Flipped Learning Activity: Gun Island
This Blog task is given by Dilip Barad Sir, Teacher's Blog.
"Gun Island" is a 2019 novel by Amitav Ghosh that blends myth, history, and the reality of climate change and global migration into a contemporary narrative. It follows a rare book dealer on a globe-trotting journey sparked by an ancient Bengali legend.
Video : 1
The video introduces Amitav Ghosh’s novel Gun Island by outlining its major characters, setting, and thematic concerns. The story begins with the protagonist Dinanath “Deen” Datta, a rare-book dealer of Bengali descent living in Brooklyn, who becomes intrigued by an old Bengali folk legend about the Bonduki Sadagar or “Gun Merchant,” a mythical sea trader who faced the wrath of the snake goddess Manasa Devi.” Motivated by the mystery, Deen travels back to Kolkata and the Sundarbans, where the legend is tied to an ancient shrine in the mangrove forests that symbolizes the intersection of myth, history, and nature.
In the Sundarbans, Deen meets several important figures. Piyali “Piya” Roy, a marine biologist who studies the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, introduces him to ecological concerns in the region. He also encounters Tipu, a resourceful young local involved in migrant travel networks, and Rafi, the grandson of the shrine’s caretaker, who together illustrate how climate change and economic hardship drive migration. The narrative uses these characters to explore human displacement and the environmental degradation of their homeland.
Through the interactions and travels of Deen, the novel moves beyond the Sundarbans to global spaces, including the United States and Europe, drawing parallels between local experiences of climate upheaval and broader global crises. Themes of migration, climate change, myth, and cultural exchange are woven into the narrative as Deen’s quest becomes both an intellectual search for the meaning of the legend and a confrontation with contemporary ecological realities.
By blending folklore with modern concerns, Gun Island suggests that ancient stories can illuminate urgent issues like environmental destruction and human displacement, and that understanding these connections is essential for grappling with the challenges of the Anthropocene.
Video 2:
Summary:
The video explores Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island by showing how myth and history are deeply connected rather than separate. It explains that the novel does not treat myth as a false or imaginary story, but as a way of remembering and preserving real historical experiences. The discussion begins with the myth of Manasa Devi and the gun merchant, which Dinanath hears from Neelima Bose. This myth becomes the starting point of the novel and shapes the entire narrative.
The speaker explains that the story is structured like a myth, filled with mysterious events, prophecies, and supernatural images. At the same time, the novel constantly pulls the reader back to real-world issues such as climate change and environmental crisis. What seems magical at first is later given a historical or scientific explanation, showing how myths often grow out of real events that people could not fully understand at the time.
As the gun merchant travels across strange islands, the video shows how these places actually match real historical locations like Venice, Egypt, Sicily, and Kochi. Symbols such as snakes, islands, and spiders are not just fantasy elements but carry hidden historical and cultural meanings. Through this, the novel shows how history slowly turns into myth while still holding on to truth.
An important point made in the video is that history is still happening. The novel connects old practices like slavery to modern problems such as human trafficking, suggesting that exploitation has not disappeared but only changed its form. Characters like Tipu and Rafi represent this painful continuity.
Finally, the video highlights how Gun Island moves across countries and cultures, creating a sense of a shared global world. Myths, the speaker explains, should be taken seriously because they help us understand both our past and the crises we face today.
Video 3
Summary:
This video continues the discussion on how myth and history are deeply connected, rather than being completely separate. It explains that myths should not be seen as false or childish stories, but as meaningful narratives that carry cultural memory and social values. Using Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island as an example, the speaker shows how myths act like codes that help us understand history, society, and present-day crises.
The lecture explains that Gun Island works on three levels at once. First, there is the Bengali myth of Manasa Devi and the gun merchant. Second, there is a reimagined historical layer, where myth slowly turns into history. Third, there is the modern world, represented through climate change, migration, and human suffering. These layers overlap, showing that the past is never fully gone—it continues to shape the present.
A major part of the discussion focuses on myth and ritual. Rituals bring people together and create a shared emotional experience. Myths then develop to explain why these rituals exist and why they should continue. In Gun Island, this is seen in the pilgrimage to the Manasa Devi shrine, which is followed by both Hindus and Muslims. Dinanath’s uncomfortable journey, where he must give up modern comforts, reflects how pilgrimages traditionally involve hardship and detachment from material life.
