Monstrosities

Many of my classmates’ recent blogs have centered about the fact that AP English creates sleep-deprived monsters of the English language and procrastination, among other things, intense sarcasm and self-deprecation among them.  Ms. Serensky, you have even remarked on our seemingly unique state of insanity from the endless language corrections and analysis of every situation. 

Fear not though, AP English 12-ers, I have news: we are not alone! Whether this news is good or bad, I cannot distinguish, I feel like “entertaining” proves a more suitable adjective.   Upon reading some of our blogs, my older brother Dan mentioned that I would like a blog that he follows: Hyperbole and a Half. Here’s a link:

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

This particular blog speaks to me as an enthusiastic AP English student, because it highlights the terrible wrongs people make in using the English language, I encourage you all to use her methods of coping with people’s idiocies.  I enjoy her personification of the monstrocity of using the NON-word “alot” to a monstrous beast.  If I added to her blog, I would make the use of “nother,” as in “she ate a whole nother cake” another curiosity, perhaps a monstrous jungle beast.  Better yet, the blogger, Allie, accompanies her insightful and hilarious writing with fantastic cartoons! Who wouldn’t love that?  Plus, I feel that Allie’s humor in making seemingly normal situations insanely odd and in poking fun at the world and herself mirrors Ms. Serensky’s particular breed of humor.  What more could I ask for than finding amusing and smart comments about life both during and after school! I urge everyone to follow this blog and set their blogging sights high and aim for her greatness. Read her blog: hilarity will ensue.

Straight from Allie Brosh's imagination, for your viewing pleasure, the alot.
go to hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com for more fantastic drawings!
Wow, this picture makes me laugh every time

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

 “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself” –Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)

            In the wake of the midnight premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, my thoughts have almost exclusively centered on this epic series.  Therefore, I find it very appropriate that my blog post do the same.  The quote I pulled from the first book of the series Dumbledore says to Harry in regards to Voldemort, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to most of the wizarding world.  I believe this relates extremely well to The Namesake: Gogol hates and even fears the name Gogol, especially in his teen years when he only wants to distance himself from his namesake.  Later on, the protagonist fears the persona of Gogol—the “thing itself”—in a way, because he does not want to return to his inexperienced, shy self.  For the first few days of his life, Gogol was “not-to-be-named” as well, due to a delay in his grandmother’s letter. To further equate him to Voldemort, they both change their name and identity when they turn into adults: Tom Riddle to Lord Voldemort and Gogol Ganguli to Nikhil Ganguli; and both name changes represent a shift toward self-obsession and escape from childhood and their fathers.  I do not mean to say that Gogol links to the Dark Lord (not you Chase) and should thus get hunted down and killed as soon as possible. To be honest, I just enjoy making the connections.  It is interesting then, to study their points of difference; mainly, Gogol is not a blood-thirsty, egomaniacal, mad supremacist. Partly, I think he owes this to a much better childhood: one not spent in an orphanage suppressing his magical abilities as Riddle did.  More importantly though, Gogol does not end up as such a maniac because he keeps his mind open and allows himself to accept his namesake later on in life.  Tom Marvolo Riddle, on the other hand, rejects and kills his lineage and namesakes and refuses to even understand them.  I think the lesson to most pull away from this connection is to keep an open mind and just start to read, as the last line of The Namesake preaches.

J.K. Rowling's epic series Harry Potter offers more than just a thrilling read

As Immature as Gogol?

