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【Abstract】Postcolonial criticism flourished among scholars since 20th70s， which focused on complicated cultural elements， including ethnicity， race， gender， class， identification and so on. Edward Said， a cultural critic proposed a significant theory—Orientalism， to demonstrate the way how the West perceives the East， which was considered to be a kind of prejudice of the Westerners towards the Easterners. Joseph Kipling’s story the death of the sailor leader， Pamlin was analyzed in accordance with Orientalism. The discussion aims to illustrate the reflection of Orientalism in Kiping’s work.
【Key words】Orientalism； Edward Said； Joseph Kipling
【作者簡介】ZHANG Jin， School of Foreign Language， Northwest University.
I. A brief overview of Edward Said and Orientalism
Edward Said was a professor of literature at Columbia University， a public intellectual， and a founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies. As a cultural critic， Said is known for the book Orientalism （1978）， a critique of the cultural representations that are the bases of Orientalism—how the Western world perceives the Orient. Said’s evaluation and critique of the set of beliefs known as Orientalism functions an important background for postcolonial studies. His work emphasizes on the imaginary impressions which the west hold to the orient as they question various paradigms of thought which are accepted on individual， academic， and political levels. “The Orient signifies a system of representations framed by political forces that brought the Orient into Western learning， Western consciousness， and Western empire. The Orient exists for the West， and is constructed by and in relation to the West”.
II. An introduction to Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Kipling was an English journalist， short-story writer， poet， and novelist. He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story； his children’s books are classics of children’s literature， and one critic described his work as exhibiting “a versatile and luminous narrative gift”.
The colony， India， a kind of servant is attached to its master， the Great Britain. At that time， the British living in India hold an arrogant attitude towards Indians with a strong sense of superiority. The Indian national uprising in 1857 has delivered a heavy blow to the British colonial rule， resulting in hatred and hostility sparked between the British and Indian peoples. As for the colonizers， the event also deepens their “brutal and cruel” prejudice of the Indians. Kipling was born eight years after the uprising in 1865 when people still kept a fresh memory about the event. As a citizen of the Great Britain， knowing the Indian national uprising， it’s difficult for his father Luke to get rid of the prejudice to Indians， to be specific， the hatred of the British towards the barbarism of the Indians. As the son’s first tutor， there’s no doubt that his prejudice left deep influence on Kipling from childhood. Kipling was sent to the British at 6 years old， so his mind only contained early childhood memory about India. In a sense， he didn’t really fit in the Indian group there， separating from the India mainstream life. When he grew up and came back to India， he dealt with some celebrities and gradually integrated into the certain circle. Consequently， he was fond of the British rather than Indian civilians. For Kipling， it’s apparent that he held imperialist views and oriental attitudes to the colonial race. Obviously， he speculated the Indians from a west point view， so it is impossible to cast off the prejudice against the Oriental people. III. Analysis of Orientalism in the death of the sailor leader， Pamlin
The following story “the death of the sailor leader， Pamlin” will reflect his oriental ideology. The story is about the revenge of a Malaysian sailor， Pamlin. The story begins with “Pamlin was sentenced to death by hanging and Nurkid was also died.” Years ago， Pamlin and Nurkid worked together on a ship. Pamlin is the sailor leader of the Indian sailors， and Nurkid is responsible for boiling the water. At the beginning of the story， Pamlin found that Nurkid was eating his food.
“Hey！You black fat guy. You ate my meal！” Pamlin spoke in a language mixed with Frankish. “The little bastard of Ebelis， the face of the monkey， the fish， the swine. I’m Said Bruga， the king of Sultan， the command of the whole ship. Take your swine.” And then Nurkid put the plate containing rice into the Pamlin’s hand.
The quarrel between Pamlin and Nurkid led to a battle. Nurkid cut Pamlin’s leg with a knife. Before Pamlin responded to that， Nurkid disappeared in the dark cabin. Kipling shows the ossified views of the Orientals and Africans， such as the rude and uncontrollable anger of Pamlin and Nurkid. After that， Pamlin said：“I’ll reckon with you sooner or later”. The attitude of Pamlin illustrates another typical feature of the Oriental people—a retaliation.
Then， Kipling began to describe Pamlin’s life：He is a Malaysian， born in India. He married once in Burma， and his wife had opened a shop selling cigars on Schweizer Street； he was married in Singapore to a Chinese girl； he was still married in Madras， and his wife is a Muslim who sells chicken. Due to the convenience of postal and telecommunications， the British sailors were unable to marry different women again and again， but the indigenous sailors were free from the smart invention of the Western barbarians.
