Analysis of Text for Racial/Ethnic Discrimination

ANALYSIS OF TEXT FOR RACIAL OR ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION

EXTRACT:

As we took our seats for the meal, he lifted a bottle of red wine and said to me, “You drink?” “He's twenty-two,” Erica's mother said on my behalf, in a tone that suggested, So of course he drinks. “I had a Pakistani working for me once,” Erica's father said. “Never drank.” “I do, sir,” I assured him, “Thank you.”

Erica's father had asked me how things were back home, and I had replied that they were quite good, thank you, when he said, “Economy's falling apart though, no? Corruption, dictatorship, the rich living like princes while everyone else suffers. Solid people, don't get me wrong. I like Pakistanis. But the elite has raped that place well and good, right? And fundamentalism. You guys have some serious problems with fundamentalism.” (Ch 4, pg 53-55 The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.)

ANALYSIS:

In the above extract the main focuses is on the two speakers, first, Erica's father and second, Changez, the Pakistani young man living and working in America. In the first part of the extract, there is a reference to wine and there are hidden meanings and stereotypes involved with drinking wine. Erica's father, who is a genuine American, asks Changez if he drinks. The question implies that he thinks Changez would abhor drinking and be against it, since he has had a past experience with a Pakistani who never drank. A racist stereotype is being highlighted here through the national identity i.e. “Pakistani” and the act of “drinking”. If we consider Erica's father to be a representation or a personification of the Americans, it can be said that the popular belief held among the Americans is that all Pakistanis do not drink wine as their religion forbids them. The religion that is associated with all Pakistanis, by default is then Islam. Pakistan is an Islamic state but to consider every Pakistani a Muslim, and then to assume every Pakistani to adhere to the codes and conducts of the religion is what gives rise to a stereotype which works in negative connotations against the Pakistanis. It is clear from the tone of Erica's father that he does not think avoiding alcohol is a good quality, because it makes a Pakistani a 'fundamentalist'.

Since Changez is a Pakistani and a Muslim, and yet he drinks, is a living proof of the kind of diversity and individuality that all Pakistanis hold and that should be respected and recognized. Erica's father's assumption shows that he holds the Pakistanis and Muslims as a unit, and that he believes that they are all the same. This kind of attitude gives rise to racism against both the Muslims and Pakistanis. To Erica's father, or general Americans, it can be said that being a Pakistani directly equates to being a Muslim, and being a Muslim is synonymous to being a fundamentalist.

The second half of the extract reveals more racist ideals against the general Pakistani populace and assumptions and stereotypes that the world generally associates with Pakistanis. A set of nouns that are being used need to be analyzed: Economy, corruption, dictatorship, the rich, the elite, fundamentalism. These nouns are accompanied with predicates and adjectives that determine the connotations of these words as negative or positive. Economy is 'falling apart', according to Erica's father. This statement comes right after Changez's assurance that his 'home' (which is a metaphor or a positive connotation for the homeland Pakistan) and the circumstances there are quite good. The bluntness of the statement then presents a sharp contrasts and gives it negative colouring. 'Falling apart' can mean crumbling or disintegrating. It can also show a certain hopelessness of the situation, as if nothing can be done, or perhaps that the efforts the Pakistani government is doing to sustain economy are futile. Corruption and dictatorship are negative terms which are frowned upon in all nations and government setups. However, it is noteworthy that these are being associated with not only the Pakistani nation but all Pakistanis as those living in the country. The irony is that America itself is buried neck-deep in a myriad of economic failures and issues, and corruption and dictatorship is a major issue among all nations. It is therefore, a prejudice and a derogatory stereotype to list these issues as if they exist solely in Pakistan. 'The rich living like princes' is a phrase placed in juxtaposition to another, 'while everyone else suffers'. It is being said that the Pakistanis who are rich live like princes and have 'raped' the country good. The elite can also be an indirect reference to those in power, naturally those who form the government are taken to be as rich people who are 'corrupt'. The connotations of 'raped' here are extreme, they present the image of the country being stripped of all its valuables, its national treasury, its taxes and generally all the money that Pakistanis have has been taken from them by force. The whole speech of Erica's father can be said to be a backgrounding of everything that is good about the Pakistanis, and a foregrounding of every negative aspect of the nation and blowing it up to an extreme proportion.

The connotation of fundamentalism once again refers to the religion Islam, since it is a general idea in the world that all Muslims are fundamentals. The word 'fundamentalism' in itself does have positive connotations, it means to stick to the basics of something, a maintenance of beliefs in old traditions, and ironically, this word is found to be in connection with Christian beliefs and doctrines. But this word is now associated with Muslims, as the general representation of Muslims is that they are extreme about their religious beliefs, with the creation of words such as 'terrorism' and a distortion of the word 'jihad', fundamentalism has taken a negative meaning and is a stereotype reserved for Muslims of the world. Since the novel revolves around the events of 9/11 and its aftermath, 'serious problems with fundamentalism' can taken to be an indirect reference to 'terrorism'. Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are believed to be infested with terrorists who are Muslim extremists. When Erica's father says 'you people', he is once again stereotyping and generalizing Changez's existence to be a representation of all Muslims and all Pakistanis. The little praise that Pakistanis or Changez does get is that Erica's father likes Pakistanis, and the rest of the discourse is dedicated entirely to the demeaning of the national identity of Changez and the whole Pakistani nation in general. Irony here is that the novel shows how Americans themselves are fundamentalists, and that they have many problems in their own country to which they choose to turn a blind eye. The dialogue is focused on the foregrounding of all the negative issues, problems and national crisis of Pakistan, and backgrounding of facts such as all Pakistanis are not fundamentalists or terrorists, and that the problems that are listed exists in every country, not just in Pakistan. The image being created is extremely insulting and negative in its interpretation.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the above extract highlights the stereotypical attitudes associated with Muslims and Pakistanis, and the kind of racial prejudice they are subject to, not just by an individual like Erica's father, but by all Americans and the whole world in general. Racism against Pakistanis and Muslims has become common in the world, especially in America, particularly after the incident of 9/11.

Reference:

Hamid, M. (2007) The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Penguin Books Ltd. India. pp. 53-55.

-Credit : Moneeza Rafiq