The Post Colonialism Theory : Opinions And Opposing View Points

Postcolonial critiques of literary works are often accomplished by reading and interpreting the work with a specific theme in mind or a ‘lens’. By allowing oneself to use a ‘lens’ when reading specific works, it allows the reader to interpret the effects of the themes and the changes throughout the writings. The goal of the critical lens is to seek to understand the behavior of characters or the society ("Post Colonialism," 2016). A few of the most popular themes used to view literary works are identity, oppression and power; applying this ‘lens’ can give the reader a different perspective and experience while reading the writings.

Colonialism is relatively a practice of supremacy and domination. This cultural manipulation is said in part to mirror imperialism. As discussed in class, colonialism is the consequence of imperialism, rather than the underlining theory. In the film “Even the Rain,” the topics of post-colonialism and colonialism are witnessed and explored. The film parallels many concepts by switching between the past and the present to illustrate the stark difference of the times. In public opinion, portrayed in social media and movies worldwide it is seen that the United States, and the Westernized world is the modern, secular time while the “others” are traditional, following religion and cultural practices; for these places to become modern they will

Through research, you can learn that postcolonial discourse is an “academic discipline that analyzes the cultural legacies of colonialism and of imperialism.” It is made up of theories found amongst “history anthropology, philosophy, linguistics, film, political science, architecture, human geography, sociology, Marxist theory, feminism, religious and theological studies, and literature.” An understanding of postcolonial discourse could be what colonized societies handed down to succeeding generations after them that has become significant to their culture.

labor and only wanted quick profits. That would be leaving out the southern economic colonies of North America and other factors as well . I could just come down to the fact that North America switched from conquest to colonization faster which pushed its frontiers further, faster and more efficiently than its southern cousin . This could be seen in the popular culture of the time as well. The tails of the American cowboy ever expanding power and territory could be seen as another embodiment or maybe even a replacement of the mountain man as the symbol of American nationalism .

Literature is a global art that throughout many languages, cultures, and as well as the course of time, is open to a magnitude of perspectives and opinions, ranging from literary criticisms written by literary scholars to school students undertaking VCE. From the time Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad was published in 1899 the novel has been held under considerable scrutiny as many interpretations have been developed over the novels true intent as well as the overall message portrayed within. Chinua Achebe’s “An Image of Africa” is a well-known criticism on Heart of Darkness that focuses on a Post-Colonial perspective to describe the nature of the novel. Jeremy Hawthorn’s “The Women of Heart of Darkness” is another well-known criticism

Although the controversy-inducing novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad displays strong tones of racism and dehumanization of an entire race, it is a story that forces readers to alter their perspectives on the beliefs and preconceived norms of society. Referred to as a ‘minor work’ by critics of his time, by the 1960’s, Conrad’s novella had risen to become a standard reading in many high schools and colleges. Many modern critics, including Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe and American literary critic J. Hillis Miller, have regarded this novel as either deserving of close intellectual reading or a novel that should not even be read at all. Heart of Darkness should be taught in the 21st century, as a part of the Western literary canon, not

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a highly debated book over whether or not it should be read in schools. Many people see Heart of Darkness as a racist book that is blatantly offensive to African Americans, but others view Heart of Darkness as an important book that explores many complex ideas, such as the internal conflict between a man’s sanity and insanity, and Conrad’s opposition to Imperialism, which was very prevalent during the time the book was written. While the opponents of Heart of Darkness say that this book should not be read in schools, I believe the book can be utilized in an academic environment. The opposers to this book do make a reasonable and correct point that this book uses very strong language and seems to be racist, Conrad did not intend to convey racist perspectives, rather, taking on that role to further his point towards Imperialism. Although it uses strong language in the book, that was used to show how Europeans viewed Africans during the time period.

Through the study of post colonialism, the audience gains insight to both the perspectives of the colonisers and the colonised, which subsequently broadens our views. Through this understanding, the audience is able grasp the culture of the colonised and to feel empathetic towards the “other” which ultimately leads to acceptance of diversity. Differences must be embraced for social cohesion to achieve positive interactions and a balanced and strong society. In addition, an individual is made aware of the actions of themselves and others and can refrain from applying a detrimental and impartial attitude towards other human beings

Postcolonial literature addresses the problems of decolonization of many non-western countries becoming independent from western control. Postcolonial literature focuses on racial relationships and the effects of race itself. An example of Postcolonial literature is Joseph Conrad’s text, “Heart of Darkness”. This text described a sailor’s journey up the Congo River. The novel also allowed readers to understand his feelings towards the empire and the ruthless treatment of the African natives.

These strong, and independent African women authors use insightful and educational language, which invites the western world to be a part of their world through the power of literature. One of the

Colonialism, which was a major cause of the north-south gap that occurred in the period following the Second World War, is the takeover by a nation of foreign territories; making them part of it to aid its own economical, social and political structures. The mother countries succeed in doing that by using the colony’s natural resources, money savings, and their lands, which leads the colony to rely on the mother country and therefore, leaving the country underdeveloped. Hence, the world wide scramble for colonies, particularly in the late 19th – early 20th century, had a tremendous negative effect on the economic, social, and political structures of indigenous, non-industrialized peoples.

Postcolonialism as an individual category was emerged in the 1980s, which is used to represent the period during aftermath of Western colonialism. It is also used to describe a study that rethink and reclaim the history of people subordinated under various forms of imperialism. Postcolonialism, as Wisker points out, is the "Recuperation of history from point of view of the ignored, silenced, other… people whose lives have been erased, ignored and hidden from history" (Wisker 54). It starts for, as Frantz Fanon said, to “find a voice and an identity is to reclaim their own past” (ptd. in Peter, 193), because for centuries European colonising will have belittled or even erased the history and culture of the colonised people, and regarded them as uncivilized savage. Then, as Peter Barry points out, the postcolonial tends to “erode the colonialist ideology by which that past had been devalued” (Peter 193).

The postcolonial era presents various issues for the decolonized nations, like the reconstruction of a government and the maintenance of an economy. In addition to that, the individual identity of the colonized people is a complex issue that they must cope with as well, and it is an issue that is still present today. Compared to the other issues of postcolonialism, the construction of one’s identity might appear trivial; however, there are many problems of postcolonial identity, including the obligation of one to perceive themselves as people do from the outside through stereotypes, and the difficulty of unifying two conflicting identities: one that is created by outside sources, and one that is created through personal experiences.

More than three-quarters of the people living in the world today have had their lives shaped by the experience of colonialism. It is easy to see how important this has been in the political and economic spheres, but its general influence on the perceptual frameworks of contemporary peoples is often less evident. Literature offers one of the most important ways in which these new perceptions are expressed and it is in their writing, and through other arts such as painting, sculpture, music, and dance that the day-to-day realities experienced by colonized peoples have been most powerfully encoded and so profoundly influential.

Postcolonialism deals with the effects of colonization on cultures and societies. As originally used by historians after the Second World War in terms such as the post-colonial state, ‘post-colonial’ had a clearly chronological meaning, designating the post-independence period. However, from the late 1970s the term has been used by literary critics to discuss the various cultural effects of colonization. The term has been widely used to signfy the political, linguistic and cultural experience of societies that were former European colonies. In the present age we can say without any shadow of doubt that post colonialism has been primarily concerned to examine the processes and effects