One Out of Many by V.S. Naipaul and On Seeing England for the First Time by Jamaica Kincaid are two first person texts where the narrators are driven into an unknown world. While both narratives deal with changes and the consequences those changes enable, they each show radically different perspectives. Naipaul’s narrator, Santosh, struggles with the internal pressures he places on himself when he doesn’t feel as though he blends in with his new environment, while Kincaid’s narrative focuses on the external pressures and the struggle of fighting oppression in a society that has already succumbed to it.
Perception is a concept, or a creation built on how each individual sees the world. When an idea becomes entwined with the realism of life, …show more content…
Reality and perception, while considerably diverse, share similar values which are shown in the former paragraph; in addition, the idea expressed by Farmer & Mechanic in Imagination Different from Reality, “Places and individuals are greatly dissimilar from what our fancy has represented them. This [which] we have found to be in an especial manner [, is] the case whenever we have been led to form uncommon expectations” (p. 61) eludes to the possibility that reality and perceptions are misconstrued as opposite when they are unconsciously positioned for a specific set of intentions, predominantly, in the context of the argument, for coerced change. While change comes in many forms, a focus on obligatory change blurs the differences between what is real and what is perceived. As stated in the Harvard Business Review by John Kotter and Leonard Schlesinger, “People also resist change when they do not understand its implications and perceive that it might cost them much more than they will gain” (p. 4) emphasizing the potential trade-offs that people would have to endure if they walk unintentionally into something that could have negative repercussions on their lives. The reality of some situations are unavoidable and they are resisted by many, if not all, of the convoluted people. The …show more content…
Naipaul’s “One Out of Many” opens the story with his narrator, Santosh, describing the life he lived in Bombay preceding his relocation to Washington DC to continue his occupation as a chef. Santosh establishes the position he holds in his life with high esteem and the context that is provided to readers of this story originally establishes a world with a seeming far-reaching realm of possibilities. While the unspoken dialogue creates a contented setting, some of the phrases such as “in our chambers a whole cupboard below the staircase was reserved for my personal use” leaves a questioning impression on the reader. Words such as ‘cupboard’ and phrases such as ‘below the staircase’ leaves the impression of a small, secluded room tucked away from the general populace which seems at odds with the elated attitude that Santosh permeates because a tucked away room seems so moderate compared to the extravagant life that some people in the story
Perception is a concept, or a creation built on how each individual sees the world. When an idea becomes entwined with the realism of life, …show more content…
Reality and perception, while considerably diverse, share similar values which are shown in the former paragraph; in addition, the idea expressed by Farmer & Mechanic in Imagination Different from Reality, “Places and individuals are greatly dissimilar from what our fancy has represented them. This [which] we have found to be in an especial manner [, is] the case whenever we have been led to form uncommon expectations” (p. 61) eludes to the possibility that reality and perceptions are misconstrued as opposite when they are unconsciously positioned for a specific set of intentions, predominantly, in the context of the argument, for coerced change. While change comes in many forms, a focus on obligatory change blurs the differences between what is real and what is perceived. As stated in the Harvard Business Review by John Kotter and Leonard Schlesinger, “People also resist change when they do not understand its implications and perceive that it might cost them much more than they will gain” (p. 4) emphasizing the potential trade-offs that people would have to endure if they walk unintentionally into something that could have negative repercussions on their lives. The reality of some situations are unavoidable and they are resisted by many, if not all, of the convoluted people. The …show more content…
Naipaul’s “One Out of Many” opens the story with his narrator, Santosh, describing the life he lived in Bombay preceding his relocation to Washington DC to continue his occupation as a chef. Santosh establishes the position he holds in his life with high esteem and the context that is provided to readers of this story originally establishes a world with a seeming far-reaching realm of possibilities. While the unspoken dialogue creates a contented setting, some of the phrases such as “in our chambers a whole cupboard below the staircase was reserved for my personal use” leaves a questioning impression on the reader. Words such as ‘cupboard’ and phrases such as ‘below the staircase’ leaves the impression of a small, secluded room tucked away from the general populace which seems at odds with the elated attitude that Santosh permeates because a tucked away room seems so moderate compared to the extravagant life that some people in the story