Comparison of three themes in The Tempest and Solibo Magnificent

Solibo Tempest

Colonial Themes in World Literature

The modern age has been typified by the spread of European culture (eventually largely by way of North American culture) through a series of military, political, and economic conquests of indigenous populations in other areas. Much of literature has been concerned with the implications and effects of this spread and domination, beginning with some of the very earliest literature of the period and continuing in much of the "post-colonial" literature that'd produced to this day. This paper will compare and contrast two works that deal with many of the same issues from two very different historical perspectives. Racism, class distinction, general discrimination, and direct colonial implications are all examined in very different manners in Shakespeare's play, the Tempest, and in the work of the modern novelist from Martinique Patrick Chamoiseau, including his Solibo Magnificent, showing the changing view towards colonialism and an almost fatalistic acceptance of its effects.

Accusations of racism are fairly easy to levy against several characters in the Tempest, especially in regards to their treatment of Caliban. In one speech, Prospero calls Caliban a "most lying slave" and says that he tried to help the lesser creature despite the fact that Caliban is mere "filth" (I, ii, 410-2). Language and the knowledge of language figures heavily in this relationship, and is also related to racism in Solibo Magnificent, where the police speak in a language difficult for the others to understand and impossible for them to speak in. In both of these instances, one group (or individual) is seen as lesser than others due to the fact that they have a different native culture, as demonstrated by their language. The characters do not rails against this set of circumstances, however, while it is a constant source of complaint for Caliabn.

The manner in which language is equated with racism in both of these works also applies to class distinctions that exist in the texts. The different classes of individuals that exist in the tempest are made incredibly easy to identify by Shakespeare's varying use of language; characters that are of the more "noble" classes (in terms of wealth if not morality) speak in more flowery and metered language, whereas characters of the lower classes speak in broader dialects and in prose rather than poetry. There is no distinction quite this sharp in Solibo Magnificent, though the different languages used are made clear, yet there is an instance of necessary translation that clearly demonstrates the class differences of certain characters: "Mr. Longue-Bete, what is your age, profession and permanent address?' 'Huh?' 'The Inspector asks you what hurricane you were born after, what you do for the beke and what side of town you sleep at night?' Bouaffesse specifies" (82). The different understandings of the world are indicative of differences in class just as they are a cause for racism, and again the characters of Solibo Magnificent have found a way to work in this system rather than resisting it.

In addition to systems of class distinction and outright racism, other instances of general discrimination can be found throughout these texts. The Tempest has only one character that is necessarily female (Ariel is somewhat ambiguous), and the way she is treated along with her degree of disenfranchisement seems to suggest a definite gender discrimination at work. Miranda seems to sense this to some degree, and ultimately takes some agency in her romance with Ferdinand, whereas the musician described early in Solibo Magnificent is seen in a discriminatory light that shows no promise of changing: he is treated a certain way and even called a certain name because of "his notorious oral attentions to bottles of Neisson rum," yet the crowd continues to insist things from this man, and he simply puts up with it (10).