The Namesake Lesson Plan

Point of View Exercise

Kind of Activity:

Creative Writing

Objective:

Students will be able to see the story of the Ganguli family through different eyes

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.5; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6

Structure:

Although Jhumpa Lahiri writes using the third-person limited perspective, she often switches her point of view. Ask students to list the characters through whose eyes we have seen the story: Ashima, Ashoke, Gogol, and in a way Moushumi (they will read more from her perspective tomorrow). Observe that Lahiri has not written anything from Sonia's point of view. Why might she have made that choice? How is...