How Does Literature Affect Literature?

Pacific Islanders throughout history, as a whole, have gone through so much change that making comparisons to others are almost unattainable. There are a plethora of changes that range from far and wide; language, environmental, mental, and physical. A major change was literature in itself. Prior to western influence, literature was never around for most of the stories and song were done orally. For most people change in the end may be beneficial, but often times bring conflict and hardships, and unfortunately many of these hardships begin in their very own home. Though many western influences have been if not needed, wanted, they have diminished and altered out cultural way of life. Thus, literature of the Pacific includes works of art that portray constant conflict in either familial or social aspects of Pacific Life. When Pacific people became literate after contact, they began to document everything they knew about their culture, and among these works were stories that captured emotions about those times. An example of documented emotions may be found when we analyze the song “Kaulana Na Pua”, written and composed by Ellen Wright Prendergast. …show more content…
Talosanga was born on the island of Savaii, Western Samoa in 1955. His poetry has been published to audiences all over the Pacific like this piece in the book Nuanua. The poem speaks about a Polynesian boy who is growing up in the modern society; well educated, successful, and affluent. Yet, how could a boy of this nature have conflict? Hence the title “Polynesian Old Man”, the conflict occurs between he and his father. No matter how many times he came home a new and improved man, his father had a look of despair or uncertainty in his eyes. It was the way his son was growing up, in the western world, did his father not like. What more of a conflict than a conflict between a father and