Saving Fish From Drowning

The book Saving Fish from Drowning takes a group of tourists from China to Burma, present day Myanmar.  However, one of these “tourists”, Wendy, is actually a journalist.  Her goal on this trip is to talk with the natives to see if their human rights; life, liberty, and property, are being deprived from them.  As she took notes and journaled about her days.  Throughout this book, you see the real government treatment of the people of Myanmar. They worked from dawn til dusk, or around twelve hours, and received two hundred or three hundred of their currency in return.  Ninety percent of this country is Buddhist, the other ten percent are majority Muslim. The Muslim families in this region have been attacked with impunity, stripped of the vote, and driven from their homes, according to the Economist on June thirteenth, 2015.  The Muslims in this country are cruelly mistreated.

The book 1984 by George Orwell talks about society in which too much power is given to the government.  “ Orwell indirectly proposes that power given to the government will ultimately become corrupt and they will attempt to force all to conform to their one set standard. He also sets forth the idea that the corrupted government will attempt to destroy any and all mental and physical opposition to their beliefs, thus eliminating any opportunity for achieving a utopian society” (Government Oppression).  This power that Orwell mentions can be seen in Myanmar today. The government has too much power, so much, in fact, they can take away the basic human rights of their citizens, without an uprising.  The main reason these Muslims are being mistreated is because the government is Buddhist,  the two religions are rivals in this country. Getting rid of the Muslims means that more of the population will be Buddhist, therefore, agree with the government. According to Orwell’s definition of an oppressive government, Myanmar fits the bill.

Before the Trip:

Okay. Okay. Okay. What’s next? Ahh, yes that.  Okay, so we are going to China and Burma.  The research said that these areas were just crawling with aids.  Wait does this mean that that the hospitals are not safe? You know what? They are probably fine.  I mean they check the blood, besides if anyone needed a blood transplant there has to be someone in our group who has the same type.  Needles, or course the needles that is how it spreads.  They might not be clean. We are going to go to some pretty remote areas.  Oh my goodness, we are going to remote area!  That means there will not be a hospital within fifteen minutes.  A lot can happen within fifteen minutes, death, seizures, or hypothermia.  Heidi, calm down we are going to Burma, it will not be cold enough in Burma for hypothermia. Okay, get your thoughts back: No clean needs, No hospitals.  Okay, I need some needles.  I actually need more than just needles. Okay, let’s research this.  I need Needles, Syringe, Medicine Dropper, Tubing, Dextrose, and Glucose Tablets.

Okay, all of that is packed. Let’s think about what I will need for adventuring. First, I, of course, need all of my active clothes: seven pairs of shorts, fifteen shirts, and three different shoes.  Now, on to the real event my rucksacks.  Everything I bring I need to be able to carry, so we can rule out all of the heavy items.  Let’s think, the jungle is covered in a large canopy of trees.  Bugs grow in trees, I must have my DEET.  We might get stuck in the dark somewhere or even sleep without light so, my headlamps, and extra batteries for them. If we do get stuck in the night I will also need a blanket.  I will only take the best of the best so here comes the Space blanket.  

Now, let’s move on to outerwear.  I need to be ready for every time of weather, even the kind that might lead to hypothermia.  I need my Patagonia fleece pullover, my marmot one hundred percent waterproof rain jacket, my Arcteryx windbreaker, and finally my Black Diamond winter coat.  I actually hate how all of these are not the same brand.  But who wants to waste the money on buying all new jackets so they match?  Okay, so I might know the answer to that one... it’s me.  Heidi, make a mental note: When you get rich make all of your outdoorsy jackets and coats one brand.  Good glad that is over.  

“You remember only what you want to remember. You know only what your heart allows you to know.”

Amy Tan does a wonderful job at wording statements so that no matter what is happening in one’s life it applies.  This quote is a marvelous example.  It is not specific at all, yet when one reads it, they know exactly what it is referring to. No one remembers everything.  Previously, the words “memories make you who you are” were said.  This applies here as well.  If one does not want a part of themselves, they can choose to forget it.  Whether or not they achieve that goal, it is ultimately one’s choice to remember something.  An example of this would be blocking out a memory that hurt you.  Humans are a collection of choices, and sometimes one does not weigh the effects on themselves, or on others when making a choice.  This is the heart, choosing to do something without care for the consequences.  When committing an action of the heart, one ignores what it wants.  This is the heart allowing you to know something or not know it.  An example of this is ignoring that a boy might have cheated on you before because you love him.  Everything that a human does is in the hands of themselves but they might not be fully aware of the consequences because you remember only what you want to remember, and you know only what your heart allows you to know.

