Though often lumped together immigrant and Diasporic literature are not one and the same.
Diasporic literature handles the particular relationship between the individuals’' locations and
their ancestral homelands in a different way. Comparatively examining works of Diasporic
literature such as Paule Marshall's short story "To Da Duh, In Memoriam", and Rhina Espaillat's
poem "Cartography” certain parallels about disaporic identity and a sense of home surfaces.
In Paul Marshall’s short story “To Da Duh” is a women reflecting back on her childhood
experience of visiting, from New York, the island of Barbados (her ancestral homeland) for the
first time at the age of nine. While there the young protagonist meets her grandmother
(nicknamed Da Duh), and the two develop a rivalled relationship. Throughout the story they are
competitively comparing their homes, both trying to show how their own is better.
As the story progresses and the narrator’s relationship with her grandmother develops so
does her connection to her ancestral homeland of Barbados. Though she had never before been to
the island and knew nothing of it, of “the alien sights and sounds of Barbados, the unfamiliar
smells”, she grows close to her Da Duh who is showing the narrator her land with pride
(Marshall 96). At one point, when her grandmother is showing her the various fruit bearing
trees, the narrator felt that her world “did seem suddenly lacking” (Marshall 100). This suggests
a developing longing to know and lay claim to her ancestral homeland. Though competing to
show to her grandmother that her home (New York) was better as a child visiting, describing the
snow in winter and the great Empire State build...
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...s daughter in laws and grandchildren (as one could assume that that
sleeping children in line 37 are referring to) she gains more connections to this “map”. So,
though the narrator feels a certain longing for her homeland, she is not completely disconnected
to the place she has relocated to.
The commonality of these works is in the similar way in which they explore the meaning of
home and the complexities of diasporic Identity. Both “To Da Duh” and “Cartography” show
how Diasporic people’s identities are simultaneously restricted and expanded, how they must
negotiate the amalgamation of their two homes, two lives, two cultures, and two identities.
Essentially, what both of these works of literature address are the various questions
surrounding the diasporic transition such as: what is left behind? What is taken with you? What
is changed?
hated the white man and America. She wanted to disconnect herself from this world her ancestors were
Which only adds an extra weight to the struggles she’s having being a wife and mother. The fact that she has to wash her daughter’s diapers, she was in the back yard with the field mice, indicates that they don’t have much money. “But she saw diapers steaming on the line” (2-3). This line suggests, not only did they not have a washer and dryer but they still had to use clothes lines. There are not too many families that still use clothes lines or don’t have washer and dryers. Having to hand wash everything is a job by alone. “And just what was mother doing out back with the field mice” (15-17)? The woman being outside with the field mice makes me think maybe they didn’t live close to the city. Auditory imagery is expressed in these lines. “Sometimes there were things to watch the pinched armor of a vanished cricket, a floating leaf” (8-10). It’s easy to feel the feelings the woman is feeling during this
The town this girl is from has many traditions and holidays they celebrate. The grandpa of the girl is not familiar with her. Leaving the town doesn't make the girl think about the traditions she is going to be leaving. Not knowing returning will be the hard part the girl leaves for the borrowed country.
Cliff doesn’t really go into a description of the whole Caribbean. She tells the story of a light skinned Jamaican named Clare.
connection with the spirt would, allowing her to reconnect with her First Nation heritage. Due to
She describes seeing through the fresh eyes of a child and because they are so young, they
The content of this manuscript is precisely reflective of the definition of Caribbean that is seen today.
In the story “New York Day Women,” the main character and her parents have escaped to the United States, specifically New York. While conditions in the United States may be far superior to Haiti’s conditions, problems still linger. The family, though they did escape Haiti, could not escape Haiti’s poverty. While watching a lottery drawing on TV, the main character’s mother remarks, “A third of that money is all I would need. We would pay the mortgage, and your father could stop driving that taxicab all over Brooklyn” (129). The mother also remains in contact with family members that still reside in Haiti, making sure to save clothing to send to relatives. And most importantly, the mother has a piece of her that will always be in Haiti, with the six sisters that died there. Even though they achieve freedom from the island, the family is still connected to Haiti via poverty and and family ties and loss, making them still not truly free. The story “Caroline’s Wedding” introduces another family who also escaped to the United States. But the family still has ties to Haiti through the family they left behind. The main character wistfully imagines “their entire clan milling around the yard, a whole exiled family gathering together so far from home. Most of my parents’ relatives still lived in Haiti” (152). Distance cannot completely sever familial bonds, thus the family is still connected to Haiti. As long
Even though Deborah lived in the Cayman Islands for a longer time than the United States she still prefers her original heritage. Every time she gets the chance to venture back to her homeland to spend time with her family she takes it. Her since of nostalgia of being back home always makes her feel at ease. With the integration of a new culture and her own she enjoys the dual lifestyle and the endless possibilities of meeting new people.
The boat ride to Barbados only took a short twenty six days, and the small island was a godsend to the restless crew. At only twenty one miles long and fourteen miles wide, the island of Barbados looked unimpressive, but it was in fact buzzing with trade and culture. Terrence could already taste the sweet sugar cane and wine, he could already smell the tobacco. Other ships dotted the horizon, from England and the Netherlands most likely. Terrence was the first to step off the ship when they docked, and he was met with the hustle and bustle of people rushing off to do errands and get their way to work on time. A young cabin boy stumbled his way down after the Duke and began to speak in
Analysis: This setting shows in detail a location which is directly tied to the author. He remembers the tree in such detail because this was the place were the main conflict in his life took place.
Immigrants have been moving to the United States of America from foreign countries for centuries. Though assimilating is very important, some may argue that the process of assimilation strips away an immigrant’s personal identity. In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, Gloria Anzaldúa argues that the preservation of her Mexican culture, especially her language, is essential in holding on to her identity as a Chicana. On the contrary, in “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan uses her childhood experiences with her Chinese mother to exemplify how their struggles with cultural and language barriers helped her accept who she is as a Chinese-American woman. How an immigrant reacts to the adversities faced while assimilating into American culture will determine how
Third Culture Kids like me make it up as we go along.” Growing up in Helsinki, Luxembourg, Brussels and London, with a Finnish mother and a Senegalese father, Faye has had great difficulty identifying as part of any particular culture. She considers her parents’ home cultures as merely places that she has family and places with nostalgia, but considers herself an outsider wherever she goes. She considers these various places a part of her identity. Yet, she provides a clear distinction between home and identity. To her, identity is attached to emotional connections. Whereas home is an emotional place – a physical location in which one truly belongs (Faye). The constant traveling and relocation that many TCKs undergo, prevent them from finding this particular location, forcing them to blend this difference between identity and home such that to many, the two ideas are
In conclusion, the three poems share the same theme throughout them. The theme of strength and unity can be seen as a commonality between three different poems. Written by prominent black writers, these poems can be seen as a message for garnering a unification through the strength of black
The air is really fresh, and the wind is comfortable. Grandma usually opened the window during the daytime; I still remembered that feeling when the sunshine came in house and scatter. I walking among those numerous grand trees and admire colored leaves on the trees and on the ground. I miss that feeling of calmness and stability of the world around. I wish I could return the reality of those feelings once more. Memories in mind and never forget about happiness of staying in my grandmother’s house. Grandparent’s time-honored gift to their grandchildren is their unconditional love, unfettered by schedules, routines or commitments. They reinforced their grandchildren’s sense of security and self-value.