Meeting Maung-Maung Response (3)

I think the theme of Iyer's essay is, when traveling, to appreciate the people just as much as the destination. Travelers often become consumed in seeing the sights around them and do not focus on the significance that the people that live there have. What struck me as effective is when Iyer admits his doubt when Maung-Maung invites him to his house, thinking to himself: "Once I'm in his house... he will drop a drug in my tea or pull out a knife... I will find out too late that his friendliness is only a means to an end." Iyer later tells Maung-Maung that he is more concerned with seeing the city than reading his essay, even though Maung-Maung obviously treasures his writing. Throughout the story, Iyer is preoccupied and fails to see the significance in talking to Maung-Maung and learning about his own personal journey from becoming a university student to becoming a trishaw driver. Another use of effective language was when Iyer said he was introduced to Maung-Maung as he "stumbled off a sixteen-hour third-class overnight train from Rangoon to Mandalay." This shows to the reader the feelings of desperation and exhaustion that must have been felt by Iyer; obviously, when he first sees Maung-Maung available to give him a ride, he does not see it as a potential cultural experience and is not focused on talking to Maung-Maung and learning from him, but sees it as the best option to get out into the city quickly. Every destination has a story, and that story is best told by the people that live there; they are just as part of the culture as a city's ruins, temples, and monuments.