“Saving Fish From Drowning”

Today was a catastrophe. We went to The Grotto of Female Genitalia.  This was a temple worshipping the womb. It is worshipped because many tribes in this area believe that all things are created in the darkness of the womb.  On the way there we saw a water buffalo being whipped as it was smashing mud so that it could be molded.  We were distraught at this terrible sight.  The tour guide said it was just.  By her logic, the buffalo deserved all the hurt it was receiving.  She said that it might have been a rapist, murderer, or thief in its last life and besides, it needed to be done by something and it was too hard for humans to effectively do. After our mini lesson on Buddhism, we arrived at our destination.  The guide went to the toll booth and was given some long lecture about the rules, I suppose I didn’t understand the language.  She returned to us and told us to be careful and then let us loose.  Wyatt and I found our own little place in the park. It was this small grotto.  It was very private.  We decided to have fun with each other.  First, we admired the room, it was very interesting.  This entertained us for about thirty minutes.  We were unaware that that place was scared so we started to make out.  Nothing bad, just a little fun.

In fact, I thought this whole experience was extremely daring.  We were in a different country together.  A just a month after meeting, and I was starting to feel things.  And not what I normally felt for guys,  like something deeper.  I thought about her every moment my brain left empty.  I do not want to admit it but I think I might be in love.  Maybe, just maybe, I might tell him before the trip was over.  How great would it be if the first time we declared our love for each other was in a place unlike any other either of us had seen?

Okay well anyway, back to the day, just as it was getting good Wyatt and I heard some commotion outside our tiny room.  We immediately got up and went to find the source.  We saw Marlena, Harry, and Esme huddled together in the middle of a circle of somewhat angry looking men.  We wondered what the heck they all did and decided to get down before we suffered the same fate.  

One the bus back to the hotel everyone shared their stories. Rupert had climbed on top a rock, where he was not allowed, and as a result of the rain, he could not get down.  Moff stood at the bottom yelling during the entire day.  Dwight, Roxanne, and Heidi were stuck in the rain, so Dwight found what he thought was a shed and broke in.  It was ,in actuality, a temple in which tourists were not allowed.  And worst of all Harry had peed on a statue, getting his group surrounded by angry citizens.

In the first sentence of Saving Fish from Drowning, you are informed that the person speaking to you is dead. Bibi, the first person narrator, was an art gallery owner who loved to travel just as much as she loved art, which was a lot.  Bibi is recounting her memory of going on a trip with her friends.  However, she is dead when she goes on this trip.  She and her friends, who are alive, were planning to go to China and Burma for Christmas. Bibi, being the most experienced traveler of the bunch decided to plan the trip.  She arranged the sights, the guides, and the hotels.  She even wrote up a packet containing information her friends might find useful when going through these countries.  She was very thorough. On top of the itinerary, and the packet, she arranged the passage for her group into to Burma (now Myanmar) by land.  Their trip will be the first time this border has been legally crossed in years. They were all excited to go together.  Unfortunately, Bibi met her untimely death just before the departure. She had been working and someone broke in.  The next morning she was found with hung in her window with stab wounds.  But she woke up.  She was no longer in the same state or dimension as everyone around her, but she was there.  She was now able to interact with people’s minds.  She knew everything about anyone she desired to know about.  A funeral was planned for her.  At this event, her friends decided to still go on the trip because of all the hard work Bibi had put into it.  Bibi (the ghost, or something like that) decided to follow along.  She became the all-knowing storyteller of their trip.

This is my interpretation of the drawing that Bennie created of a an old woman he spotted in the market.  She was wearing a blue headdress.  The woman was standing in front of her mustard greens and turnips.  This arrangement pleased Bennie’s aesthetic so he asked to draw her.  After she agreed, he started working.  His drawing was fast, but she loved it.  She believed this drawing was not an actuate representation of her beauty.  She said “... you have turned me into someone else, much more beautiful.  Thank you.”  The gratitude in her eyes filled Bennie with joy.  Many of his sketches were just for him, drawn in the notebook he carried around, never enjoyed by anyone but himself.  As they both were admiring her portrait, the woman looked up at him and then back at herself.  This was the polite way of asking for the drawing in a universal language.  He, of course, gave it to her.  To show the appreciation for the generous gift from the foreigner, the woman offered him a fruit of his choice.  Holding at the fruit giving, the woman made eye contact with Bennie.  He assumed she wanted him as a customer.  He wasn’t interested in buying fruit, he had no use for, so he politely put up his hand and shook his head. The woman insisted she would not want this man to be so generous without anything in return.  Again Bennie declined.  He didn’t want anything and didn’t understand why she was insisting that he buys something.  Contrary to his wants, he pulled out some money and offered it to the woman.  She was offended and hit his hand.  Finally, they understood each other.  It was a gift for a gift.  Bennie happily reached down and picked out a fruit.  He walked away, overwhelmed, with the “true kindness of strangers”.

