LITR 5734: Colonial & Postcolonial Literature

Sample Student Final Exams 2008

Essay 1: Describe and evaluate your learning experience or learning curve (Objective 3 + others)

Cory Owen

What I Thought I Knew

I've always had an affinity towards texts that focus on multicultural themes.  I've especially enjoyed novels that managed to create a compelling story while teaching the reader about a new world.  Since the study of other cultures has always been a special interest of mine, this course was the perfect opportunity to explore the topic further.  With both parents being recent immigrants, I feel a strong tie to any stories that deal with multiculturalism and dual identities.  The majority of what I knew before this course was set in my own personal interest in Indian, postcolonial and third wave novels that I'd devoured for years.  A few years ago, I also took a course entitled "Women in Arabic Cultures" which ended up being mostly about postcolonial texts set in Algeria.  Regardless of setting, it was apparent that the theme of prescribed identity in colonial texts and the struggle to define one’s identity in postcolonial texts prevail throughout these periods.
            Though I felt pretty comfortable with the terminology upon entering this class, having such an in depth discussion (as opposed to a lecture) regarding the topics allowed for insight into how others may interpret ideas differently than myself.  As Beth Cordell mentions in her 2005 final exam, "Our class setting encouraged a dialogue among the students which paralleled the dialogue between the texts. The class became a microcosm of the global situation and the world writ small."  By having such a vocal class, different perspectives could be shared and understood which is critical to understanding how the same narrative can have such a different impact on the same class.   Having this sense of open discussion paired with the set up of the semester allowed for reflection and comparison.  Seeing how the novels would be divided by country and then further by colonial and postcolonial texts provided a clear picture of how the semester would go and allowed for intertextuality to become automatic. 

By having the colonial and postcolonial texts taught side by side for the same region allowed for the differing views to really contrast greatly.  Though the racist undertones of Heart of Darkness can be seen just by a plain read-through, by teaching it with Things Fall Apart right afterwards really emphasized the different portrayals of the Africans.  Furthermore, by reading the Achebe article in between greatly heightened our sensitivity of the novel's perspective on the Africans.  A great illustration of these comparisons can be seen in Corrie Manigold's dialogue presented to the class on January 31.  She divides the quotes by novel and context and seeing the similar situations described so differently really made the underlying prejudices stand out even further.  What I would've learned from each individual novel if taught alone would have been quite a bit in itself.  However, by pairing them together the way we did in the class allowed my knowledge base to expand exponentially while having me think critically about the different perspectives of the authors.
            Reflecting upon how my understanding of what colonial and postcolonial literature encompassed earlier in the semester, it is evident that by focusing on just Indian narratives for so long had stifled my learning curve.  In my midterm assignment I said, "Being greatly influenced by Edward Said’s Orientalism, I see parallels in how the Occident views the “Other” even though Africa is not considered part of the Orient.  In the same way that the Orient “needed” the Occident to humanize the population, Africa became part of the 'white man’s burden'."  I made this comment in relation to what I learned in a course of African history many years ago.  We focused a majority of the class on the stereotypes of Africa and how they developed and evolved over time.  By looking at the literature that we read, especially when reading a colonial text next to a postcolonial one, allows a fresh perspective into how quickly these ideas change. 
            I originally had planned to do a follow up research posting in regards to Islam, women, and feminism after my first research posting.  A very controversial woman had written a book a few years ago entitle, "The Trouble with Islam Today".  Though I was fully prepared to extend my studies into the complexities of being a veiled, Muslim woman (especially in a Western society), I was sidetracked by a conversation in class in regards to considering the US as postcolonial culture.  After another discussion the next week in a different course that explored the idea of Turkey being a postcolonial country, I decided to switch gears and really delve into the idea of what it means to be postcolonial and who qualifies to earn such a title.  Though I'm still convinced that the United States does not qualify as a postcolonial nation (nor do I believe that the Native Americans truly fit the description), the arguments for Turkey still have me wavering.  This is a perfect example of how much more there is to explore in this topic.  There does not seem to be a cut and dry answer to what exactly qualifies as a colonial or postcolonial nation, but as with all good scholarship, the dialogue is there to continue research.
            While I enjoyed the colonial and postcolonial texts greatly, the "third wave" novels seem to hit me in a different way.  Jasmine is obviously a favorite of mine and Lucy intrigued me in a way that the other novels didn't.  By being so recent, it seemed more relatable.  Also, by having these two novels set in the US, many of the cues can be picked up by readers who may not have as much of an interest in the outside world.  This seems like a great way to bridge the gap of American "ignorance" in regards to other cultures.  Though all the novels had much to teach, I could see myself recommending "third wave" novels to a much wider group of people than most of the other canonical texts that we read this semester.  In fact, we are planning to read "White Teeth" in my book club since it seems to bring in a variety of cultures while still being associated with common themes and having its setting in a more familiar zone.
            This course allowed for me to really expand my knowledge of some other cultures.  When I first read the syllabus and saw the Caribbean listed as an area that we'd be studying, I was a little taken aback since when I think of colonialism, I automatically think of India and Africa.  This rethinking and understanding the broader picture of what these terms can encompass is evidence of how much just one course can enlarge one's knowledge base.  Though it is a generalization that all Americans are ethnocentric and fail to care about the outside world, by presenting small bits of knowledge in the form of a novel is a great way of sneaking in a bit of cultural education.  Of course, a concern will always be exactly what texts and in what context the knowledge is gained.  If people gained all their knowledge of Africa from "Heart of Darkness", there may be some major misconceptions perpetuated.  Specifically, the memorable quotes by the cannibals in the novel could continue to portray Africans in a demeaning and incorrect manner.  It is only by continuing to read and learn that we can amend these misconceptions and figure out for ourselves what the "truth" is--if there is one to be found.