Author: Jack Lasenby
Text Type: Novel
Kalik is a story of Ish who is introduced to a society driven by cruelty lead by Kalik and Lutha. The Shaman, Lutha's father has recently passed leaving Ish with all his knowledge. Ish soon finds himself taking care of the salt children and realising it is not a safe place for any of them. Ish needs to get out but cannot leave the children alone in the presence of Kalik as they would surely be turned into slaves or even worse left without the proper care and food and left to die. So he helps them escape.
I think this book is showing how some people feel unsure and worried about the leaders in which they have to trust. Ish is not sure about Kalik. Ish knows that Kalik is a great leader, but he is also a cruel one who will let nothing stand in his way of power. Ish is ashamed of how Kalik treats the salt people (who are enemies that are captured and turned into slaves). Kalik has an island in which he sends Salt people to cut down trees and do other hard labour. If they do something not up to Kaliks standards he would punish them. He worked the slaves for very long hours and worked them extremely hard with little rest. showing how cruel he is to people because of his preconceptions of the salt people. Ish has seen the fear that Kalik instills in the salt people and feels as though he is too harsh on them and Ish begins to worry what Kalik would to to him if his drive for power becomes stronger. Ish cares for some of the Salt children and he tells a story of a donkey who is treated cruelly so he escapes and makes some friends along the way to help him on his journey. This story shows us that Ish and the children are wanting to escape the cruelty of Kalik and will do so one day. I think this relates to the current President of the United States of America. Donald Trump is a Leader who does not like it when things don't go his way and he doesn't like anything to stand in his way. He does not like immigrants coming in to his country because of the preconception of what their religion or race is linked to. Just like Kalik he does not give them a chance to prove themselves instead just casts them out and treats them like abominations who deserve nothing. Just like Ish did in the book, people revolted against this and tried to get justice for everyone that Donald trumps drive for power and preconceptions of these people has affected.
Another message in this book I think is the power of knowledge and how some people are afraid to use it and some people are afraid of the other knowledge people hold. Ish has been taught everything he knows by the great Shaman, he has learnt of the power of healing and the knowledge of how to read his thoughts also how to read and write and how to teach these skills that are so rarely found within the world he found himself in. In the book there is a battle in which many soldiers come back wounded meaning they are open to infection. Ish is knowledgeable with medicine and healing but when he tries to help the people tending to the wounded they do not listen. Also when Ish is around Kalik, He believes Kalik can read his mind so he thinks of things other than all of the knowledge that he gained from the Shaman. The Shaman once told Ish "Don't dismiss all dreams the art is in learning which one is telling you something. Offering an answer to a problem. Learn to recognise the true dream." This reinforces the idea that knowledge is a very powerful asset and you must use it wisely to make sure that you are solving a problem rather than creating one. I think this can closely relate to all of the innovative scientists such as Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Nikola Tesla etc. These were scientists that had absolutely brilliant ideas and used there knowledge to create theories and inventions that were highly innovative and at times insanely difficult for the ordinary mind to comprehend. A lot of people thought these great minds were insane, because they viewed things differently. People were afraid of what could possibly a brilliant leap in science and human evolution so people began to dismiss these inventors knowledge.
