EDU 3234 Readings And Project Work For Teaching Literature in ESL Contexts (Proposal for Research Paper)

Author: Jhumpa Lahiri (The Namesake)
Bharati Mukherjee (Jasmine)

Aspect of the writer’s work: Treatment of theme in both novels.

Title on Research paper: The portrayal of the theme of construction of
immigrant identities through characterization in
The Namesake and Jasmine.

Points:

-both novels represent the immigrant experience in the States.

-mainly search for each own identities.

-looking at the diaspora between two different cultures.In The Namesake, the family is a Bengali and in Jasmine is Punjabi.

-the issues and confrontations that both characters deal with.

-looking at both side of the characters on how they cope/adjust themselves according to the situation in America.

-the challenges in accepting one’s own identity.

-it chronicles on what is to become an American.

-the accepatance to live in a foreign country whose culture and thinking is entirely different from their homelands.

-tangled tied between generations.(can be seen from the novel The Namesake)

-family,tradition and self-experience.

-2nd generation Americans

Implications for Education:

-educating the students at a broader range on migrant issues.

-introducing new terms like diaspora so that the students will be familiar with such terms.

-spatial differences (setting).For example a person’s homeland and the place which he or she is going to migrate can make the students see the differences between the person’s life before and after decides something.This can show to the students the emotion of the person, the challenges,acceptability,culture gap and different ways of living from wider horizon.

-the students will be able to look at the experiences of different countries.

-understanding of the writers’ feelings.

-broaden the students knowledge in looking at things from a different angle.The students can relate to their own life experiences if they face the same situation like the characters involved in the story which in turn can enhance their thinking skills.

-better understanding of the Indian diaspora.

-talk about the migrant identities.

-can show example like in Malaysia the 2nd ,3rd or 4th generation of people.