When one first comes across the short story Hell-Heaven you automatically believe religion comes into play. A great number of people all over the world were conveyed to believe that God is affiliated with heaven and the Devil is affiliated with hell despite what belief you practice. The author Jhumpa Lahiri is authentically comparing the two cultures, American culture to hell and the Bengali culture to heaven. She also has the reader acknowledge that one’s heritage beliefs and values are not static but are subject to change. When the two cultures are seen side by side, it is made very apparent of their differences. Regardless of their characteristic diversity that is displayed by Lahiri, America is not demonic because, as an America you have the liberation to dress, verbalize whatever language you desire to talk and accept any God you desire to worship.
It’s ironic on how Usha's parents that have lived in America for many years and Pranab only some live their lives so differently even though they originated from the same place. Pranab is more open-minded of the American culture and their way of life, and while attending school he easily accepts the modern way of living of an American rather than that of a Bengali. He gradually breaks away from the Indian culture by cutting contact with his roots as well as cutting contact with his own parents. The fact that he marries outside his culture, having a customary American wedding and having children without educating them on the Bengali culture allows one to perceive that this is the work of the devil. That America is a location where one abandons their customs, values and beliefs without any heartache or grief. Pranab was more eager to let proceed of all his upbringings to be wealthy ...
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...ined to be that shoulder to cry on.
In Hell-Heaven it is like day and night when it comes to the American and Bengali culture, especially when Bengali is run off by belief and culture, America is run off of laws. One might emphasize with Aparna because one can’t help but see the challenges that she endured by leaving everything she knew and coming to America. Nevertheless, Aparna conquered her struggle between the two cultures and accepted the American way of life. Thus America is not this hellish place one might accept as true. Even by the detail that the American way of life does not meet the Bengali heritage notions or customs, it does not signify that becoming an American you abandoned your heritage. Evolving into an American just means you have taken in their way of life but still having the right to hold on to your convictions with no judgment from other ones.
...rself in between the two, and in doing so partially “unmakes” the ethnic identity passed on to her from her ancestors. The question of whether she is more assimilated into American culture or is more dissimilated from the culture of her ancestors is arbitrary and ambiguous. She is simultaneously both and neither; she is a new person who enjoys the American way of life but will always feel burdened by the “weight” of her ancestors “upon [her]” (297).
She has never had to experience the idea of fitting in with her own culture. Being American is simply natural and a way of life for her. Traveling to another country, especially to one that was nothing like she expected it to be, helped to her stumble upon some important insights. She states being away from her own culture did not change her but made her able to realize what values and habits were the most important to her. In the other story, author Patricia was of Korean descent, but was born and raised here in America. Due to her Korean descent Patricia never really knew for sure where she belonged. She used a name to describe it, “hyphenated Americans,” because she looks like she is from another country but was born and raised here. People right on the streets of New York will ask her where she is from and compliment her on her good English skills. This makes it difficult to truly identify as an American. To really know what values and habits are her own. Traveling to Korea, visiting what they have called her homeland, taught Patricia some important insights of her own.
Dante Alighieri presents a vivid and awakening view of the depths of Hell in the first book of his Divine Comedy, the Inferno. The reader is allowed to contemplate the state of his own soul as Dante "visits" and views the state of the souls of those eternally assigned to Hell's hallows. While any one of the cantos written in Inferno will offer an excellent description of the suffering and justice of hell, Canto V offers a poignant view of the assignment of punishment based on the committed sin. Through this close reading, we will examine three distinct areas of Dante's hell: the geography and punishment the sinner is restricted to, the character of the sinner, and the "fairness" or justice of the punishment in relation to the sin. Dante's Inferno is an ordered and descriptive journey that allows the reader the chance to see his own shortcomings in the sinners presented in the text.
On July 8, 1741 Congregational minister, John Edwards, delivered a sermon entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” before a Massachusetts congregation in order to dismiss some of the colonist’s belief that hell is not real. Edwards’s objective is to abolish any doubts against god and hell that the colonists have. He uses strategies such as anaphora, figurative language, polysyndeton, all while instilling a feeling of angst in his audience through his tone.
Amir notes the change he and Baba experienced in American—“For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his” (129).
In “My Two Lives”, Jhumpa Lahiri tells of her complicated upbringing in Rhode Island with her Calcutta born-and-raised parents, in which she continually sought a balance between both her Indian and American sides. She explains how she differs from her parents due to immigration, the existent connections to India, and her development as a writer of Indian-American stories. “The Freedom of the Inbetween” written by Sally Dalton-Brown explores the state of limbo, or “being between cultures”, which can make second-generation immigrants feel liberated, or vice versa, trapped within the two (333). This work also discusses how Lahiri writes about her life experiences through her own characters in her books. Charles Hirschman’s “Immigration and the American Century” states that immigrants are shaped by the combination of an adaptation to American...
