Black Robe by Brian Moore - Assignment Example

Black Robe by Brian Moore What are the larger historical forces that bring together the different societies in each of the stories, what type of cultural misunderstandings occur within each of the stories? In Black Robe Brian Moore (1997) depicts the journey of two Jesuits in 17th century Canada on a mission to rescue the souls of "the Savages" as the French name the Indians there. Father Laforgue starts his priest career surrounded by Native American tribes. Father Laforgue is accompanied by Daniel who is a young devout and by group of friendly Algonkins. Moore (1997) mixes in the novel superstitious fears, hatred and misunderstandings. Laforgue, who dreams of becoming a martyr for the Christian faith, figures out that he underestimated his great mission and the involved hardships. Initially planned as journey against hunger, exhaustion and cold, the mission ends up fueled by suspicious beliefs and hostility provoked in the local tribes. The focal moment and central theme in Black Robe is the clash between two different cultures. Moore (1997) explores the complexities of utterly divergent cultures and tries to juxtapose them on the background of historical events happening at the beginning of 17th century Canada. Moore (1997) attempts to give new understandings about both cultures. For Native Indians, baptism is “water sorcery”. To pray over beads would mean to put a curse of someone. To the savages the idea to have only one God is absurd. For the Jesuits, on the other hand the Indians appear barbaric and uncontrollable. Their religion is surrounded with sorcerers and superstitions. The way they observe and follow their customs are bloodthirsty. What Moore (1997) reveals in front of the reader is two cultures that are diametrically different. The Indian way of life and religion is frightenly dissimilar to the Western culture of Laforgue. The attempts from both sides to reach out for each other are directed by mutual incomprehension. Overcoming to grasp the different thinking and customs of each culture is the theme of the whole novel. The language barrier is not so difficult an obstacle than to understand the other. Both cultures test their beliefs in their contact of the contrasting culture. Moore (1997) best describes this in the Introduction of the novel: The Indian belief in a world of night and in the power of dreams clashed with the Jesuits' preachments of Christianity and a paradise after death.  This novel is an attempt to show that each of these beliefs inspired in the other fear, hostility, and despair, which later would result in the destruction and abandonment of the Jesuit missions, and the conquest of the Huron people by the Iroquois, their deadly enemy. (Moore Introduction) Moore (1997) painfully pictures that the mere contact between different cultural worlds can destroy a delicate internal connection within the cultures and eventually lead to the demise of one of them. Things Fall Apart, is an African novel written in English. Achebe (1994) writes it in response to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. He opposes to the stereotypical thinking that African people and cultures are primitive. Throughout his book he is creating striking features that convey the idea of how complex is the traditional African village and how African cultures vary among themselves and also alter over the time. Achebe (1994) not only informs the rest of the world about the Ibo customs and traditions, but he reminds his fellows to value and remember their past. Achebe (1994) tries to persuade Africans that they too have centuries old history and culture and that they should fight against European judgments and colonization. Achebe (1994) emphasizes that African culture is no as incomprehensible as Western civilization thought it to be. Which characters in each of the stories have the cleverest grasp of what is happening within their respective situations? Chomina in Black Robe seems to be the cleverest character in the novel. The main character realizes that the religious beliefs are assimilated into their everyday lives to the point to be regarded as natural law. The Huron warrior Chomina is approached by Father Laforgue and he tell me that he is too “weary” for dreams. Chomina replies that “if you do not dream, how can you see the journey ahead? Both the Huron and the Jesuits have religious reasons for their actions and it is understandable why they are shaken by disbelief that the others can not accept their point of views. The Huron are faced with a god that obviously surpasses their own, they have no choice but to subdue and become his followers. In Things Fall Apart the smartest main characters are Okonkwo and Mr.Brown. Although he achieves financial and social success Okonkowo can not adapt to the changing times and realizes that he is a relic among his people. He concludes that compliance and not violence are essential for the survival of a culture, and that he can no longer perform his functions in the changing, African society. Mr. Brown is the other clever