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Kisses in the Nederends

Epeli Hau’ofa’s novel Kisses in the Nederends satirizes Polynesian societies, commenting on almost every aspect from the daily routine of the islanders to the political corruption of the elite. The fictional Tipota is a stand-in for Tonga or Fiji, both places Hau’ofa lived in for many years. His no-holds-barred style reserves a piece of loving criticism for all the people of Tipota, placing a special emphasis on the stagnation of the island, and the peoples’ inability to escape the middle-point between traditional and modern living. Tipota is juxtaposed somewhere between their past and the contemporary, globalized world of the so-called “First World.” This is especially evident in the medical crisis Oilei finds himself in. When he first experiences his anal pain he goes to a “Western” doctor, who gives him painkillers that, “Were long out of date but were the only ones available in the country” (Hau’ofa 7). Upon returning home he unwillingly sees another healer, Marama. Her practic...
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Imaginary Homelands Class Questions

Imaginary Homelands By: Salman Rushdie 11/20/2019 Thomas DiMarco Salman Rushdie ·        Born June 19, 1947 ·        Critically Acclaimed British-Indian Novelist o    Responsible for writing Midnight’s Children in 1981, winner of the Booker Prize o    Combined elements of magical realism with historical fiction o    Deals with the connections and disruptions that arise from the migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations ·        In 1983 (the publishing year of this essay), Rushdie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in June, 2007 ·        In 1988, he wrote The Satanic Verses , which had to deal with Muhammad and the creation of the Quran o    Sparked major controversy, receiving many death threats, even having a fatwa declared aga...
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Anzaldua

In her piece, "Towards a New Consciousness" Borderlands La Frontera Gloria Anzaldúa deconstructs our presumptions surrounding identity. She argues that identity should be “flexible,” it should “shift out of habitual formations” (Anzaldúa 101). She continually reaffirms that it is a fluid movement of ideas that cannot be restricted. Her “mestiza consciousness” (99) stands between two cultures, straddling the fault lines between them. It also stands outside of both cultures. Her multifaceted identity as a queer woman somwehere between Mexican, Indian and American culture places her at a crossroads of selfhood. Anzaldúa writes, “All countries are mine because I am every woman’s sister or potential lover. (As a lesbian I have no race, my own people disclaim me; but I am all races because there is the queer of me in all races.)” (102). Her identity not only stands at the border of two sets of people, but also between conflicting ideas. In effect, Anzaldúa’s reaffirmation of her ...
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