Colonization in A Small Place

In Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place, she presents the problem that Antigua is seen as a resort luxury resort by the outside world but, from the inside, and to its population, the current state of affairs in Antigua is a constant reminder of the British colonization in the island, that eventually led to the downfall of its economy and the current economical and societal struggles of the country.

In the opening chapter of the book Jamaica Kincaid addresses the reader as if they are a tourist visiting the country. Her feelings about European colonization are quickly recognized, she writes “You go through customs. Since you are a tourist, a North American or European—to be frank, white—and not an Antiguan black…you move through customs with ease. Your bags are not searched.” Kincaid quickly indicts Europeans and there visiting to Antigua. The irony to Kincaid is that these Europeans and white people were the ones who destroyed their country and now years later their ancestors are the ones who visit the country to exploit the beaches and ignore the social strife.

Much of Kincaid’s anger and resentment is aimed at America as well. Author Maria Helena Lima, writes “Americas are also to be understood as places of many continuous displacements: of the original pre-Columbian inhabitants, the Arawaks, Caribs, and Amerindians, permanently displaced from their homelands and decimated; of the slavery, colonization and conquest” (Lima, 60). Kincaid comments on modern colonization of Antigua by saying “They build condominiums that they sell (prices quoted in United States dollars) to North Americans and Europeans” (Kincaid, 62). It is easy to see here Kincaids feelings about how the colonization of centuries ago has carried over into a modern since, instead of building a colony of slaves like when the Europeans first touched Antigua, modern day colonization is occurring through the building of resorts and homes on the Antiguan beaches and ignoring the poverty and destruction of the actual Antiguan culture.

Also, Kincaid points out that the entirety of Antigua culture and government is run by the wealthy who ignore the poor. For example, Kincaid says “Banks are encouraged by the government to make loans available for cars, but loads for houses not so easily available” (Kincaid, 7). Kincaid is trying to point out that the colonization of the island has led to a society completely dominated by the wealthy.

Jamaica Kincaid finishes A Small Place by speaking of the strength of black people and specifically the descendents of slaves who were once corralled on the Antiguan islands. She calls them “noble and exalted people” (Kincaid, 81) . It is quite obvious that Kincaid’s feelings show the irony of the island of Antigua. Many of the residents of Antigua are descendents of slaves and many of those who choose to vacation and stay at resorts on Antigua, ignoring the poverty stricken countries innards, are descendents of those who sent slaves to Antigua. Jamaica Kincaid provides almost a call to arms, trying people to at least recognize the history of colonization and oppression in Antigua and to get the world to take notice that this is a country who is stricken with disaster and deficiency but all of that is ignored by the rest of the world in favor of it’s beautiful beaches and resorts.

Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place. Copyright 1988. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. New York City, NY.

Lima, Maria Helena. "Homelands in Jamaica Kincaid's Narratives of Development" Callaloo, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Summer, 2002), pp. 857-867

Other Women in the Kitchen

Paule Marshall’s “Poets in the Kitchen” tells how Marshall’s experiences listening to her mother and other women of her life as they talked around the kitchen and table have shaped her life trajectory and inspired her to write. This entire situation stemmed from a man who presented the idea of women’s childhood experiences of being with their mom in the kitchen as a way of women being oppressed in their childhood creativity experiences. However, Marshall takes this idea of “suppression of creativity” and lists that as inspiration to her own writing. I think it’s interesting to compare Marshall’s theory of being pigeon-holed to a stereotype to modern women writers and creators who have used the stereotypical ideas of womanhood as a means for creative expression.

One example comes from other writers from the semester such as Edwidge Danticat and Zora Neale Hurston who draw from life experiences and create characters who use these type-casted roles of women and use them to break through barriers. For example, in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God the character of Janie is put into various “roles” as a woman. She is oppressed by her husband and forced to work a job that she doesn’t necessarily enjoy. However, much like Marshall she uses these moments as motivation and manages to find love with Tea Cake and not allow these roles to oppress her. In Hurston’s actual life, her father was the mayor of a small, all black community and sort of her on the back-burner, much in the same way Janie’s husband did in the novel. Also, Edwidge Danticat draws on real life experiences of being type casted in “womanly” roles and uses them for her novel Breath, Eyes, Memory. In actuality Danticat’s parents moved out of Haiti when she was very young and put her in the role of helping to raise her brother along with her aunt. In Breat , Eyes, Memory the main character, Sophie, faces similar struggles after ties with her own family are severely injured and she is forced to raise a child. It is easy to see Marshall’s idea of letting these stereotypes control the creative process amongst women writers.

