Paula Tyler

Discovery of Self Through Historical and Literary Analysis

                As a Cross Cultural Studies major, I have always been interested in diversity and the way people see one another, whether it be positive or negative. I grew up in inner-city Houston, in an area in which I was the minority, instead of the majority. I was always comfortable in my surroundings and never thought twice about having very few people in my high school who looked like me. However, when I went to college, that all changed. I had never met more Ethnocentric people than when I went to Texas A&M. The racial and ethnic lines were clearly divided and I had no clue where I fit in. I was very angry and bitter at first because I felt like I was very open minded and yet I had walked into a zone of close mindedness.

It wasn’t until years later, after having a bachelor’s and heading towards a masters, that I came to realize just how influential a person’s history (whether in ancestral past or lived) and experiences actually influenced their thoughts and actions. Many of the people that have come in and out of my life over the years were shaped by the teachings and experiences of their ancestors, peers, and even published texts, as discussed in objective two. Classes such as this one have taught me that I am not nearly as open minded as I believed because if I was, I would have realized that a person is shaped by the world they live in, the history they are taught, and the experiences they go through and not to judge them without thinking about that. This thought is applicable to both the author’s of the texts we have read in class, as well as the characters found within them.

                My progress, both educational and analytical, throughout this course has grown tremendously. My favorite courses in my college career are always the ones that I am most confused about when I am introduced to them. When I registered for this course, I assumed it would be a blanket overview of novels reflective of multicultural literature. Instead, I was met with something way more complicated. I have done a lot of research and analysis on race and ethnicity and how it affects one’s identity, but I had never once thought about how colonization might have affected one’s identity as well. As I’ve said on more than one occasion, I am not a history expert by any means, and it took me a while to wrap my head around what colonization exactly was. It was extremely hard for me to get through Robinson Crusoe due to the amazingly dense writing style, but after reading A Small Place and Lucy, the true purpose of objective one really came to light.

                Writing my midterm for this course was one of the paper writing biggest challenges I have ever faced. I was very concerned because it was the first paper of the course and also because I still did not feel very comfortable with the material. I did the best I could and although I was not completely confident in my writing, I felt like I did a good job with the grasp of the knowledge I had. The more class went on and the more reading I did, I felt more comfortable in the material, but I was not exactly confident in my ideas and understanding. When I began my research for my research essay I felt like I printed out an incredible amount of information, but nothing really fit exactly what I was looking for. However, after reading all of the articles I found, I felt like I knew more about the affects of colonization than ever. Knowing the history of the authors I researched and how race, identity, and colonization was reflected in them was the most powerful tool to help me connect exactly what the ideas of colonization were.

If I had a piece of advice to give someone entering this class, I would tell them not to be disappointed if they did not understand the power of colonization after the first novel because I truly believe that the idea cannot be understood until a comparison between a colonial and postcolonial novel is made. As time progressed in the semester and I learned more about the historical aspects surrounding the novels, I began to understand colonization more and more. The first objective in the course is to bring colonial and postcolonial texts into dialogue and the pairings of the novels did so very well. I really enjoyed Jasmine and Things Fall Apart, but also found it hard to get through Train to Pakistan and Heart of Darkness. However, I knew the importance of being able to understand colonization through the comparisons and do not believe I would have understood the American resistance or ignorance or postcolonial criticism as mentioned in objective three if these novels were not paired together.

                Understanding the history behind the colonial and postcolonial novels is perhaps the most important aspect of the course. I found it difficult to find time to do the reading and research the historical time period, but even if I only had a little background information, it made the reading easier. I know determining the amount of history to teach beforehand can be difficult, depending on the class, but I do believe it is necessary on even the most basic level. I believe this is why America has such a difficulty with colonial and postcolonial discourses (objective 3), they just don’t understand it. Anyone can understand how race or ethnicity might affect a person’s way of life, but not many people stop to think about things directly outside of their own lives, present or historically. Anything that might upset the norm or cause tension is steered clear from instead of being discussed. The hard topics are perhaps the most important to have dialogue on, but are the most shied away from. Those that make up the majority usually don’t think about the affects history had on the majority. For this reason alone, most of the United States is in denial. No one wants to be proven wrong and the history written for generations is come into question when Achebe writes articles criticizing a novel such as The Heart of Darkness.

                The discussions and presentations in class were where I learned and connected the history and literature the most. I really enjoyed learning more about the author my presentation was over and it eventually lead to my research paper. The history presented from the professor and the links provided on the course website were very helpful and to have quick access to valuable historical and literary connections was greatly beneficial. This course opened my mind to accepting that many people’s ancestors and not so distant histories are greatly affected by colonization. It is very hard for people to reach outside of their comfort zone and to question the way history and literature is presented to them. It is easier to accept information presented instead of looking deeper than the surface level and contemplating both sides of the story. It takes a much stronger person to question history and its effects, but courses such as this one give us brave souls a safe avenue in which to discuss it. I hope to use the things I’ve learned and the novels I’ve been introduced to in this course to propose an ethnic literature class for my high school students. I greatly enjoyed having an avenue in which to begin!