An Analysis of Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer

Little does Jurgis know, his wife has her own hardships in the workforce. Ona reveals she has been raped repeatedly by her boss. Hearing this, Jurgis becomes livid, and tries to choke her abuser, which causes him to end up in jail. Thirty days later, fresh out of Jail, he finds his wife in labor with their second child, but the labor is premature and causes both Ona and the child to die.

In The Colonizer and the Colonized, Albert Memmi presents his arguments on the benefits and problems of assimilation of the colonized. According to Memmi, bilingualism of the colonized is a benefit and a problem for the colonized. In addition, he illustrates how self-rejection, self-hate, and shame are problems of assimilation by the colonized. After providing evidence of Memmi’s arguments, I will analyze whether the arguments he provides on the answer of assimilation in his book still hold up in modern society. Although Memmi provides pros and cons to assimilation being the answer to colonization, there really is no benefit if it means that suffering is the root cause of one choosing to assimilate to the oppressors.

The gender binary is not the only aspect of the lasting impact of colonization that affects an individual’s personal identity

Initially, the concept of colonisation will be explained, including the forces that were driving the colonisation and the usual ways it was achieved. At a general level, the ideologies underpinning the colonisers’ interactions with indigenous peoples will also be described. A comparison will then be made between the experiences of colonisation for Aboriginal peoples

In The Colonizer and the Colonized, Albert Memmi’s essential argument is that the collapse of colonialism is inevitable. According to Memmi, there are only two answers for the colonized to disrupt the system of oppression. The two possible “solutions” are assimilation and revolt. In response to the marginalization of the colonized, both answers carry a high price. In Memmi’s eyes, neither will work in the end. The first of two answers on the road to collapsing colonization is assimilation. Imitation and compromise are not the answer to decolonizing, for neither the colonized nor the colonizer.

The song “Where is the Love?” has many sociological concepts put into the lyrics. It is the first song that popped up in my head when seeing this assessment and if you have ever heard the song then you would know why I chose this specific song. The band in this song expresses the the world's issues and they express their view on the world and the actions others make. The main idea of the song is concentrated on the reality and how the world is changing.

Throughout the process of colonization, the Native people in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Silas Hagerty’s documentary Dakotah 38, and Phillip Noyce’s film Rabbit-Proof Fence, all cope with the on going struggles of being colonized against their will. All three of these sources tell their own, different stories about their same struggles. In both Things Fall Apart and Dakotah 38, the colonizing people create a sense of doubt in the Natives’ cultures; whereas in Rabbit-Proof Fence, the people fight to hold their beliefs by continuing to practice their own traditions.

Rigoberta starts questioning her perspective on ladinos, wondering if they are really all bad. She befriends Indians who have worked with poor ladinos who suffer from the same problems as her community does. The poor, from ladino to Indian, are exploited just the same yet they are so conditioned to dislike one another it’s hard for them to unite and really consider their circumstances the same. This troubles Rigoberta greatly for she knows that the heart of her distress aches from abuse from the rich landowners and if the poor ladinos are abused the same, they ache as well. Rigoberta dares to live in a state of confusion when wondering why there is such an enormous barrier between ladino and Indian. This confused state of mind is progressive for her time because her culture has long equated change and confusion with chaos and

Some topics that pertain to postcolonialism can oftentimes be somewhat difficult to grasp because of complexity that is required to describe them. Rudyard Kipling makes understanding a topic a whole lot easier because of his ability to write short stories and connect them to any postcolonial topics that he so chooses. For example, his short stories “Haunted Subalterns” and “The Mark of the Beast” have allowed me to better get a hold on the idea of the postcolonial topic of the subaltern. Along with them, I have found a few scholarly articles that have also contributed to improving my knowledge and understanding of what the subaltern really is. Ultimately, the question that I would like to grapple with is: Can the subaltern theme in Mark of the Beast be compared to that in Haunted Subalterns? The postcolonial definition of the subaltern from a postcolonial lens is the subordination of native people to the point where they are left powerless and without a voice. The subaltern in postcolonial studies is a very interesting topic because it can be intriguing how a native person can be stripped of the credibility that their words have and the power that every human being should be granted due to the way that colonizers can make them feel. Throughout the paper I will include an in depth description of what the subaltern means and other ways that it can be interpreted. Also, as I previously stated, I will analyze two of Rudyard Kipling’s short stories and connect

