Kovacs 1

Jack Kovacs

Ms. Lee

8th Grade English (P3)

Date10/23/17

The Untold Impact

Imagine if the place youve lived your entire life was controlled then destroyed by a

country who never cared about you. In Minutes of Glory Beatrice the main character, is a

barmaid who is originally from a small farm town. She left her town to find a new life but

instead works deadend jobs at bars through the city. She battles depression and self hatred

because unlike Western beauty standards her skin is too dark and she isnt skinny. In Children

of the Sea it tells the story of two lovers separated by of the boyfriends beliefs. He is an

advocate of the political regime, but after the Mancoutes gained control of Haiti many people

including the boy who believed in the old political regime had to flee the country. The story is

told from the perspective of the girl and the boy. While the boy documents his voyage to

America by a deteriorating ship. The girl documents living under the Mancouts control. In

Minutes of Glory and Children of the Sea the authors condemns the long-lasting negative

impacts of colonialism. This is shown throughout the story using character development,

symbolism, characterization, and figurative language.

In Children of the Sea the author uses symbolism to show how countries, even after

independence are left in shambles socially, economically, and politically. In the beginning of the

story the boy narrator quotes They say behind the mountains are more mountains (Danticat 1).

This symbol proves the point that the author believes imperialism has a long lasting effect on
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countries under colonial rule. That countries like Haiti will never overcome their major

problems. Later on in the story the boy narrator quotes I never knew dead children looked so

blue (Danticat 25). Although this direct quote doesnt relate to the message, the baby itself does.

The baby was already born in a horrible state. It was deprived of much needed food, just like

Haiti was deprived of basic resources while under colonial rule. Later on in the story the baby

ends up dying, and after death there is no going back. This happens to Haiti because even after

political independence the country was left in such a state of despair, there was no going back.

The author strongly proves his point of the negative effects of colonialism in Haiti and the

characters in his story.

In Minutes of Glory the author uses character development and characterization to

show the negative psychological effect colonialism had in Africa. Through the story Beatrice

battles depression and self hatred because of the way she looks compared to the ideal for beauty

in Africa. ...but they always went for a girl with an Ambi-lightened skin and head covered with

a wig made in imitation of European or Indian hair (Thiongo 73). Through this quote the

author proves that colonialism changed the perception of beauty. She had to rub out her black

shame (Thiongo 73). The author also proves her point that colonialism also psychologically

affected many women. These women believed that their natural self was not good and needed to

be changed through cosmetics and wigs. Colonialism had a lasting effect throughout Africa,

poisoning African culture and changing it into something it is not.

Both authors, Thiongo and Danticat condemn the idea that countries affected by

colonialism were forever negatively impacted and corrupted. ...lover or directly bartering her

body for hard cash (Thiongo 75). Girls like Beatrice would go to big cities in search of a new
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life. In Beatrices case things didnt work out and she had to turn to prostitution just to survive.

This is a real issue in post colonial countries, poverty is everywhere, people must dehumanize

themselves to just survive. A group of students got shot in front of fort Dimanche prison today

(Danticat 7). The Danticat once again proves and shows the long lasting effect of colonialism.

The people within Haiti are fighting against each other, when they should be united as one. Just

like they were before colonialism was created. He shows that even after independence there are

still major problems today. The major effects of colonialism are still a real issue in todays world

for the people who live in colonized countries.

The authors condemns the idea and proves the truth that colonialism has a substantial

negative effect economically, psychologically, and politically for countries colonized. Almost

every country colonized by Europeans suffers from an enormous amount of poverty, debt, and an

overall economic collapse. Colonialism also changed the perception of beauty within Africa.

This ruined the culture and created a wave of depression and self hatred for African girls who

didnt fit the standards. Many countries affected by colonialism still have political problems

today. Some countries are controlled by dictators and militias. Overall, I think the effects of

colonialism on countries colonized deserve much more awareness.