“They taught me my first lessons in the narrative art.” Marshall writes, “They trained my ear. They set a standard of excellence.”And the idea of taking distinctly feminine moments in life and using them to create art is not necessarily for writers, women in other mediums have adopted this style as well. For example, lesbian director Kimberly Pierce, drew on experiences of being oppressed and accused of being “stuck in the kitchen” to create the film “Boys Don’t Cry,” which tells the story of a young lesbian woman who is pretending to be a young man and finds love. Pierce’s distinctly feminine experiences as a lesbian allowed her to create one of the greatest films of the 1990’s.

Paule Marshall’s “Poets in the Kitchen” is a manifesto for women across the country to take distinct moments in life that would traditionally hold them back and use them to creative art. It’s easy to see this concept in the things we’ve read this semester alone: Danticat and Hurston use these ideas in their own novels. It’s even evident in other forms of art, such as film where Kimberly Pierce was able to use this idea to create a motion picture. Marshall’s idea was as relevant fifty years ago as it is currently.

Death and White Noise

Throughout Don DeLillo’s White Noise, there are many characters who find themselves in an unnatural relationship with death. Most simply worry about death and the effect it will have on their lives and the world around them. The two characters who death effects the most are Babbette and Jack, who throughout the novel try and find different ways to cope with the thought of dying and their obsession can be seen on other members of their family.
The character whose death obsession is most evident is Jack. Because Jack is the narrator of the novel we get much more insight from him and are able to see the effects it is having on him. Author and scholar Cornel Bonca, describes DeLillo’s White Noise and the character of Jack specifically by saying that it is “Contemporary man’s deepest expression of his death fear, a strange and genuinely awe-inspiring response to the fear of mortality in the postmodern world” (Bonca, 27). We can see this not only through Jack but through his wife Babette as well. Early in the novel only Jack’s obsession is the most evident as he reveals little fears early in the novel. For example, early in the story when Jack is asked a question about the Valkyrie plot to murder Hitler Jack responds “’All plots tend to move deathward. That is the nature of plots.’” Jack’s bemusing seem to startle him as he later asks himself “Is this true? Why did I say it? What does it mean?” It is clear early in the story that Jack has an unnatural attraction towards thinking about death.
As the novel continues, Jack’s obsession with death begins to grow more public. For example, in chapter fifteen he begins to share his thoughts of death with his colleagues as it relates to the deaths of Elvis Presley and Adolf Hitler. With this his obsession becomes more open, eventually leaing ot an open discussion about it with his wife. After the death of the Treadwells Jack and Babette’s feelings of death become more open, for example Jack says “Who will die first? She says she wants to die first because she would feel unbearably lonely and sad without me, especially if the children were grown and living elsewhere” (DeLillo, 100). This becomes obvious that both Jack and Babette have become fixated on death.
The couples continuous thoughts of death can be seen in their family dynamic. One author, Leonard Wilcox, says that the two are attempting to “preserve earlier notions of an authentic ad coherent identity by observing the tribalistic rituals of family life” (Wilcox, 348). What makes the dynamic interesting is how the parent’s fears of death play into these “tribalistic rituals.” Babette’s obsessions cause Denise to worry for her mother telling her what to eat and why she shouldn’t chew bubble gum. Jack’s oddities lead his son Heinrich to become cynical towards him and the whole family. And the both of their fears of death lead them to hoping for the preservation of their youngest son, who they openly hope will stay the age he is forever.
The pair’s fear of death culminates when Jack finds out about the Dylar and shifts his obsession with death to an obsession with obtaining the medicine. “I was ready to kill him now,” Jack says this in the closing chapters of the book, speaking of Mr. Gray (DeLillo, 304). This simple sentence shows how Jack’s fear of death has morphed so much that he is willing to confront it head on in order to avoid it.
Don DeLillo’s White Noise speak volumes on commercialism, the twentieth century and death. The fear of death is held by many characters in the novel and morphs to create the tension of the story as well as a strong social commentary.





