Compare and Contrast the Themes and the Techniques Used by the Pioneers as Exemplified by the Three Writers That We Have Studied
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Compare and Contrast the themes and the techniques used by the pioneers as exemplified by the three writers that we have studied.
A pioneer can be defined as a person who is among the first to research and develop a new area of knowledge or activity. The pioneer writers Jean Rhys, Frank Collymore and Eric Waldron all born within the early 20th century represent a group of individuals from the Caribbean who were some of the first through their writings to address several issues pertinent during the Colonial Period. Each writer showcases several similarities and some differences in their approaches to the issues surrounding the timeframe. However, whereas Jean Rhys and Frank Collymore, predominantly utilize a strict grammatically correct language scheme, mimicking that of the colonial masters, Eric Waldron utilizes dialect of the time in his short story as a way of establishing a cultural presence within his writing. Apart from similarities in writing styles , each writer in their respective short stories address several issues of the time with special attention paid to the themes of Racial conflict , Class division in society , and Alienation and in doing so utilize literary and language techniques of imagery , Symbolism , Contrast and Allusion.
Pioneer writer Jean Rhys in her short story Pioneer s, Oh, Pioneers from the get go highlights the theme of Racial Divide within society. To do so she utilizes the literary device of imagery and can be seen in “When Rosalie turned her head the few white women she saw carried parasols. The black women were bare-footed , wore gaily striped turbans and high-waisted dresses. This example shows us clearly that there is a divide in society through the differences in dress or attire of the white women from the blacks. The devices of symbolism and characterization are also prevalent in the early part of the story and they are used to highlight the effects of Colonialism and Alienation. An example of this can be seen in “She rode past in her dark riding habit brought from England ten years before, balancing a large on her knee. The character Mrs. Menzies inability to let go of her old British values, through her clinging to the old tradition of wearing a riding habit, which is a womans riding dress, consisting of a skirt worn with a double breasted jacket highlights that she was not really negatively affected by Colonialism .In addition, Mrs. Menzies wish to not have her ice “sent up like everybody else” also highlights a sense of Alienation in that she has set herself aside in society because of this same inability to let go of “old values”. It may also further highlight just how wide the racial barrier within society is. Rhys further highlights the theme of Alienation within society through her characterization and contrast made with the character of Mr. Ramage. Mr. Ramage initially enters the village as a well-dressed individual in his “tropical kit , white suit , red cummerbund, solar toupe” and at times ” white suits” which by themselves also highlight an inability to let go of British values. Ms. Rhys also incorporate Symbolism , through the name of the road of which Ramage buys land ” Imperial Road” thus highlighting the ideal of Imperialism which , constitutes Mr. Ramages plan of coming to another country to buy land and reap the benefits. The use of contrast is used to highlight yet again the theme of Alienation and Racial Divide or conflict within Society. As mentioned before we see a very well groomed though unsociable Mr.Ramage who is looked upon in society with more or less adoration however, by the end of the play we realize that Mr. Ramages appearance and status has changed and it is believed to be because of his union with a coloured girl and not a “nice “one at that”, Mr. Ramages status with the white society completely dwindles as a result. Further contrast is seen in his dress as well as his speech his “white suits” have gone and in one instance he is seen by a Mr. Elliot and his wife who reported that they had seen him ” He was burnt dark brown ,his hair fell to his shoulders and his beard to his chest . He was wearing .Nothing else.”
Another pioneer writer, Mr. Frank Collymore more or less , strictly addresses the theme of Alienation and its effects in his short story “Some People Are Meant To Live Alone”. Mr. Collymore like Rhys uses the literary and language techniques