Postmodernism in The World’s Wife and Prophecy Deliverance

    Cornel West, author of the book Prophecy Deliverance and Carol Ann Duffy, author of The World’s Wife, both express views on postmodernity. The books have similar and different opinions based on the writers’ points of view. Postmodernism refers to the aspect that reality is independent of human understanding but comes as humans discover a truth of their own. The discussion below serves to compare and contrast the different elements of postmodernity in the two books.

    In the book Prophecy Deliverance, Cornel West emphasizes on morality and secular liberation. He states that every individual has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potentialities. Postmodernity in term of race occurs in this book in various ways. He describes the various cultures of the white and black race in modernity, colonial provinciality and localism. Europeans accept the authority of science, the emergence of a new form of pagan neoclassicism and a subjective turn to philosophy (West, 27). In the acceptance of scientific authority, intellectual defenses and support from institutions to scientific practices are more persuasive to the literate population. The practices conform to strict adherence to a fresh model of knowledge, testing of hypotheses using experimental methods to produce objective deductions by engaging in observations and evidence. Authority of the church lost meaning due to increase in the authority of science emerging a new class of neoclassic pagans who have deep gratitude towards the creative and cultural heritage of ancient Greece.  The independent turn of philosophy in his book where concepts of subject, ego, self and preeminence to representative knowledge. Philosophy is the baseline of all evolving scientific disciplines. The black race struggles for identity due to the stripping of their African identity and excluded from American culture and roots in European modernity. Black people are uninformed and valued human life.

    Another aspect of race is racism and its development. Black people experience racism in the west and the idea of white supremacy dominance in the West. This is due to the growth of scientific authority, with an underlying philosophical discourse that promotes procedures like comparing, measuring, ranking and classifying physical attributes of the human body. Racism emerges due to the subjectless powers within the modern discourse construction and the psychological needs of the white .people. White supremacy bases itself on the categorical classification and the representational, descriptive and order placing objectives of natural history.

    In Carol Ann Duffy’s book, The World’s Wife highlights on gender as aspects of postmodernism. The major focus is on gender and relationships. Feminism appears in the list of poems in the book as it narrates historical and mythical events from a female perspective (Peukert, 4) and the men in the stories can be more than physically endowed achievers. The book portrays women to be on the sidelines with their males; however, she depicts women in their light and right other than marital embodiment. In the case of Penelope who apart from being a wife to Odysseus, she also does embroidery to occupy herself and relieving her fate through her stitches, the same situation as Mrs. Lazarus who starts off by mourning her husband’s death and later moves on making a cheat out of the resurrected Lazarus. The author also draws an image to women who wait for their husbands; though near, while they make names of their own such as the case of Mrs. Sisyphus and Mrs. Icarus. Duffy also implies the fact that women are workaholics too apart from the men. The book depicts male characters as high achievers who seek admiration and power gain to become successful individuals. An example of such individuals is Faust, who sells his souls to get a life and material success. Greed is also another character in the book. Midas a role in the book wishes for everything to turn to gold upon touching making his life unbearable hence depicting greed.

    The author also shows the failure of heterosexual relationships evident in two poems in the book. In the poem, Little Red-Cap, the relationship between Little Red-Cap and the wolf is doomed since the consumption of either one is inevitable, and the fact that the little girl consumes the wolf shows that gender does not dictate the outcome of a relationship. The circumstances leading to failure of the relationship are purely social. In the poem, Pygmalion’s Bride, the relationship between Pygmalion and Galatea fails due to social conditions that are of significant gender discrimination. Such influence character behavior and ultimately causes failure other than differences in gender.

    The transgressions of gender norms are present in the book. It challenges stereotypic notions about femininity and masculinity in poems such as Mrs. Beast and Delilah. In Mrs. Beast, independence costs her a loving relationship. She chooses not to get hurt rather than making herself vulnerable. She makes herself independent of the husband and ends up being alone. In the poem about Delilah, consideration on the ability to change to better a relationship is evident, as Samson conforms himself to the suitability of Delilah, even with the immense physical strength given to him by the author he still takes up the role as being more vulnerable than the wife. The poem also suggests that there is an importance of communication in maintaining a successful relationship and that there is a possibility for one to have a successful relationship evident by Sampson and Delilah.

The author also questions specific gender traits. This is evident in Delilah as the poem shows that it is not necessary for gender norms to dictate individual characteristics. The actions of Samson exposing his vulnerable side to his wife Delilah despite having superior physical abilities is a perfect example of such a trend. The successfulness of heterosexual relationships is also evident in contrary to the previous statement of failure as in the poem of Samson and Delilah. The author also depicts the relationships between women in the book. Conflicts between women as evidenced in the poem,’ from Mrs. Tiresias shows a failure in such relationships that can, however, change if communication is involved in such cases.

    In conclusion, similarities between the two books are evident as authors’ bias on the subject matters that represent post modernization on a global scale. Differences between the perspectives of the subject matter between the two are apparent as Cornel majors on race and in particular the problems of the black race as compared to the white and Duffy majors on gender and the outcomes of gender-based relationships, shown in the discussions above. Postmodernity is a major issue in literature today and is essential in enhancing reader-story relations for useful reading.

Works cited

West, Cornel. Prophesy Deliverance!: An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity.     Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, (2002). Page 1-185. Print

Peukert, Antje. “What’s a man without a woman…?” Gender Constructions in Carol Ann     Duffy’s ”The Worlds Wife”. GRIN Verlag: Ravensburg, (2010). Page 1-56. Print