Gun Isalnd by Amitav Ghosh

This blog is in response to the assigned thinking activity task on Amitav Ghosh's novel Gun Island, by Dr Dilip Barad. In this blog, I have written on the genre 'cli-fi' (climate fiction), Amitav Ghosh’s use of 'Etymology", and the connection between Ghosh's two novels The Great Derangement and Gun Island.

Amitav Ghosh:

 

Amitav Ghosh is an Indian novelist, known for his works of fiction in English. He is best known for his Ibis Trilogy, which consists of Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, and Flood of Fire. He is also the author of other novels such as The Hungry Tide, The Shadow Lines, and The Glass Palace. His works mostly discuss topics such as colonialism and Climate Change. ("Amitav Ghosh")

Gun Island:

Gun Island is a 2019 novel by Amitav Ghosh. It is a Climate Fiction (cli-fi), which follows the story of Deenanath Datta (Deen), a Bengali man who is living in Los Angeles, he is on a quest to trace the origins of a mysterious legend. Along the way, he discovers that his journey is connected to the tales of Gun Merchant and the myth of Mansa Devi (the goddess of snakes). The novel explores themes of climate change, migration, and the power of stories to connect people and culture.

 

Genre: Novel, Cli-fi 

What is Climate Fiction:

Climate fiction is literature that deals with climate change. Generally speculative in nature but scientifically grounded, works may take place in the world as we know it or in the near future. The genre frequently includes science fiction and dystopian or utopian themes, imagining the potential futures based on how humanity responds to the impacts of climate change. Rationales for the genre typically assume knowledge of anthropogenic effects—human-altered climate as opposed to weather and disaster more generally—although broader definitions exist. Technologies such as climate engineering or climate adaptation practices often feature prominently in works exploring their impacts on society. ("Climate Fiction")

 

Climate fiction, or cli-fi, is a form of speculative fiction that features a changed or changing climate as a major plot device. People have been unwittingly writing cli-fi stories and novels for decades, though the term came into heavy usage in the past 10 or so years. A 2013 article from Scientific American credits journalist Dan Bloom with coining the term cli-fi, and authors like Margaret Atwood and publications like NPR, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, and the New Yorker have since endorsed it. (Brown)

The novel Gun Island which shifts between Sundarbans (Bengal), Venice, and California mostly shows the effect of climate change, unnaturally and naturally. Apart from that it also shows the impact which it creates peoples' lives. for example, Sundarbans which is a mangrove forest though the island is slowly drifting into the ocean by high tides and the native are forced to move from the area. Many such people who do not have anywhere to go are migrating to other countries illegally.

 

How does Amitav Ghosh make use of the 'etymology' of common words to sustain mystery and suspense in the narrative? (Gun, Gun Merchant, Bhut, Possession, Shikul dwip, Rumali desh, Taal-misri desh)

At the first glance at the title of the novel or the cover page, it seems that it is about battles or war as it is having the character, Gun Merchant. But Ghosh is unveiling this mystery in the novel by discussing the etymology of many terms including Gun Island.

Cinta is explaining how Venice is known as Gun Island, Rafi had said before "‘Dwiper bhetorey dwip, "an island within an island"

it was from classical Arabic: "in that language Venice is linked to three apparently unrelated things – hazelnuts, bullets and guns!" she continued,

"All three are known in Arabic by a word that derives from the Byzantine name for Venice, which was “Banadiq” – the ancestor of the German and Swedish “Venedig”. In Arabic “Banadiq” became “al-Bunduqeyya”, which still remains the proper name for Venice in that language. But bunduqeyya is also the word for guns, hazelnuts and bullets – and the latter, I like to think, were cast precisely in the foundry of the old getto!"

Arabic the name of Venice has travelled far afield, to Persia and parts of India, where to this day guns are known as bundook – which is, of course, none other than “Venice” or “Venetian”!’

Taal Misri:

Different Countries' etymology is discussed by Cinta and Deen.

