Different Perspectives of The Caribbean

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Different Perspectives of The Caribbean

The history of the Caribbean is in a sense a very complicated matter. There is no easy way to go about describing the events that have created what the Caribbean is today. The complex situations that have formed the Caribbean can be seen from different points of views. The varying perceptions of the Caribbean will often contradict each other in numerous ways, while at the same time showing agreement in some areas. Thus, leaving someone with a rather tangled and confused impression of the Caribbean.

This is all becomes very apparent when closely examining works by Sidney Mintz, Antonio Benitez-Rojo, and Michelle Cliff. All three authors deal with the history of the Caribbean, but in very different ways. Writing by Mintz is written on a more intellectual basis. His article is very cut and dry. Many of his opinions are based on finding, not personal experience. Benitez-Rojo and Cliff on the other hand deal with the issues of the Caribbean on a more personal level. Both being from the Caribbean, the are able to see things on a different level than Mintz. While Mintz is on the outside looking in, Benitez-Rojo and Cliff are on the inside looking out. Although the work by Benitez-Rojo is more factual based, it offers knowledge that can only be gained by a person from the Caribbean itself. Since the work by Cliff is more of a fictional based piece there is more emotion and imagery throughout the work, than in either Mintz or Benitez-Rojo.

Although all three pieces try to convey the history of the Caribbean, all are written in different ways. In dealing with the history of the Caribbean there are many overlapping topics throughout all three works. With the prevalent overlap, of such topics ...

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...ope for the future. Colonialization was a major part of Caribbean history, and in a way it has helped to shape the Caribbean as we know it. The effects of colonial rule can be seen from two different perspectives. One perspective being from a person actually born in the Caribbean, the other being from a historian. With these two points of view, topics and issues concerning the Caribbean can be seen in different manners. There is no right or wrong answer. The Caribbean is a unique geographic region, and with such a diverse population. It has a lot to offer, culturally, traditionally, and historically. Being such a diverse region that has encountered both successes and failures, there cannot one written history for the Caribbean as a whole. Instead the islands must be looked at on a more individualized basis, in order to fully experience what the Caribbean has to offer.

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