Colonialist Criticism by Chinua Achebe Essay

SummaryThe essay Colonialist Criticism is an access on a lingering colonialism in the objurgation of African literary works by non-Africans. The African generator salves the textual matter or they produce literature, their literature goes to Europeans for analysis. Every African literature has to get thought the grids of European salvagers.They adopt to meet the criteria said by the European writer, African writer wrote the text for the African people that European people analyzed it. It message they be the jurys bench, or they umpire the text. One question raised that How do they judge slice judging, they always keep on the invention that is big brother consciousness. They always arouse the binaries. These binaries ar like white and cruddy or the European or African. They infer that Europeans ar superior and big brothers, whereas Africans are inferior and sm entirely brothers. Europeans are instructor and Africans are learners. Therefore, Europeans are at the ey e and Africans are at the margin. Therefore Africans consume to learn many more things from the Europeans. They campaign to come up that burden of teaching to the Africans.Therefore, Europeans feel that they know more well-nigh African literature, art and culture than African themselves. Achebe sees the faults of colonialist criticism in the assumption that the African writer is Somewhat unfinished European and that someway bysiders can know Africa better than the inborn writers. Achebe opposes, the European colonial prejudice, habit of govern and discriminating other and comparing African people their literature, art and culture and so onHe argues that African literature should not be judged with the regulationical literature since it has its cause particularity and peculiarity. The mask of European polish does not know the history of African people. So Achebes claim is that blacks (colonized) should write their own history neglecting what has been already universalized. He argues that If the text is judged from European perspective a text doesnt get rectify evaluation and the essence of the text is killed.Attacks on UniversalismThe term Universalism is exclusive, it includes the whole world. The termUniversalism refers to European parochialism, European writers always emphasized universality in the writing. They believe that the writer has to preserve all the issues in general or the writer has to speak for all. They judge African text form this angle they argued that the African text is not universal because it does not speak about universal issue. It speaks but African voice, therefore their text is invalid. They are not able to write about the whole universe. The two problems with Universalism, according to Achebe are, fore some that the presumed universality that critics find, is merely a synonym for the narrow self-serving parochialism of Europe and second, that any literature must speak of a particular place evolve out of the necessit ies of its history, past and current and theaspirations and destiny of its people.It means that every text comes out of circumstantial time space and the people. Therefore, every text is related to space-specific and people-specific. African people cook experience about racism. Therefore, they can write about racism deliberately. African exponent substantiate made many mistakes, but they didnt bring racism in the world. Therefore, they would, write about it, which is African-specific situation which is pervaded in African. Achebe sustained the idea that the term universalism must be vanished.Attacks on LanguageAfrican writers writing in English wear downt mean that they are quest European model. Language is not the place or possession of any gathering country or continent. Language is unwashed shoes as well as de-ethicized. English language is not the property of British or American. It doesnt fail to anyone. African writers are writing in English to make themselves heard . If they write in African language nobody willing come to know about them. They have the problem of communication. African writers writing in English wanted to win the care of the world. Language is the common heritage for all the people.Towards the end of the essay he criticizes the inwrought writers. All the time European writers cannot be slammed deplorable. He says the even native writers have not done anything to uplift the develop of African literature. They are not amenable for their own people. He embodies theidea and says that solitary(prenominal) through the earnestness or Eager-enough is most important to uplift the condition of African literature. Only then African literature will get the prestigious place otherwise they will be dominated. For the command of Europeans Achebe calls seduction. The native poets and critics are as responsible for this seduction because they never attack to break this barricade of this European canon rather they enjoy to be in appen dage of it.