“We all need to survive, we all need to remember”

There are two ways of looking at this quote.  The first is where the statements are two different statements. We all need to survive meaning we all need to avoid dangers, eat, and find shelter.  We all need to remember meaning we all need to remember so we know our experiences; good or bad they make us who we are so they must be know.  Then there’s the second way. Now the terms are codependent: In order to survive we must remember, and in order to remember we must survive.  Memory is survival.  Only one’s memories can truly express the road they traveled in order to get to where they are.  The hardships they faced and the good memories they created become their survival.  The lessons learned from a scraped knee, an accidental adventure, or a broken heart influence their decisions. Memories make us who we are.  Every person survives in their own way, and who you are is the most influential part of that.

“We miss so much of life while we are part of it”

Tibetans - An ethnicity of and language spoken by around 6 million people in east Asia. The Tibetans are thought to all be direct descendants of the Qiang people. This ethnicity does not have a specific demographic because its people are now very diverse and widespread.

Naxi - A Language is spoken by citizens around Lijiang, China. It is spoken by about 300,000 people today.  It was invented in the thirteenth century by King Moubao Azong.  Since the Communist takeover and the cultural revolution, speaking it has been discouraged.

Sisyphean - “A legendary king of Corinth condemned eternally to repeatedly roll a heavy rock up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again as it nears the top” (Merriam-Webster). A Sisyphean task refers to something that can not be done because it is a never ending problem.

Nanzhao - A historical kingdom in China.  This kingdom was formed in 729 AD when five different kingdoms merged together to become one.  It contained part of the silk road and other trade routes that lead to China.

Ch’ing Dynasty - A Chinese empire that lasted from 1644-1912.  It was the longest lasting empire in the region.  The empire fell due to conflicts with the rest of the world before World War I.

Cultural Revolution - Mao Zedong started this movement in 1966, by having China’s youth get rid of all the “impure elements of society”.  The goal of this revolution was to regain the support the party had twenty years before during their civil war. During this revolution, the schools were all shutdown.  This was done because the party leaders did not have the revolutionary ideas that the people did, so the students formed groups and spoke up. The Revolution ended by the educational system being restored and the leaders being re-instated.

Jingpo - “A person who professes his or her patriotism loudly and excessively, favoring vigilant preparedness for war and an aggressive foreign policy; bellicose chauvinist” (Dictionary). This type of attitude can be positive or negative in a time of war.  If you are too aggressive, you can cost your country a lot of capital but if you are not aggressive, you can cost your country a lot of capital as well.

Kachin - “A member of an indigenous people living in northern Burma (Myanmar) and adjacent parts of China and India.” (Dictionary). This is a nomadic group, meaning they roam an area in search of food instead of growing it.  They’re named after the red soil of the land in which they live.

Karen - “A member of an indigenous people of eastern Burma (Myanmar) and western Thailand.” (Dictionary) This is the group of people that claim Rupert is their Younger White Brother, who is going to save them from the world.  

Bennie: Bennie is the new tour guide.  He is a very good person but he is timid and he is not used to the area so he is becoming a little stressed.  This is not good for him because he gets seizures when he is stressed but it’s alright because he has medicine.  Except when he is held captive by a tribe in the jungle his medicine is nowhere to be found.

Vera: Vera is a very tall, and big boned African American woman.  She was sixty years old.  Throughout her life, she was always in charge.  She was the top boss at her organization and was used to having the authority to act unilaterally.  Unfortunately, for her, this is a group trip meaning that she is just one piece in this democracy.

Wendy: Wendy has one purpose and one purpose only on this trip; to fight for the rights of the Burmese. She is an undercover journalist trying to find out what life's really like in this newly named country.  Accompanying her on this trip is her boyfriend of one month, Wyatt.  Okay, so I might’ve lied about her having one and only one purpose because Wyatt is her second purpose for coming on this trip.  She told him she loved him and nothing of the sort has come out of his mouth.  As a result of this, she is now also determined to make her feelings mutual.