‘Silence’ is a recurring theme in post-colonial literature. It is a form of communication. It is a notable concept in Literature that attracts many readers. Not all silences sound same. The expression of silence reveals different meaning s to different persons on different situations. Silence arising in the midst of a conversation can sometimes be comfortable and meaningful, whereas in other situations they remain as an obstacle between the communicators. Especially silence of women may express agreement without any objection, fear, pain, suffering, endurance or a means of protest.1

The family begins to have good luck, both Jonas and Marija begin to work. The group is presented with an offer for a house, which they take without understanding the fine print. The entire family continues working, with Jurgis quickly learning all of the horrible things that occur in the factories. Soon after the wedding described in the beginning occurs and life goes on afterwards. Old Dede Antanas dies from sickness. Their first winter begins and they are not prepared for what happens. Hours are cut, so all of the family is being paid less than half of what they were usually making. Jurgis joins the union and the rest of the family follows. Jurgis becomes a citizen and learns more of the political corruption that occurs under him. Soon after this Ona gives birth to a boy, who is named Antanas. Later, Jurgis hurts his leg on the job which progressively gets bad enough that he is bedridden to allow it to heal. While Jurgis is bedridden, Jonas leaves the group without notice, causing the family’s income to decrease further. After his leg heals, Jurgis finds a job at the fertilizer plant. Ona starts to become sick and despondent, which worries Jurgis. Jurgis questions her repeatedly and learns about what Connor had done. Jurgis assaults Connor for his crime and is sent to prison where he meets Jack Duane, a charismatic criminal. Jurgis is sentenced to a month in jail for the assault of Connor. When Jurgis is released he comes

On the one hand, one may believe the novel to serve as an excuse trying to justify the settlers` behavior. This feeling is primarily raised through the focus on the settlers`, hence, the non-Indigenous perspective. The storyline of the “unbelonging” settler as a victim of society, pursuing his aim to start a new life, raises

Nadine Gordimer’s “What were you dreaming?” is known to be a very sensitive, open account of her private and social relationship in South Africa. Gordimer witnessed the difference between the white minority, and their continuous efforts to weaken the rights of the black population. Gordimer made it her duty to promote the consequences of the apartheid, the problems that oppression inflicts on both the colonized (settled) and the colonizers (immigrants), its effect on daily life, and the division it caused between the black and white races. As a result, she wrote the short story, “What were you dreaming?” to show the readers her view, not explain it.

“There one of them asked me why I wept; I could hardly tell what to say, yet I answered they would kill me. ‘No,’ said he, ‘none will hurt you.’ Then came one of them and gave me two spoonfuls of meal to comfort me, and another gave me half pint of peas which was more worth than many bushels at another time.”(71). The Natives showed her great affection with was not expected of them from her puritanical views. Although she knew no harm would come to her she expected to leave “them” as soon as possible.

Nervous Conditions draws much focus on the lives of women living the impacts of colonialism in a traditional African society in Zimbabwe. These women struggle to assert themselves in a patriarchal society while at the same time it speaks about the history of a country that has been under colonialization. The female characters in the stories struggle in their lives to find ways to deal with their own situation; however, this essay emphasizes African women’s situation in both the colonized and/or patriarchal societies as exemplified by the female characters: Tambu and Nyasha. Tambu leaves her country because of its inequality and male biases so she can seek freedom and gain liberation. Nyasha resisters and defies patriarchy, as manifested by