‘Back to My Own Country’ is an essay written by Andrea Levy, a British author renowned for her exploration of themes related to identity, race, and immigration. The essay reflects Levy’s personal experiences growing up as a second-generation British person of Caribbean descent and her journey to embrace her cultural heritage. Andrea Levy was born in London in 1956 to Jamaican parents who immigrated to the UK. Levy’s writing often delves into the complexities of multiculturalism, belonging, and the legacy of the British Empire.
Back to My Own Country | Summary & Analysis
In the early 1960s, during the era of the British Empire’s decline and the rise of the British Commonwealth, the narrator recalls a poignant experience on a London bus. They encountered a friendly black man from the Caribbean who tried to engage with fellow passengers, who were all white and mostly ignored him due to his differences. The narrator, also of Caribbean descent, felt a strong connection to him and wanted to bridge the gap of misunderstanding between him and the other passengers. This encounter left a lasting impression on the narrator, prompting questions about the historical links that brought people from the Caribbean to Britain and the subsequent lack of understanding between cultures. The narrator grew up in a London council estate, went to a local school, and led a typical working-class life, but this encounter highlighted the importance of exploring the lost history and cultural diversity that shaped Britain.
The narrator’s parents immigrated from Jamaica to Britain in the post-World War II era seeking better opportunities. Despite being middle-class in Jamaica, they faced challenges in England, struggling to find adequate housing and jobs. The narrator’s father worked for the Post Office, while their mother, unable to use her Jamaican teaching qualification, took up sewing. Despite their hardships, the parents believed in assimilating, keeping a low profile, and being respectful to make a life in the UK.The family’s fair skin made them feel superior due to the color-based class system in Jamaica. This resulted in their isolation from darker-skinned Caribbean immigrants in England. The narrator was expected to avoid associating with darker-skinned individuals, and skin color became a significant factor in their upbringing.
The family experienced racial prejudice, with people questioning their right to be in the country, ridiculing their culture, appearance, and smell. Despite the mistreatment, the narrator initially sought acceptance from those who discriminated against them. Over time, they came to realize the importance of standing up against racial discrimination. The text highlights the challenges and complexities of immigrant life in post-war Britain, including the struggle for acceptance and the internalized biases within the narrator’s own family.
The narrator experienced pervasive but subtle racism during their life in Britain, leading to feelings of self-hatred and shame about their Caribbean heritage. They made efforts to assimilate and be as British as possible, disregarding their Jamaican background. Growing up, their friends knew little about the Caribbean and showed no curiosity, which made the narrator feel like an outsider. This feeling intensified as they encountered more middle-class people during their time at art college and attempted to hide their working-class origins.
However, a pivotal moment occurred when the narrator participated in a racism awareness course at a sex-education project. Initially aligning with the white group, they were beckoned over to the black side, which made them realize their own insecurity about identifying as black. They questioned whether they met certain qualifications or had the right experiences to claim a black identity. This experience marked a turning point, causing the narrator to confront their own identity and ultimately embrace their black heritage. It was a profound and life-changing moment for them. Writing became a lifeline for the narrator, as they embarked on a writing course that encouraged exploring their personal experiences, including their family upbringing and complex relationship with race.
Through writing, they began to understand that their experiences as a black person in a majority white country were part of the broader black experience. Writing also led them to a life-changing visit to Jamaica, where they discovered family and heritage they had never known, inspiring them to embrace their Caribbean background and identity.
Now proudly identifying as a black British writer, their fiction often revolves around their Caribbean heritage. They share a sentiment similar to Toni Morrison, who found richness in writing from her perspective as a black woman. Delving into their Caribbean heritage made the narrator increasingly interested in Britain’s Caribbean history. They highlight how the Caribbean played a crucial role in Europe’s early colonization efforts, with various European powers, including Britain, exploiting the islands.
The British involvement in the Caribbean, particularly in sugar production with the labor of enslaved Africans, contributed significantly to the country’s wealth and the growth of cities like Bristol, Liverpool, and London. The profits from Caribbean slavery were reinvested in Britain’s industry and infrastructure, fueling the expansion of the British Empire. The British government compensate slave owners with a substantial sum of twenty million pounds when slavery ended in 1833. This payment was for the perceived loss of their ‘property,’ portraying the slave owners as the victims in this historical context.
However, the Caribbean islands hold a far more complex history beyond just slavery. Many people, including indentured servants, impoverished individuals from various regions of Britain, press-ganged sailors, convicts, Sephardic Jews, Middle Eastern merchants, and later indentured laborers from India and China, came to the Caribbean under duress or seeking a new life. This resulted in a diverse and unique social mix, leading to the development of Creole cultures and a complex hierarchy based on skin color. Even after slavery formally ended, the British continued to implement a policy of racial apartheid in the Caribbean until the 1960s, maintaining a racial divide. The absence of this history from British mainstream education has led to a significant knowledge gap, contributing to the feeling of otherness experienced by individuals like the black man on the bus.
