“What's important is that we recognize the falsehood of the notion that the Third World should be abandoned because it's a waste of time.” ~ Chinua Achebe Post Colonialism

Ok, so what is “Reality” “Believing that objective reality can be created by language, many post-modernists posit that all reality is a social construct. From this point of view, no single or primary objective reality exists; instead, many realities exist. In disavowing a universal, objective reality, these critics assert that reality is perspectival, with each individual creating his or her subjective understanding of the nature of reality itself” Bressler (234).

Huh? Everyone’s history is different Then why do we have history books? History books are not OBJECTIVE …. Or 100% accurate. So what drives history? The winner writes history, right?…. So what about everyone else?

Let’s talk about perspectives Let’s talk about perspectives. What perspective is this song written from? Who is the speaker? Whose perspective is this song written from? Who is the speaker directing the song to? What can we learn from this song? Is the song meant to be taken literally?

Dave Matthew’s Band: “Don’t Drink the Water” Don't drink the water here... Come out, come out, no use in hiding. Come now, come now, can you not see There's no place here, what were you expecting? No room for both, just room for me. So you will lay your arms down, Yes, I will call this home. Away, away, you have been banished. Your land is gone, and given to me. And here I will spread my wings. Yes, I will call this home. What's this you say, you feel a right to remain? Then stay and I will bury you. What's that you say, your father's spirit still lives in this place? Well, I will silence you. Here's the hitch, your horse is leaving. Don't miss your boat, it's leaving now. And as you go I will spread my wings. Yes, I will call this home. I have no time to justify to you, Fool, you're blind, move aside for me. All I can say to you my new neighbor, You must move on or I will bury you. Now as I rest my feet by this fire Those hands once warmed here, but I have retired them. I can breathe my own air and I can sleep more soundly Upon these poor souls, I'll build Heaven and call it home. Cause you're all dead now. I live with my justice And I live with my greedy need I live with no mercy And I live with my frenzied feeding I live with my hatred And I live with my jealousy I live with the notion that I don't need anyone but me Don't Drink the Water Don't Drink the Water Blood in the water Don't Drink the Water

Postcolonialism “A set of theories in philosophy and various approaches to literary analysis that are concerned with literature written in English in countries that were or still are colonies of other countries” Bressler (235)

Again…Huh? Postcolonialism is the study of how colonization affects both those who are colonized and those that do the colonizing.

Assumptions of Postcolonialism European colonialism did occur The British Empire was at the center of this colonization The conquerors not only dominated the physical land but also the hegemony or ideology of the colonized people The social, political, and economic effects of such colonization are still being felt today.

Key Terms “Others”: Any person defined as “different from” the colonizers Alterity: Differentness: to become the Other. Postcolonial theory asserts that the colonized quickly become excluded from positions of power in their “conquered” society and viewed as different and inferior by the colonizers.

Unhomeliness – Double Consciousness – “The feeling or perception of abandonment by both cultures causes the colonial subject (the colonized person) to become a psychological refugee. Because each psychological refugee uniquely blends his or her two cultures, no two writers who have been colonial subjects will interpret their culture(s) exactly alike” Bressler (241)

Let’s see how this works Let’s see how this works. Look at this illustration from the early 1900’s

Questions to answer: What details do you notice? What stands out? How does the illustrator make meaning? Who is given power? Who has power taken away?

Colonialism in the world! http://mason.gmu.edu/~ssheers/colonizedby.htm

So how did all this effect people? Chinua Achebe

So what does all this have to do with The Hunger Games? Can the ideas proposed in postcolonialist theory be used on a modern piece of literature written my a white American? Look in chapter one of The Hunger Games In small groups, find at least five examples of elements that could be viewed as postcolonial oppression. A few ideas to think about: Oppression of people Differentiation in the way people act or speak Differentiation in customs Differentiation in social/economic status Loaded word choice

A quick recap of postcolonialism and why it ties into YA Lit. Both postcolonialism and YA lit focus on highlighting the way people feel when an exterior force infringes upon the entrenched ideology of a group. The oppressed not only feel their beliefs are being suppressed and belittled, they believe they are being held back politically and economically as well. The oppressed feel a sense of double consciousness.

Sources Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: an Introduction to Theory and Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print.