Writing this essay was a very challenging experience for me. I struggled a lot with thinking of an interesting topic to connect the novel and the two short narrative essays and with trying to keep my readers focused throughout the essay without forgetting the main message. Then I remembered how strongly I connected to Afridi’s experience and her understanding of home and, conversely, how strongly I opposed Gogol’s change of identity in The Namesake. I therefore decided to explore the debate of nature versus nurture, further inspired by my own experiences creating my identity based on where I am from, what I understand and feel close to my heart as home, and where and with whom I feel safe to be my true self. I had never thought about all of these issues before coming to study in the U.S., but since the first day I started my new life here, I have felt as though I am living in a fake reality away from my true home. Going through the process of creating this paper, I realized that even though I had strongly believed that nurture is what truly shapes our identities I had to acknowledge that nature does determine a part of our personalities.
SOFIA KONSTANTINIDOU is a rising sophomore and was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She has not yet chosen a major as she loves Biology but has not figured out what to specialize in. Even though she has no idea what path she is going to follow in life, she has always had two dreams: to help anyone in need and to travel the world. She just moved to the United States one year ago, so she misses her home greatly and is still adjusting to her new life in the United States. Sofia would like to dedicate her work to her WR 098 professor, Lesley Yoder, as she helped her improve her writing and created a safe and welcoming environment in class to express and talk about her fears and questions.