Postcolonial Literature
Postcolonial Literature
Postcolonial Literature
Direction: Choose an essay that you want to analyze from the following list by
visiting (http:// flavorwire.com/370347/15-essays-by-female-writers-that-everyone-
should-read) Analyze your chosen essay using either of the two critical lenses:
postcolonialism or decolonization. Use the following questions to guide your analysis.
Your analysis should give the reasons on why the essay you've chosen mirrors the
ideas in that particular theoretical framework.
The questions that one may ask to assess a text using postcolonialism are the
following:
1.What is the legacy of the colonial powers on a given colony?
2.What social, cultural, and economical effects are still currently experienced by the
colony?
3.What are the struggles faced by the colonies after the colonial imperialism?
The questions that one may ask to asses a text using decolonization are the following:
1.How does the text show the native beliefs of a colonized culture?
2.What problems may be solved by returning to the original beliefs of a colony?
3.What may be the main struggle in deconstructing imperialistic notions within the
former colony?
Although postcolonialism and decolonization may be two different bananas of the
same bunch, both concepts deal with the conflicts of identity and belonging. When
colonial powers come to a particular colony, they destroy native beliefs and cultural
practices, only to replace these with their own. When left on their own to pursue
independence, the colonies usually face the challenge of forming a concrete
nationwide identity.