Hamlet: Do you see nothing there? Gertrude: Nothing at all; yet all that is I see.

Hamlet: Nor did you nothing hear?

Gertrude: No, nothing but ourselves.

Hamlet: Why, look you there! look, how it steals away;

My father, in his habit as he liv’d;

Look! where he goes, even now, out at the portal.

[Exit Ghost.]

–Hamlet,
William Shakespeare

What topic is discussed in this passage?

What does the passage reveal about the topic?

Which theme is best supported by the passage?

Seeing and hearing

gertrude cannot see what is right infront of her

the truth is hard to discern

Explanation:

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.