The most important idea is that Manasa Devi’s anger is not divine punishment but a symbol of nature’s anger. Floods, storms, and environmental disasters replace supernatural fear. The myth of people fleeing the goddess becomes a story about people fleeing climate disasters today.
The video also introduces structuralism, which studies myths through opposites like science and belief, East and West, humans and nature. Overall, the lecture shows that myths are living stories that change with time and help us understand urgent issues like climate change in a deeply human way.
Video 4
Summary:
The lecture looks at Gun Island as a novel that questions how we understand the world—especially the way the West has long looked at the East. Using Edward Said’s idea of Orientalism, the speaker explains how Western thinking often reduces Eastern cultures to stereotypes: emotional instead of rational, traditional instead of modern. The novel pushes back against this way of thinking.
Through Dinanath’s journey, we see how these ideas survive even today. Though he is Indian, his Western education makes him feel superior, and at the same time, insecure. His conversations with Kanai show how people often value Western approval more than their own cultural knowledge. Even small things—like shortening Indian names to suit Western tongues—reveal how deeply these attitudes are rooted.
The lecture then shifts focus and shows how the novel slowly breaks these rigid divisions. Characters like Nilima Bose remind us that being rational does not mean rejecting stories, beliefs, or myths. In fact, myths carry memories, fears, and wisdom that science alone cannot explain. The relationship between Dinanath, Chinta, and Piyali becomes important here, because together they show how myth, history, and science work best when they listen to each other.
The lecture also explores myths psychologically, using Freud’s idea that myths are like shared dreams. They express desires and fears that society does not openly talk about—love, power, sexuality, and survival. Symbols like snakes are not just religious images but emotional ones.
Finally, the lecture connects these ideas to climate change and migration. It suggests that humans care about nature because our own lives depend on it. By retelling old myths in a modern world, Gun Island reminds us that history, myth, and present reality are always connected—and that understanding this connection may help us face today’s crises more honestly and humanely.
Video 5
Summary:
The lecture explains how Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island tries to speak about climate change in a way that ordinary realism cannot. Ghosh had earlier argued in The Great Derangement that modern novels fail to represent climate change because it feels too strange, sudden, and frightening for conventional storytelling. Gun Island can be read as his answer to that problem.
Instead of using statistics or direct political arguments, Ghosh turns to myth and folklore, especially the story of Mansa Devi and the Gun Merchant from the Sundarbans. These old stories help connect the past with the present, showing that people have long lived with the fear and power of nature. By mixing believers, scientists, skeptics, and Western-educated characters in the same story, the novel avoids judging one worldview as superior. It suggests that climate change needs many ways of thinking, not just science alone.
The lecture highlights Ghosh’s use of the uncanny—moments that feel mysterious, eerie, or unreal. Strange storms, unexplained appearances, and ghost-like figures reflect how climate disasters themselves often feel unreal until they happen. Ghosh does not fully explain these events, allowing readers to feel the same confusion and fear that real climate crises create.
The discussion also reminds us that climate change is not only natural—it is historical and political. Colonialism destroyed indigenous ecological knowledge, and modern ideas of “development” pushed cities into fragile environments. Capitalism and imperialism together have made the crisis worse.
Finally, the lecture introduces the idea of dharma sankat, or moral dilemma. Every solution—development, energy, protection—comes with a cost. Ghosh suggests that religion and collective belief, especially traditions that respect nature, might help people act together. Overall, Gun Island shows that climate change is not just a scientific issue, but a deeply human story of fear, responsibility, and survival.
Video 6
Summary:
This part of the discussion focuses on how Gun Island presents migration not as an abstract political issue, but as a deeply human crisis. At the beginning, the speaker questions a comforting belief many of us hold—that today’s world is more humane and that people care for others beyond borders, religion, or nationality. The novel gently but firmly challenges this belief. While individuals may show kindness, societies often act out of fear, selfishness, and exclusion.
Through different characters, Gun Island shows why people are forced to leave their homes. In places like the Sundarbans, climate disasters such as cyclones and floods destroy villages, leaving people with no real choice but to move. Lubna Khala’s story, where people climb trees to escape floods only to die from snake bites, captures how cruel and terrifying climate-driven displacement can be. Venice, another key setting, is also slowly sinking, reminding us that no place is truly safe from environmental collapse.