Bonca, Cornell, Don DeLillo's White Noise: The Natural Language of the Species College Literature, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Jun., 1996). Published by: College Literature

DeLilli, Don. White Noise. Viking Penguin Inc. 1985. Copyright Mark Osteen. New York. NY.

Leonard, Wilcox. Baudrillard, DeLillo's "White Noise," and the End of Heroic Narrative Contemporary Literature, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Autumn, 1991). Published by: University of Wisconsin Press

Similarities Between Sophie and Janie

I think it is very interesting how Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory holds several similarities to Zora Neale’s Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. The greatest similarirty between the two novels is the main characters of both: Janie and Sophie. Each character finds struggles throughout their respective stories and is forced to look deep inside themselves to find love as well as overcome their past and the problems that have presented themselves.
One of the most compelling similarities between Sophie and Janie is their ideas that they are destined to be happy and work through a lot of hardships to be with those they love. For example, Sophie says in Breath, Eyes, Memory “I was bound to be happy in a a place called Providence. A place that destiny was calling me to. Fate! A town named after the creator, the Almighty. Who would not want to live there?” This quote shows that Sophie is leaving all the abuse she received from the hands of her mother and is heading out with Joseph to be happy for the rest of her life. Similarly, in Their Eyes Were Watching God after Janie’s abusive husband dies she makes a statement to herself to be happy, it is written “Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house the next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist” (page 89). These two are similar because it shows how each character has resolved to move past those who abused them and are going to try to make a good life for themselves.
Also, the two are similar because both of to deal with horrible deaths to those they are close to. In Breath Eyes Memory, Sophie is forced to deal with the death of her own mother. Edwidge Danticat writes “I lay in my mother’s bed all night fighting evil thoughts: It is your fault that she killed herself in the first place. Your face took her back again. You should have stayed with her” (page 227). Here, Sophie is very much accusing herself for her mother’s death and even though the two didn’t always get along or see eye to eye she is still very much shaken over her mother’s “suicide.” Likewise, In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie finds herself in a similar situation, “She had wanted him to live so much and he was dead.” Hurston writes this after Janie is forced to kill a rabid tea Cake. “No hour is ever eternity but it has its right to weep.” Much like Sophie, Janie feels extreme sorrow for the death of Tea Cake and feels that it is her responsibility.
The novels Breath, Eyes, Memory and Their Eyes Were Watching God have several similarities, the biggest of which are the protagonists: Sophie and Janie. These two are so similar for a number of reasons. First off, both are forced to overcome a life controlled by another. Sophie’s life is controlled by the sexual abuse at the hands of her mother and Janie’s life is controlled by her husband Jodie. In the end both find a way to overcome these people, albeit Janie liberates herself more than Sophie does. In addition, both Sophie and Janie are forced to deal with the death of someone close to them and deal with the feeling that it was their fault.

