Caryl Phillips’ Rude I Am in My Speech is an analysis of
the struggle of first-generation immigrants to both belong to their heritage
and to fit into their new society. Phillips reveals the balance that
first-generation immigrants have to keep between their original culture in
their personal lives and their new societal expectations in their public lives.
Phillips is a Kittian-British novelist, playwright, and essayist who was
naturalized in Britain at a very young age ("Biography"). As his father, Malcolm Phillips,
was an immigrant to England, Caryl is in a
credible position to write about this experience.
In
this essay, Phillips examines two first-generation immigrants: his father, who
acts as an immigrant is expected to act, and Shakespeare’s Othello, who ignores
his new society’s rules. As he compares these two figures, Phillips notes that
while his father was successful enough, Othello’s life ended in tragedy. This
comparison reveals the message that, in order to thrive in a society, one must
adopt the rules of that society. Within
the text, Phillips makes it clear that he feels it’s the
responsibility of the second-generation immigrant to convey the struggles of
the previous generation. He states his purpose, “I am beginning to feel that
witnessing and recording the predicament of the first generation is a
responsibility [of the second generation].”
The two
most important rhetorical devices in this essay are displayed in Phillips’ main
comparison. He tells both anecdotes about his father and analyzes parts of
Othello’s story. Phillips also includes hypotheses about the way
first-generation immigrants must live. For example, he imagines that there are
only two places where immigrants can be themselves: at home with their
families, and in a meeting place with other immigrants. In Rude I Am in My Speech, Phillips provides convincing analysis as to
how an immigrant must conduct their lives, making him extremely successful in
his purpose.
Published in Salmagundi, a
quarterly periodical of the Humanities and Social Sciences, this essay was
probably intended for an audience who has a basic understanding of sociology,
and who has a functional understanding of Shakespeare’s Othello.
Othello and Desdemona's interracial marriage goes against Venice's social codes.
Provided by The Stranger Newspaper. <Source>
"Biography." Caryl Phillips, Author and Playwright. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
Image:
Bennion, Chris. Othello. Digital image. TheStranger.com. Index Newspapers, LLC, 16 July 2009. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
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