Essay on "Postcolonial Literature How Do Factors of Race and Gender Further Complicate the Relations of Class"
Essay 3 pages (1042 words) Sources: 4
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Postcolonial Literature"Everytime I think I have forgotten, / I think I have lost the mother tongue, / it blossoms out of my mouth. / Days I try to think English: / I look up, / paylo kallo kagdo / oodto jai, huhvay jzaday pohchay / ainee chanchma kaeek chay / the crow has something in its beak." -- Sujata Bhatt
The immigrant is defined by his language; it is entangled with the "very roots" of his being (Kumar 17). As an immigrant struggles to find his identity in the world, there is one element that will always define him -- his language. "Those of us who do use English do so in spite of our ambiguity towards it…To conquer English may be to complete the process of making ourselves free" (17). This is clearly illustrated in A.K. Ramanujan's poem entitled "Self-Portrait," in which we meet a person who is writing in English thus obviously influenced by Western culture, however, when he sees himself in a shop window, his "self-portrait," he sees himself as the product of his racial ethos and nation. "I resemble everyone / but myself," he says. Here we seen an obsession with private ancestral memories, leading to a search for racial roots (Rukhaiyar & Prasad 125).
Likewise, China Achebe's Things Fall Apart was written in English, suggesting that he wrote it not for his Nigerian people, but he wrote it for the West. In the work, he critiques and attempts to correct the vision of Africa that was created by other writers of the colonial period. Achebe tackles the problem with communication between the Igbo and the missionaries. "Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten"
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Achebe writes Things Falls Apart from a peacemaking position. He is desperately trying to understand his past as a way of finding his identity. Rather than coming from a place of absolute pessimism, Achebe, in fact, is able to make the search for his identity in a postcolonial world a positive quest. He is using education, incorporating the Igbo language, to reinvent his own sense of self. He is showing that there can be an existence of two languages. By writing in English, he is recreating himself and finding an identity that may not be the one he was born with, but he is also making it clear that he hasn't forgotten where he comes from. In other words, he will find his own identity through the English language which will inevitably be infiltrated with his own culture and language.
Salman Rushdie's story "The Prophet's Hair" gives the reader a strong sense of how conformist Muslims profoundly believe in the power of Muhammad the Prophet. In fact, Hashim uses his beliefs to justify his violent behavior. "…by keeping the… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Postcolonial Literature How Do Factors of Race and Gender Further Complicate the Relations of Class" Assignment:
“Please keep in mind that when you*****'re writing out the answers to both of these questions, that I want them to be completely separate from one another.
1) In colonial and postcolonial literatures, the relationship between language and nation intensely complicates the notion of *****English Literature.***** Using specific examples from these three texts: Salman Rushdie*****'s *****"The Prophet*****'s Hair,*****" A.K. Ramanujan*****'s *****"Self-Portrait,*****" and Chinua Achebe*****'s *****"Things Fall Apart*****" describe some of these complications in terms of literary form, political subject matter, and the positioning of the speaker.
2) Famously, the English obsess about social class structure and class divisions. Using specific examples from these three texts: Wole Soyinka*****'s *****"Telephone Coversation,*****" Joseph Conrad*****'s *****"Heart of Darkness,*****" and Jean Rhys*****' *****"Let Them Call It Jazz*****" how do factors of race and gender further complicate the relations of class? (You may choose to compare three texts that each interrogate race and/or gender, or you may want to compare a text that elucidates class only, to texts that bring more factors of identity.)
How to Reference "Postcolonial Literature How Do Factors of Race and Gender Further Complicate the Relations of Class" Essay in a Bibliography
“Postcolonial Literature How Do Factors of Race and Gender Further Complicate the Relations of Class.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2010, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/postcolonial-literature-everytime/26707. Accessed 14 May 2024.
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