Question

Read the excerpt from The Namesake. She opens a door, and Gogol is introduced to his teacher, Miss Watkins, a woman with hair in two braids, wearing overalls and clogs. Inside the classroom it’s a small universe of nicknames—Andrew is Andy, Alexandra Sandy, William Billy, Elizabeth Lizzy. It is nothing like the schooling Gogol’s parents have known, fountain pens and polished black shoes and notebooks and good names and sir or madam at a tender age. Here the only official ritual is pledging allegiance first thing in the morning to the American flag. For the rest of the day, they sit at a communal round table, drinking punch and eating cookies, taking naps on little orange cushions on the floor. Which central idea of the passage is established in this excerpt

Answer 1

The central idea of this passage (as established in the excerpt) is that school is so different now from when Gogol's parents went to school. It contrasts the time periods from having nicknames now and the teacher being very casual to formal schooling of his parents.

Answer 2

Answer:

The central idea of the passage that can be established in the excerpt is that globalization causes people to redefine their cultural identities.

Explanation:

In this passage from the novel called "The Namesake" written by American author Jhumpa Lahiri, the central idea is established as how globalization causes people to redefine their cultural identities. It is clear that the experience Gorgol is about to have at his new school is way different that the one both of his parents had back in Calcutta. The passage reinforces a concept that is shown throughout the whole story; how globalization impacts the way each culture defines its rituals and way of living, and how it can be difficult to adapt to a new city that has different cultural activities than the one we are used to. Although it is positive that the family are able to travel and live in different places of the world, the passage shows how due to globalization, people are able to redefine their cultural identities based on where they are living at the moment.