• Jon Kertzer (2018) Amitav Ghosh’s zubben: Confluence of languages in the Ibis trilogy, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 54:2, 187-199. 
• The purpose of this article is to express the fact that language is complex. Across languages there will never be an equivalence of expression. The argument made is that social reality will vary across cultures because there is no exact understanding across translation.    
• Kalaiarasan M., Sowmiyalaltha R. “Trans-cultural Communication in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide”, Vol. 19:7, July 2019, p. 323-328. 

• This article highlights Ghosh’s representation of culture through language. It touches upon the inevitability of dialogue exchange between civilizations and culture. This type of interaction can be seen in Ghosh’s novel with scenes between Piya and the natives. There is also an undertone of analysis regarding the changes of culture (including language) between generations.  

• Rollason Christopher. “In Our Translated World: Transcultural Communication In Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide”, The Atlantic Literary Review, vol. 6, No. 1-2. 

• This text discusses the distinction between translation and interpretation. It also discusses the process of translating oral language into written text and again by changing the language. In addition, there is mention of variables that contribute to the differences in education, language, and skills in connection to Ghosh’s characters.  

• Tasnim, Zakiyah. “Transformation of English language in Amitav Ghosh’s The hungry tide.” Advances in Language and Literary Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, 2018, p. 145.

• This article discusses the validity of English literary works written by translingual writers. The focus is centered on the justification of the writing and how does Ghosh transform the English language. 

• Griffiths, Gareth. “Silenced worlds: Language and experience in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide”. Kunapipi, 34(2), 2012. 
• Jon Kertzer (2018) Amitav Ghosh’s zubben: Confluence of languages in the Ibis trilogy, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 54:2, 187-199, DOI: 10.1080/17449855.2017.1406393 
• Kalaiarasan M., Sowmiyalaltha R. “Trans-cultural Communication in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide”, Vol. 19:7, July 2019, p. 323-328. 
• Rollason Christopher. “In Our Translated World: Transcultural Communication In Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide”, The Atlantic Literary Review, vol. 6, No. 1-2. 
• History, Narrative, and Testimony in Amitav Ghosh’s Fiction, edited by Chitra Sankaran, State University of New York Press, 2012. 
• Tasnim, Zakiyah. “Transformation of English language in Amitav Ghosh’s The hungry tide.” Advances in Language and Literary Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, 2018, p. 145, https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.3p.145. 

BLOG POST #6 

Lerner’s 10:04 has an interesting theme of time and space as something that can be manipulated. Through his character, we observe what appears to be rants and obsessive overthinking. These scenes reveal a sort of time slipping in his consciousness as he drifts in and out of the present and projects into the future. There is a pattern of overthinking simple decisions or actions due to the paralyzing fear of the choice having a greater impact. In exercising free will, those choices made inform the layout for how the rest of life is going to turn out. Lerner applies this logic to every trivial decision such as picking a method of sedation, anesthesia or an IV. He questions “I can’t figure out if abolishing the memory of pain is the same thing as abolishing the pain” (63). This overthinking unfortunately triggers an indecisiveness in him that leaves him to procrastinate until the very last moment. He illustrates pareidolia, which we learn is where a perception of meaning is developed in places where there is none. This means that where the audience is recognizing a mundane choice, the narrator sees a more drastic consequence. He says that by getting rid of the pain, the repercussion will be the possibility of the separation version of himself into two different versions. That would be the version of him who does not remember and lives in the present and another version of himself that carries the memory of the experience his dental procedure and aftermath that exists outside of time (64). His worry is that using anesthesia would equate to abandoning this fictional other self. Lerner’s thought process is curious as he leaps from pondering over guilt of not remembering and then exclaims that by actually remembering, he has a false truth. Following his procedure, he remarks, “I do remember the drive, the view, stroking Liza’s hair, the incommunicable beauty destined to disappear. I remember it, which means it never happened” (81). He appears to be wondering if he is in charge of his own story and to what extent does his free will impact the larger picture of his life. The sentiment is in exercising your free will, those choices inform the layout for how your life is going to turn out. Lerner rethinks his identity continuously and as he searches through his memories, trying to assess what it real and what is not. Outside of the narrator’s character, other chatacter have the same surrounding theme of space and time. Noor tells the narrator about her origin story, being adopted and raised by her dad and questioning her right to his heritage. Noor said “…it was my whole life up until that point that had happened but never occurred” (107). In this example, Noor is separated into two versions of herself. One is the version of herself who did not ever learn that she was adopted by her father and the other is the ignorant version of her. Somewhere on another timeline or different location in time and space, is the version of her who never discovers she is adopted. But in her present reality, her mother reveals that the truth she has always known was a fallacy. What is the purpose of this comparison to the narrator and Noor’s experience with separation of self by means of time and space? Well, Lerner does a great job of imploring readers to question if we are in charge of our own story and to what degree do we have free will. Do your choices inform your sense of self? Or are there predisposing factors that shape us? 

