Essay on Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures

Language can be a powerful tool which can build individuals up but it can also tear them down. When reading Literature through a post-colonial lens it can give us the needed tools to provide or grasp the information in order to reveal the bigger picture in the story. “Post-colonialism examines the manner in which emerging societies grapple with the challenges of self- determination.” (Aladren, 2013) In one way we can see that approach of colonist being conveyed through the native tongue which tends to be taught to its subjects. Such examples can be seen in Shakespeare’s The Tempest (Act1 & 2) and the The Epic of Gilgamesh which illustrates how a “savage” can be domesticated simply by learning the imperialist language. As the subjects Caliban and Enkidu encounter these dominating issues due to the situation they face once they are introduce to oppressors culture.

Colonialism is the action of taking away a country’s people, political and economical power. In Jamaica Kincaid’s essay “On Seeing England for the First Time”, she uses numbers of rhetorical strategies to show her bitterness towards England, whose oppressive, pervasive influence took over her country’s identity, culture, and minds of nature. Kincaid uses repetition, symbols, and her tone to convey her attitude towards England.

It is reasonably hard to measure the extent of the influence that imperialism has had on the contemporary world, at least due to the fact that imperialism shaped the appearance of the modern world, starting from the name of places and geographical boundaries, to the establishment of a globalized economic system. Accordingly, European colonization has left its mark on many parts of the world, especially by providing a strong foundation for the formation of a cultural universalization, substantial changes in the education system, an occurrence of a language hierarchy, and the emergence of a world economic system (Osterhammel and Petersson 2005, pg. 73-77). Through altered societal structures, a restricted access to education, substantial changes to the cultural values of colonized countries, and the special division of the labor market, the age of imperialism has had an outsized impact on the modern developing world, perhaps more than any other particular age.

A good text should be crafted in such a way that it commands a certain extent of rhetorical force in a bid to acquire the expected influence on the intended audience. This force exudes from the sensitivity of the issues addressed in a text, the language used, the credibility of the facts used, and the ability of the author to present the ideas in a manner that passes the test of time. The four texts reviewed in this essay manifest great rhetorical force in the way they handle the concept of postcolonialism. The varying authors used different methods to reinforce their views by appealing to various groups of readers and contributors in postcolonial discussions.

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.

When people think of the concept of imperialism, they usually view it as something that pertains to government. Even the first definition of imperialism in the dictionary is “imperial state, authority, spirit, or system of government” (Webster 729). However, imperialism encompasses so much more than this. In comparing the resonations between Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness with Johann Goethe’s Faust, one can see how imperialism affects the political, the social, the psychological, and the spiritual, especially within the past 200 years. Stemming from this is man’s existential freedom, his “mechanical and lifeless existence in society”, explored in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor” and Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener”.

There seemed diminutive sense that this seat could not remain vaguely: The sovereign nations seem to have a powerful with the armed navy , finance, and even ethnic groups, that nobody could annoyed or intimidated from their continuous prevalence of the whole world. Then again underneath the sparkling trappings of magnificent wonder there was a problem that Europeans was making a beeline for some obvious disaster and was pulling whatever is left of the world with it. This instability was shown in numerous aspects, from financial matters to legislative issues, Some grasped, even show pride in, oddity and vulnerability.The prevalence of cutting edge modern and military advancements expected to promote the locals of the world, which proceeded however developed a thought display in before expansionism. They expected to bring the whole world into a solitary incorporated worldwide trade. The Imperialism forces has been gratified on the borders of every nation now discovered to overcome the entire new

Psychological changes affects human interaction by the degradation of native’s self-depiction. In imperialism, the imperialists disparage and mistreat the natives and ultimately create psychological changes. We can see this shift in Cesaire’s A Tempest when a native slave, Caliban, says “In your

James Petras states, “ We must reconsider the profound psychological impact of state violence, political terror, and the deep penetration of cultural / ideological values propagated by the imperial countries and internalized by the oppressed peoples.” The victims of cultural imperialism become inherently fearful than their oppressor and the oppressors become arrogant and of the belief that they are superior to the oppressed nation and its people. James Petras goes on to say, “The state violence of the 1970s and early 1980s created long term, large scale psychic damage -- fear of radical initiatives, distrust of collectives, a sense of impotence before established authorities -- even as the same authorities are hated.” The violence committed during colonized creates a fear in the people, they become helpless and lose all hope. Many would argue that imperialism is not oppression, that in fact, Europe is doing these nations a favor by introducing these nations to modern technology and Christianity.

“Since culture does not just reflect the world in images, but actually, through those images, conditions a child to see that world a certain way, the colonial child was made to see the world and where he stands in it as seen and defined by or reflected in the culture of the language of imposition.” When reading “Decolonizing the Mind” was published by an African author named, Ngugi wa Thiog’o”. He takes an interesting approach on how he captures his audiences’ attention, he does this by showing the impact of simply changing ones language can have on a community as a whole. Ngugi uses various forms of Ethos, Pathos, as well as Logos; he does an amazing job of organizing the reading from the start to end.

In the Discourse on Colonialism, Cesaire illustrates a compelling relationship between colonized states and the proletariat class. He conveys that the proletariat socio-economic class allows for the possible unification of society against the powers of colonialism. Interestingly, the comparison reflects as these elements extend from constructed illusions to unequivocal creeds. By isolating and juxtaposing the two groups, Cesaire is able to elaborate on how he believes that race and class unite to dominate 'inferior subjects' in nations throughout the globe. Throughout the essay, Cesaire provides reasoning for the socially constructed experiences of those dictated by colonial imperialism, particularly Africans, and proletarian conflicts in

The main interest in postcolonial theory is what happens to people during and after colonialism. Splitting in straight lines self from other by purifying the self, is one discussion in postcolonial theory. Naturally, people view each other globally within the concept of ‘Them and Us’. One’s identity is often defined through encounters with differing cultures. Edward Said is considered the founder of postcolonial theory. In 1978 Said wrote a controversial book called Orientalism. He attempts to explain the geographical division between the West, the Occident and

The desire to conquer land that was previously unexplored has existed throughout history. This desire forced many indigenous societies, who were usually dominated technologically, to adapt to the teachings and overall system of the ‘superior’ conqueror nation with destruction as the only alternative. This causes a major impact on how a certain society functions, even after seeking independence from the foreigners. The rise and fall of indigenous societies can be analyzed through various media. Chinua Achebe is a novelist specializing in African literature, and this essay deals with the themes regarding colonialism in one of his many novels. In

This reflection will discuss the concept of colonialism and post-colonialism, with a particular focus on the impact in planning. Although both concepts are not new, Ania Loomba in her book “Colonialism and Post Colonialism” provides a more exhaustive research on the regards. She argues that colonialism is the physical occupation of territory whereas post colonialism deals with effect of colonization on culture and societies. She also expanded the concepts including two new terms imperialism and Neo-colonialism. This is not only a semantic discussion but also a way to raise awareness of the (over)simplification that many authors have applied to studies in this field.

In the 1800’s there came a rise in colonialism, which led to an increase in global mobility and the introduction of western dominance in all parts of the world. This issue as shown in Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s This Earth of Mankind eventually led to a social structure and class which claimed precedence over knowledge, talent, and experience. This novel depicts the Dutch and other colonists of European descent to be dominant in the culture, education, and power of South East Asia. Colonial control was felt throughout the world as Europeans owned colonies in Asia, Africa, America and Australia. During the time of colonialism, the inferior natives found it hard to break cultural barriers and look past the gender divides.