The novel also exposes communal violence and political unrest as powerful reasons for migration. Kabir’s journey shows how riots, land disputes, and corruption push people into dangerous illegal migration routes run by traffickers and middlemen. Poverty further worsens the situation, as characters like Rafi and Tipu risk their lives simply to survive.
At the same time, Ghosh shows that not all migration comes from desperation alone. Characters like Palash migrate out of restlessness and dreams of a better life, shaped by images on mobile phones and global media. Dinanath reflects that this desire to escape narrow lives is not new—earlier generations dreamed through books, today’s through screens.
By linking modern migration to the historical slave trade, the novel makes a disturbing point: exploitation, suffering, and invisibility still define many migration journeys. Ultimately, Gun Island asks us to confront an uncomfortable truth—we speak of humanity, but often fail to practice it when others seek refuge at our doors.
I – Browse through the novel
1. Is Shakespeare mentioned in the novel?
Yes, Shakespeare is mentioned in Gun Island. The novel references his plays in the context of migration, storytelling, and cultural history. For example, Venice, the city where parts of the narrative unfold, is linked to Shakespeare’s Othello, highlighting historical trade, migration, and multicultural encounters.
2. Role of Nakhuda Ilyas in the legend of the Gun Merchant
Nakhuda Ilyas is the captain (or master) of the ship who transports people and goods. In the legend of the Gun Merchant, he plays a pivotal role in the sea voyages that connect India and Europe, facilitating trade while also being linked to mysterious and fateful events surrounding the Gun Merchant.
3. Table of important characters and their professions:
Characters Professions
4. Table of charcater Traits:
5. Comparison between the book and the mobile at the end of the novel
At the end, the novel draws a symbolic comparison between books and mobiles. While books carry deep knowledge, history, and myth, mobiles transmit information quickly but often superficially. The comparison suggests that modern technology connects people instantly, but the depth and reflection offered by literature remains unique, emphasizing the continuing value of storytelling and cultural memory.
II – Use ChatGPT / Digital Answers
6. About Gun Island in 100 words
Amitav Ghosh’s novel Gun Island (2019) is a climate-conscious narrative blending history, myth, and contemporary social issues. The story follows Dinanath, a rare-book dealer, who uncovers a centuries-old legend of the Gun Merchant, connecting India, Europe, and the Sundarbans. The novel explores migration, human trafficking, and environmental crises like floods and rising seas. Through characters like Piya, Chinta, and migrants from the Sundarbans, Ghosh intertwines scientific observation with folklore, emphasizing the urgency of climate change and human responsibility. The narrative demonstrates the persistence of myth in understanding global crises, blending realism, magical elements, and postcolonial commentary.
7. Central theme of Gun Island
The central theme is the interconnection of human and environmental crises through climate change, migration, and cultural memory. The novel examines how myth and folklore can illuminate contemporary ecological and social challenges, emphasizing that human actions, colonial histories, and global inequality exacerbate climate disasters and displacement, while solidarity, knowledge, and storytelling offer pathways for understanding and action.
Worksheet 2:
1. Climate change in the novel :
2. Explain the title of the Novel:
The title Gun Island refers to the legend of the Gun Merchant, a figure whose story connects India and Venice (Venedig) through trade and myth. The term hazelnut appears symbolically as part of the legend, representing precious commodities, trade networks, and the fragility of life in the face of changing environments, highlighting the interplay of myth, commerce, and human migration.
3. Match the characters with reasdons for migration:
4. Match the theorist with theoretical approach to study mythology:
5. Summary of the article “Towards a Postcolonial Human Culture: Revisiting Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island”
The article by Saikat Chakraborty examines Gun Island as a critique of Eurocentric humanism, showing how Ghosh challenges Western assumptions about culture, history, and the environment. The novel combines myth, climate change, and human migration to foreground the interconnectedness of humans and nature. Chakraborty highlights Ghosh’s postcolonial vision, emphasizing non-Western knowledge systems, local folklore, and historical consciousness as vital for addressing global crises. The article argues that the novel de-centers Western narratives, foregrounds ecological and human vulnerability, and stresses the urgent need for cross-cultural and ethical awareness in contemporary environmental and social policies.
