Post Colonial Revision

Coming of the Christ Child

This is an essay about the life of Robert Sobukwe. It is set in the 1970's when the South African people were subject to torture, injustice and violence at the hands of the white men. Sabukwe was a great leader, who started the Pan-African Congress. The story follows his childhood and various examples of how the Africans were tortured by the colonisers. Robert Sabukwe is seen as one of those people who did not believe in being silent or non-violent in the face of such a calamity. He, along with many others believed in fighting for what was theirs. The essay explores that side of his. 

Here is an amazing link for "The Coming of the Christ Child" by Bessie Head.. Thank you brother Sobin for sharing it and JPEP for writing the blog on the essay :)

https://chiaroscuroweb.wordpress.com/2016/07/10/the-coming-of-the-christ-child_-bessie-head/

My Son The Fanatic

"My Son The Fanatic" is an amazing story by Hanif Kureishi. Kureishi is a British playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and writer. Kureishi is the child of a Pakistani father and an English mother. The following story is about Parvez and Ali. Parvez is a hardworking cab driver who tries to settle down in the city of London with his family. Ali, the son is a normal teenager until one day, Parvez observes drastic changes in him. On advice from his friend, Bettina, who is a prostitute, Parvez observes his son's routine, to find out that there is nothing wrong with him physically or mentally. In fact, he has become a very religious person. Frequent quarrels start occurring between the father and the son as both have contradictory views. While the father believes in moulding himself according to the time and place, the son thinks his father is "too westernised and is breaking all rules of Islam". The story ends with Parvez beating up Ali, who doesnt retaliate or try to protect himself, but only leaves a question hanging, "So, who's the fanatic now?". 

Links for "My Son The Fanatic" :

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Son_the_Fanatic
• http://www.enotes.com/topics/my-son-the-fanatic
• http://donboscobmm.blogspot.in/2012/02/analysis-my-son-fanatic-by-hanif.html
• https://thetruthlieshere.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/my-son-the-fanatic-summary/

The Ultimate Safari

Nobel Literature Prize winner, Nadine Gordimer writes the story about a family that flees from Mozambique to the comparatively safer Africa and better life. The story follows how the family walks from Kruger Park into a refugee camp in Africa. Gordimer uses the point of view of a young Mozambique girl. An interesting thing to notice is the fact that the Gordimer does not name any of the characters in the book, making it a very universal and general story - it could have happened to anyone. The story follows the disappearance of the girl's parents and their "Ultimate Safari" through the Kruger Park, which a famous tourist destination. During the journey, the grandfather is left behind, due to health and when finally they reach Africa, the grandmother tries to make a living out by carrying bricks for construction. The narrator with her two brothers and grandmother live in the refugee camp until one day, a white journalist asks the grandmother for their story. This is when we realise that the story is spread over a span of three years. 

Links for "The Ultimate Safari" :

• http://www.artprintsa.com/the-ultimate-safari.html
• http://www.slideshare.net/chrstnbby/the-ultimate-safari
• http://rvwl-cgiese.blogspot.in/2005/05/literary-analysis.html
• https://prezi.com/azhy9-wwbepd/the-ultimate-safari/  

Thanks to all the blog writers, who's links I have mentioned above ^ :)

Post Colonial Revision

The New Poetry

·      David Dabydeen was born in Guyana – at the age of 13 he moved with his dad in London – very famous poet and writer.

·      Out of all the poems, this is the one that explains Neo-Colonialism the best – the theory of how we never got independence from our colonisers because we are still depended on them for many basic things – defense, science, medicine, etc – or at least made to believe so.

·      The poem talks about a world after the Industrial Revolutions – slavery has been abolished – not on humanitarian grounds – but because machines have replaced workers.

·      The “she” in the poem could be a female representing a country – who is fed up of the being under constant surveillance of the colonizer – she wants to be left alone.

·      She doesn’t want to hear about the violence from the colonial texts – or the strange tales of “anthropophagi” – cannibalism.

·      The new poetry is not about human problems – the time of physical torture has ended and nobody writes about that anymore.

·      “Brittanica” – Britain now has new machines to the relief of the aborigines and slaves – but its not easy to get rid of the colonisers.

·      The ancient stories are observed by “the new poetry” without being affected – the world goes on naturally.

·      “She” hears the confessions of the colonizer in his weird language – apologizing for whatever they have done.

·      Now observe the objects mentioned :

o  Sofa

o  Television

o  Everything she sees on the television shows

·      These things show how she is depended on the colonizer for her entertainment, her livelihood and her day-to-day life.

·      They don’t show programs of slavery anymore – natives are singing – everything seems to have been restored – but it actually hasn’t – “bone shaped…” – program telecasted by the colonisers.

·      The poem subtly shows how we are still depended on the Western countries – be it science, technology, defense, policies, government, education, politics, anything – we are still bound by the Western countries.

·      The tag of slavery is gone – so have the colonisers - torture – agony – all is gone – and we have our freedom – or do we?

Post Colonial Revision

We have our Genealogies

·      I cant find anything on the net, totally relying on the notes I took in Mirosh Sir’s class. Let me know in the comments if I am wrong somewhere or if something needs to be added.

·      Jean Arasanayagam – Sri Lankan poet – is a Burgher – offspring of a Dutch father and indigenous mother.

·      Very visual poem – she describes everything in detail – all the violence and death – but in a slight flowery language.

·      The anger in her tone is very evident – there is pain, hatred and anger throughout the poem.

·      Stanza 1 :

o  Poem starts with her talking about the history of her land – which the historians have told them was full of violence – “blood trials” – “gempits of flesh” – this is the result of the invasions.

o  It was a history filled with trouble, blood and torture.

·      Stanza 2 :

o  Talks about how the colonizers burnt the people to death.

o  Heretics : People who defer from Catholicism – mad men in this context – colonized people were burned like those madmen.

o  Description of how people were killed and burnt at the stake by the European settlers.

·      Stanza 3 :

o  Talks about the history of West being full of violence.

o  Hedonists : People who take pleasure in violence.

o  Claiming that they received sadistic pleasure in killing innocent people – scene is described elaborately.

o  “Power enters them to speak in tongues” – the only language understood by the colonizers was that of violence.

o  Day of Pentescot – 49 days after the Exodus, God gave the 10 commandments on this day at Mount Sinai – suddenly they appear out of nowhere like the God and deliver the torture on the people (not what God did, though).

o  The colonisers went around different countries spreading violence – their legacy was the bloodshed they caused.

·      Stanza 4 :

o  An elaborate image of violence.

o  There were so many dead bodies, nobody cared anymore.

o  No one had the time to even knock the body aside to walk – also meaning that there were so many dead, there was no place without a corpse – “path knotted with chains of corpses”.

·      Stanza 5 :

o  Poet uses “you” for greater impact – makes the reader enter the world of the victims and the families.

o  “Great manor house…” – there was darkness everywhere except for the big houses that the colonisers lived in – they shone with the candles and the celebrations of victory – while the people suffered – they enjoyed.

·      Stanza 6 :

o  Leaves – used to write on, in olden times – compared with flesh – which has history written on it – meaning the dead bodies told the story of violence.

o  “Ola leaves of…” – talks about the texture and color of the leaves used – yellow-brown, brittle, stiff – but is actually talking about the flesh of the body which has turned like that due to the crude violence.

o  The lettering (violent incidents) is so richly archaic – meaning it is so old and ancient – and has so much knowledge in it – “scholarly” -  it is scripted with the “fine tools torture has etched” – it was carried out through various means of torture.

o  Very visual description of the bloodshed and violence.