Introduction
A race is commonly portrayed as a biological subspecies, or a multiplicity of a species, entailing of more or less distinct populace with anatomical characteristics that sets it distinctively from others. Ethnicity is a term employed to refer to chosen cultural and in some instances physical attributes exploited to classify people into diverse groups or categories regarded as considerably unique from others. Equally, culture is as a learned or acquired system that entails deeds that are passed from one age group to the other. And this involves collective values, traditions, rituals, and norms; procedures of cataloging, evaluations, and elucidations; including societal aspects and discernment of interpersonal affiliations, human nature in addition to chronological or historical progression.
But what are the significances of race, ethnicity and culture in our societies today. How are these social aspects explored? Both fiction and non-fiction writers have over the time explored complex and innate structures of race, ethnicity and culture in our contemporary societies extensively.
Over the years fiction writers have strongly endeavored to either explain or justify the impacts of race, ethnicity or culture in our societies. It is in the process of this engagement that the fiction writer’s preference is exposed. It should be noted that the fiction author’s selection of literary tools or techniques is a significant element of fiction. Some of the widespread tools/devices of fiction writing entail: imagery, symbolism, and figurative-language-as personification, metaphors, and similes. Though, the writer can exploit any amount of literary techniques to tell his story, his choice depends considerably on the type of genre being examined.
Symbolism
For instance, James Baldwin classic “Sonny’s Blues” is a fictional work that is intricately captured and delivered in the web of symbolism. Baldwin has managed to explore the concept and dynamism of ethnicity and culture elaborately. The characters in this piece of fiction symbolically tell the story as it is, and more so relates to the contemporary society considerably.
Most people would relate with the story of Sonny who is symbolically illustrated struggling with loneliness. Examining the manner Baldwin intertwines Sonny’s personality with his environment. It becomes apparent that the author is exploring the dynamics of ethnicity and cultural dilemmas. This can be testified by the manner Sonny is depicted as being lost in what Baldwin calls “the darkness”. In addition to this tale the author illustrates ethnicity and culture as unifying factors. The two elements are known to incorporate diverse aspects of society into a coherent whole.
To reinforce his symbolic approach to ethnicity and cultural effects on the society, he incorporates dynamics of both situational and dramatic ironies. This is evident where; Sony is portrayed reconnecting with the society through music. As a twist of the plot and the theme, music is universal and this demonstrates that cultures are not static but rather reacts to the environmental changes. Using intricate combination of imagery and symbolism, Baldwin has established that customs are learned trends. Nevertheless, individuals including groups do adjust or modify their racial and cultural uniqueness in addition to interests through dissimilar procedures involving adaptation, contact with other cultures, resettlement and conversion. Therefore, Sony symbolically represents the changes and dilemmas of creating an ethnic and a cultural identity. That is why Baldwin has included music as an object of transition.
Allegory and imagery
Life events, emotional characteristics, and other dynamics also can arbitrate cultural, racial, and ethnic influences. These dynamics plays an integral role in the manner we relate. Alice Walker, for instance, employs allegory in his famous narrative “The Flowers” to examine the issues of racism. The issue of race has over the years become an element of human concern. Racism, unlike any other social problem has contributed considerably to human suffering.
Hence, in “The Flowers” Walker tackles this issue in a manner that is both controversial and captivating. Though, the concepts of race, culture and ethnicity are in some instances exploited interchangeably to describe the same issue, the scope of race has been considerably tied to religious, cultural background including geographical percepts. In regard to Walker’s narrative “The Flowers”, the use of allegory is instrumentally injected to reflect the manner the characteristics of racial disintegration affects our identity as well as individual relationship with others. Using Myop as her vehicle of exploring the dynamics of racism, she narrates the story of child’s resistance with the loss of virtue (Noras 136). Combining allegory with symbolism she creates a vivid demonstration of Myop’s voyage to the harsh veracity of life.
The manner she has exploited the diverse literary devices, she has profoundly managed to illustrate the way racism affects individual lives. This she has pointed could be due to gender, race, and class, while gender could also involve sexism.
Examining the elements of the society, Walker seems to demonstrate that just as summer depicts the nature of human race, Myop embodies the mental and physical concepts of racism. This is critically testified by the manner Myop is illustrated reacting to the outside world which is symbolically employed to represent race and culture.
