SEA OF POPPIES: THE USES OF HISTORY

First, look this over and read as much as you can. It's an historical account of the first Opium War; it's long, but a lot of it is pictures, including some representations of the boats that were used to transport opium. You can probably speed-read a lot of it pretty quickly. For a contrasting view, read this. It is a short essay questioning the common view that the Anglo-Sino war as largely an attempt to force the opium trade on China.

Focus your post on the key issues of this excerpt:

• the symbolism of the locket which the Gomusta, or agent, gives to Paulette. Why does he do it? What does the stress on this locket say about the themes of the book?
• the character of the Gomusta as shown in his encounter with Paulette and in the passages about his past and devotion to Ma Taramony. He is the first detailed figure of a religious Hindu we have seen, and the relationship between his faith and his actions is most interesting.
• Paulette's identification of Jodu's boat, her eventual reunion with him aboard the Ibis, and her flirtation with Zachary: she is one lucky gal
• the role of ideas as they influence the characters: Neel has read Hobbes and Hume; Paulette is the daughter of a freethinking liberal; of course, Burnham takes an extreme view of free trade as a religion transcending English law and the notion of "rights" proposed by Locke or Hume; Baboo Nob Kissin has a unique point of view. Are ideas and philosophies are force for liberation or a delusion?
• the treatment of the body and nudity: Kalua's nudity as encountered by Deeti; Jodu's concerns aboard the Ibis about his clothing and body; Paulette's worries about indecency; Nob Kissin's horror at the notion of contact with a woman; Neel's fastidiousness, which he is forced to relinquish; the perverse sexuality of Burnham and the leering Chandan Singh: it is difficult to cope with one's body in this world. How does this compare to other books?
• Chandan Singh's encounter with Deeti and his proposal to her: how does Ghosh portray him as evil? What does Deeti's refusal say about her character?
• Neel's arrest and the strategy used to entrap him: what is the significance of the charge of forgery? How does Neel bring about his own downfall? His failings seem to lie in his difference from his father.
• Kalua's dramatic rescue of Deeti: surely this scene is right out of The Scarlet Pimpernel or something. One is curious about the oafish Kalua as a character. Every figure here appears to represent something: what does he represent? What does his successful rescue tell us about him?
• Deeti is "reborn" after her rescue, and Nob Kissin lives in hope of a promised rebirth. Comment on the uses of the Hindu idea of rebirth in this novel? In previous books, religious beliefs were either slightly comical or burdensome. How do they come across here?
• The continued concern with cleanliness as emphasized in Neel's imprisonment. Certainly this theme has overtones of moral cleanliness - a part of Hinduism, but implies more than that: a desire to be free of unwanted influences. Is there a criticism of Indian society here? Is this a way that the author draws connections between the Indians and the British, both concerned with cleanliness (for the English, it's "next to Godliness")?
• Comment on Nob Kissin's role in the downfall of Neel. If he is so religious and moral, how is it possible that he acts so unscrupulously?