Ha Jin and Conrad

For Ha Jin, writing in Chinese for the people of China would be a difficult task for many reasons. Not only does the communist party censer everything they wouldn’t approve of his writing anyways. In Ha Jin’s short stories he talks about capitalism and communism. He identifies the ignorance and stupidity of the communist party. In the “Cowboy Chicken” story he shows the Chinese to be trained in the communism ways, and what should be known as common sense isn’t known to the Chinese because they are so absorbed in the culture of communism. In the story “Alive” we see this man who abides by every communist rule and law in the beginning and seems to do fine at first. In the end he ends up breaking free from this and making some of his own decisions. This shows us how many Chinese were taught to do what they were told and not to question authority. They were not taught how to think and act for themselves, but to do what is best for the party. This would cause conflict if written in Chinese for Chinese citizens, because he would not be able to get published because of the content of his stories.

Postcolonial literature may have changed if Conrad would have written in his native language, because Conrad was writing to a targeted audience. He knew that it was more beneficial for him to write in English. If he would have written in any other language than he would not have gotten the outcome that he wanted. He wanted to show the world what he had seen and been through and he was able to do that in English. If he had written in Polish or any other language his stories and the points he was trying to make may have been hindered therefore changing postcolonial literature.

P.S. If anyone would like to go to that restaurant after class this coming Tuesday for extra credit let me or Heather know. We’re trying to get 8 people at least to go so that way it’s only $5 each.

Rochester

In the essay “Wide Sargasso Sea and a critique of imperialism” Spivak writes about how other critics “have remarked that Wide Sargasso Sea treats the Rochester character with understanding and sympathy” (243). Now I realize that I am going to get a lot of hate comments about this, but I agree! I actually felt bad for him! I know that he’s not the greatest guy, and he did cheat on his wife with Amelie, and he was a racist, but let’s look at the whole picture. He’s from Europe and he was probably raised as a racist, and he probably didn’t know much better. I mean, He doesn’t treat them horribly except for the little boy whom he calls stupid, but if you think about it there are “stupid” white kids too, kids who aren’t educated and who can’t speak properly. The only things he outright says is when he’s questioning Antoinette and tells her he would never hug “them” inferring that he is better them. Additionally, when he sleeps with Amelie, he had just been drugged! Not that this is an excuse for being unfaithful to his wife, but who knows, he might have still been out of it, and even if he was coherent, he was probably pissed off that his own wife would drug him. He could not comprehend that his wife only wanted to make him love her, he didn’t understand that. To him, his crazy wife drugged him, for only God knows why!
I just don’t understand why they would go through such a hassle to keep Antoinette drugged. I don’t buy that story at all! She was a little loopy the whole time! I mean, look what she went through. All of the trauma that she had as child and as a teenager probably messed with her mind. Even Rochester talked about how during the day she seemed fine, but in the evenings she was quiet and strange. That was before the letter informing him that she was crazy came. Plus, I don’t care what anyone says, after he married Antoinette, he got the money. He didn’t have to give it back, he could have went to Mexico with it and lived happily ever after with some beautiful Latina, but he didn’t. He took his wife with him and got her a caregiver and made sure she was fed and kept a roof over her head. He was mad at his father and his brother anyways, and he never wrote any letters to friends that he might have had. So, what was keeping him there? Not much, probably. It seems that his loyalties still resided with his wife. He had no other logical reason for staying with her, (none that I agree with anyways). :-)

Thoughts.

I thought it was interesting how the husband got so angry about the wife telling the little boy that he could come with them to England. If the boy was so stupid, (Phys 104) and he didn't care about him, then he could have just left it at that. It doesn't seem like it would be so important to get angry about. I think that he was so worked up about everything else that he was just taking his anger out on this situation. It's obvious that taking the boy with them is a silly notion, so the husband didn't need to get so defensive about it. Children cry when they don't get there way, it's not a terribly big deal. That little boy is surely to get over it.

It's interesting also how the husband come off as a racist, but he ends up sleeping with Amelie who is colored. Even if he did that out of spite for his wife, it's still something interesting to note. Then after the fact he goes on to degrade the little boy calling him stupid and saying how he doesn't even know any understandable English (103). This contradiction makes him a hypocrite, and lessons his credibility as a character.