If I could choose one text from this semester and teach at any level I wanted I would choose to teach in a high school classroom and the text would be Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s, “Decolonizing the Mind”. I chose this text because I felt it was one of the most important we covered and most applicable to our society today. I think it’s extremely important to be mindful of other cultures and respecting them. I chose this grade level because in my experience I found history courses very “white-washed” and watered down. The brutal history and barbarity of colonialism and imperialism was never really discussed when talking about world history. I think it’s important to be honest and learn early in life about the role colonialism had to form the world we know today culturally and socially. Also, I feel that by not speaking in depth about the issues illustrated in “Decolonizing the Mind”, you are contributing to the marginalization of millions by ignoring it happened. Across the world there are many societies that are a melting pot of ideas and cultures. By understanding and respecting these diverse places we can make a more aware, enriched world. Also, if you were a instructor of some sort, these individuals will make up the student body of your classroom and classrooms are meant to be safe, honest places so we shouldn’t gloss over this history.
Out of all the texts that covered similar topics I chose “Decolonizing the Mind” because I felt it wasn’t as compartmentalized as the other texts. The other texts in the unit either told fictional stories or focused too much on the author’s experience. I felt that author Wa Thiong’o blended his experience and the broader picture perfectly because colonialism affected pretty much the entirety of the globe. Also, instead of telling a conventional story, Wa Thiong’o spoke in a manner similar to a lecture. This piece covers a lot of ground with telling the story of how the author experienced colonialism first hand but also the generational effect it had on his country and home. The subject matter is very engaging and keeps the work from being dry. It is also rather short so I think the average person should not find this text that difficult to get through and analyze.
Another reason I think the text would be easily accessible by students is who Nugugi Wa Thiong’o is as a person. He has dedicated his life to discussing the message of how colonialism affected Africa and other parts of the world negatively. He is obviously very passionate about what he wrote and the way he wrote this particular piece made it very easy to comprehend while speaking on such a complex and uncomfortable subject. Wa Thiong’o also lived through all that he speaks about, giving the work that much more credibility. I think that students knowing this is a true account from the author himself and seeing how the author sees the situation makes the reading more understandable and the student more open to the concepts presented. I also liked that this particular text was so much more different than other material we had covered with being a true story.
Brit Lit 2020 