Worksheet on ‘Gun Island’ – Amitav Ghosh 

The main objective of this blog is to study Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island through the worksheet-(1),(2)based method designed by Prof. Dilip Barad Sir. This activity aims to develop structured literary understanding by analysing themes like climate change, migration, myth, and symbolism as part of our academic learning practice.

Shakespeare and References to His Plays in Gun Island

No, William Shakespeare is not directly mentioned in Gun Island, nor are his plays explicitly referred to in the novel. Amitav Ghosh does not make any direct allusions to Shakespearean texts or characters. Instead, the novel draws primarily on Bengali folklore (the legend of the Gun Merchant and Manasa Devi), along with history, mythology, ecology, and contemporary global issues such as climate change and migration. While the novel engages with universal themes like exile, human vulnerability, and movement—subjects also found in Shakespeare—these connections remain implicit and thematic rather than textual or referential.

Role of Nakhuda Ilyas in the Legend of the Gun Merchant

In the legend of the Gun Merchant in Gun Island, Nakhuda Ilyas is the master of the ship that carries the Gun Merchant across the seas. He acts as a guide and protector during the merchant’s journey, helping him navigate dangerous waters and escape the wrath of the snake goddess Manasa Devi. Nakhuda Ilyas represents the figure of a seasoned seafarer who is deeply knowledgeable about the ocean, trade routes, and human movement, reflecting the historical importance of maritime networks in connecting cultures and facilitating migration.

Character	Profession / Role
Dinanath “Deen” Datta	Dealer in rare books
Tipu	Local youth, fisherman/forest guide
Rafi	Local youth, Sundarbans guide
Lisa	Environmental activist
Nakhuda Ilyas	Ship captain/navigator
Gun Merchant	Legendary trader (folk figure)
Manasa Devi	Snake goddess (mythical figure)
Deen’s aunt	Caretaker / family support
Other migrants	Refugees / displaced persons

4. Fill the table. Write the name of the relevant character: 

Character	Trait
Tipu / Rafi (or locals in Sundarbans)	Believer in mystical happenings & presence of the soul of dead people
Dinanath “Deen” Datta	Rationalizes all uncanny happenings
Dinanath “Deen” Datta (initially) / Some secondary characters	Skeptic who is in-between but slightly towards center-right

Comparison Between the Book and the Mobile at the End of the Novel

At the end of Gun Island, Amitav Ghosh draws a symbolic comparison between the book and the mobile phone. The book represents memory, history, and human connection across time—it carries stories, cultural knowledge, and reflections that endure. The mobile, on the other hand, represents instant communication, convenience, and modern technology, which allows information to travel quickly but often superficially. This comparison highlights the contrast between deep, reflective engagement with knowledge (through books and stories) and the fast-paced, ephemeral way humans interact with information today. Ghosh suggests that while technology is useful, the enduring power of storytelling and written history remains crucial for understanding human experience, memory, and the lessons of the past.

Toward ChatGpt:

About Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh (100 words)

Gun Island is a contemporary novel that blends myth, history, and environmental realism to explore urgent global issues. The story follows Dinanath “Deen” Datta, a rare-books dealer, as he investigates the Bengali legend of the Gun Merchant and the snake goddess Manasa Devi, travelling from Kolkata and the Sundarbans to the U.S. and Venice. Through Deen’s journey, the novel addresses climate change, human migration, and displacement, showing how environmental disasters force people to leave their homes. By weaving folklore with modern crises, Ghosh highlights the interconnectedness of human and ecological systems, emphasising the enduring relevance of myth and storytelling in understanding contemporary challenges.

Central Theme of Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island

The central theme of Gun Island is the interconnection between human history, mythology, and contemporary ecological crises, particularly climate change and migration. The novel explores how environmental disruption forces displacement, how myths carry cultural memory, and how human actions impact both nature and society, emphasising the moral and ethical responsibilities of individuals and communities in the face of global challenges.

