The Role of Language According to Kincaid and Baldwin - Essay Example

The Role of Language according to Kincaid and Baldwin Kincaid’s novel A Small Place is a piece that reflectsthe circumstances that have resulted in Antigua as due to post-colonialism effects. Kincaid describes what has become of her birthplace. The story surrounds the detrimental effects of the colonial era. On the other hand, Baldwin’s story, written in 1979, reflects the role of Black English, a language developed by people of color in the American society. Both pieces of literature reveal the role of language. Kincaid finds displeasure in the speech incompetence of the Antigua young people and the island at large for adopting the language of its colonizers. Baldwin highlights the development of Black English and the role it plays in society. This paper will compare the view of the two authors concerning the role of language. Baldwin’s essay draws the attention of the reader. He elaborates the situations preceding the development of Black English. He offers background information about the status of people of color as slaves. Slavery brought them together in the American continent. These slaves came from different parts of Africa. Because of their diversity, they spoke different languages. These slaves shared only one thing and this was the sad reality about the plights due to slavery. Slavery presented them with a need to communicate. The white man was not willing to educate the people of color unless it was for his benefit. There was a dire need for people to learn a language that would promote communication. Circumstances of being under slavery presented them with similar interests. They needed to have one voice for them to conquer the wits of the white people. They had to develop a unique form of communication so that the white man could not automatically understand. As Baldwin explains, any word spoken, revealed a lot about an individual’s life. The slaves founded black churches that served as institutions uniting the black people. Through the church, the people formed Black English. Baldwin explains that people speaking the same language but in different locations and circumstances communicate different things. In this essence, the black slaves forming Black English communicated different issues from those of the whites speaking English. The black people used language to express their grievances. In the unique language that resulted, blacks used expressions that depicted the passion for living life despite the circumstances that they were facing. For example, the author elaborates one of the words they used that had great significance in later years. The word jazz resulted from the black man’s creativity and was essentially applicable in sexual contexts. It was a unique way of the black man’s expression. In addition, Baldwin illustrates the effect of Black English among the white people. The word ‘jazz’ mentioned above influenced the music of an entire era. White Americans used the word to define the musical in which jazz music was common. They referred to it as the jazz age. Black English proved its potential to influence the culture of the white people. It was initially a language used by the oppressed to express their experience, but it delved deeper into influencing both the black and white culture. With time, whites borrowed words from this language to include in their culture. From the essay, it becomes evident that the core role of language is to present its speakers with a mode of communication that enables them to describe their experience. A society without language cannot achieve common goals. According to Baldwin, it is obvious that if the slaves brought to America could speak a similar language, history would be different. The slavery era would have been shorter. Baldwin reckons the reader to examine the role played by Black English. It has built the black community in the United States binding them closely. Through a common language, they have written history of slavery and described their struggle for liberty. Evidently, one cannot discard Black English as less of a language unless one lacks understanding of the word ‘language.’ On the other hand, Kincaid expresses displeasure with the Antiguans who have held onto the colonial language long after the colonial era. According to this author, failure of the people to develop their unique language proves their disregard for culture. These people have not taken any initiative to re-define the community after the colonial era. Persistence of the colonial language is evidence that the community does not strive to build a binding culture. In addition, Kincaid finds it an irony for people to be struggling with a colonial language that cannot help them communicate effectively. The young people lack competence in the colonial language (Kincaid 42). Due to the lack of the people’s language, the people’s culture had been deteriorating over the years. The author feels dissatisfied with the neo- colonialism that exists in her birthplace. The identity and language of the people faded after the colonialists took control of the island. The people indulged in learning the culture and language of the colonial people. It disheartens the author to realize that people have progressed in the white man’s ways. Even years after the colonial era, the people exist in disillusion about their identity. The author does not consider mincing her words when she elaborates the negative effects of using the colonialist’s language. Although she uses the white man’s English to express the effects of colonialism, she feels discontented with that fact (Kincaid 31). According to the author, sharing in the evil doer’s language makes the individual similar to the evil doer. She feels that using the evil doer’s language to condemn the evil deeds can never be effective (Kincaid 32). The author has the conviction that using the colonialist’s language cannot expose the depth of the evil adequately. She associates the white man’s language with the evil that the colonialists committed in Antigua. She is sure that the white man’s language cannot provide solutions to the damage that prevails. Kincaid blames the Antiguans for their contribution to the prevailing plight. The fact that everything they do not including the language they speak are forms of praise for the white man. She believes that it is time for people to strive to develop a language that can help them to express the evil committed by the white men. She has the conviction that unless the Antiguans express these evils in a different language, they will never find solutions to the persistence of neo-colonialism (Kincaid 32). Both authors emphasize on the value of language. For Baldwin, he emphasizes the role that language has played an important role in defining the culture of the people of color in the United States. The importance of Black English in the American setting has surpassed its expected influence to the black culture and exerts influence to the white culture. With the development of Black English, the black people derived from it an avenue to express their way of living. On the other hand, Kincaid expresses her anger towards Antiguans because they have adhered to the white men’s language for so long that society lacks a mode of self-expression. From the two authors, it becomes evident that language is the most important aspect of culture. It presents people with power to express their identity. Without language, a culture cannot be complete. It will lack the important aspect that connects people of a culture enabling them to communicate effectively. The mention of the status of slaves at the end of Kincaid’s story reveals that people without language will remain enslaved. Only after the Antiguans realize the need to develop the need of their own language will they gain liberty from bondage. It is evident that language plays a vital role in any culture. It gives people a mode of communication. It opens a front for people to express their unique way of life. As Baldwin explains, the emergence of Black English has given rise to the black Diaspora. It has given the people an identity. In the case of Antigua, the people still use the white men’s language and this explains why it is hard for them to rebuild their image after colonization. Kincaid admonishes them for worshipping the white man through language. These authors make their points very clear that language is a crucial aspect in any society. It defines a culture in a unique way. Works Cited Baldwin, James. If Black English isn’t a language, then tell me what is? Web. 27 Oct. 2012. . Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print. Read More