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Children of immigrants can often feel like they’re never completely accepted either in their adopted home country or their parents’ country of origin. The author Jhumpa Lahiri was born to Indian parents in London and raised in Rhode Island. She is an author of many books, including The Namesake and The Interpreter of Maladies. But she says she’s struggled to feel like she belonged in America. Mixed feelings about identity form a central theme in her work. Listen to hear how Jhumpa Lahiri has dealt with the difficulties of immigration and the struggles of tradition and how these themes have influenced her writing.
Story Length: 6:54
© 2008 National Public Radio, Inc. Used with the permission of NPR. All rights reserved.
11/25/2008
https://app.listenwise.com/students/lessons/395-jhumpa-lahiris-american-identity
What are some of the reasons Lahiri might be proud to be American? What are some of the reasons she might not feel that way?
What does Lahiri mean by a “halfway feeling”?
Why did people assume Lahiri’s parents didn’t speak English?
Why might a child of immigrants go through a “militant phase”? Why might they not?
What might make it difficult for an immigrant to feel comfortable in a new country?
What are some of the ways that Lahiri benefitted from writing?