (25) and in the feeling they both get at the end of chapter two...what do you guys think? is the title an indicator of a common bond/experience the two have, or is it only the description of the world around them?
02 April 2009
Lucy
this last section of reading was perfectly titled, "Lucy". I felt like she let herself open up in a way we had not seen before...instead of being cynical to others, she was describing herself, her emotions and really describing how or why she felt that way...instead of completely ignoring and neglecting her feelings toward her mother and her home, she let her true emotions play a role...
her relationships all changed as well...one line in particular, the remarks about her and Paul's relationship, really reminded me of her life...the life in her past that she was now willing to acknowledge, but, like Paul, no longer willing to let it possess her..."He loved ruins; he loved the past but only if it had ended on a sad note, from a lofty beginning to a gradual, rotten decline; he loved things that came from far away and had a mysterious history" (156).
I also feel like Lucy's decision to move out and throw herself into things that didn't make her happy was purposeful...she "was sure none of it was good for [her], and [she] liked that" (160). Even though the concept of self guilt was new to her, she filled the role; whether consciously or subconsciously.
what do you guys think? is this new life Lucy's attempt to try and start over again, or a way of dealing with her guilt?
her relationships all changed as well...one line in particular, the remarks about her and Paul's relationship, really reminded me of her life...the life in her past that she was now willing to acknowledge, but, like Paul, no longer willing to let it possess her..."He loved ruins; he loved the past but only if it had ended on a sad note, from a lofty beginning to a gradual, rotten decline; he loved things that came from far away and had a mysterious history" (156).
I also feel like Lucy's decision to move out and throw herself into things that didn't make her happy was purposeful...she "was sure none of it was good for [her], and [she] liked that" (160). Even though the concept of self guilt was new to her, she filled the role; whether consciously or subconsciously.
what do you guys think? is this new life Lucy's attempt to try and start over again, or a way of dealing with her guilt?
31 March 2009
The Problem Revealed
I don't even know where to begin...so why not at the end...?
"My life was at once something more simple and more complicated than that: for ten of my twenty years, half of my life, I had been mourning the end of a love affair; perhaps the only true love in my whole life I would ever know" (Kincaid, 132). This quote finally reveals what I have suspected throughout the whole book! If you were to go back and see everywhere Lucy recalled "mother" in her present experiences, you get the feeling that no matter how hard she wants to, her past will always be a part of who she is...even if it something she is trying to change/challenge...
Lucy is no longer the cold hearted, miserable person I permanently stamped for her...somehow, in realizing that her mother was not able to connect with her the way she wanted, she becomes an inspiration and very intelligent individual...but she just doesn't know how to deal with it...the story Lucy recalls to Mariah explains so much more than what we have seen about her personality...this girl, at ten, understood that there has to be more than what she is having wished for her...being raised in an environment where we have been taught to be strong, ambitious and adventurous is the norm, and Lucy secretly feels these too...to feel rejected and betrayed by your mother at such an influential age can be a life changing experience...her desire to break the mold and severe relations with those feelings is not only very hard, but for her, is virtually impossible...
the society she had dreamed of since she was little quickly changes and seems unimportant...what's important is her mother and the woman she is and how she is present in Lucy...
does the last bit of reading today change anyone else's persception of Lucy?
"My life was at once something more simple and more complicated than that: for ten of my twenty years, half of my life, I had been mourning the end of a love affair; perhaps the only true love in my whole life I would ever know" (Kincaid, 132). This quote finally reveals what I have suspected throughout the whole book! If you were to go back and see everywhere Lucy recalled "mother" in her present experiences, you get the feeling that no matter how hard she wants to, her past will always be a part of who she is...even if it something she is trying to change/challenge...
