Postcolonial English Literature - Essay Example

Order 442601 Topic: 2- English literature (post-colonialism: region-nation) -- with particular reference to theories of post colonialism. Post-colonial literature concerns colonization and issues related to de-colonization. According to McLead, “….post colonialism can be articulated in different ways as an enabling concept, despite the difficulties we encounter when trying to define it.”(p.3) To put it bluntly how the native people of countries in Asia, Africa etc. ‘sold’ their freedom to the adventurous Western countries and the process through which they ‘regained’ political and cultural independence. What were the racist and colonial undertones? How people from another territory succeeded in dominating the native population? Post colonial literature can be of any genre. It may relate to philosophy, movies, politics or pure literature like novels, poetry anthologies, drama etc. Human feelings, sufferings and achievements find expression in various forms. Initially in most of the colonized territories, people from Western countries arrive as traders. When they see the opportunity, they dabble in local politics, pitting one group vs. another, one religious vs. another, one clan vs. another, and ultimately they overthrow all political opponents to establish their own rule. Once on the seat of power, they pursue the policy of divide and rule and their authority takes deep roots. Every colonized country can boast of sterling authors, who have done splendid, historical job of producing novels that depict the process of colonization, how the gullible and simple native folks are economically and socially subjugated. Force is applied, not as an exception, but as a rule for running the administration and for seeking fresh territorial gains. To know what happens in Africa, read the novel from Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, “Things Fall Apart.” This literary work is just an example. There are hundreds of authors from each country, who expose the evil machinations of the rulers in the heydays of colonialism. Once the colonized courtiers achieve independence, they face fresh challenge in the areas of politics, economics and literature. The impact of the culture and many unsaid issues is so deep on the colonized countries that they have to take a fresh stock about their cultural identity. “Post colonialism may bring new possibilities, but…it is not free from problems of its own”, (p.34) asserts McLead. Even after they left the territory legally, the former colonizers try to work through power pressure and exploitation through trade. The newly independent countries have to face the problem of building the infrastructure, and have to lean on the former rulers to tide over the critical phase in the development of the country. The impact of the language of the colonizers, especially that of English is so deep, the language choice has been a major issue in the post-colonial literature. The neglect of the literary works in the original languages of the post-colonial nations is an important issue. Social and cultural changes have been the real issues. In many areas, the original native culture stands wiped out. Colonialism changes everything and the beliefs and cultural values of the ruling powers are imposed upon the native people. The colonizer carries the superiority complex and terms and treats the native people as savages. The settlers have brought their advanced technology with them, and the natives are at the disadvantageous position to offer competition to them. In many cases conversion to Christianity is done through force. After a long period of colonialism, the difference between the natives and the colonizers has been marginal. Since the colonizers control the education, the mind-set of the youth is molded accordingly. The original culture is lost for the combustible younger generation. Therefore, one finds that the subject of culture is intensely explored in postcolonial literature. McLead writes, “Post colonialism in part involves the challenge to colonial ways of knowing, ‘writing back’ in opposition to such views. But colonial ways of knowing still circulate and have agency in the present; unfortunately, they have been marginally disappeared as the Empire has declined.” (p.32) Postcolonial literature has many prominent themes to tackle. Should the country revert back to the original culture? What is that original culture anyway? Should a new culture be created with the amalgamation of the both? There are many yardsticks relating to the independent status of the countries and this is the main task of the postcolonial literary works. Coming to the specific issues related to the post-colonial literature, what are the choice before the writer—should he/she use the colonial language to reach a wider audience or write in native language to retain the authenticity and grace of the original culture? Who are the writers fit well in the postcolonial canon? How non-colonial languages depict the position on the postcolonial issues? Has the popularity of the novels, led to the neglect and decline of other genre of literature? John McLead writes, “…post colonialism is significantly different from the older paradigm of commonwealth literature. They might be summarized as follows: Post colonialism accepts uncritically the geographical divisions of commonwealth literature. Post colonialism does not discriminate adequately between different experiences of colonialism. Let us take first then issue of geographical divisions. William Walsh divided his book Commonwealth Literature into six chapters, each deals with separate area: India, Africa, the West Indies, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. In post colonial literary studies, it could be argued that this particular mapping of the field remains.”(p.240) The author at the same time cautions, “ It is vitally important to be clear at the beginning of our readings that we do not assume that all writing from countries with a history of colonialism is primarily concerned with colonial history, colonial discourses and ‘decolonizing the mind.’(p.28) Theories of post colonialism form part of the literary movement that began in the late 1920s and 1930s. Along with it, reactions to traditional criticism of literature began to take new shapes. Should the work of literary art be regarded as autonomous or is it influenced by the contingent happenings around the theme and the plot? The psychology and attitude of the author is bound to influence the writings, assuming that the two authors are writing on the same subject relating to the same period, and yet the viewpoints differ. If the subject is sensitive, like religion and racism, the problem will be more complex. Nevertheless, Albert Memmi writes, “As I discovered that all colonized people have much in common, I was led to the conclusion that all the oppressed are like in some ways.”