Brother, Im Dying by Edwidge Danticat - Essay Example

?Insert Introduction Brother, I'm Dying is a story that Edwidge Danticat published in 2007, as a family memoir. The success and intriguing nature of the story is underscored by it being nominated for the National Book Award and also winning the National Book Critics Circle Award. In the story, Uncle Joseph, a pastor, a man of great depths, accomplishments and values and devotion to the community, the country and his family suffers a bout of throat cancer that seems to eat into his identity. Nevertheless, the Bel Air gangs together with the input of the US Customs at the time around the September 11th Attacks tramped on his dignity and seemed to wipe out his identity. It is against this backdrop that this discussion is to establish whether the onslaught of the Bel Air gangs managed to emasculate Uncle Joseph's identity. Thesis Statement Despite the setbacks that are orchestrated against Uncle Joseph, by the Bel Air gangs, the US Customs, and the Department of Homeland Security even to the point of his death, Uncle Joseph did not forfeit his identity. In the first place, that Uncle Joseph did not let go of his identity is well underscored by the fact that even through the catalogue of persecutions that are meted out on him, he does not compromise his position or standpoint. According to Alexandre and Ravi, When the Bel Air gangs descend upon him and he is brutally detained by the US Customs and the Homeland Security Department, he still maintains his convictions and persuasions, to the point of death. Thus, it may be truly said that Uncle Joseph does not lose his identity, even to the point of death. Uncle Joseph may have recanted his religious persuasions and faith for his freedom, but he did not (Alexandre and Ravi, 120). It is also interesting that all these unfortunate experiences [brutal incarceration at the hands of the US Customs, and the Department of Homeland Security and onslaughts from the Bel Air gangs] take place when Uncle Joseph is eighty one. Despite this old age, the senescence and weaknesses that come with senility, Uncle Joseph maintains his convictions and faith to the end. Normally, it is true that with gaining or senility comes mellowness. With this mellowness comes the predisposition to drop hard-line stances and to avoid confrontational situations. However, Uncle Joseph does not give in to the temptation of rescinding his position, during his persecution (Danticat, 66 b and Shea, 387). Again, the veracity of the claim of Uncle Joseph not losing his identity is underscored by the legacy and inspiration that he bequeaths those he leaves behind. Even in the face of an imminent danger of death, his brother Mira finds solace in the person, character and words of Uncle Joseph. Normally, the identity of a person is not limited to his existence on earth, but stretches to the legacy that an individual leaves behind. Thus, the identity of an individual is still detectable and knowable by the consideration of the social circle that he leaves behind. The same is the case with Uncle Joseph. It is not only Uncle Joseph's brother, Mira who finds a lot of strength in Uncle Joseph's words, way of life and convictions, but also the young Edwidge. This shows that Uncle Joseph's identity is not only not lost, but it lives on in the life of his social circle, and thereby giving it inner strength, resolve and inspiration. In almost the same wavelength, the idea of the young Edwidge finding inspiration and identity from Uncle Joseph is so compounded to the extent that Edwidge cannot help but seeing Uncle Joseph as a father figure. The idea of Edwidge taking Uncle Joseph for a father is so strong to the point that although her true [biological] father is in the United States, yet, her standpoint is that she has two fathers, Uncle Joseph and her father in America. As a matter of fact, Edwidge takes Uncle Joseph as a father, more than she does her father. This may not have been the case, if Uncle Joseph's personality and identity had dissipated away. The same is further underscored by the fact that even though Edwidge goes to live in the US, the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, she is not able to find strength and inspiration in Uncle Joseph, and not in any American (Danticat, 18 a and Smith, 200). According to Valbrun, that Uncle Joseph does not lose his identity is a matter that is exemplified by Edwidge coming to identify with the ideals that Uncle Joseph left her. To underscore this, Edwidge uses parallelism. While she considers Uncle Joseph and her biological father as her two fathers, her father seeks a new home for his family, as Uncle Joseph pays the ultimate price for believing in the redemption of his home. This love for the family as the basic social or cultural unit rubs on into Edwidge’s character. Particularly, in spite of Edwidge having resided in the US for more than twenty years, she still finds herself sold out to the interests and welfare of the two worlds. It is for this reason that Edwidge dedicates her short stories and novels to divulging on the plight of the Haitian families, through the prism of immigration (Valbrun, 44). In respect to the above development, that the legacy and identity of Uncle Joseph lives in Edwidge’s life is seen in the manner in which Edwidge’s worldview is built around Uncle Joseph’s convictions and values. For instance, Edwidge’s discussion of the plight of Haitian families in light of immigration is a direct derivation of Uncle Joseph’s harrowing experience at the hands of the US Customs and the Homeland Security Department. The fact that the experiences that Uncle Joseph meets as he seeks asylum shapes Edwidge’s use of literary style and devices to convey different themes such as separation, reunion, the value of the family [or home] an how this value shapes an individual’s destiny goes to show how Uncle Joseph’s values deeply pervaded Edwidge’s worldview and beliefs. Values that one espouses and lives by, are part of an individual’s identity. Since these values are furthered in Edwidge’s beliefs and ideological persuasions, it is totally in order to surmise that Uncle Joseph’s identity does not dissipate into inexistence, but that it lives on in the hearts and minds of his loved ones such as Edwidge, and this identity is so strong, to the point that it bursts out into manifestation, in Edwidge’s literary works. Works Cited Alexandre, Sandy, and Ravi Y. Howard. "My Turn in the Fire: A Conversation with Edwidge Danticat." Transition: An International Review 12:3 (2002): 110-128. Print Danticat, Edwidge. Brother, I'm Dying. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Print Danticat, Edwidge. Impounded Fathers: An Op-Ed by Edwidge Danticat. New York: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print Shea, Renee H. "The Dangerous Job of Edwidge Danticat: An Interview." Callaloo 19:2 (1996): 382-389. Print Smith, K. Capshaw. "Splintered Families, Enduring Connections: An Interview with Edwidge Danticat." Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 30:2 (2005): 194-205. Print Valbrun, Marjorie. "Haiti's Eloquent Daughter." Black Issues Book Review 6:4 (2004): 42-4. Print Read More