Amazon.com reviews for Ama Adhe's The Voice That Remembers include only four and five star ratings, with comments ranging from "Her story is one everyone should read because her message helps one gain perspective and to persevere through adversity” to simply “I think (Adhe’s story) ) this book has made me a better person” (1). Almost all reviews make sweeping claims about a person's improvement after reading the book, as well as the lasting effect and educational value the novel had in informing Western readers about the current plight facing Tibetans are facing the hands of the Chinese communists. And it's true; Adhe's story is an incredible account of her struggle to remain faithful to Tibetan Buddhist tradition in the face of widespread genocide and torture by the Chinese in the early 1960s. Even the book's harshest reviewer can't say anything against will, the truly impressive perseverance and willful dedication that drove Adhe to survive after being imprisoned and specifically victimized for twenty-seven years. However, it is important to note that The Voice That Remembers was undoubtedly heavily ghostwritten and skillfully employs literary tactics that generate a strong, instinctive pathological response from a Western audience. As Laurie McMillan says in her short essay "New Age Namtar: Tibetan Autobiographies in English", "the creation of Tibetan autobiographies in English is inevitably a mixed phenomenon, closely linked to Western expectations and the desire of some Tibetans to represent what could be. considered as the authenticity of their experience” (156). McMillan goes on to say that what Westerners call an "authentic Tibetan" is a Tibetan devoted to Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan nationalism and exile. Therein lies the ultimatum. While Adhe undoubtedly felt the need to depict the struggles she and her companions faced as realistically as possible, she also needed to appeal to Western readers, which raises McMillan's initial question: "Tibetan autobiographies in are they simply a kind of capitulation of Western desires... or could they be something else? (155). Although Ama Adhe's story of oppression at the hands of Communist China is both authentically moving and powerful, Adhe strives to present herself as McMillan's "authentic Tibetan" by using subtle literary techniques that emphasize his devotion to Buddhism, Tibetan nationalism, and his exile during Communist China. the invasion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay Before Adhe's story even begins, the book bolsters her credibility as a Tibetan Buddhist by including a letter from the Dalai Lama, highlighting Adhe's achievements and the significance, in a Buddhist and humanitarian sense, of the novel. Immediately this establishes Adhe's philosophy or credibility. Perhaps the most important point of this note of praise is that the Dalai Lama emphasizes the impact that the book has in describing the struggle of the "Tibetan people" much more than he talks about Adhe herself. The effect of this is that it is exalted not only through a Buddhist lens, but also through a nationalist lens. The introduction of the Dalai Lama symbolizes the ultimate Buddhist eulogy, as well as nationalistic eulogy, and brings out the idea that reading this novel as a Westerner will make him a "better person." When a Western reader ends upDiving into the novel, it is virtually impossible to forget even for a single page that Adhe is a Buddhist. This serves as her primary motivation for living and her source of strength throughout the novel, combined with her love and need to return to her children as well as protect her friends and family. Three factors contributed to his Buddhist devotion during his imprisonment; personal practice, helping and observing the dedication of others and villainizing the Chinese in a religious sense. Firstly, Adhe derives his personal practice from his childhood and education. It is important to note that she continues to practice these Buddhist traditions even after several years of imprisonment, while many prisoners are emotionally broken under the weight of the communist work and manifesto. In one case, Adhe fears she cannot remember all the verses of the 21-verse prayer she usually recites to the patron deity Dolma, and so asks a former lama Kathong Situ Rinpoche to help her. In return, he gives her an abbreviated prayer of 9 verses to the same deity Dolma, and she can continue her religious practice. Examples like this punctuate the entire novel; Every time the reader fears that she might give up, she is reminded of her religious nature, such as when Adhe attempts to starve and makes rosaries from the fabric at the bottom of her dress. These little personal nods to Buddhism suggest that it is a constantly present driving force in her mind and establish her credibility as an “authentic Tibetan.” Second, periodically throughout her tortuous work, she is accompanied by another devout Buddhist. For example, when she is initially imprisoned, there is a day where women are subjected to rape and torture sessions and then forced to drink murky water in order to avoid pregnancy. In this time of despair, Chomphée Gyalgo Rinpoche reassures her: “even if