In human culture throughout the centuries there have been a select few gifted souls that have graced this earth. Each one special in there own way and talented beyond what the world has ever seen before. In the book My Name is Asher Lev we encounter one of these incredible prodigies. Asher’s story is similar to many other talented individuals in that he is raised in circumstances that seem less than suitable for a budding talent. This is a typical problem for the gifted because they do not view the
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In My Name Is Asher Lev‚ Chaim Potok tells of a young man and his troubling family dynamic. Lev holds a prodigious artistic ability‚ an ability which is both marginalized by his family‚ due to their conflicting religious convictions‚ and the subject of great inner strife for Asher as a result. The Lev household’s patriarch‚ Aryeh Lev‚ has a deep rooted dedication to the teachings of a Chabad-esque scholar and leader of the Ladover Jewish movement‚ simply known to his supporters as “the Rebbe”‚ a
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Throughout the novel‚ My Name Is Asher Lev by Chiam Potok‚ much of inner characters are revealed through the symbol of the window. The mother‚ the father‚ and Asher all face many struggles and the use of the window helps one to understand them. To begin with‚ the mother‚ Rivkeh‚ is shown a great deal by the window. Potok writes‚ “About an hour after supper‚ it began to snow heavily. My mother and I stood at the living-room window‚ watching for my father. ‘I hate this‚’ my mother murmured‚ staring out the
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Asher Lev Essay In My name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok‚ the main character‚ Asher lives in a Jewish society almost as an outcast due to his artistic ability and the lack of interest in learning the Torah. Asher had been drawing since he was a little boy but has been criticize by his dad multiple of times by calling it foolish in the beginning of the book. Throughout the book Asher’s artistic talent changes through events or inspiration that happens around him. Asher Lev loved drawing when he
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My Name Is Asher Lev. As an Orthodox Jew‚ Asher’s gift for art is looked upon very unfavorably. Despite the disapproval of his community and father and the pain his art causes those around him‚ he pursues his passion and must find a way to reconcile the conflict between his religious identity and his individual identity. Potok starts off with the main character delivering three short sentences that set up the basis for the entire book. Before the reader learns anything about Asher Lev or the plot
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name is Asher Lev” Asher Lev’s story begins with him as a young boy from a Jewish family. A young boy who lived in conservative community that was strict and fascist in nature when it comes to religion. Two conflicting forces play an important role in Asher Lev’s story. One‚ Asher Lev’s up tight and all- encompassing religious community‚ and the other his intense passion and desire to create art. Throughout Asher Lev’s life as a young child and as an adult‚ he had to trade-off between his love of
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In what way can we say that Asher has three fathers? The term ‘father’ can simply be described as the person who contributes to the conception of a child‚ a progenitor whose relationship with the child is strictly biological. Nevertheless‚ the duty of a father requires something more ; being there for his children‚ watching and actively participating in their lives. The presence of a male figure is important for the development of a child as a human being and‚ in this case‚ as an artist and so
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Asher Lev Essay: Minor characters are central to our understanding of any text. Analyse their significance in My Name Is Asher Lev. Central to our understanding of "My name is Asher Lev" by Chaim Potok‚ is the dynamics of Asher’s relationship with different minor characters involved. Each minor character such as Yudel Krinsky‚ Uncle Yitzchok‚ the Rebbe‚ and Jacob Kahn each help Asher in a different way allowing the reader to interpret the text more thoroughly. Their guidance to the antagonist
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My Name is Asher Lev‚ by Chaim Potok; the reader is exposed to the conflict within an Orthodox Hasidic Jewish boy. In the beginning of this novel‚ Asher is able to balance his religious teachings with his desire to draw. His desire to draw causes Asher‚ to behave impulsively when he is younger and eventually Asher decides that his need to express himself through drawing is more important that the teachings of his religion. The elders in his faith are often disappointed and upset with his behavior and
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My Name is Asher Lev Reading and Discussion questions. 1. Create a character list for My Name is Asher Lev: Who are they‚ what do they do‚ what is the role of each character in relation to the others‚ etc. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/asher/characters.html 2. Why is Asher so important for his religious community? What does his gift appear to be? What events in Asher’s life seem to coincide with changes in the gift‚ and what are those changes? What is at stake for Asher individually and for the
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