Revising History Using A Different Lens
As the daughter of a Palestinian living in the diaspora, this class has helped me to appreciate the significance and the content of postcolonial literature. While authors such as Chinua Achebe, and Salman Rushdie appeal to me, because of my connection with Palestine, I am more likely to seek out authors that focus on the Middle East—especially Palestine, such as Edward Said. To me, the significance of postcolonial literature is more than just a re-visioning of past events. It can also hopefully serve as a lesson for mankind not to repeat past mistakes of colonialism and imperialism, to make a new future. The development and evolution of literary modes in postcolonial writing, particularly the concepts …show more content…
Rushdie used Indian myths, creatures, and gods in including the use of magic realism in Midnight’s Children. Through the use of magical realism Rushdie offered the reader a different interpretation of what occurred in India securing its independence from Great Britain. In the book Rushdie stated, “What 's real and what 's true aren 't necessarily the same” (37). In One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), Marquez incorporates magical realism by including supernatural features such as flying carpets. He also depicts a grandiose character by the name of Melquiades who has supernatural powers. These characters and the way they are portrayed embody the concept of hybridity. They inspire the writers and the readers to explore history in their own …show more content…
In class we discussed that he believed he was too educated to write solely in Hindu. Rushdie’s story remains credible to his Western readers from a colonized perspective because of his use of real Indian myths, gods, and other true cultural references. On the other hand, Hindu readers had a different viewpoint. A perfect example showing this possible speculation among Hindu people comes with Rushdie’s representation of the myth Shiva. Rushdie manipulates the story of the myth, changing it to complement with identity shifts among characters throughout the novel especially Saleem Sinai. Therefore what should and shouldn’t we believe within his writing? In my opinion, this is what postcolonial authors aim for us to think about and assess. They want us to make our own inferences and interpretations of the text, because after all it is their own interpretation of history too.
Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children may be an example of trying to assert cultural integrity as described by Sarah Harrison in What is Postcolonial Literature. As Harrison mentions, this occurs by an author’s portrayal of indigenous population’s customs and culture in a positive manner as a way to “restore pride in in practices and traditions that were systematically degraded under colonialism.” Harrison also mentions that another focus of postcolonial literature is to “…restore a connection between indigenous people and places through description,
As the daughter of a Palestinian living in the diaspora, this class has helped me to appreciate the significance and the content of postcolonial literature. While authors such as Chinua Achebe, and Salman Rushdie appeal to me, because of my connection with Palestine, I am more likely to seek out authors that focus on the Middle East—especially Palestine, such as Edward Said. To me, the significance of postcolonial literature is more than just a re-visioning of past events. It can also hopefully serve as a lesson for mankind not to repeat past mistakes of colonialism and imperialism, to make a new future. The development and evolution of literary modes in postcolonial writing, particularly the concepts …show more content…
Rushdie used Indian myths, creatures, and gods in including the use of magic realism in Midnight’s Children. Through the use of magical realism Rushdie offered the reader a different interpretation of what occurred in India securing its independence from Great Britain. In the book Rushdie stated, “What 's real and what 's true aren 't necessarily the same” (37). In One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), Marquez incorporates magical realism by including supernatural features such as flying carpets. He also depicts a grandiose character by the name of Melquiades who has supernatural powers. These characters and the way they are portrayed embody the concept of hybridity. They inspire the writers and the readers to explore history in their own …show more content…
In class we discussed that he believed he was too educated to write solely in Hindu. Rushdie’s story remains credible to his Western readers from a colonized perspective because of his use of real Indian myths, gods, and other true cultural references. On the other hand, Hindu readers had a different viewpoint. A perfect example showing this possible speculation among Hindu people comes with Rushdie’s representation of the myth Shiva. Rushdie manipulates the story of the myth, changing it to complement with identity shifts among characters throughout the novel especially Saleem Sinai. Therefore what should and shouldn’t we believe within his writing? In my opinion, this is what postcolonial authors aim for us to think about and assess. They want us to make our own inferences and interpretations of the text, because after all it is their own interpretation of history too.
Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children may be an example of trying to assert cultural integrity as described by Sarah Harrison in What is Postcolonial Literature. As Harrison mentions, this occurs by an author’s portrayal of indigenous population’s customs and culture in a positive manner as a way to “restore pride in in practices and traditions that were systematically degraded under colonialism.” Harrison also mentions that another focus of postcolonial literature is to “…restore a connection between indigenous people and places through description,