we are going through very dark times, it will not be possible for them to destroy our religion and our culture. In the end, the doctrine of Tibetan Buddhism will prevail” (105). This is a further reminder to readers of Adhe's cultural and doctrinal roots, even if the remarks do not come from Adhe herself. Finally, the contrast between the Communist Chinese and the Tibetan Buddhists is black and white in the novel, when in reality there were many shades of gray. In one scene, a female prison guard tells the prisoners "you must admit that there is no god or religion" (155), to which the prisoners respond by calling her "devil woman" (155). The effect of this is to juxtapose Tibetans in a religious sense and to unconsciously emphasize the role of religion in the personal lives of Tibetan prisoners. The combination of personal practice and constant reminder of the polarization between Adhe's Chinese and Buddhist upbringing completes the first Western requirement of an "authentic Tibetan" according to McMillan. Adhe further strengthens his credibility as an "authentic Buddhist" by reinforcing his sense of nationalism through a new structure, deliberately avoiding mention of Chinese prisoners during communist rule, and devoting himself to protecting his friends who joined his group rebel. Chapters 1 through 4 spend a lot of time describing Adhe's life in Tibet before the communist invasion, which serves two purposes. The first is that it establishes a framework for the character and contributes to the autobiographical nature of the novel, but the second is that it unconsciously establishes her strong roots in Tibet since she was a child for the reader. All his memories of the pre-communist invasion are very bright and idealistic. The first sentence of the novel is even: “I remember my first memory: laughing, spinning and falling in fields of flowers under an endless sky” (5). This creates a romanticized view of Tibet that will serve to make his fight to save Tibet more effective. Second, throughout the novel, very few Chinese people mentioned are not authority figures. In reality, there were a large number of Chinese prisoners in the camps where the Tibetans were taken. While the Tibetans greatly outnumbered the Chinese, the exclusion of Chinese characters directs readers to focus on the plight of the Tibetan prisoners, while establishing the Chinese as a united force of oppression. Once again, this has the effect of transforming a gray reality into a black and white world. The group's refusal to betray its resistance and its friends involved show a real nationalist dynamic that is not manufactured by the novel, but its inclusion has a very powerful effect on the reader. Throughout the years of torture, Adhe continued to deny any involvement in organizing, leading, or participating in the resistance group she and her brother had organized in Tibet. Because of this, she is subjected to endless suffering, while her brother was killed after admitting his guilt. This punishment is far worse than death, which Adhe repeatedly wishes for throughout the novel. Adhe's nationalist side is exhibited through a combination of literary technique and true devotion, which in turn cements her as the Western ideal of the "authentic Tibetan". Finally, McMillan's "authentic Tibetan" must enter a state of exile, which Adhe does without further explanation for several years. However, his exile is forced rather than voluntary, but this makes his return to Tibet incredibly shocking after nearly thirty years spent in various prisons and labor camps outside of Tibet and in China. Perhaps the most poignant thing about her forced exile, however, is that she never forgets her home country and constantly questions the state of it, even when she is thousands of kilometers away. Returning, Adhe notes that “my region was a land of pristine beauty, a place of great religious sanctity… but now the mountains around Lhobasha were barren, the forests had disappeared” (196). Adhe's pain in exile and the realization that her home is destroyed devastate readers, who already know the inevitable fate of the post-communist invasion of Tibet and reach out to Adhe with emotion. This completes Adhe's credibility and establishes her as an "authentic Tibetan" in the eyes of Western readers. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Ama Adhe's personal account of twenty-five seven years of imprisonment during the years of the Communist takeover is truly moving and surprisingly intimate, especially for the Western reader who may not be -not being sufficiently informed about the atrocities inflicted on the Tibetan people. However, with this in mind, it is equally important to recognize and analyze the literary techniques that enable the Western reader to experience Adhe and establish her as the perfect vision of the “authentic Tibetan”; fervent Buddhist, undeniably nationalist and subject to exile. There are pros and cons to Westernized versions of Tibetan autobiographies, but one drawback that is both recurring and perhaps the most problematic is the Western notion that reading stories such as Ama Adhe's will transform one's life. somehow leaves the reader a better person. As Laurie McMillan says, “read the.