Lucy is no longer the cold hearted, miserable person I permanently stamped for her...somehow, in realizing that her mother was not able to connect with her the way she wanted, she becomes an inspiration and very intelligent individual...but she just doesn't know how to deal with it...the story Lucy recalls to Mariah explains so much more than what we have seen about her personality...this girl, at ten, understood that there has to be more than what she is having wished for her...being raised in an environment where we have been taught to be strong, ambitious and adventurous is the norm, and Lucy secretly feels these too...to feel rejected and betrayed by your mother at such an influential age can be a life changing experience...her desire to break the mold and severe relations with those feelings is not only very hard, but for her, is virtually impossible...
the society she had dreamed of since she was little quickly changes and seems unimportant...what's important is her mother and the woman she is and how she is present in Lucy...
does the last bit of reading today change anyone else's persception of Lucy?
26 March 2009
understanding this child
this poor girl! she is so torn between different worlds and does not know where to go or what to do! One the one hand, she longed to get away from the place she resented the most, but she seems to just go to a place she feels the same toward...
as I read, I got the feeling that she was homesick, obviously...and she completely resents it...her stubborn character and personality make her think of returning to, or having a connection with a past was a sign of weakness...for her, this isn't just a personal thing; she thinks everyone should disconnect from their past as they move into the future...this is demonstrated on pages 33-34, "...I thought Mariah should have long separated the person Gus standing in front of her in the present from all things he had meant to her in the past"...I don't think she has come to realize yet that your previous experience make you who you are in the present...this may be the reason why she resents her mother so much now, but cannot explain why....
another thing I am confused about was the last two pages of the assigned reading...her unwillingness to even hug Mariah after opening up to her is a prime example of her feelings toward her own culture and the culture she is trying to fit into...I don't think she really means to be so mean to Mariah, but I feel so bad for her either way...as she tries to seperate herself from what she is used to, she is blocking possible connections to others...
j
as I read, I got the feeling that she was homesick, obviously...and she completely resents it...her stubborn character and personality make her think of returning to, or having a connection with a past was a sign of weakness...for her, this isn't just a personal thing; she thinks everyone should disconnect from their past as they move into the future...this is demonstrated on pages 33-34, "...I thought Mariah should have long separated the person Gus standing in front of her in the present from all things he had meant to her in the past"...I don't think she has come to realize yet that your previous experience make you who you are in the present...this may be the reason why she resents her mother so much now, but cannot explain why....
another thing I am confused about was the last two pages of the assigned reading...her unwillingness to even hug Mariah after opening up to her is a prime example of her feelings toward her own culture and the culture she is trying to fit into...I don't think she really means to be so mean to Mariah, but I feel so bad for her either way...as she tries to seperate herself from what she is used to, she is blocking possible connections to others...
j
24 March 2009
The reading, "This Blessed House" was interesting on many different levels. I enjoyed reading and anyalyzing the relationship between Twinkle and Sanjeev. Throughout the story, we see Sanjeev's reactions climax to the point where he cannot stand the religious items Twinkle keeps finding. At this part in the story, he confesses that "he did not know if he loved her" (147). His constant questioning and inability or lack of ambition to say something makes me wonder about his character. Though he his older and more mature in a business setting, is he really as emotionally and intellectually mature as Twinkle? Also, he seems torn between what "should" be found in a wife and what he thinks loves/loved about Twinkle and their first encounters. For him, I think Twinkle is the squiggle for his square. He may get so frustrated and annoyed with her, but, like in the end, he is compelled to stay quiet and let her have her way...
Then the discussion today...looking back at it, I feel like we discussed so much, but got no where...I don't mean it in a bad way, but the notion of connection and how you connect and with whom you feel compelled to connect to is, in a way, overwhelming...As a class, we felt Sanjeev appeared to be more connected to his Indian heritage, not necessarily the culture...Twinkle appears to f Lo A T and innocently enjoy the beauty
around her. I know we talked about Twinkle and Sanjeev and how they may or may not have had trouble identifying with either the American or Indian culture/heritage, but what about this: the author put them together for a reason...instead of looking at the characters individually, why do you think Lahiri chose to place these two different personalities together?
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