Wyatt: The only reason Wyatt got to come on this trip was because his girlfriend’s boss gave her two tickets instead of just one.  He decided this would be a lovely addition to his repertoire of vacations.  He is a care-free sort of guy.  He thought this trip would be just an extended day with the fun loving girl he recently met.  However, she confessed her love for him with three weeks left in the trip, and Wyatt? Well, he didn’t say one word about it.

Harry: Harry’s a pretty average guy.  He’s a television star.  He hosts a show on dog training.  Although I would like to point out he is a real veterinarian.  Well, when men age some can develop “problems”.  Harry had such problems.  In order to reduce the progression of these problems, he needed a partner and it is for this reason he set his eyes on Marlena.  

Marlena: Marlena is “Our Ravishing Beauty”.  She is the single mother of Esme, whom she puts before anyone else.   However, do remember she is single and when Harry begins to flirt with her she can not deny she is enjoying it.  And for Pete's sake, her “wawa” (baby) is twelve years old now.  It is by this logic that Marlena decides to go for it.  

Esme: Esme is an adventurous twelve-year-old girl.  She arrived on this trip with her mother.  This random dude, Harry, also came on the trip.  Apparently, Harry likes her mom, and even more apparently, her mom likes Harry back.  Regretfully for Esme, when two adults are seen with a child, they are automatically assumed the parents.  This gets on her nerves because Harry is most definitely not her dad, but at times, he might be kind of cool.  For example, he saved the dog Esme found.  Esme loves animals and this sweet action won her over a bit.

Moff: Moff is a smart guy.  His knowledge wasn’t from school but from various odd jobs he did once he was kicked out.  He is also quite the ladies’ man.  As soon as the group arrived on the bus he noticed Heidi, the most attractive of the bunch.  Coincidentally so did his son, Rupert.  

Rupert: Rupert is a teenage boy.  He has a versatile paperback book, some of the uses include; reading for entertainment and toilet paper.  He also enjoys the magic.  He is very good with cards, which may or may not get a tribe in the jungle worshipping him.

Heidi: Heidi is very pretty, some might even say hot. Although, like everyone she has some skeletons in her closet. Her roommate was murdered (hey, connection to the author’s life!). This memory set her into a constant state of worry.  She is always prepared now.  Her pack has included: Two Lanterns, An Eyedropper, Clean Needles, and A Space Blanket.  She might be paranoid but these items come in handy when in unknown territories.

Roxanne:  Roxanne is the older half-sister of Heidi.  After ‘the accident,’ Roxanne became closer with Heidi as she recovered.  She also has a husband, named Dwight.  They have been trying to have a child for a while now, but on their first escapade in China, they happened to break into a chapel and received an infertility curse.

The author of Saving Fish From Drowning is Amy Tan.  She was born in 1952. She was the daughter of first generation immigrants in America.  Her family was a part of the Joy Luck Club, a group of families who played the stock market together.  This eventually became the title for her first novel, published when she was 37, The Joy Luck Club. This was a collection of stories Tan had been writing for four years.

Tan’s first interaction with books began when she was only a child.  She loved to read and would use it as an escape from her ordinary life.  Her life became a little unordinary when her father and old brother died six months apart from brain tumors, her mother thought to be a curse.  Her remaining family ran to Switzerland to avoid this tragic death. Tan began to hang out with the wrong people and was arrested at the age of sixteen, luckily she got off with a warning.

She then came back to America to go to college.  Tan went to many different schools where she studied English and linguistics. After her roommate was murdered, she quit her doctorate program and became a Language Development Specialist.  She helped children with disabilities and language barriers to become mainstream students.  Then Tan took a brief time in the business field writing for technology companies.

Finally, she began writing literature. Tan’s works included: The Lucky Joy Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, The Opposite of Fate, and two children’s books: The Moon Lady and Sagwa, and The Chinese Siamese Cat.  She has also written many articles for various magazines, both as a full and part-time job.  Her first book was adapted into a movie which Tan co-produced, and was the co-screenwriter.  Tan also was a creative consultant for the children’s television series Sawga.  Her short story The Immortal Heart has been turned into a play in many countries including the United States of America, and France.  She is also the author of many articles, and story selections in high school and university textbooks.

Tan is also a talented musician.  She was classically trained on the piano for 15 years.  She used this skill when she wrote The Bonesetter’s Daughter, an opera. She wrote the music for the show.  The show premiered in September 2008 and was sold-out.  Tan was also the lead rhythm dominatrix, backup singer, and second tambourine for the band, the Rock Bottom Remainders.  The band was not the greatest but they raised two million dollars for literacy programs.  The great members were Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Stephen King, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, Greg Iles, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount Jr, Ridley Pearson, Sam Barry and Scott Turow.