To reinforce her story, Walker has incorporated contextual symbols. The purpose is to make the story more engaging and dynamic (Levy 134). The recurring aspect of innocence as well as the presentation of flowers stands as the narratives motif and this gives this piece of work deep and covert meaning in relation to the scope of racism and ethnic differences.
Considering that race and ethnicity are some of major issues affecting us, the author has incredibly explored the innate nature of these social aspects strongly. The use of such dynamics as contextual elements in the form of archetype as recurring theme illustrates the significance of human life engagements. Therefore, the pattern commonly established by racism in regard to other social aspects as ethnicity and culture are equally examined. Detailed description of what the lead character is going through follows the author’s context and this add meaning to the story. The scene of a murdered man, his physical attributes and perhaps his occupation reflects his ethnicity and the cause of his death which can be adduced as his race, and this correlates to Myop who is African-American (Babuts 140).
Examining the manner Walker has employed these literary devices to tell her story; she has managed to build a strong narrative that is rich in context, illustration and presentation. Therefore, the impact of these devices have aided in giving the narrative uncompromised quality and authenticity. This can be testified by the manner the dynamics of allegory, symbolism, contextual symbolism and instances of ironies have been exploited to reflect on the aspects of race, ethnicity and culture. Despite that the development of recurring theme and motif also have given the narrative a strong backbone that resonates with the symbolism employed to reflect on the dangers of negative cultural, racial and ethnic attributes.
Figurative speech
Cisneros’s “House on Mango Street” is one of the few literary works that examines the context of Race, Ethnicity and Culture extremely. Exploring the diverse attributes of culture, the author has managed to establish that values, norms and practices of a specific group may constitute elements of culture. “House on Mango Street” comprises of unique vignettes that are neither complete poems nor complete prose. Told in the first person present tense, the author centers on her every day activities. The most captivating characteristics of this work can be linked to the author illustrations of the environment. Superbly, she allows the characters in the story to speak while examining the cultural context of her background (Magill 95).
However, in the usage of imagery she exploits a language that is appealing and more so creates images to the mind of any given reader. This is testified by her use of simple but dynamic language. In her endeavor to capture the creation of cultural identity, she employs imagery and ironies to attract and suck the females into the realms of hatred towards men. And this can be translated to a conception of cultural identity.
Though, the narrative is not intended for senior audience, the author stitches a simple but unique flow of thoughts in a string of recurring imagery with simple prose. This approach gives the audience a hint of what the author is anticipating to do. Therefore, I am of the opinion that the manner the narrative “House on Mango Street” is developed reflects the authors subtle understanding of the subject. This is clearly illustrated in the way the subject of culture is formulated to reflect the scope of feministic stance and cultural views.
Conclusion
Exploring the dynamics of fiction writing it would be essential to assert that the author captures the mind of his audience by building a unique flow of consequences. These consequences are tied together by aspects of imageries, ironies and allegories. Hence, when examining the concepts of ethnicity; it becomes apparent that this concept equally links an individual to ones biological and cultural inheritance. Using available motley of literary devices these authors have in one way or the other established that race, ethnicity and culture are connected by either biological aspects or ethnic backgrounds.
Examining the manner the above mentioned authors have embraced the concept of race, ethnicity and culture. It would be prudence to argue that our social orders are predominantly defined by these three aspects. Hence, to give their work uniqueness, quality and texture, they have powerlessly integrated the literary dynamics to their writings. This is testified by the manner James Baldwin in his classic “Sonny’s Blues” incorporates the elements of symbolism and imagery to tell his tale of cultural integration. While Alice Walker, exploits the dynamisms of allegory, contextual symbolism and figurative speech to explore the intricate evils of race and ethnic discrepancies.
This shows how significance literary devices are in regard to fiction writing. According to the mentioned narratives these devices have played a central in establishing who we are, and where we come from. Also, they have demonstrated how the individual author presents his or her thoughts in regard to race, ethnicity and culture. Too, it is apparent that they have aided the authors in developing themes, storyline, plot as well as suspense and this incredibly gives the mentioned works texture, tone as well as prominence.
Works cited
Babuts, Nicholae. A Cognitive View of Literature. Newark: U of Delaware, 2000.
Levy, Mark. The Ethnic Factor. NY: OUP, 2000.
Magill, Frank. Latino Literature. NY: Harper, 2002.
Noras, Himlice.Everything you need to know.NY: Plume, 2007.