Pirzada is from East Pakistan and Lilia’s family is from India where both cultures are fighting on the other side of the world while these two cultures are able to have peace in America. The theme is the overall message of the story and the overall message in this story is that in America cultural differences can be put aside, and people can come together without fighting over issues that are going on the other side of the world. Lahiri writes, “He seemed concerned that Mr. Pirzada might take offense if I accidentally referred to him as an Indian, though I could not really imagine Mr. Pirzada being offended by much of anything. ‘Mr. Pirzada is Bengali, but he is a Muslim’… ‘Therefore he lives in East Pakistan, not India’ (Lahiri 26). This shows readers that Mr. Pirzada and Lilia’s family are opposites because Mr. Pirzada is a Muslim, which Lilia’s family is not. These were the two cultures at war on the other side of the world. Lilia’s father didn’t want Lilia to accidently refer Mr. Pirzada as an Indian because he was afraid that he might take offense. This is because Mr. Pirzada is not an Indian, he is a Muslim. Mr. Pirzada is Bengali because East Pakistan
Mukherjee begins her essay with an exposition of her and her sister’s story. She uses repetition in order to emphasize the main differences between the two. For example, she states, “I am an American citizen and she is not. I am moved that thousands of residents are finally taking the oath of citizenship. She is not.” This line is used to set up her subject. She is stating that she is an immigrant whose dream was to envelop the American culture, while her sister does not believe that she should be assimilated into it. The use of repetition also appeals to her audience, Americans, by capturing their attention. Many Americans are nationalistic, if not jingoistic, and believe that America is the greatest country in the world. The notion that others do not feel this way may intrigue them, or potentially offend them, causing them to read on in attempt to find flaws within her argument.
Punishment, by Rabindranath Tagore, is a short story involving Indian culture and a dilemma for two brothers. Dukhiram and Chidam slaved in the fields all day, as their wives would fight and scream at each other at the house. One day the brothers came home to their wives with no food awaiting them. Dukhiram, furious and enraged, asked his wife where the food was. Radha, his wife, said sarcastically," Where is the food? You didn't give me anything to cook. Must I earn the money myself to buy it?" (Punishment, pg.1451) After a hard days work, Dukhiram couldn't handle the sarcasim. So he stabbed Radha in the head with his knife. In the mean while, Ramlochan, the pillar of the village, came to collect rent from the brothers. He walked in the house and witnessed Dukhiram sobbing in the corner. Chidam rushed over and explained the recent events to the Ramlochan. Since Ramlochan was the man who took care of legal matters, he decided to help Chidam. They both decided it would be best to place the blame on Chidam's wife, Chandara. Chidam did not wish to lose his brother, and he felt he could make up a story to clear his wife from the charges anyways. Word of the murder spread around town and soon the police came to question Chandara. Chidam had instructed her to say that Radha attacked her with a slicer, and she reacted in self-defense. However, Chandara told the police the opposite. She said that Radha didn't attack her in any way. Chidam, absolutely shocked, couldn't believe what his wife had said. She continued to confess her guilt to all who questioned her. The case then went to trial, where once again she pronounced her actions of murder. Chidam was que...
The main conflict in this story is a personal conflict of Jayanti trying to convince herself that America is still a great place, ignoring her uncle saying "Things here aren't as perfect as people at home like to think." She tries to stay open minded to how great America is going to be, until her conflict with the boys in the streets. The boys throw nasty slush at Jayanti and her aunt, but Jayanti doesn't seem to want to accept that fact boys that young are so disrespectful in America unlike at home for her. Another conflict she experiences is having her uncle hit her aunt in front of her, but having no idea how to react to the situation because her aunt forgives her uncle almost instantly after getting hit. I would find it very confusing if
“Bangladesh is one of the world’s youngest nations. Historically it has been part of India and has been reborn twice, once as East Pakistan and again as Bangladesh” (“Cultures of the World: Bangladesh” 1). This has shown that even though it’s one of the youngest nations, it has been through a lot and has experienced a lot. The environment, religion, arts, leisure, and food are what make Bangladesh the wonderful place it is.
In “My Two Lives” Jhumpa Lahiri talks about her hardship growing up in America coming from two different cultures. At home she spoke Bengali with her parents, ate with her hands. According to Jhumpa’s parents she was not American and would never be. This led her to become ashamed of her background. She felt like she did not have to hide her culture anymore. When Jhumpa got married in Calcutta she invited her American friends that never visited India. Jhumpa thought her friends would judge from being part of the Indian culture and isolate her.However her friends were intrigued by her culture and fascinated. She felt like her culture should not be hidden from her friends anymore, and that coming from an Indian-American culture is unique. Jhumpa believes that her upbringing is the reason why she is still involved with her Bengali culture. Jhumpa says“While I am American by virtue of the fact that I was raised in this country, I am Indian thanks to the efforts of two individuals.” Jhumpa means that she is Indian, because she lived most of her life and was raised here. In the story Lahiri explains that her parents shaped her into the person she is. Growing up coming from two different cultures can be difficult, but it can also be beneficial.
The Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's epic three-part poem, The Divine Comedy. In this poem, Dante develops many themes throughout the adventures of his travelers from political to religious. The Inferno is a poem that Dante used to explain and show his ideas of God's divine justice. Throughout this story religion comes up and shows the comparison of the different Hells and beliefs. This paper develops the connections between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism religion and the message presented in Dante’s Inferno.
Meena ‘s hybrid cultural identity depends on the condition of being somewhat detached from the Indian family culture due to an English education and not being able to take English cultural assumptions for granted.” Her education places her in a position where she is not ful...
Bharati Mukherjee’s story, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, is about two sisters from India who later came to America in search of different ambitions. Growing up they were very similar in their looks and their beliefs, but they have contrasting views on immigration and citizenship. Both girls had been living in the United States for 35 years and only one sister had her citizenship. Bharati decided not to follow Indian traditional values and she married outside of her culture. She had no desire to continue worshipping her culture from her childhood, so she became a United States citizen. Her ideal life goal was to stay in America and transform her life. Mira, on the other hand, married an Indian student and they both earned labor certifications that was crucial for a green card. She wanted to move back to India after retirement because that is where her heart belonged. The author’s tone fluctuates throughout the story. At the beginning of the story her tone is pitiful but then it becomes sympathizing and understanding. She makes it known that she highly disagrees with her sister’s viewpoints but she is still considerate and explains her sister’s thought process. While comparing the two perspectives, the author uses many