old story time

Post Colonial Critism
Thesis
In many works of literature, specifically those coming out of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent, we meet characters who are struggling with their identities in the wake of colonization, or the establishment of colonies in another nation. For example, the British had a colonial presence in India from the 1700s until India gained its independence in 1947. As you can imagine, the people of India as well as the characters in Indian novels must deal with the economic, political, and emotional effects that the British brought and left behind. This is true for literature that comes out of any colonized nation. In many cases, the literature stemming from these events is both emotional and political.
The post-colonial theorist enters these texts through a specific critical lens, or a specific way of reading a text. That critical lens, post-colonial theory or post-colonialism, asks the reader to analyze and explain the effects that colonization and imperialism, or the extension of power into other nations, have on people and nations.
Post-Colonial criticism will be applied to the play Old Story Time by Trevor Rhone and the poem “The Lynching” by Claude Mckay

1 To ensure that the concepts of Post-Colonial criticism is fully understood emphasis will be placed on the historical development, the purposes, assumptions and practices. a In the analysis of post-colonial criticism it is rather critical to know what other writers have said about this type of criticism, several writers such as Frantz Fanon Edward Said and Karl Marks has written on the topic of Post-Colonial Criticism. b It can be understood by researching the author’s life and relating the information cautiously to the work, using the author’s time, political, economic and intellectual history, using racial principles and ideological discourses to critique the language of literature, its structure and being. This school of thought seeks to describe and analyze the ways in which literature reinforces the narrative of race domination in regard to class structures by exploring the economic, social, political, and psychological forces embedded within literature. c This type of critism explores the complex relationship between a text and its social context, tracing the many ways in which the belief system of a time and place are reflected in and potentially altered by literary and other forms of representation.
Central to all such critiques is the recognition that racism and ethnocentrism have been thoroughly entrenched in language, literature, art, and social institutions.
2 In order to apply the theory of Post Colonialism to the play Old Story Time by Mark Rhoen several factors has to be taken into consideration such as characterization, theme, and setting a In the play the theme of post colonialism is brought out mainly by the characters Ms. Aggy, Margaret, Len and Lois. This is evident in Ms. Aggy's desire for Len to marry Magaret, a woman she considers of superior standing because of her lighter skin and straight hair. Ms. Aggy believes that by Len marrying Magaret, he will automatically become elevated in society. b Several other themes in the play however aids in making the theme of post colonialism visible, these are the themes of: education, love and family relationship, spirituality and class consciousness. c In understanding the theme of post colonialism the setting is ought most important. The first half of the play was predominantly set in an un-named parish in rural Jamaica while the last half of the play was set in Kingston Jamaica the story line of the play was set between the 1960’s to the 1980’s. Apart from the play being set in a Caribbean island where slavery was predominant the era in which the play was set is quiet important as it reflects the after effects of slavery being abolished and blacks wanting to elevate their lives by being racist to their own kind.
3 Post-colonialism indicate three different possible emphases in literary and cultural analysis, but they share a commitment to challenge oppression based on cultural identity, seeking to enrich our understanding of the diverse experience and rich heritages of all groups and peoples. This can be seen in the poem “The Lynching” by Claude McKay in applying race, ethnicity and post-colonialism to this poem several factors needs to be looked at in depth such as the imagery, theme and tone is central. a The use of imagery was used to depict a greast representation of the theme of post colonialism. This author He gives a chilling image of children dancing around the dead man in “fiendish glee.” McKay uses this image in order to emphasize that these children have had no chance to not be racist because they had already become “lynchers to be.” Additionally, McKay uses the physical description of the women in the crowd to emphasize the differences between blacks and whites during that time. McKay describes the women’s eyes as being “steely blue” to highlight the reason behind what their hatred really stems from; different physical traits. b Religion and spirituality, freedom and slavery, human cruelty and passing the torch are themes in which are used to support post colonialism. c The tones used within the poem includes: sarcasm, spirituality and cruelty.