(Preface ix) For the colonized the issue is not economics alone. As an individual he suffers indignities in every walk of life. To prove that he is superior, the colonizer thinks that he is duty bound to show to the colonized as inferior to him in all respects. Memmi further writes, “However, colonial privilege is not really economic. To observe the life of the colonizer and the colonized is to discover rapidly that the daily humiliation of the colonized, his objective subjugation, are not merely economic.”(p.xii) The native people of the colonies are proud of their traditions and beliefs. Their utter poverty develops strange convictions about life. Chinua Achebe gives description about one such character.” He (Unoka) always said that whenever he saw a dead man’s mouth, he saw the folly of not eating what one had in one’s lifetime. Unoka, was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbor some money, from a few cowries to quite substantial sums.”(p.4) The Novel ‘Things Fall Apart,’ shows how the happy and innocent native people fall into the attractions of colonial cultural traps. Western sensibilities and the local traditions do not match. The forces that are trying to conquer the native people are not economics and politics, but in the shape of white missionaries. It is all the game plan of evangelizing Christians and the colonial administrators. Misunderstandings and deliberate strife are created to destroy the traditional life of the local people. Is this not colonialism of a new type? The simple and unsuspecting villagers hesitate to embrace the change, but the attractions are intense, as missionaries bring new opportunities and techniques. The traditional methods of life, like farming, harvesting, cooking and building are going to terminate. With the abandonment of their own language in preference to English, the traditions are doomed forever. This colonialism in disguise has shown its true colors. Literature ‘benefited’ from colonialism: From the secular point of view, McLeod Writes, “….the twentieth century has been the century of colonial demise, and of decolonization for millions of people who were once subject to the authority of the British crown.” (p.6) The objective of colonialism was purely political and economic. Literary creations by the various authors were responsive actions. During the era of colonization, scholars and linguists visited the colonized countries either with private initiative or on state sponsorship and produced some of the all-time great literary/philosophical works. The creations of Max Muller are one such sterling example. He mostly translated into English, the original Sanskrit scriptures of Hinduism. Otherwise, McLeod adds, “Colonialism was a lucrative commercial operation, bringing wealth and riches to western nations through the economic exploitation of others. It was pursued for economic profit, reward and riches. Hence colonialism and capitalism share a mutually supportive relationship with each other.”( p.7) Postcolonial Literature—Pacific Islands Writing: Michelle Keown writes, “The name ‘Oceania’, one of the established conceptual labels for this region, draws attention to the centrality of the sea for Pacific Islanders….As testament to this heritage, metaphors of 0ceanic voyaging are central not only to Indigenous Pacific oral and written literary traditions, but also to many European narratives of exploration and settlement in the region.”( p.1) In his book he provides a birds-eye-view of the indigenous literature of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Discussion about the contribution of well-established authors as well as emerging writers has been made. Post colonial theory: One of the important features of post-colonial theory is an examination of the impact and continuing legacy off the European conquest. Colonization and domination of non-European lands created an impact on peoples and cultures--the so-called superiority over non-European peoples and cultures. Conclusion: In the post-colonial era, people are free but the recollection of the past is not always sweet. Therefore, one finds in the literary horizon, regular arrival of new publications throwing fresh light on the colonial era. Those who left the colonies and returned to their native land have not done so with pleasure. They did it under economic and political compulsions, when the freedom movements became too difficult for them to control. There are no good colonizers and bad colonizers. All are worst colonizers. None among them have done the noble deeds for the colonized country and they have availed every opportunity to economically exploit the resources. The pages of the history of the colonized people are daubed in bloodshed relating to injustice and cruelties heaped on them by the colonizers. They thought it was their right. They developed and practiced such wrong mentality to perfection. There is a strong sociological reason for that. Memmi writes, “Even the poorest colonizer thought himself to be—and actually was—superior to the colonized. This too was part of colonial privilege.”(p.xii) Even when the colonizers left the land for good, in most of the cases, it was a tactical move. Memmi further states, “The reason is that the intelligent members of the bourgeois are and the colony had understood that the essence of colonization was not the prestige of the flag, or cultural expansion, or even governmental supervision and the preservation of a staff of government employees. They were pleased that concessions could be made in all areas if the basis (in other words, if the economic advantages) were preserved.”(p.6) Even after attaining freedom in many of the former colonies contradictions and destructive forces of colonialism continue to exert their evil influence. The structural and institutional forces, the legacy of the colonial era, dominate overtly and covertly, as no tangible steps have been taken by the present day rulers of the colony for overhauling the system. Oppression and inequality continue to show their poisonous fangs. This is an important issue of the anti-colonial theory. ************ Works Cited: Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart: Turtleback, 1994 Keown, Michelle. Pacific Islands Writing: The Postcolonial Literatures of Aotearoa/New Zealand and Oceania (Oxford Studies in Postcolonial Literatures): Oxford University Press, USA, November24, 2007. McLead, John. Beginning Post colonialism: Manchester University Press, UK,2000 Memmi, Albert. The Colonizer and the Colonized: Beacon Press; July 8, 1991 Read More