By Any Other Name Essay

The entirety of mankind is woven together with ideals, values and culture that bind the surrounding people to one another, resulting in a shared existence that enriches the quality of the lives of those involved. Although these factors can unite a group, they can also create a great divide between opposing groups.The challenge to faith, language and customs is consistently seen in post-colonialism struggles. In Chinua Achebe’s Short story Dead Man’s Path, this is evident in the villagers’ defiance of their customs being violated. Santha Rama Rau’s memoir By Any Other name clearly displays the significance of language in a culture and how discarding the language of a people can remove cultural foundations. Finally, the novella by Joseph Conrad,

By Any Other Name demonstrates the power of language when Primila and Santha are forced to change their names and abandon their cultural heritage. Their names were given a unique bond to the culture from whence they came. Not only does it unite the owner to a specific region, but it has spiritual ties as well. The headmistress challenges this saying, “Oh, my dears, those are much too hard for me. Suppose we give you pretty English names. Wouldn’t that be jolly?”( Rau 1) This removes a large religious, cultural, and language aspect from their day to day lives and strips them of their individuality. Due to being forced to assimilate, these girls abandon their culture for the English ways, only to later discover how much a part of them it

Most of these cases, however, do not result in the suppressed triumphing. Instead, Conrad delights in showcasing how all of the societies involved disintegrate, leaving nothing but corrupt morals, abandoned faith, and shattered customs. When the helmsman of Marlow’s vessel is impaled by a spear, the customs and faith of the white men and natives collide. The cannibals aboard the ship have been surviving off of rancid meat and are starving. Their beliefs state that the flesh of the deceased is acceptable for nourishment. The white men abhor the notion, believing that the departed deserve the sanctity of burial. Forced to placate the Englishman's morals, the cannibals must forgo their customs and watch as a wholly adequate meal is thrown overboard by Marlow. Despite the customs of the natives, they concede to the white men, respecting their traditions while sacrificing their