Going to
6
Cyril Dabydeen is a writer who was born in the Canje, Guyana, a locality that also produced his contemporaries Arnold Itwaru and Jan Shinebourne. He grew up in a sugar plantation with the sense of Indian indenture rooted in his family background
The author writes about a young Guyanese native living in Canada. He felt compelled to regress back to his familiar homeland, but put it off until now. Suddenly, the pilot received a call informing him that there is no electricity in Guyana. It is rumored that the Guyanese government has shut down. The main character gets stranded in Guyana with a beautiful stewardess and her family. With no way out of the country, he is uncertain about what he can do. The book was written by Cyril Dabydeen, and in 2000, the short story was put into an anthology of Info-Caribbean fiction along with other short stories written by various authors. In Going to Guyana, Cyril Dabydeen uses irony and allusion in order to create an intimate tone.
Cyril Dabydeen also uses allusion to enhance the main character’s appreciation for Guyana. For instance, “… still known as paradise or a long-lost El Dorado… and Sir Walter Raleigh gallantly throwing his coat across a ditch for the Queen to step out on…” (Dabydeen 114). The author uses “El Dorado” as an allusion connected to Guyana. El Dorado was said to be a land full of riches. Guyana is a paradise. He mentions Sir Walter Raleigh and El Dorado because Sir Walter Raleigh made two trips to Guyana (Guiana) in search for El Dorado. In Going to Guyana, Cyril Dabydeen uses irony and allusion in order to create an intimate tone. Naturally, there is a message in the story. Almost every story contains a message or two. This story just happens to be about learning to love something that is unattractive to the naked eye. I also believe that it talks about knowing your ancestry, and learning everything possible about your past.
Cyril Dabydeen
Cyril Dabydeen paints a candid picture to show the character’s love and appreciation for Guyana. For example, the author writes: “A sense of parody or pantomime mixed with a vague feeling of loyalty to a mud-brown, alluvium-and-silt clogged land…anxiety rising because of what was ahead, or what not to expect.” (Dabydeen 108). The main character, Chris, expressed his sense of familiarity in an ironic manner, as the Guyana Airways jet took off. We would naturally assume that he has a negative perception of his home-land; However, he then goes on to say: “…and I kept looking outside into the vagueness of the clouds, oddly longing for an ancestry.” (Dabydeen 108). He says he has this somewhat strange love and loyalty to a country that he described to be ugly and dirty. Well, how can a person show loyalty to something that is not well liked? Although he describes Guyana as an unclean place, he still shows love and loyalty. It also shows that Guyana must really hold a special place in his heart.
3
2
1
4
Guyana