6. Research possibilities in Gun Island
Climate change and literary representation: tracing scientific and mythic narratives
Migration studies: analyzing causes, networks, and human trafficking parallels
Postcolonial critique: examining Eurocentric vs indigenous knowledge systems
Mythology and folklore: the role of Mansa Devi and Gun Merchant legends
Psychoanalytic and structuralist interpretations of myth and human behavior
Digital humanities: corpus-based analysis of climate/environmental terms in literature
7. Sonnet on Gun Island
Amidst the floods where Sundarbans arise,
The Gun Merchant’s tale across the seas,
Human and myth in shadowed truths comprise,
Nature’s fury and man’s unease.
Venice sinks upon her wooden planks,
While rivers swell and tempest winds do blow,
Migrants traverse with hope and weary thanks,
Seeking lands where calmer waters flow.
Legends whisper through the coastal air,
Science and story, hand in hand entwined,
Warnings of a planet worn and bare,
Lessons for the living, yet confined.
Ghosh’s tale blends the old and the new,
In myths and floods, our shared world comes to view.
8. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. Who is the protagonist of Gun Island?
a. Piya Roy
b. Chinta
c. Dinanath
d. Palash
2. What is the central theme of Gun Island?
a. Romantic love in Venice
b. Migration, climate change, and myth
c. Scientific discovery only
d. Industrial development
9. Five Italian words from the novel with Hindi/English translation:
Thematic Reflection –
The videos helped me understand how Gun Island connects myth, climate change, and migration into a single narrative rather than treating them as separate issues.
Climate change in the novel is not abstract; it is shown through floods, cyclones, sinking lands (Sundarbans and Venice), making environmental crisis a lived human experience.
The migration theme reveals how people move not only because of poverty, but also due to climate disasters, communal violence, political instability, and psychological restlessness.
Mythification in the novel (Mansa Devi, Gun Merchant) helps reinterpret nature’s wrath as ecological imbalance, making ancient myths relevant to modern environmental concerns.
The videos highlighted how nationalism, borders, and fear of “outsiders” worsen the refugee crisis, reflecting real-world debates on migrants and human rights.
Gun Island shows that global crises demand shared responsibility, blending scientific understanding with cultural memory and ethical reflection.
Use of Generative AI –
Generative AI tools were used to organize ideas, refine language, and improve clarity, not to replace personal interpretation.
AI helped in summarizing complex video lectures and restructuring content into a coherent academic blog format.
The final reflections, examples, and thematic connections are based on my own understanding of the videos and the novel.
Care was taken to avoid copying or reproducing AI-generated text verbatim, ensuring originality and academic integrity.
AI functioned as a supportive learning tool, assisting critical thinking rather than limiting it.
References:
Barad, Dilip. “Flipped Learning Activity Instructions: Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh.” ResearchGate, Jan. 2025, www.researchgate.net/publication/388143893_Flipped_Learning_Activity_Instructions_Gun_Island_by_Amitav_Ghosh.
Clark, Alex. “Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh Review – Climate and Culture in Crisis.” The Guardian, 5 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/05/gun-island-amitav-ghosh-review.
DoE-MKBU. “Characters and Summary - 1 | Sundarbans | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 17 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn70pnUIK1Y.
“Characters and Summary - 2 | USA | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 17 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiYLTn7cWm8.
“Climate Change | the Great Derangement | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 21 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_3tD4voebA.
“Etymological Mystery | Title of the Novel | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 19 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yg5RmjBlTk.
“Migration | Human Trafficking | Refugee Crisis | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 21 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLeskjjZRzI.
“Part I - Historification of Myth and Mythification of History | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 21 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBLsFEKLGd0.
“Part II | Historification of Myth and Mythification of History | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 23 Jan. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP2HerbJ5-g.
“Part III - Historification of Myth and Mythification of History | Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 23 Jan. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVLqxT_mUCg.
“Summary - 3 | Venice | Part 2 of Gun Island | Amitav Ghosh.” YouTube, 18 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F3n_rrRG9M.Ghosh, Amitav. Gun Island: A Novel. 2019.
Comments
Post a Comment