The perspectives demonstrated in these stories
The two short stories narrate the experiences of two individuals’ natives of the Caribbean islands. John Stewart’s story ‘the old men used to dance’ shows us how Simon’s experience in his native country after studying abroad is different. He was raised in Trinidad and left for university studies in North America. He comes back home with the idea that nothing has changed and expects to find all the intriguing things about his home the same as he left them and to his disappointment, nothing is as he pictured, “he sees the same hand mingy with space, the atmosphere armed with an aggressive narrowness” (Stewart 510).
Simon is disgusted at the increased population since the home he used to know people knew each other and if not anyone you meet for the first time became an immediate friend. Stewart describes how disturbed he is by the contrast in infrastructure between Miami city and the towns in Trinidad. The nauseating open drainage system and the unsightly garbage state is not how he remembers his home.
On the other hand, Olive Senior tells of a happy young girl living with her relatives as her father takes no responsibility for her. Becka is described as an inquisitive and intelligent person through her we learn that Jamaicans are friendly people. This is demonstrated by how she is happy interacting with Cherry and how her aunt has taken them in despite the burden of supporting a child that is not hers. Despite the constant gossip by a neighbor who tries to dissuade her from accommodating Beccka, her aunt proves that family values still exist when she says “I accept that this is the crosses that I put on this earth to bear ya Miss Katie” (Senior 485).
What is the difference in their perspectives upon their own culture?
While Senior focuses on family experiences as the pillar of any culture and she narrates these family interactions to help us understand the Jamaican culture better. She also involves religion in her story as an important part of a culture. Religion is respected and people related to it accorded much more respect. John Stewart’s story details the people’s lifestyle, their properties, their music, and their interactions to giving us a better understanding of culture “people in their graceful country walk taking time to stop here and there and talk to one another” (Stewart 510).
How do Senior and Stewart look upon cultural heritage in their stories?
Stewart values his cultural heritage and he is annoyed that no one remembers Pompey and his ice cream store. He mentions Gregory the drummer who was a vital person in his cultural music. He recollects how the drummer was important when he was young and how his drumming beats were part of him. He emphasizes that the home he knew was an intimate close-knit society where people knew each other personally and not this western influenced society of people who have no regard for one another “Gregory was their favorite drummer” (Stewart 512).
Olive Senior’s story’s sole focus is on culture as expressed by a family’s daily living. Their interactions and relationships express their true feelings. The way they cherish intimate family moments such as the spectacle Beccka causes by asking the archdeacon if angels wear brassieres (Senior 487).
Do they share a similar view and attitude? Why (not)?
I think both writers have similar views towards their respective cultures; the difference is how they bring out this view in their stories. While Stewart describes his disappointment at how modernity has destroyed the home he used to know and the ills brought about by the growth of towns. He even mentions how he cannot recognize the marketplace that was organized and clean is now characterized by filth and noise. They both value their cultural heritage and the idea of losing any aspect of their culture is not welcomed.
Works Cited
Senior, Olive. Do Angels Wear Brassieres? Essex: Longman, 2001.Print.
Stewart, John. The Old Men Used to Dance. Essex: Longman, 2001.Print.