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Taylor Golightly
Dr. Shane Graham
ENGL 4330
29 January 2015
Empowering Roots of Language
Language plays a huge part in our lives. It is how we connect and communicate with each
other. But there are millions of languages. I know Spanish, for instance, and if someone came to
talk to me in Russian, I would not understand a single word being said, but if someone were to
speak to me in Spanish, I would understand completely. Language is a source of identity; it
describes who we can understand and where we come from. But does our language define who
we are? Stuart Hall discusses in Negotiating Caribbean Identities that the fundamental idea of
a Caribbean identity lies within the roots or the history of a person (282). Both roots and ancestry
play a huge part in identity, however, it is not that simple. Although Hall implies that it is
impossible to resolve the problem of identity by just looking at it, I find that by looking and
reading the language of a people, Louise Bennett and her poem for instance, can resolve the
mystery of identity and empower them to be proud of their language.
The poet Louise Bennett is from Jamaica, where the people speak Creole, which is a form
of Patois that was spoken in an informal setting. However, it was frowned upon to speak Creole
in a formal setting, because that dictated that you were of lower class or a sign of one being
uneducated. Bennetts origins are of speaking this different and broken dialect and with her
dialect writes mostly in Creole. The use of words such as deh and eena are not commonly
seen in the English language, but gives the reader and those of a Jamaican heritage a sense of
interest in something new. An example of this would be slang words used in the English

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language, such as aint or chill out. Those who are fluent in English know that these are
words that are said in an informal setting, but are still commonly used and understood, like the
Creole that Bennett uses in her poem. In contrast, Hall gives an example of the French writer,
Aim Csaire, who speaks a perfect French because he went to a French school. [He] was
taught the French language [and] wasnt allowed to use kryole at home (287). The writer came
from a different background but worked hard to learn this language that did not come from his
background at all. However, Hall summarizes that Csaire is influenced by the French culture to
connect with his Caribbean identity (288).
Her writing allows Jamaicans to feel like it is alright to speak this native language and not
be embarrassed by it. Hall explains that those with this heritage felt: I have no voice. I have no
historyI used to speak a language which I can no longer speak (289). Bennetts poem
encourages those who speak Creole to speak it and feel at ease doing so. Feeling comfortable
showing the world that they have a unique and diverse culture, she says lickle by lickle man
start praise her (146). Little by little the world will know that this dialect is, not just educated,
but a unique Caribbean voice.
There is power in language to express feelings of emotion and personal thoughts. Bennett
uses the poem to portray her feelings and the feelings of others. This power of expression can be
used to lead and create change. A great example of this would be the speech that Martin Luther
King Jr. gave to motivate and empower the people to a greater movement. Bennett is doing the
same by helping the people realize their power through language. Throughout the poem,
Jamaica Oman, she talks about a woman who should be and is empowered, even more so than
man. With neck an neck an foot an foot wid man while man a call her so-so rib Oman a tun
backbone! (146). The story that Bennett feels inclined to tell in her poem is a strong testimony

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of her past and her identity. The language that she uses allows and enables her people to
discover their identities (290) and have enabled them to find a language in which they could
re-tell and appropriate their own histories (291). Bennetts poem is a gateway so that the
Jamaican people can express where they came from.
The language encourages Jamaicans to be proud from where they came from. The
language gives them a sense of identity and gives a sense of belonging in a foreign land. The
roots that Hall describes are what define our identity, and it is what makes us unique and gives us
that power to be different. Bennett is making a statement of her identity by what she writes and
how she writes. Look how long dem liberated, an de man dem never know Jamaica female
wasa work her liberated plan (145). They were a free people, until the man came to put them in
captivity. This plan of liberation is exactly what she states in her poem. It is the words that
identify them of their past and which make them different. From their tribulations, they have
formed an identity, and have found reason to be proud of who they are. Speaking differently is
not wrong but is simply a new addition to a diverse culture.
A language that is strange, the encouragement of language and the pride of using that
language well draw in a sense of belonging and a sense of empowerment. The cause of this
empowerment comes regardless of the dislocations of conquest, colonization and slavery and
the distortions of living in a world culturally dependent and dominated from some center outside
the place where the majority of people lived (282). I have talked about language being a source
of empowerment or encouragement for a race of people to find their own identity. This comes as
a result of listening to artists, such as Bennett, speak the language and use it in an acceptable
environment. Their ancestors created a language and so created an identity. This was a people
who were repressed and only by their identity of the language they could speak. Only through

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that spoken language could they tell their stories and through their stories they will be
empowered. The significance of the thought of, I am important is stated through poetry so that
readers will be able to hear the empowered voices that speak from the roots of Jamaica.

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Works Cited
Bennett, Elizabeth. Jamaica Oman. Routledge Reader in Caribbean Literature. Ed. Alison
Donnell and Sarah Lawson Welsh. New York: Routledge, 1996. 145-146. Print.
Hall, Stuart. "Negotiating Caribbean Identities." Postcolonial Discourses: An Anthology. Ed.
Gregory Castle. Oxford: Blackwell, 2001. 282-291. Print.