1
eCHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
e
A. Background of the Study
Forecenturiesemenehaveetriedetoetellehiseexperienceseinemanyedifferenteformse ofe expressione ande alsoe ine manye differente fields,e suche ase love,e hatee ande alsoe
resistance.eMusic,epainting,esculptureeandeliteratureeareesomeeouteofemanyedevicese usedetoeexpressethoseeexperiences,eandesometimesetheseedeviceseareecombinedetoe
createenewewayseofeexpression.eSinceebotheartseinvolvedesound,emusiceandepoetrye aree oftene combinede together.e Onee ofe thee resultse ofe thee uniquee combinatione ofe
musiceandepoetryeisedubepoetry.ee eInetermseofecombiningepoetryewithemusic,eJamaicaehaseitseownestyle.eDuringe
thee 1970se reggaee musice wase gaininge musicale ground.e Reggaee musice ise distinguishedebyetheeincreaseeusedeofeJamaicaneCreoleeorepatwa,eaelanguageewhiche
developede frome thee combinatione ofe English,e ande Weste Africane languagese Durrleman-Tame,e2008:e1.eReggae,eduringeitsedevelopment,ebecameemediumeofe
politicaleprotesteanderesistance.eSomeeartistsestartedetoeaddeinstrumentalesidesetoe theirerecords,ealsoeknowneasetheedubeside,eandedeejayseDJestartedetalkingeoverethee
beatseinetheetraditioneofetheeAfricanegriotseLolley,e2002.eThisekindeofetalkingebye deejayse wase referrede toe ase toasting.e Ite wase note juste ine music,e poetrye wase alsoe
exploredebyeJamaicaneartists.ePoetsetriedetoeexploreeaneoraleaestheticeforewrittene poetry.eSinceepoetryeiseaneexplorationeofepossibilitieseinelanguage,eJamaicanepoetse
usee theire indigenouse language,e patwa,e ase ane elemente of,e ore vehiclee for,e poetry.e Reggaeeandepoetryethenewereecombinedetoecreateeaenewetypeeofepoetryeknownease
“dubepoetry”eArnold,e2001:e97.ee Dube poetrye ise usuallye takene toe refere toe ae particulare typee ofe “performancee
poetry”,eaebrandeofeoralepoetryeperformedetoetheeaccompanimenteofereggaeemusic.e Dubepoetryeprovideseaeuniqueeexampleeinewhichethereeisemixingeanderemixingeofe
spokene ande writtene forms.e Thee terme dube poetrye itselfe ise thoughte toe havee beene popularizedebyetheeJamaicanepoeteOkueOnuoraetoedescribeeaeformeofeoraleartethate
hadebeenedevelopingeineJamaicaesinceetheeearlye1970seArnold,e2001:e97.eReggaee ande dube poetrye sharee thee samee characteristic,e bothe aree thee mediae ofe resistancee
againsteBabylon,eaetermethateusedebye Rastafarianemovementewhicheappliedetoeae varietyeofeentitiesethateRastafarianseconsidereoppressive.eMovingetoereggaeebeat,e
andeofteneperformed,eratherethaneread,etoeliveemusicalebacking,edubepoetryetracese itse lineagee toe thee orale inventivenesse ofe thee street,e thee tenemente yard,e ande
“dreadtalk”,e thee Rastafariane waye ofe speakinge stylee Arnold,e 2001:e 86-88.e A.e Jamese Arnolde statede thate “thee dube poetse adaptede thee rhythms,e terminologye ande
techniqueseofereggaeeine theireownepoeticetechniques”e2001:e97.e DubePoetrye ise interestinge becausee ite cane bee studiede ine anye context,e whethere ite ise history,e
literature,emusic,eperformance,eorerebellion.eItehasegivenepoetryeaenewepopularitye andehaseinfluencedemoreemainstreameliteraryeproducts.e
Onee ofe thee prominente dube poetse duringe thise timee ise UK-basede dube poete LintoneKwesieJohnsonealsoeknowneaseLKJ.eHeewaseborneone24eAuguste1952eine
Chapelton,eJamaica,eandewhenehiseparentsespliteupeLKJelateremovedetoeEnglandeine
1963e toe bee withe hise mothere Lolley,e 2002.e Ine thise studye Ie trye toe sharee thee significanceeofeLintoneKwesieJohnson’sedubepoetry.eTheetopiceofethisethesiseisethee
ideaeoferesistanceeineJohnson’sepoemeentitlede“InglaneiseaeBitch”.eIehaveechosene LintoneKwesieJohnson’sepoemebecauseeheeiseconsideredeaseaeprominentedubepoete
andeheeisenotedeforehiseforcefulevocalizationeofeaehighlyepoliticizedestandepointeine relationetoeissueseaffectingetheeblackecommunityeineLondon,easewelleaseforehiselinkse
withereggaeemusiceandehisestrikingeperformativeestyle.ee Beingeaedubepoetewitheoralerendition,emosteofeLKJ’seworkseareeinetheeformeofe
records.eNumberseoferecordealbumseandebookseofehiseselectedepoemsehaveebeene released.e Withe thee publicatione ofe hise booke Mi Revalueshanary Fren:e Selectede
Poemseine2002,eLKJebecameetheesecondelivingepoet,eandetheeonlyeBlackepoet,etoebee publishedeinetheePenguineModerneClassiceseriesePryce,e2009.e
“Inglane ise ae Bitch”e ise ae poeme thate showse howe thee immigrante frome thee CaribbeanehadetoedealewitheracismeineEngland,eespeciallyeduringe1950setoeearlye
1980s.eDuringethoseetimes,eaeloteofeimmigrantsefrometheeCaribbean,eandealsoeAsia,e cameetoeEnglandehopingetoefindeaejobeforeaebettereliving.eHowever,etheyewereeonlye
givene thee meniale jobse thate thee whitee peoplee dide note wante toe doe evene ife thee immigrantse fite thee requiremente fore ae steadye ande propere job.e Thee poeme ise thee
reflectione ofe Johnson’se concerne towardse thee immigrante ande blacke peoplee ine thee UnitedeKingdomeiseinterestingetoebeeanalyzededeeper.eJohnson’sepoemeactseaseae
voiceeforetheeminorities.eHisepoemeemphasizesehowetheeblackepeopleeineEnglande mustestrifeetoesurviveelivingeinetheeracistesociety.eInehisearticlee“Riots,eRhymeseande
Reasons”,eLKJesaidethatehisemotivationetoewriteepoetrye“...sprangefromeaeviscerale
needetoecreativelyearticulateetheeexperienceseofetheeblackeyoutheofemyegeneration,e comingeofeageeineaeracistesociety”eJohnson,e2012.e
Thiseresearchefocuseseonetheeattemptetoeanalyzeehoweracismeisepresentedeine LintoneKwesieJohnson’sepoeme“InglaneiseaeBitch”eandehowetheepoetedealsewithethee
issue.eIneorderetoeachieveetheegoaleofethisestudy,eIeanalyzeetheeimageryeusedebyethee poetetoefindeoutehowetheeresistanceeagainsteracismeisereflectedeinetheepoem.e
e
B. Problem Formulatione