Latin American and Caribbean Authors

¶ … Angels Wear Brassieres? By Olive Senior, and "ADJ, Inc.," by Ana Lydia Vega. Specifically, it will discuss the use of language in the two works, and comment on the authors' use or rejection or variation of what for recognition's sake we will call standard English, or comment on features of local literary traditions that are preserved in translation. Language is a powerful tool in storytelling, and these two short stories are excellent examples of the disparity of language, and what an important part it can play in the telling of a tale, especially a regional one. Language is so important; it can almost be considered another character in these two stories.

LANGUAGE IN TWO STORIES

In "Do Angels Wear Brassieres?" The language for the children is the dialect of Jamaica, imitating the rhythmic and singsong way Jamaicans have of speaking, and the author uses this dialect almost from the first sentence in the story. "No. Not praying for nobody that tek whe mi best glassy eye marble" (Senior 1115). This way, the reader understands who the characters are immediately, and the flavor of the story is instantly set in the reader's mind. The author sets the natives and the foreigners apart by using language, and the difference is subtle but extremely important. The foreign adults are more "mature," and speak in the "proper" English language of grownups, while the children and the natives speak in the magical language of the islands. It sets them apart from each other, and additionally intimates what the natives lose of their heritage as they lose their lovely language to "proper" English. It is clear the narrator of the story is a child by the language of the narration; it is simple and lilting like the speech of the natives. Senior does not use punctuation to imitate the quick speech of the natives, and it is an interesting technique. It is difficult to read, but it captures the people perfectly. The language here is almost like another character; it is so vivid and so important to the story. If Senior had written the story in "normal" English, it would not have had nearly the impact or the charm that is has.

The language of "ADJ, Inc." is in direct opposition to "Do Angels Wear Brassieres?" It is the formal and sometimes stilted language of business as opposed to the beautiful slang and informal language of the people. As the opening suggests, this is the double-talk of the corporate world, where language really takes on an entire new meaning, and anything and everything can be read between the lines. "Our carefully monitored dossiers and the effusive letters of appreciation we receive almost daily from out clients attest to the fact that we aim to please and succeed admirably in doing so" (Vega 1147). Vega uses diverse language techniques to clearly show the difference between the different characters in the story, from the bureaucratic writer and director who writes the opening memo, to the smutty Olga the Vamp who uses her "dirty tricks" on unsuspecting husbands. "The guy was a case. He went from home to work, from work, home; no stops on the way. No bar, no pool hall, no health club, no liquor store, no chicks, no chums, no nothing" (Vega 1151). Her language fits her image just as much as the corporate mumbo jumbo fits the director who is only looking to cover her a**. The language here totally defines the characters, and becomes an integral part of the understanding of the piece. It also changes from section to section, creating new characterization and further understanding for the reader of the differences between each operational division in ADJ, Inc. Each person plays a different role in the success (or failure) of the company, and so each person has a different voice. Just as language is almost like an additional character in "Do Angels Wear Brassieres?" In this story, it defines the characters and their roles, and without it, the piece would lose much of its impact.

It is simple to derive political beliefs from language, as "Do Angels Wear Brassieres?" clearly illustrates. Underlying the story of a young, inquisitive girl is the story of the colonials who came to Jamaica and changed the way of life. They spoke differently, they acted differently, and they worked to change the culture of the people. The language of this story shows the disparity between the two groups, and how the colonials tried to change the natives to an English way of thinking, rather than retaining their own strong heritage.