Kincaid Vs. Boland

Jamaica Kincaid and Eavan Boland present similarities and differences in their writings about their experiences with British imperialism. Both Kincaid and Boland shared similar hardships in dealing with the massive amount of British influence that consumed them in their youth. But in terms of the impact it had on them and their attitudes toward England, they different a great deal.

Kincaid and Boland share similar stories of their youth. Both involve the influence of their teachers. The influence of Great Britain is also symbolized by a map. In Kincaid’s case, her teacher showed her a map of England, saying “‘This is England’ and she said it with authority, seriousness; and adoration...” (365). At the time, Kincaid was confused by the map. She didn’t know why a country that she has never been to has to be such a big part of her life and everyone else’s around her. Boland’s poem begins with a description of the “linen map [that] hung from the wall [of the classroom]” (line 1­2). He describes the map as having some grime and other wear­and­tear, meaning that it is used often. He also describes his teacher as having “a London accent” (line 13) which places him in England. Even though Kincaid had not been to England at the time, she, like Boland, was impacted by British imperialism because she lived in a territory of Great Britain.

British imperialism had a different impact on Kincaid and Boland. In her youth, Kincaid tries to reject assimilation into the British Empire. She describes how her mother tried to teach her the proper English way to eat, yet she rebelled by eating with her hands when her mother wasn’t looking. She also mentions how everything she owned was made in England, down to the felt had her father always wore. She says, “There was no longing in me to put a shape to those three words that ran through every part of my life” (366). Here the three words she is referring to are “Made in England”, and the shape she refers to is the map of England her teacher presented to her. She had no desire to buy into the “greatness” of England that everyone was so entranced by. Boland, on the other hand, recognized in her youth that she herself was assimilating to the English culture. All her memories of Ireland were beginning to fade. She says, “I was nearly and English child” (line 20). Even though she is from Ireland, she saw in herself that she was changing under the fist of English culture. Kincaid