The Comparison of Black Skin, White Masks and A Small Place
The book Black Skin, White Masks is one of the most socially sensitive books to have been written across the world. In the text, Frantz Fanon sought to examine the element, causes and implications of racism. To reinforce his themes, Frantz embrace various voices and personalities. The embodiment of different personalities provided the author with an opportunity to reflect on the various interpretations of racism. Equally, the approach allowed the author to succinctly examine various author perspectives on racism. Like Frantz Fanon, Jamaica Kincaid also applied various techniques, languages and sources in conveying colonialist and imperialist themes in the text A Small Place. While both authors were concerned with the projection of the influences of racism and colonization in the community, the analysis of passages from the texts reveals that they applied differing techniques.
Black Man and Language: The Influences of Language on Racism
In chapter of Black Skin, White Masks, Fanon sought to highlight his experiences as a young man in Martinique. Notably, "The Black Man and Language", provides the reader with a subjective view of the inspirations behind Fanon's ideology. In the narration, Fanon explains that language, as he understood it, reflected the culture of the people. Thus: "to speak means to be in a position to use certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of thus of that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of civilization" (Fanon 8). The passage underlines the importance of language in conveying one's beliefs about the superior race. Analyzing the influence of language on the perspectives that the black man engages towards the whites and members of his race, allows Fanon the freedom to claim that every colonized individual associates superiority with the embrace of the colonizers language. For instance, the black man's sophistication in France, is often weighed against his ability to communicate effectively in French. His fellow black man will accord him respect in proportion to how well he can speak the language. To counter the influence of language in the promotion of racism, Fanon declares that "what I want to do is help the black man free himself from the arsenal of complexes that has been developed by the colonial government" (19). The direct language used in the statement, points to the beliefs that Fanon has towards the influence of the government on the black man's interpretation of himself, his fellows and his environment. Mainly, the analysis is intended for the negroes and whites who are both the victims and perpetrators of duping. The listing of the subjective experiences is also embraced by Kincaid. The approach is a culmination of the need to project the author's authority over the topic. Of the fuss initiated by colonizers, Kincaid asks "what went wrong here, what went wrong there - always makes me quite crazy" (24). Both authors succeed in engaging self-reflection within their analyses.
The Language of the Doctor: The Diagnosis of Inferiority Complex
Alternatively, Fanon also assumed the language of a doctor and psychiatrist to diagnose some of the issues that faced the black community with regards to their perceptions towards the self. The discourses he has with other scholars reveals some of the causes of inferiority complex as manifested by the black man in the society. Mainly, Fanon sought to respond to the claims made in Prospero and Caliban: Psychology of Colonization by M. Mannoni. The interactive nature of the discourse serves to enhance the validity of claims that are made by Fanon. With regards to Mannoni's text, Fanon claims: "I propose to show that, although he has devoted 225 pages to the study of the colonial situation, M. Mannoni has not understood its real coordinates" (61). The statement serves to clearly infer the approach that is going to be taken by the author in the entire chapter, and thus fueling the curiosity of the audience. In responding to Mannoni's claim to racialism being the work of petty stakeholders in the region, Fanon declares that the entire administrative structure of South Africa is racist (64). The proclamation allows the author to prove that Mannoni's subjective experiences do not reflect the truth on racialism across the world. Through the approach, Fanon provides an inferential understanding of the concept of racialism as it is understood from the views of other scholars. Mainly, by negating the claims made by other scholars, the author lays a framework through which only his perspective may be regarded to be true by the audience. Equally, Kincaid reflects on the third-party views within his analysis. For instance, Kincaid indicates that "The Barclays brothers are dead. The human beings they traded, the human beings who to them were only commodities, are dead" (26). Inferring on the minds and ideologies of external parties, serves to reinforce the message that the author sought to convey. Still, Fanon's interactive style is more efficient because it involves the examination of themes reflected by identified and notable characters in history.
The Use of Direct Quotes: Reinforcing Themes through External Perspectives
The use of the words of the people whom he has spoken to directly in chapter five provides Fanon with the foundation upon which he can declare the negative implications of colonialism and racialism on the black man. In chapter 5 of the text, "The Lived Experience of the Black Man", Fanon embraces different opinions by echoing the sentiments reflected by individuals he interacted with in France. For instance, in conveying the extent of subjectivity and racism that the black man suffered in the region, Fanon reflects on the words by proclaiming, "mama, see the Negro! I'm frightened!" (84). The statement points to the sense of awareness about the color of their skins that blacks have to contend with in the European and Western countries. Reciting words directly, as inferred during the interactions with other people, adds to the credibility of the statements that are made by the author regarding racism in the society. The language and source used points to the integrity of the content that is being delivered by the author. As a language technique, direct quotes also serve to mitigate the monotony that may be experienced by the reader in analyzing the work, and may also under in a new topic that is relevant to the given discourse. A similar approach is engaged by Kincaid in A Small Place when he says: "can't she get beyond all that, everything happened so long ago and how does she know that if things had been the other way around her ancestors wouldn't have behaved just as badly" (34). The statement is made in references to a third party. Nonetheless, Fanon's approach is more efficient as it is predicated on interactions with defined parties. Unlike Fanon, Kincaid uses the ambiguous and vague term "you" to refer to all third parties. The initiative limits the credibility of all information that is shared by the author.
Engaging Other Scholarly Analysis: Reinforcing Themes through External Literature
Fanon also uses direct quotes from other scholars to reinforce his themes in the analysis of racism and colonialism as influences of inferiority complex among the colonized. Through the initiative, the author succeeds in conveying subjective stereotypes that inspire racism across the world. Such an approach to analysis is observed in chapter 7 when Fanon examines the concept of the Negro and Psychopathology. For instance, Fanon proclaims that "Father Trilles' L'âme du Pygmée d'Afrique, for instance, convinces us of that; although with every word one is aware of the need to Christianize the savage Negro soul, the book's description of the whole culture—the conditions of worship, the persistence of rites, the survival of myths—has nothing of the artificial impression given by La philosophie bantoue" (110). The passage draws on the experiences of other authors to reflect discrepancy in their thought patterns. Unlike Fanon, Kincaid does not engage analyses from other scholars. While he makes inferences to the efforts made by other notable figures in the history of colonialism, Kincaid fails to address the scholarly inquiries that were inspired by the subject voyages. Such an approach limits the scope of his research and thus rendering his ideas subjective.
Conclusion
Conclusively, Fanon engaged various language and styles in overseeing his themes in the book Black Skin, White Masks. Equally, Jamaica Kincaid embraced different literary skills in delivering the colonialist themes in A Small Place. Some of the approaches embraced by the authors include the conversational style, analysis of texts by other scholars and direct declarations. Still, Fanon provides the most efficient analysis in relation to the topic of racism and colonialism. His literary approach appeals to the audience inquiry.
Works Cited
Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. Pluto Press, 2008.
Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place. Penguin Books, 2009.
