1. Lanteigne, Betty. “Regionally Specific Tasks of Non-Western English Language Use.” TESL-EJ 10.2 (2006): n2. 

This piece goes over how language is used specifically in non western countries(that being not Europe and North America. It goes deeper by analyzing the environment in which language is used, especially when english does not fit the parameters of that environment.

1. Adick, Christel. “Modern education in ‘non-Western’societies in the light of the world systems approach in comparative education.” International review of education 38 (1992): 241-255.

Here Christel goes over an issue that is not commonly spoken about. Due to factors such as colonization, how have those factors affected education in non western countries. Those effects being both good and bad tend to shape how people think within those countries and even the culture.

1. Merriam, Sharan B., and Young Sek Kim. “Non-Western perspectives on learning and knowing.” The Jossey-Bass reader on contemporary issues in adult education (2011): 378-389.

Interestingly, this work takes a different approach from the others. Instead of it talking on how western education standards affect non western countries, it asks what can western countries learn from non western ones. It also talks on how culture influences education, western being individualistic and capitalist oriented while nonwestern is more communal and for the people.

1. Kachru, Yamuna. “Applied Linguistics and Foreign Language Teaching: A Non-Western Perspective.” (1985).

Another interesting document. This work is from the perspective of a language teacher not from an english speaking country. She analyzes language acquisition in students as a non english speaker and how they develop the ability to speak a foreign language

1. Lanteigne, Betty. “Regionally Specific Tasks of Non-Western English Language Use.” TESL-EJ 10.2 (2006): n2. 
2. Adick, Christel. “Modern education in ‘non-Western’societies in the light of the world systems approach in comparative education.” International review of education 38 (1992): 241-255.
3. Merriam, Sharan B., and Young Sek Kim. “Non-Western perspectives on learning and knowing.” The Jossey-Bass reader on contemporary issues in adult education (2011): 378-389.
4. Kachru, Yamuna. “Applied Linguistics and Foreign Language Teaching: A Non-Western Perspective.” (1985).

As I found these sources, I realized I might want to tweak my question a bit. Instead of talking about how language was used in The Hungry Tide I might want to involve how education played a role in shaping the characters as well as the reason for how many events played out as they did.

10:04 by Ben Lerner does something that not many other fiction novels do or rather do well. While reading the novel I noticed that the narrator who’s never named constantly envisions his future. But it’s not like other novels where they say something along the lines of ‘I imagine myself….” but instead it immediately drops you into that “alternate reality” sort of future. This does a lot for the immersion of not only the characters but the story as well. At first it’s almost jarring in the way the text instantly switches from present day thoughts to fantasizing about the future. Furthermore, the explanation of the natural disasters that occur throughout the novel also are laid out very plainly.

So far, all of the novels we have read thus far include some form of climate change awareness or something to do with the anthropocene. This novel is no different and it does what all the other novels do where the affects of climate change are apparent, just not focussed on(with the exception of maybe Parable of the Sower). With this style of writing, it does something i’ve talked about before which is how fiction teaches the concepts of an idea without focussing on it. Many write off the idea of fiction novels or series simply because they believe they have nothing to gain from them. Aside from the obvious answer of enjoyment, some believe it is a waste of time. However, the introduction of the hurricane and how people went about their lives to prepare for it was almost unreal in a sense. As described in the book, the narrator and Alex simply take the train to Whole Foods and acquire the materials needed to have a safe night or few days. Not only that, they were told to fill up the bathtub with water just in case they ran out of clean drinking water, which the government told them to be prepared to be without for a few days.

All in all, the simple casualness of how people go about their lives, really indicates the absurdity of the situation. Although some places on earth are accustomed to having natural disasters for decades(Japan), some places like New York City are not. And so it is seen scrambling to find a way to adapt and while it may, it wont be fast enough. The recent flooding of New York City provides a great example of how our main mode of transportation simply shut down in many places across the city. So what happens when it happens again and it’s worse? Is there any preparation being made to combat theses increasingly active natural disasters?

How does the use of language or lack thereof influence or destabilize the underlying theme of the anthropocene and how the characters view it?

After finishing the Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, one particular thing stuck out to me that 3 of the characters embodied. Those 3 characters being Kanai, Piya, and Moyna all had western values instilled in them. What do I mean by “western values”? Obviously each country has its own culture and values that it upholds and countries like the U.S and India are no different. In the U.S we tend to value individualism more as well as see jobs that do not require some form of higher level education as undesirable. Kanai, Piya, and Moyna all act as a sort of foil to Fokir where all of them are educated in some sense. Kanai runs a a business that is doing well and knows multiple languages, Piya is doing research as a marine biologist, and Moyna is working towards becoming a doctor. Fokir on the other hand is a simple fisherman who lacks the ability to read and write yet excels in almost every other category he is needed for. Despite the plethora of characters we meet throughout the story, Fokir is the only one with intimate knowledge about the rivers of the Sundarbans and because of that contributes to Piyas research greatly. While Piya admires Fokir for his aid, his own wife Moyna, almost resents him for not realizing his own lack of “education”. While Moynas point stands, she also fails to realize the wealth of knowledge Fokir has.

Fokir being knowledgeable about how the rivers work and how they act is integral to the people that live there. He helps provide not only his own family but others with food through his fishing and even provides a source of music for Piya once her walkman gets stolen. Although it is important to educate oneself and learn the basic abilities to read and write as well as do math, many judge people harshly based on their own values. Not being able to do math as well as others for example does not make them any less intelligent compared to another. I had a professor tell me that the true hallmark of intelligence is curiosity and I believe all four characters embody that ideal well. Fokir knows his craft as do the other people around him yet none of them except maybe Piya praise him for being well versed in it. It’s a craft that perhaps maybe a 100 or so years down the line that may be extinct and people will wish that it was preserved.