The narration about Pamlin demonstrates three kinds of information：first of all， the British Empire were constituted of many countries including India， Burma， Singapore， Madras and so on. The great number of colonies indicates the expanse territory and prosperity of the Great Britain. What’s more， the East were mocked because of the practice of polygamy， which seemed to be a kind of corruption. By contrast， the British sailors insisted on monogamy. The comparison aims to belittle the oriental. At the same time， Kipling utilized the irony “the smart invention of the Western barbarians” to satirize the East， suggesting that the East actually plays the role of the “barbaric” for the lack of scientific knowledge. Only civilized British people are competent to invent those convenient technology. At a matter of fact， Kipling held a misunderstanding to the East， because the postal system had been introduced to the South Asian before the arrival of the British. The following depiction is also a stereotype of Malaysia：he is also a very good Malaysian； everyone is better not to provoke him， because he’ll never forget insult， not to mention， he suffered from blooding and his food was also ruined by Nurkid. Works of colonial writers just can’t get rid of their “Stereotypes”. Kipling’s work reflects his stereotypes and prejudices on the basis of a lack of understanding of indigenous people. For him， Pamlin does represent the entire Malaysian race. As the proverb goes， one swallow does not make a summer. Obviously， Kipling was being partial. Kipling did not live in any other British colony except India， so he had no right to comment on Malaysian and African sailors. He seemed to be living in the Orient， showing his understanding of the entire Eastern hemisphere， telling the reader that he was not only an Indian expert， but also a Malaysian and African expert. This is actually the unrealistic imagination and comments towards the east of Westerners through discourse power due to their superior status.
Nurkid was awfully drunk when he stabbed Pamlin. The next day after that， he asked people around about the person he hurt the day before. Nurkid couldn’t remember the exact process， but he still made an apology to the person he didn’t know. When he requiring the victim， those sailors’ faces suddenly became expressionless. This is also typical of the Oriental， they usually act emotionless when they met murder or trouble. Nurkid looked carefully at those dumb looks in their eyes. Kipling showed the readers that the oriental tend to remain silent when confronted in any trouble. If Pamlin stood up and received the apology from Nurkid， the tragedy can be saved. The silence interfered with the opportunity of peace.
After leaving the ship， Pamlin lived a life of poverty on an island. Nurkid came to visit him to show care and kindness. While chatting， Pamlin stabbed deeply into the ribs of Nurkid with the knife in his hand. Pamlin did kill Nurkid by himself， and then tried to commit suicide but failed. He was saved by the best medical care which can be bought. Finally， his health returned to the point where he was enough to be hanged. The absurd action of Pamlin showed the orient will never forget the revenge， which seems to be the point Kipling intended to convey through this story.
IV. Conclusion
Edward Said believes that the Orientalists record some typical oriental characteristics， such as autocratic， domineering， rude and degenerate. The story demonstrates the rudeness and ignorance of the Orient. The unnamed kind man signifies the good qualities of Westerners， but Pamlin does represent the rudeness and cruelty of the typical Orientals depicted by Kipling. The striking contrast implies Kipling’s discrimination against the east. Pamlin is actually a symbol of defects of the Oriental. The term Orientalism describes a universal Western tradition， an explanation from the outsiders who hold prejudice against the Eastern world， which were influenced by European imperialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
References：
[1]Robert Young，White Mythologies：Writing History and the West，New York
【Key words】Orientalism； Edward Said； Joseph Kipling
【作者簡介】ZHANG Jin， School of Foreign Language， Northwest University.
I. A brief overview of Edward Said and Orientalism
Edward Said was a professor of literature at Columbia University， a public intellectual， and a founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies. As a cultural critic， Said is known for the book Orientalism （1978）， a critique of the cultural representations that are the bases of Orientalism—how the Western world perceives the Orient. Said’s evaluation and critique of the set of beliefs known as Orientalism functions an important background for postcolonial studies. His work emphasizes on the imaginary impressions which the west hold to the orient as they question various paradigms of thought which are accepted on individual， academic， and political levels. “The Orient signifies a system of representations framed by political forces that brought the Orient into Western learning， Western consciousness， and Western empire. The Orient exists for the West， and is constructed by and in relation to the West”.
II. An introduction to Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Kipling was an English journalist， short-story writer， poet， and novelist. He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story； his children’s books are classics of children’s literature， and one critic described his work as exhibiting “a versatile and luminous narrative gift”.
