Whereas Abeng explores the power of spoken language as a formative tool, Annie John handles how the written language functions to empower the main character, Annie John, to advance her personal growth. Lacking the type of privilege Clare possesses in Abeng, Annie unknowingly opts for using her written language, rather than her spoken language, to shape her personal maturation. One early example of this is when Annie John, upon reading her textbook in school, stumbles across a picture of Christopher Columbus in chains. Smirking at this image of the oppressor in a state of oppression, she decides to “write under it the words ‘The Great Man Can No Longer Just Get Up and Go” (Kincaid 78). Here, by incorporating the caption under the picture, Annie
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Rather than manipulating power within the colonial mechanism, Annie takes a more resisting stance against the colonial force, as exemplified by this scene where she attempts to comment on a colonial figure. By writing the caption and commenting on history, Annie mimics how the English colonists attempt to comment and control native culture, as displayed in Abeng when Clare learns the definition of “proper.” In this sense, she challenges the notion of colonialism by expressing her individual voice, which suggests her control of language as an example of resistance. The act of writing on the page suggests a physical recording of Annie’s voice that expresses her understanding that by marking the page, she inherently records her own personal history and experiences. Annie’s writing under the picture of Columbus displays her acknowledgement that her written language is a way to progress her individual growth because she is able to document her own ideas and opinions, which serves to challenge the colonial mechanism that does not encourage colonial subjects to represent …show more content…
For example, when Annie attends her new school, her teacher, Miss Nelson, requires each student to compose an autobiographical essay to share to the rest of the class. Annie takes this task to write about an intimate moment she shares with her mother that involves Annie’s own fears, which her teacher likes so much that she asks Annie “to borrow what [she] had written to read for herself, and that it would be placed on the shelf with the books that make up [their] own class library, so that it would be available to any girl who wanted to read it” (Kincaid 41). Miss Nelson’s asking permission to place her essay on their classroom shelf with the other books suggests a symbolic placing of Annie John at the same level as the other authors. Although we are not given the names of the books or their authors, Miss Nelson believes that Annie’s essay is worthy enough to share the same space as these other texts. By the essay’s inclusion, Annie John’s work situates itself with those works that have come before it and adds itself to a large body of work. By the text mentioning that “any girl” can read it if they please, this implies a democratizing of her work as a worthy resource to future students and storytellers. This is important because it signals
Rather than manipulating power within the colonial mechanism, Annie takes a more resisting stance against the colonial force, as exemplified by this scene where she attempts to comment on a colonial figure. By writing the caption and commenting on history, Annie mimics how the English colonists attempt to comment and control native culture, as displayed in Abeng when Clare learns the definition of “proper.” In this sense, she challenges the notion of colonialism by expressing her individual voice, which suggests her control of language as an example of resistance. The act of writing on the page suggests a physical recording of Annie’s voice that expresses her understanding that by marking the page, she inherently records her own personal history and experiences. Annie’s writing under the picture of Columbus displays her acknowledgement that her written language is a way to progress her individual growth because she is able to document her own ideas and opinions, which serves to challenge the colonial mechanism that does not encourage colonial subjects to represent …show more content…
For example, when Annie attends her new school, her teacher, Miss Nelson, requires each student to compose an autobiographical essay to share to the rest of the class. Annie takes this task to write about an intimate moment she shares with her mother that involves Annie’s own fears, which her teacher likes so much that she asks Annie “to borrow what [she] had written to read for herself, and that it would be placed on the shelf with the books that make up [their] own class library, so that it would be available to any girl who wanted to read it” (Kincaid 41). Miss Nelson’s asking permission to place her essay on their classroom shelf with the other books suggests a symbolic placing of Annie John at the same level as the other authors. Although we are not given the names of the books or their authors, Miss Nelson believes that Annie’s essay is worthy enough to share the same space as these other texts. By the essay’s inclusion, Annie John’s work situates itself with those works that have come before it and adds itself to a large body of work. By the text mentioning that “any girl” can read it if they please, this implies a democratizing of her work as a worthy resource to future students and storytellers. This is important because it signals