The Namesake Papers & Assignment Topics

Essay Topics/Writing Assignments

These 20 essay questions can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment. Students should have a full understanding of the text in order to answer these questions. They ask for a thorough analysis of the text.

1. The Ganguli family lifestyle is central to the story. Compare and contrast the Ganguli family's lifestyle to the lifestyle of the Ratliffs. Cite examples from the novel that show differences and explain how those differences are important to the story.

2. The anger of second-generation immigrants who feel they are treated as second-class citizens is a theme in many novels. In this novel, the author uses the second-generation Indian immigrant Moushumi as an example of this anger. What happens in the novel that she sees as slights to her Indian heritage? How do these imagined...
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