Multiple Points of View in The Poisonwood Bible

Author Barbara Kingsolver, in her The Poisonwood Bible, uses multiple points of view to tell the story of a family of missionaries that move to the Congo to missionvwork amidst a cloud of political turmoil. The points of view in this story cycle between the mother Orleanna, an her four children Leah, Adah, Ruth May, and Rachel, while skipping over the father’s point of view during the entirety of the novel. The multiple points of view allow the author to represent the family in almost every respect. Each daughter and the mother have their views equally characterized through their own point of view.
One author writes that multiple points of view “allows an author to piece together a complex story without requiring a single character to know and see everything” (Coe). I think this definitely applies to The Poisonwood Bible. Since there are so many characters and the back drop is set in the midst of a political revolution the story can become quite cloudy. By using the tool of having multiple points of view the author is able to show many different things in the story without giving away too much.
Also, I think that the multiple points of view allows the author to use subtlety in revealing different character details. For example, throughout Adah’s points of view we see her disability come into play while it goes unrecognized, for the most part, by the other sisters. For example, at the end of Adah’s first chapter in Genesis she says “It is true I do not speak as well as I can think. But that is true of most people, as nearly as I can tell” (Kingsolver 34).
Also, I think it’s very interesting how Kingsolver uses the multiple points of view for everyone except the father but is very good at giving a representation of the father through other points of view. For example, the reader is able to understand the father’s stubbornness through other’s such as when he stung by the plant after being told repeatedly that it would hurt him if he did not handle it right and when he repeatedly preaches to the tribes people, embarrassing them about their social normality.
Finally, one author says that multiple narration is usually used in documentaries and I find this very interesting because the novel itself almost reads as if it were a documentary and the women of the family are being interviewed (Love). Like in a interview documentary we only see what the girls choose to reveal to us and that makes the story itself more suspenseful as a whole.
Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible is a classic example of novels that use multiple points of view. This multiple points of view allows the reader to maintain suspense throughout by not revealing everything all at once and only revealing what the characters choose to reveal. One very interesting thing in the novel that arises from the multiple points of view is the representation of the father who is portrayed perfectly without having a point of view himself. The novel is a great piece of literature and one of the only ones that is able to make multiple points of view work like clockwork.
 


Works Cited
Coe, David. “Point of View. Single VS Multiple.” January 5th 2009. Magical Words: Writing Tips and Publishing Advice for Aspiring Novelists. http://magicalwords.net/david-b-coe/point-of-view-single-vs.-multiple/

Kinsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. Copyright 1998. Haprper Collins Publishers. New York City, New York.

Love, Tim. Multiple Points of View. Published January 2006. University of Cambridge. http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~tpl/texts/multipovs.html

Cultural Icons: Bob Dylan & Allen Ginsberg

Bob Dylan’s music is reflective of political and cultural notions throughout the 1960’s to present day. Zit is undeniable that Dylan himself was influenced both in thought and in art by Allen Ginsberg and the rest of the beat generation. Dylan’s music is very similar to the work of Ginsberg in it’s themes and the feeling is mutual as Ginsberg himself has noted that Dylan’s music not only reflects his sentiments but inspires him as much as he inspired Dylan.
An obvious comparison to Dylan and Ginsberg are the political influences that flowed from Ginsberg. Take for instance Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall. This song is a political protest ot nuclear war and the reaction to the Cold War. On the other end Allen Ginsberg’s poem talk a lot about war morals and the cold war itself. For example, in Dylan’s song he says “I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken, I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,” this line, amongst others, is a blatant response to those in power who are quicker to jump towards violence than reasoning (Dylan). To show where this influence could have stemmed from, we can look at Ginsberg’s “America” where he says “America, when will we end the human war? Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb” (Ginsberg) Both of these songs reflect the violent tendencies of America. Looking at examples directly from “Howl,” Ginsberg says in the opening lines “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix” (Ginsberg). This line seems to reference the “greatest minds of my generation” as government officials, and these ideas are mirrored in Dylan’s songs like “The Times They Are A-Changing” when Dylan says “Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call, don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall,” which mirrors similar intents of talking directly to those in power (Dylan).
This influence is not lost on Ginsberg either, he said once about Dylan “…It was the "Masters of War," I think, and ["A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"]. And I was really amazed. It seemed to me that the torch had been passed, from Kerouac or from the beat genius on to another generation completely, who had taken it, and he'd taken it and made something completely original out of it, and that life was in good hands. I remember bursting into tears” (Ginsberg). Ginsberg’s recognition of Dylan embracing the culture that authors like himself and Kerouac built is quite evident. Not only does Ginsberg realize it but there seems to be a mutual respect between the two men.
It is safe to say that Bob Dylan’s entire career was heavily influenced by Allen Ginsberg and the rest of the Beats Generation. We can compare Ginsberg’s “Howl” to Dylan’s entire discography and see similarities in thought about culture and politics. And in the end, as much as Ginsberg influenced Dylan it becomes obvious that Bob Dylan did the same for Allen Ginsberg.
 