II- Worksheet on ‘Gun Island’ – Amitav Ghosh 

1. Write 10–12 words about climate change in the novel. Mention the number of times they recur.

1.  Monsoon - 3
2. Flooding – 5
3.  Storm surge – 1
4.  Rising seas – 2
5.  Coastal erosion – 2
6.  Habitat loss - 1
7.  Biodiversity loss - 1 
8.  Environmental crisis -2 
9. Migration – 7

2. Explain the title of the novel.

Keywords: Venedig, hazelnut

The title Gun Island refers to Venedig (Venice) — described in the book as an island once associated with trade in guns and firearms. Venice, historically a centre of maritime trade, symbolises global circulation and complex histories of commerce, culture, and conflict. The hazelnut serves as a symbolic object or artefact that links the narrator’s story to ancient trade routes, ecological memory, and the interconnectedness of human and natural worlds. Together, Venedig and the hazelnut underscore the novel’s theme of transnational linkages, where climate change, migration, and forgotten histories converge to justify the title Gun Island.

3. Match the characters with the reasons for migration.

Character	Reason for migration
Dinanath	Natural calamities
Palash	Poverty
Kabir and Bilal	Violence and riots – family feuds & communal reasons
Tipu and Rafi	To better socio-economic condition
Lubna Khala and Munir	Some uncanny sort of restlessness

IV. Use ChatGPT:

Summary of the article

Here is a concise summary of the article:

The article “Towards a Postcolonial Human Culture: Revisiting Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island as a Fall of Eurocentric Humanism” by Saikat Chakraborty argues that Gun Island challenges Eurocentric narratives of history and culture by foregrounding ecological crisis and migration as interconnected global issues. Ghosh’s novel disrupts traditional humanist frameworks by showing how climate change, myth, and cross-cultural encounters undermine the dominance of European historical paradigms. Through its transnational characters and ecological concerns, the novel advocates for a postcolonial humanism that recognises interdependence across cultures and nature, revealing limits in Western anthropocentrism and emphasising the need for shared planetary responsibility.

6. Suggest research possibilities in Gun Island

Research Possibilities:

1. Ecocriticism and Climate Fiction:
   Analysing Gun Island as a seminal work of climate fiction (cli-fi) that challenges anthropocentric literary traditions and foregrounds ecological interdependence.

2. Myth, History, and Narrative:
   Studying the role of myth (e.g., the legend of the Gun Merchant) as a way to reframe historical consciousness and narrative form in postcolonial literature.

3. Migration and Displacement:
   Examining representations of migration as both a cause and effect of environmental change and how identity shifts across borders in response to climate stress.

4. Postcolonial Ecological Humanism:
   Investigating how the novel critiques Eurocentric humanism and proposes a postcolonial, planetary ethical vision.

5. Transnational Networks and Trade Symbols:
   Looking at symbolic objects like the hazelnut and their role in mapping historical trade networks and ecological memory.

---

7. Generate a sonnet on Gun Island

(Reverse side of the page — ready to copy)

Sonnet: On Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island

Upon the tides where ancients once did trade,

A hazelnut recalls forgotten seas;

Across the shifting sands, new paths are made.

Where monsoon skies give way to a rising breeze.

The island named for guns of distant past.

Now hears the cries of storms and drifting foam;

Each migrant’s step, a future that is cast,

In search of shelter from a shattered home.

The Sunderbans weep salt for loss of land.

And Venice mourns her sinking marble stone;

Yet voices join in chorus, hand in hand.

To seek a world that all might call their own.

So let our hearts defy the climate’s rage—

And write new hope upon this fragile page.

---

8. Create Multiple Choice Questions on Gun Island

1. What symbolic object connects past and present in Gun Island?
a. A compass
b. A hazelnut
c. A journal
d. A map

2. Which city is linked with the title Gun Island?
a. Alexandria
b. Istanbul
c. Venedig (Venice)
d. Lisbon

---

9. Italian words in the novel with Hindi & English translations

Italian Word	English	Hindi
Venedig	Venice	वेनिस
Campo	Field	मैदान
Canale	Canal	नहर
Gondola	Gondola (boat)	गोंडोला (नाव)
Piazza	Public square	चौक / पियाज़्ज़

Conclusion:

This blog on Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh has been prepared strictly according to the instructions given in the worksheets designed by Prof. Dilip Barad Sir. Through this activity, the novel is studied not only as a literary text but also as a contemporary narrative deeply connected with climate change, migration, ecology, mythology, and postcolonial concerns. The worksheet-based approach helped in organising key ideas such as character roles, recurring climate vocabulary, symbolic meanings (like Venice and the hazelnut), and thematic depth in a structured manner. Overall, this blog reflects an academic engagement with the novel and serves as a meaningful part of our classroom learning and educational practice.