character who succeeds in converting villagers by accommodating to their stories and beliefs. In contract to Father Laforgue, Mr. Brown accepts the new converts unconditionally. Which characters have the least understanding of what is happening around them? For me the character that shows the least understanding about that is happening is Father Laforgue. In the final chapter Moore (1997) shows how Chomina and Father Laforgue react in the situation. Huron asks Father Laforgue if he loved them and he answers positively. Father Laforgue realizes that these people will never accept Christ in their hearts, but asks God to spare their immortal souls, because they are ignorant after all. His reactions speak about how biased and small-minded is the priest. Although living among them and facing their cultural differences, Father Laforgue still calls the Huron “savage people”. He loves them, but he can not understand them. Reverend Smith in Things Fall Apart is the embodiment of the colonialism and misconceptions, as well as insularity. Reverend Smith is manipulative, revengeful and narrow-minded. He can not grasp the real situation, blinded by his own ideas. His attitude demonstrates and illustrates the colonial intolerance and the lack of understanding for the native culture. Reverend Smith is a symbol of the genuinely evil characters who do not have sympathy for anybody. In additional his views include clear-cut racial division and superiority over the colonized cultures. What cultural factors contribute to the outcomes of domination and subordination in each of the contact situations? The cultural factors that create the division between colonized and colonizers are intermingled with the historical and economic circumstances at the time. 17th century Jesuits have the supremacy because they were followers of the Christian faith, which was the dominant religion in the West. The situation in early 20th century African was the very same. The cultural factors that contributed the most for the cultures to change was that they were different. This meant that unless you come from the prevailing Christian religion you have to change. Another cultural factor is the spoken language especially in Things Fall Apart. Achebe (1994) incorporates many proverbs, songs translated from Igbo language. By doing this he wants to show that Igbo language is too complex and can not be directly translated into English. Still, Igbo culture can not be grasped within the framework of European values and colonialist concepts. The Jesuits in their desires to minister the Native American population into Christian faith sacrifice French missionaries to their New French territories. The cultural issue here is that even if Laforgue baptizes the local people, they will not really convert into Christianity. Even though the main motive of the Jesuits will be accomplished it is done in a contradicting way which is even against Christian values. The missionary endeavors and the spiritual colonialism are the great cultural factors that establish the boundary between domination and subordination. The Huron accept the only possibility in order to preserve themselves – to live by the fiction of faith, if they were deprived from their own religion. The Jesuits being dogmatic and unswervingly are convinced that they have the right to destroy the religion of a whole civilization. The Natives, knowing no greed and living in unison with the nature can not fight against the omnipresent Christian God. Thus, the clash between those two cultures leads to the inevitable death of the tribal culture Are there basic similarities and/or differences between these two stories about cultural contact? The basic similarities are that both novels discuss cultural issues and the difficulties that emerge in solving them. Both novels are similar in interpreting how important is to value your own beliefs and to be open-minded to other cultures too, without imposing your cultural supremacy or converting others into your “true” religion. In both novels there is an undergoing moment of comparing two cultures – Indian with Jesuits and African with European. Jesuit and European cultures are shown as invaders and Indian and African as sufferers and victims. The language in the two novels differ, though. In Black Robe Moore (1997) uses the usual English narrative, with no specificities in language, whereas Achebe’s (1994) uses elevated diction in conveying the sense of the Ibo speech. His language is simple, but dignified at the same time. In choosing to use this language Achebe depicts the richness of the Ibo traditions. Both novels are historically accurate. Both novels strive to confront the reader with the concepts of different cultures and how even though they worship and pray to a God, each culture has its own canons what are the correct forms of doing so. Some of the cultural differences are so insurmountable that cause the assimilation of the weaker culture over the dominant one. Works Cites: Moore, Brian. Black Robe. Plume. 1997 Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor. 1994 Read More