The Stranglehold of English Lit.

The poem "The Strangle of English Lit." written by Mnthali, portrayed the struggle that Africans were dealing with and how other writers make the literature that Africans were writing seem to be not as important.  The literature that was written by Africans was detailed to give outside readers an idea of the situation they were encountering.  Mnthali pointed out Jane Austen because of the writings she has produced and were followed by so many.  In his poem he suggest that she has no idea how life is really disrupted by going through these obstacles.  She is able to write about similar situations but she has never had to deal with it personally.  It upsets him that she is able to write such literature and not have the experience to really back up what she is saying.   

This text reminds me of the struggle the gay community is facing in the United States and other countries around the world.  People are so quick to write their opinions about what the lives of gay people are like but not everyone has the experience of living that lifestyle to make assumptions.  I agree with Mnthali and attacking Austen because he was living in this hellhole and was trying to communicate to others what it is really like.  He felt as if people were not taking him as serious as they should have been because there are other writers out there without experience trying to display the emotions Africans were facing. 

I enjoyed the text and how well he was able to express his feelings by being direct but not so direct that is was rude or hurtful to others.  In his short poem he was able to get his point across and show people that literature is more than just putting words on paper.  It is experience that makes things more realistic and brings forth more empathy from those not involved.