The silence surrounding British plantation slavery in the Caribbean in history books is notable, and the legacy of this silence is a claim that the issue has no lasting impact on the country. However, this silence ignores the profound historical and societal implications of British slavery in the Caribbean.
The lack of education about this history is reflected in the author’s own experiences and interactions, where even educated interviewers admitted not knowing about Britain’s involvement in Caribbean slavery. There is also a widespread misunderstanding about the geography and diversity of the Caribbean islands among the general public. The author emphasizes that the history of the black people of the Caribbean is missing from the collective knowledge and asserts that it should be an integral part of British history, comparable to events like the Norman Conquest or the Tudor era.
The Caribbean holds a unique place in Britain’s imperial history, as one of the earliest and longest-lasting parts of the British Empire. Its population mix and the creation of distinctive societies make it stand out. While other parts of the empire debate their British legacies in terms of railways, bureaucracies, or governance systems, the Caribbean’s legacy is intertwined with everything, including its towns, cities, landscapes, and most importantly, the people themselves. The Caribbean’s influence on modern Britain, from its rise as a world power to its attitudes on race, is undeniable. Stuart Hall’s perspective emphasizes that the very concept of British ‘greatness’ is connected to the empire.
The author and their family are as much a product of Britain as the white children they grew up with in Highbury. Britain’s history in the Caribbean made it almost inevitable for people like the author’s father and the passengers on the Windrush ship to end up in the UK. This immigration, often seen as a ‘gift’ to Britain, has enriched the country with diverse talents, ideas, creativity, and ways of life, turning it into a sophisticated multicultural society. The text underscores that despite the significant contributions of Afro-Caribbean immigrants to Britain, there are still many young people of Caribbean descent who lack an understanding of their heritage, and many white Britons who remain unaware of the shared histories that connect them. The author calls for recognizing the Caribbean’s vital place in British history and its role in shaping the nation’s identity and development.
Back to My Own Country | Socio-Historical Context
The British Empire was one of the largest and most powerful empires in history. It spanned the globe, with colonies and territories in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Caribbean. The Caribbean region was particularly significant as it was one of the earliest areas colonized by the British. The Caribbean colonies played a vital role in the British Empire’s economic prosperity. Plantations in the Caribbean, primarily focused on sugar production, were highly profitable and relied heavily on enslaved labor from Africa. The exploitation of enslaved Africans was central to the success of these plantations. The legacy of slavery in the Caribbean is a critical aspect of colonial history. Enslaved Africans endured immense suffering, and the plantation system left a profound impact on the social, economic, and cultural fabric of the Caribbean. The end of slavery in the 19th century did not erase these historical scars.
The text also reflects on the racial prejudices and discrimination faced by Caribbean immigrants and their descendants in post-war Britain. Prejudice was deeply rooted in British society and extended to various aspects of life, including housing, employment, and social interactions. The author mentions the alienation experienced by the black man on the London bus, illustrating how racial stereotypes and biases affected everyday interactions. The prevailing view at the time often portrayed people of Caribbean descent as outsiders or ‘aliens’ in their own country. Racial prejudice was systemic, and institutions, including the workplace and public services, often upheld discriminatory practices. Black individuals frequently faced limited opportunities and unequal treatment, despite being British subjects. The essay illustrates the challenges of race relations and racial prejudice faced by Caribbean immigrants in post-war Britain. These historical contexts are essential to understanding the experiences and perspectives of individuals like the author and her family.
After World War II, Britain faced significant economic challenges, including the need for labor to rebuild the country. Many British men had been conscripted for military service, and the war had also caused a decline in the British working-age population. To address labor shortages and boost the economy, Britain actively encouraged immigration from its Commonwealth countries. This act provided a form of citizenship to people in Commonwealth countries and their territories. It allowed them to travel to Britain without needing a visa or work permit, making it easier for individuals from the Commonwealth to settle in the UK. The arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in June 1948 is considered a significant milestone in the history of Caribbean immigration to Britain. The ship carried 492 passengers from the Caribbean, mainly from Jamaica, to Tilbury Docks in Essex. The passengers included individuals who had served in the British armed forces during the war and others seeking better economic prospects.
The Windrush generation is named after this ship and represents the first large wave of Caribbean immigrants to Britain. They came to be known as the ‘Windrush Generation’ and played a crucial role in the post-war reconstruction of Britain. Many of them took on essential jobs in healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing, contributing significantly to the country’s recovery. Despite their contributions, the Windrush generation faced numerous challenges in Britain, including racial discrimination and unequal treatment. This discrimination extended to housing, employment, and public services. Despite being British subjects, they often encountered hostility and prejudice. The Windrush generation laid the foundation for subsequent waves of Caribbean immigration to Britain. Over the years, their descendants have become an integral part of British society, contributing culturally, economically, and socially to the nation’s diverse fabric. In recent years, the Windrush generation faced a controversy related to their citizenship status.