Dylan, Bob “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Columbia Recors, 1963.
Dylan, Bob “The Times They Are a Changing,” The Times They Are a Changing. Columbia Records, 1964. Tom Wilson
Ginsberg, Allen. Howl. City Light Books, San Francisco, CA. 1956
Zuckerman, Matthew. “If There's An Original Thought Out There, I Could Use It Right Now: The Folk Roots of Bob Dylan.” Dylan Influences. http://expectingrain.com/dok/div/influences.html. 20 February 1997.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: The Evolution of Janie

In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the protagonist Janie, goes through several phases throughout the duration of the novel. She changes from a young woman who is naïve and submissive to a woman who stands up for herself. Author Wendy J McRedie says that “Janie’s voice becomes the self actualizing voice of authority” (McCredie, 25). Janie goes from a submissive woman, both to the community and to her husband Jody, to a woman who doesn’t allow anyone but herself to influence her decision.
At the beginning of the novel, when Janie meets and marries Jody Starks, it is quite obvious that she is very submissive to her husband and lets him control her. One example of this submissive behavior comes early in the novel when Jody is named mayor and the town wants Janie to speak at a town meeting. Instead of letting Janie speak Jody interrupts and says “Mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin,. Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place in de home” (Hurston, 43) This passage shows that Jodie is submissive to her husband and he has quite a bit of control over her life. The first half of the novel can be described as Janie desiring to have a voice in a world controlled by her husband who forces her to stifle her thoughts (McCredie, 27).
However, when Jody becomes sick Janie begins to change, she becomes braver and begins to speak out. Janie’s growth as a character and as a independent woman, begins to happen as Jody becomes ill and Janie realizes that she is able to escape from under the control of her husband. This can be seen as Jody lies on his death bed and Janie comes into see him, she tells him “You ain’t de Jody ah run off down de road wid. You’se whut’s left after he died. Ah run off tuh keep house wid you in uh wonderful way. But you wan’t satisfied wid me de way Ah was. Naw! Mah own mind had tuh be squeezed and crowded out tuh make room for your in mine” (Hurston 86). This shows that Janie is progressing as an individual and its no longer tolerant of having a man dominate her life.
Janie’s evolution and change as a character can be seen even further when she meets Tea Cake. After spending years with Jody, an abusive man, Janie is scarred and makes a decision to not allow herself to be dominated by him like she was with Jody. For example, after Tea Cake disappears and upsets Janie she responds by saying “Tea Cake, if you ever go off from me and have a good time lak dat and then come back heah tellin’ ,e how nice Ah is, Ah specks tuh kill yuh dead.” This is evidence that Janie is no longer going to let the men in her life walk all over her.
As the book continues Janie’s growth becomes more evident as she is able to fall in love with Tea Cake and they have a healthy loving relationship. However, the ending of the book is quite controversial. When Tea Cake gets rabies and tries to attack Janie she is forced to s hoot him. Some have interpreted this as being another act where a man attempts to stifle Janie, but I see it as the opposite, I see it as Janie finally growing enough to the point where she can firmly stand her ground against a man, even though it’s one she loves. The attack and shooting is not a message of dominance but the ending of a tragic romance. Author Jennifer Jordan writes “Tea Cake…falls in love with a lady, dedicates himself to making her happy, and sacrifices his life fighting the dragon” (Jordan)
This I ultimately shows how Janie’s growth has turned the tables, she has gone from a woman who was totally submissive to an oppressive husband to a woman who has a man she loves die for her.

Works Cited
Hurston, Zora Neale, Their Eyes Were Watching God. 1937. Harper Collins Publishers, 10 East 53r Street, New York, NY.
Jordan, Jennifer, “Feminist Fantasies: Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.” 1988. Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, Vol. 7, No. 1. Published by University of Tulsa.
McCredie. Wendy J., “Authority and Authorization in Their Eyes Were Watching God.” 1982. Black American Literature Forum, Vol. 16, No. 1. Published by St. Louis University.