Analysis Of The Long Song By Andrea Levy And Purple Hibiscus

Decent Essays
The expression of the post-colonial condition throughout time and space both in the geographical and temporal sense has been constantly changing from the dominant Colonial view to the colonized voice, which with the advent of time and independence comes through in the African and Caribbean voices, more specifically Jamaica and Nigeria. The Long Song by Andrea Levy and Purple Hibiscus by Chinua Achebe are the two texts which I will be using to demonstrate this post colonial condition, through their individual lenses which create inevitable differences but more commonly similarities as the post-colonial condition is one that has been experienced repetitively throughout not only the eastern world but the entirety of the earth, this consistent …show more content…
Additionally the almost omnipresent presence of her son Thomas 'the editor ' and the voice of information that July could never possibly know taking prominence in fluctuating regularity. This multi-facetaed narrative goes against the trend of European, linear, historical narratives and does not try to demonstrate its reliability in interpreting the post colonial narrative, rather serves to disrupt this monologic narrative of European history. Similarly Purple Hibiscus is deeply rooted in the first person narrative of Kambili, however is perhaps more clearly a tale of fiction although drawing from the Nigerian civil war. It goes against the chronological hierarchical, privileged history of Europeans until more recently the development of revisionist history and the everyday individuals importance In history. Long Song has a dynamic of sensationalism a satirical humor which dose not take itself too seriously this is different to purple hibiscus. The amazoness like image of Kitty giving birth on the cane fields perhaps most clearly introduces us to a story that although inter-spaced with factual information for example the abolition of slavery in 1834, Baptist war …show more content…
The Black majority of slavery has had little historical archiving written on them by the black majority it is these people who Levy gives a voice although set during slavery the novel extends into the future post slavery it is the satirical humor of Andrea Levy that allows the often heinous acts towards the slaves to become palatable. However Chinua Adiche takes the narrative through a language of silence the relationship she has with

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