Changes in immigration laws and a lack of documentation led to many facing the threat of deportation, despite having lived in Britain for decades. This issue brought significant public attention to the contributions and challenges faced by this generation.
Caribbean immigrants who arrived in post-war Britain often faced a cultural disconnect. They left behind their homeland, traditions, and social networks to adapt to a society with different customs and norms. This cultural gap created challenges in finding a sense of belonging. Many Caribbean immigrants, like the author’s family, grappled with questions of identity. They were caught between their Caribbean heritage and the pressure to assimilate into British culture. This struggle often led to a sense of not fully belonging to either culture. Language played a significant role in cultural assimilation. Caribbean immigrants may have spoken English, but their accents and dialects were different. This sometimes led to communication barriers and misunderstandings, contributing to feelings of isolation.
Caribbean immigrants often faced racial prejudice and discrimination, making the process of assimilation more challenging. Negative stereotypes and unequal treatment made it difficult to fully integrate into British society. However, the legacy of Caribbean immigration has left an indelible mark on British society, contributing to a multicultural, diverse, and enriched nation that celebrates its Caribbean heritage and values the contributions of immigrants and their descendants.
Back to My Own Country | Rhetorical and Literary Devices
Levy employs imagery throughout the essay to help readers vividly imagine the scenes and situations she describes.
Levy provides rich details about the setting, such as the London bus, the council estate, and the neighborhoods. These descriptions allow readers to immerse themselves in the environments she grew up in and the situations she experienced. Levy also often employs imagery to highlight contrasts, such as the contrast between her family’s Caribbean background and the predominantly white neighborhood or the contrast between her childhood experiences and the multicultural London of today. These contrasts help convey the evolving nature of British society and the changing perceptions of race and identity. Additionally, when discussing the historical context of British colonialism and the Caribbean, Levy uses imagery to evoke the past, such as the imagery of sugar plantations and enslaved labor, which helps readers visualize the historical injustices and their enduring impact.
The use of anecdotes in the essay adds a personal and human dimension to the narrative. These personal stories serve to connect the author’s experiences and family history to broader socio-historical themes. Anecdotes also provide concrete examples that illustrate the larger ideas and issues discussed in the essay. For example, Levy begins her essay with a personal anecdote from her childhood. She recalls a specific incident on a London bus in the 1960s when she encountered a black man who was trying to engage with white passengers. This anecdote serves as an engaging introduction to the themes of identity, race, and belonging. It draws readers into the author’s personal experience and sets the tone for the essay.
Throughout the essay, Levy shares anecdotes from her family’s background, such as her father’s arrival on the Empire Windrush and her mother’s journey on a Jamaica Banana Producers boat. She also mentions various other anecdotes such as about her mother finding money, about visiting Jamaica, about media interviews etc
There is also prominent use of ethos, pathos, and logos in Andrea Levy’s essay. Ethos refers to the ethical appeal, which involves establishing the author’s credibility and trustworthiness. Andrea Levy draws on her personal experiences and family history as a person of Caribbean heritage growing up in Britain. This personal connection establishes her as a credible narrator who can speak authentically about the themes of race, identity, and immigration.
Pathos relates to the emotional appeal, aiming to evoke strong emotions and empathy in the audience. Levy uses emotionally charged language to convey the feelings of shame, embarrassment, and longing she experienced as a child. She also shares personal anecdotes, such as her mother finding money when they had none or her visit to Jamaica, which evoke a range of emotions, from hope and resilience to discovery and connection. These anecdotes engage the reader’s emotions and create a deeper connection to the narrative.
Logos refers to the logical appeal, which involves using reasoning and evidence to persuade the audience. Levy incorporates historical facts and information about the British Empire, Caribbean history, and immigration to support her arguments. She discusses the history of British plantation slavery and its economic impact, providing a logical basis for understanding the legacy of Caribbean immigration in Britain. The author offers observations and insights into the social and cultural dynamics of her time, such as the racial prejudices, assimilation challenges, and the changing landscape of multicultural London. These observations contribute to a logical understanding of the issues at hand. These persuasive elements work together to make her narrative compelling and thought-provoking.
In ‘Back to My Own Country,’ Levy provides insight into her upbringing, feelings of alienation, and eventual rediscovery of her Caribbean roots. The essay delves into the broader context of Britain’s relationship with the Caribbean and its legacy, addressing issues of race, identity, and the impact of historical events on individuals and societies.
