Masaryk University Faculty of Arts
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PARENTSParents played an important role in promoting the British educational system in the Caribbean region, apart from teachers and students themselves. The British lifestyle and culture which was influencing their lives resulted in the fact that parents of African-Caribbean or Indian origin supported their children in receiving the highest possible education, in most cases the secondary education. The majority of authors in this paper focus on the parents of working class background who very often lacked any education, worked manually, earned little money but who wanted to give their offspring good education. Such parents were willing to invest their monthly salaries into their children's schooling, use their savings to pay for extra lessons conducted by private tutors or they paid a head teacher or a school headmaster for lessons after or before school. Parents highly respected teachers and often overlooked the ill-treatment of their children because they believed they deserved it; as in the case of Milton’s parents in Amongst Thistles and Thorns: “’I [Nathan] was thinking ‘bout the private tuitions for Milton.’ ‘Oh! I [Ruby] thought you was going to mention the beating Blackman give Milton, ‘cause Milton must have deserve’ it’” (Clarke, Amongst 107). Furthermore, parents themselves punished any form of misbehaviour of their children at home to ensure that they understood the gravity of their own actions. For example, Anand in The House for Mr Biswas is punished by his parents for lying about attending his private lessons and making up stories to avoid them: “[Anand] pretended to be ill; he played truant, forged excuses, was found out and flogged…” (Naipaul, The House 382). It seems that the main reason for punishing Anand is not the fact that he has skipped his lessons but the lack of understanding of how much Mr Biswas has to save to be able to invest into Anand’s education: “[t]hose private lessons are costing me money, you know” (Naipaul, The House 383). In Amongst Thistles and Thorns A. C. Clarke describes the importance of good education for Milton's mother, Ruby, a washer woman, and his dad, Nathan, a manual worker. They desire for their son a better life than theirs because they perceive the lack of education as the main cause of their impoverished life: “you [Ruby] is not a woman in possession o’ too much eddication yourself. So, Ruby, do not let we be guilty o’ making the selfsame mistakes and errors three times, and bring up the boy, the only boy-child we possess to be a gardener boy in no damn white people’ place out the Front Road” (Clarke, Amongst 103). In order words, they decide that their only son will go to one of the top schools in Barbados, Harrison College, and get the education and life they have never been entitled to: “... Milton going to Harrison. I [Milton’s mother] going send him to Harrison College next year before he [Milton] turn’ ten years. I do not mind living in the past tense as you say, Nathan, with tribulations and poorness going to bed with me ever’ night. But Milton, that boy-child o’ mine, of ours, he must have the best o’ every-damn-thing possible” (Clarke, Amongst 103-104). In order to make their dream come true they seek the advice and help of Milton’s headmaster whose position makes him the most eligible person to prepare Milton for this college: “Milton too damn bright already, according to Blackman … Milton have something better in him. Blackman told me so when we went up by his place last night” (Clarke, Amongst 107). Similarly to Mr Biswas and other characters, Milton’s parents are willing to spend everything they possess to pay for his education. What is more, Milton’s father would even commit a crime for his son’s wellbeing: “the money gohing have to come, though. I [Nathan] gotta get my and’ ‘pon some money, and it gotta come. Even if I have to thief it” (Clarke, Amongst 106). In The House for Mr Biswas V. S. Naipaul portrays the support Mr Biswas gives his son Anand to get a chance of better education: “[w]hatever happened, Anand would go to college. So Mr Biswas and Shama decided. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be cruel and foolish to give the boy nothing more than an elementary school education. The girls agreed” (Naipaul, The House 485). Although Mr Biswas is prepared to pay the college fees for his son, he, as well as other parents, spends a considerable amount of money on private lessons. He, however, does not stop at paying for his son’s classes, he also moves his wife and children from the Tulsis family house to their own dwelling near the town to enable his children to attend a town school. Furthermore, he tries to create the most appropriate study conditions for his children, for example Anand does not have to do his usual household chores and gets better food and extra pocket money. Moreover, Mr Biswas’ passion for his son’s education does not end with Anand being awarded the scholarship but it continues throughout the boy's secondary school days: The college had no keener parent than Mr Biswas. He delighted in all its rules, ceremonies and customs. He loved the textbooks it prescribed, and reserved to himself the pleasure of taking Anand’s exhibitioner’s form to Muir Marshall’s in Marine Square and bringing home a parcel of books, free. He papered the covers and lettered the spines. On the front and back end-papers of each book he wrote Anand’s name, form, the name of the college, and the date. (Naipaul, The House 493) Besides obtaining the study materials for his son, Mr Biswas also attends various school events, irrespective of his son’s participation: “[t]hough it concerned neither Anand nor himself, Mr Biswas went to the college speech day. He insisted, too, on going to the Science Exhibition, and spoiled it for Anand” (Naipaul, The House 493). His pride in his son Anand and his daughter Savi is intensified when they are awarded the Island scholarship and consequently a place at a British university. Even though Anand slowly forgets about his family in Trinidad, Mr Biswas is still proud of him and never regrets any money he has invested into his children. On the whole, it can be said that for several reasons education may seem more important for parents than their children. On the one hand, parents wanted a better life for their children and forced them to study hard, and on the other hand, they saw in their children's education a possibility of their own social advancement in the local community because they were able to bring up and support their talented offspring, even with limited resources, such as the mother of the hero in Growing Up Stupid Under the Union Jack: [T]hat was the day of personal rejoicing for my [Clarke's] mother. She had at least achieved something beyond the expectations of the village. The village of St. Matthias rejoiced with her on that day. The poor and ambitious mothers gave me their blessing and in their stern and frightening voices, they said, 'go 'long, boy, and learn! Learning going make you [Clarke] into a man. (Clarke, Growing 5)
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