What is the significance of the use of language in The Hidden Tide? What is being said about the sufficiency of language as a way to communicate?

In “The Hungry Tide”, Amitav Ghosh presents a strong relation between humans and nature. There are several references made to the change in natural order. This can be observed in scenes following the journey of the female main character, Piya Roy. Her work enables her to study the impacts environmental issues have on sea life. The male lead character, Kanai Dutt, follows leads let behind by his uncle to uncover the past and tragedy that follows humans around. Combined, the different perspectives present a narrative of the importance of communication and what it means for survival.  

 Kanai Dutt, is a translator and his perspective in the novel is directly focused on human nature. The audience follows Kanai on his conquest to uncover his uncle’s past. We encounter several examples of how lacking means to effectively communicate tear people apart. For example, his aunt Nilima confesses to her relationship with her husband, Nirmal, becoming estranged during the last year of his life. Nimila testifies, “He became a stranger to me that year. He wouldn’t talk to me. He would hide things. It was as if I had become the enemy” (99). In events leading up to the antagonism, Nirmal retired from teaching after 30 years and could not handle the ending of his routine. Instead of communicating with his wife, he ventures off to find a new purpose just to keep sane which ultimately causes his demise (120).  

Moyna Mandol is Nimila’s doctor in training and her husband, Fokir, is an illiterate fisherman. He can neither read nor write and is often described as having the intelligence of a child. This creates a strain on their relationship as they disagree with how to raise their son, Tutul. Monya wants her son to go to school but Fokir misses spending time with his son fishing. Kanai suggests that Monya explain to Fokir that she wants Tutul to have a good education so that he may secure a better future than being a fisherman. Her response is, “I’ve tried so many times. But what does he understand? He’s illiterate- it’s impossible to explain these things to him” (112). Monya’s skeptical mindset stems from her worry that being a fisherman will not be a relevant occupation in the future. As a result, there is a disagreement about what is best for their child that leads to Fokir taking Tutul away.  

On the surface, the skill of being a translator means that he can communicate with a wide range of people. However, on a deeper level it encourages readers to think about what can Kanai accomplish with this skill? What could be accomplished if these characters knew how to effectively communicate?  Piya’s work as a cetologist permits her to observe the changes in the ecosystem during her research to survey the Orcaella species. In her studies she recognizes these dolphins remain in their pods and even continue to reproduce despite their clear displacement due to the environmental issues. Piya’s perspective is that in terms of other’s thoughts and identity, even without the language barriers she has with natives, “… she would never know: not just because they had no language in common but because that was how it was with human beings, who came equipped, as a species, with the means of shutting each other out” (132). People cannot establish their basic needs because they are firmly closed off from each other. Without basic understanding there is growing isolation and no opportunity for support. Piya finds that the Orcaellas are able to migrate and find refuge, but humans cannot work out the simplest aspects of remaining united, let alone how to survive together.