I received a letter the other day, asking me to verify my application to Holy Cross.  I dutifully filled out the attached form, and when I came to the space on the sheet where it asked me if I had any relatives who have attended the college, I thought “Do I ever!” and began to list the endless slew of family members.  I kid you not; this list goes on for days.  Holy Cross even has an O’Neil Building hidden in the science complex.  As I wrote down the many family members with a Holy Cross diploma, I became reminded of the reason for my initial dislike for Holy Cross: the legacy.  I feel in college, I should have a place to explore myself, away from the predetermined standards of family and my childhood.   Holy Cross not only would serve as a constant reminder of my family, but I would feel like I would just live my dad’s or cousin’s or aunt’s or uncle’s life, not create a path of my own.  I convinced myself that I grew up from these unwarranted thoughts when I accepted the school as an exact fit for what I want in a college: small, New England, near a city, good at math and science, but my familial issues stay in the back of my mind, despite how logical a choice this makes.  Through all this, I cannot help but compare myself to Gogol and his unfailing need to remove himself from his family.  When I read the novel, I judged Gogol and called him immature for reacting so fiercely against his family and culture, but in real life I find myself doing the exact same thing. Does this make me as immature as Gogol? Wow, I hope not.

Is The College of the Holy Cross in my past? Definitely. Is it in my future? Perhaps...

As a side note, Alex Hurtuk, do not let my Holy Cross qualms deter you in any way from considering this school, it’s still a great one.  I even still like it, I just have some strange, deep-seated issues with it.

Sudden Death

Throughout this novel, The Namesake, I have found the repeated idea of needing a huge event to make a lasting change in one’s life.  From Ashoke’s near-death experience in a train accident to Gogol’s reaction to his father’s death years later, monumental events have acted as catalysts in the Ganguli’s lives, causing a reevaluation of morals and priorities (13-21,180-182).  Only Moushumi, however, seems immune to these life revelations in the face of death.  My class never discussed the odd parallel between Moushumi’s encounter with the sudden death of her secretary, Alice, and the unexpected heart attack of Ashoke, Gogol’s father.  Unfortunately, the parallel ends here.  The horrible early death of his father struck Gogol and evolved him into a more family-based, mature, empathetic man.  While Moushumi understandably suffered a lesser devastation because of her comparatively distant relationship with Alice, still she shows little to no shock or sympathy from it.  A surprising death, no matter how well-known the deceased, should illicit some emotion in a person.  I felt so angry at Moushumi for having such little feeling in this section.   Not only does Moushumi not experience a life-changing shift out of this death, as other characters have throughout this book, but she loses maturity.  The most immediate effect of Alice’s death: her reconnection and affair with Dmitri Desjardins.  In contrast with the mature figures of Gogol and Ashoke, Moushumi makes poorer and more immature decisions after the would-be life-altering event of an unexpected death.  Some classmates wondered why people need such large events to evoke change in one’s life, but at least Gogol reacted after that huge episode, as opposed to having no response at all, as Moushumi did.

Married Names: A Fusion of Old and New

This week in class, my peers grappled over the aspect of taking a husband’s last name upon one’s marriage.  In my opinion, the woman has her own prerogative to keep her last name, but she should know, that in staying with her maiden name, she must try harder to keep her marriage afloat than if she had changed her last name.  While I wholeheartedly support Moushumi’s decision to keep her name for professional reasons, she should recognize that this action, however small, displays a lack of connection to Gogol and, intended or not, she seems to not take the marriage seriously. Sighing in disgust and embarrassment will only worsen the rocky ground upon which their marriage began (227).  If Moushumi wants to keep Mazoomdar as her last name, she shall, but then she cannot afford to do petty actions like shaking her head at its misuse, instead she must put in the extra effort at displaying affection to enforce the bond between Gogol and herself.  Personally, unless the rare chance occurs where I have many publications in my maiden name, I plan to change my name when I get married.  I think I will follow in my mother’s footsteps in the way I go about it.  Because she felt an emotional connection to the quite character-inducing mouthful of a maiden name, Hagenbuch, and the family ties that accompanied it, my mom opted to put this maiden name as her middle name and make O’Neil her new last name.  I think this displays a perfect balance between maintaining a connection to childhood and family and showing the new unit that a husband and wife create. For me, that would make my future name four-part because I should not simply abandon the origin of the “Beth” in my name.  I cannot wait for such a lengthy name, as Mrs. Deighan pointed out on Thursday, if I marry a man whose last name begins with a W, my new monogram will read MEOW.  In order to guarantee this comes true, I plan on marrying Andrew Weaver.