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British Control Of The Caribbean And Its Allusion In Caribbean Literat

British Control of the Caribbean and Its Allusion in Caribbean Literature


The British have influenced the perspective of the Caribbean people in
many ways. The people's self awareness, religion, language, and culture has
coped with the influx of British ideals and in coping, the people have changed
to appease the islands' highly influential British population. Three excepts
highly influenced by the British ideals are "Crick Crack Monkey" by Merle Hodge,
"My Aunt Gold Teeth" by V. S. Naipaul, and "If I could Write This in Fire, I
Would Write This in Fire" by Michelle Cliff. All three excepts show the among
the people of the islands, whether native or foreign. In examining the three
passages, each author presents a unique perspective. Hodge's story is
presented through the eyes of a black , lower class girl of Trinidad in the
1950s. Naipaul uses an unidentified East Indian boy to tell his story. A young
white girl becomes the narrator of cliff's excerpt. By using Cliff's
perspective to examine the perspective of the other two passages. A unique
interpretation of the British influence on the Caribbean people develops.
Friction among people of different color is clearly displayed within the
writings; However, looking at the story of "Crick Crack Monkey" through the eyes
of a young white girl, rather than a young black girl, the reader might see the
injustice and the ethnic discrimination that a black person must endure. She
would not be accustomed to being called a "little black nincompoop" (Hodge 457),
and she would most likely not have to suffer a physical beating with a ruler
(Hodge 456). In Lady Aunt Gold Teeth, the issue of color is evident through
the aunt's religious affiliation. Changing the color of the narrator in My Aunt
Gold Teeth might make a difference in the way the person perceives their aunt.
For example, the narrator says, "I was rather ashamed at the exhibition" (Na
463), when his aunt appears to have "got the spirit" (CS 462). The...