“Land of Palm Sugar Candy” was Taal-misrir-desh. Desh is “country” in Bengali, and taal is a kind of palm tree. Cinta is laughing at Deen for creating such imaginative meaning from another language. But Deen explains it,

"Do you not know that “Misr” is but the Arabic word for Egypt? Misri or masri just means “Egyptian” – perhaps crystallized sugar is known as misri because the process had come to Bengal by way of Egypt?"

In the novel, Tipu asks Deen the meaning of various terms, he is using the id Bonduki@bonduki.com. 

BHUTA:

Deen is explaining the meaning of this term. 

Bangla word “bhoot” or “bhuta” comes from a basic but very complicated Sanskrit root, “bhu”, meaning “to be”, or “to manifest”. So in that sense “bhuta” simply means “a being” or “an existing presence”.

Is there any connection between 'The Great Derangement' and 'Gun Island'?"

The Great Derangement is in three parts: Stories, History and Politics. Gun Island is published after this fictional work, and many reviews state that many questions raised in The Great Derangement are answered in Gun Island.

The Great Derangement is a non-fiction book written by Amitav Ghosh, while Gun Island is Ghosh’s most recent work of fiction. Both works address the environmental issues of climate change and displacement but from different perspectives. The Great Derangement examines how the effects of climate change are largely ignored and denied, while Gun Island focuses on the personal stories of its characters as they face the reality of a changing environment. Both works explore the connections between humans and nature, the consequences of their decisions, and the power of storytelling to bring about change.

 

 Fan literature with the help of ChatGPT. 

Prompt: Generate microfiction on Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island

Response:

In Gun Island, Deen travels to the far reaches of the world in search of the truth behind a myth about guns. With the help of a librarian named Cinta and a sea captain named Tipu, he uncovers a deep history of violence and exploitation that threatens to destroy the delicate balance of life on earth. But Deen won't give up without a fight - he must find a way to stop the spread of the guns and restore harmony to the land.

Prompt: can you create your version of micro-fiction on this novel

Response:

As the waves crash against the shore, Deen stands on the deck of a ship, searching for answers. The myth of the gun-wielding serpent has led him to the ends of the earth, but what he finds is a tale of greed and oppression, stretching back centuries. With Cinta by his side and Tipu at the helm, Deen sets out to break the cycle of violence, determined to find a way to save the world from the destructive power of guns. But will he be able to overcome the forces arrayed against him and restore balance to the land?

 

Prompt: Generate a poem on Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island

Response:

In the land of Gun Island, where myth and truth collide,

A journey begins a quest to find what's hidden inside.

A serpent with a gun, a tale that's hard to believe,

But Deen sets out, a heart full of determination to retrieve.

 

With Cinta by his side and Tipu on the sea,

The path ahead is uncertain, but they journey on with glee.

Through stormy waters and battles untold,

They search for the root of the story, one that's both new and old.

 

A history of violence and exploitation, hidden from sight,

A cycle that's repeated, a constant day and night.

But Deen won't be defeated, he won't give in to fear,

He'll find a way to stop the guns, to make the world clear.

 

So let us stand with Deen, and hold on tight to his hand,

Together we'll find a way, to heal this wounded land.

For a future free from guns, where peace and love abound,

Is the dream that we hold, in the heart of Gun Island.

 

Conspiracy theory on Gun Island (Gen. by ChatGPT)

The myth of the gun-wielding serpent that Deen sets out to investigate in Gun Island is not just a myth - it's part of a larger conspiracy, one that reaches the highest levels of power and influence. According to this theory, the guns themselves are not just weapons, but ancient artifacts with the power to control the natural world. The people behind the conspiracy, known only as "The Keepers," have been using the guns to maintain their control over the earth, manipulating the climate and natural disasters to suit their own ends.

 

Deen's journey to uncover the truth behind the myth threatens to expose the conspiracy and upset the balance of power. The Keepers will stop at nothing to keep their secret safe, and as Deen gets closer to the truth, he finds himself pursued by mysterious figures who will stop at nothing to silence him.

 

But Deen won't give up - he's determined to find a way to stop The Keepers and restore the balance of the natural world. The fate of the earth rests in his hands, and he must outwit the conspirators and overcome their ancient power if he hopes to save the world from their grasp.