Caribbean Pioneer Movement
Brandon Abdullah
Professor Harris
English 1101
Authors of the pioneer period of Caribbean Literature strived to tell their stories to those around the world through their writing. Through their short stories, poems, and novels, they were able to bring their own cultures and ethnicities to readers around the world. Some writers wanted to tell stories about how things were during this period such as Jean Rhys and C.L.R James. Others like Alejo Carpenter told stories of their hometowns in very abstracted ways. No matter how their stories were told, these pioneers of Caribbean Literature truly set the stage for the writers who emerged through the rest o the century.
Jean Rhys’ “Pioneers, Oh, Pioneers” was set in November of the nineteenth century in the island of Dominica. The story paints a vivid picture of what life would have been like during this era. The story begins in the market place where you can clearly see the difference between the races of people here, mainly the blacks and whites. “The black women were barefooted, wore gaily striped turbans and highwaisted dresses” (Rhys 9) while Mrs Menzies, a white woman from England, wore her thick, dark riding habit while on her horse. This story reflects the importance of class and color of this time period in Caribbean Literature.
“Triumph” by C.L.R James displays the injustices of the colonial society in the island of Trinidad. The story takes place in a barrack yard, or slums, in Port of Spain. “In these lived the porters, the prostitutes, cartermen, washerwomen, and domestic servants of the city” (James 35). In the barrack yard you can see that life was clearly difficult for people. Women made ends meet by selling themselves for food, clothes, or luxuries. However, the people of this time period had a plethora of pride and dignity despite the fact that they had virtually nothing, and because of this many people had superstitions in this time and they prayed in order to stay strong like
Professor Harris
English 1101
Authors of the pioneer period of Caribbean Literature strived to tell their stories to those around the world through their writing. Through their short stories, poems, and novels, they were able to bring their own cultures and ethnicities to readers around the world. Some writers wanted to tell stories about how things were during this period such as Jean Rhys and C.L.R James. Others like Alejo Carpenter told stories of their hometowns in very abstracted ways. No matter how their stories were told, these pioneers of Caribbean Literature truly set the stage for the writers who emerged through the rest o the century.
Jean Rhys’ “Pioneers, Oh, Pioneers” was set in November of the nineteenth century in the island of Dominica. The story paints a vivid picture of what life would have been like during this era. The story begins in the market place where you can clearly see the difference between the races of people here, mainly the blacks and whites. “The black women were barefooted, wore gaily striped turbans and highwaisted dresses” (Rhys 9) while Mrs Menzies, a white woman from England, wore her thick, dark riding habit while on her horse. This story reflects the importance of class and color of this time period in Caribbean Literature.
“Triumph” by C.L.R James displays the injustices of the colonial society in the island of Trinidad. The story takes place in a barrack yard, or slums, in Port of Spain. “In these lived the porters, the prostitutes, cartermen, washerwomen, and domestic servants of the city” (James 35). In the barrack yard you can see that life was clearly difficult for people. Women made ends meet by selling themselves for food, clothes, or luxuries. However, the people of this time period had a plethora of pride and dignity despite the fact that they had virtually nothing, and because of this many people had superstitions in this time and they prayed in order to stay strong like