The colony， India， a kind of servant is attached to its master， the Great Britain. At that time， the British living in India hold an arrogant attitude towards Indians with a strong sense of superiority. The Indian national uprising in 1857 has delivered a heavy blow to the British colonial rule， resulting in hatred and hostility sparked between the British and Indian peoples. As for the colonizers， the event also deepens their “brutal and cruel” prejudice of the Indians. Kipling was born eight years after the uprising in 1865 when people still kept a fresh memory about the event. As a citizen of the Great Britain， knowing the Indian national uprising， it’s difficult for his father Luke to get rid of the prejudice to Indians， to be specific， the hatred of the British towards the barbarism of the Indians. As the son’s first tutor， there’s no doubt that his prejudice left deep influence on Kipling from childhood. Kipling was sent to the British at 6 years old， so his mind only contained early childhood memory about India. In a sense， he didn’t really fit in the Indian group there， separating from the India mainstream life. When he grew up and came back to India， he dealt with some celebrities and gradually integrated into the certain circle. Consequently， he was fond of the British rather than Indian civilians. For Kipling， it’s apparent that he held imperialist views and oriental attitudes to the colonial race. Obviously， he speculated the Indians from a west point view， so it is impossible to cast off the prejudice against the Oriental people. III. Analysis of Orientalism in the death of the sailor leader， Pamlin
The following story “the death of the sailor leader， Pamlin” will reflect his oriental ideology. The story is about the revenge of a Malaysian sailor， Pamlin. The story begins with “Pamlin was sentenced to death by hanging and Nurkid was also died.” Years ago， Pamlin and Nurkid worked together on a ship. Pamlin is the sailor leader of the Indian sailors， and Nurkid is responsible for boiling the water. At the beginning of the story， Pamlin found that Nurkid was eating his food.
“Hey！You black fat guy. You ate my meal！” Pamlin spoke in a language mixed with Frankish. “The little bastard of Ebelis， the face of the monkey， the fish， the swine. I’m Said Bruga， the king of Sultan， the command of the whole ship. Take your swine.” And then Nurkid put the plate containing rice into the Pamlin’s hand.
The quarrel between Pamlin and Nurkid led to a battle. Nurkid cut Pamlin’s leg with a knife. Before Pamlin responded to that， Nurkid disappeared in the dark cabin. Kipling shows the ossified views of the Orientals and Africans， such as the rude and uncontrollable anger of Pamlin and Nurkid. After that， Pamlin said：“I’ll reckon with you sooner or later”. The attitude of Pamlin illustrates another typical feature of the Oriental people—a retaliation.
Then， Kipling began to describe Pamlin’s life：He is a Malaysian， born in India. He married once in Burma， and his wife had opened a shop selling cigars on Schweizer Street； he was married in Singapore to a Chinese girl； he was still married in Madras， and his wife is a Muslim who sells chicken. Due to the convenience of postal and telecommunications， the British sailors were unable to marry different women again and again， but the indigenous sailors were free from the smart invention of the Western barbarians.
The narration about Pamlin demonstrates three kinds of information：first of all， the British Empire were constituted of many countries including India， Burma， Singapore， Madras and so on. The great number of colonies indicates the expanse territory and prosperity of the Great Britain. What’s more， the East were mocked because of the practice of polygamy， which seemed to be a kind of corruption. By contrast， the British sailors insisted on monogamy. The comparison aims to belittle the oriental. At the same time， Kipling utilized the irony “the smart invention of the Western barbarians” to satirize the East， suggesting that the East actually plays the role of the “barbaric” for the lack of scientific knowledge. Only civilized British people are competent to invent those convenient technology. At a matter of fact， Kipling held a misunderstanding to the East， because the postal system had been introduced to the South Asian before the arrival of the British. The following depiction is also a stereotype of Malaysia：he is also a very good Malaysian； everyone is better not to provoke him， because he’ll never forget insult， not to mention， he suffered from blooding and his food was also ruined by Nurkid. Works of colonial writers just can’t get rid of their “Stereotypes”. Kipling’s work reflects his stereotypes and prejudices on the basis of a lack of understanding of indigenous people. For him， Pamlin does represent the entire Malaysian race. As the proverb goes， one swallow does not make a summer. Obviously， Kipling was being partial. Kipling did not live in any other British colony except India， so he had no right to comment on Malaysian and African sailors. He seemed to be living in the Orient， showing his understanding of the entire Eastern hemisphere， telling the reader that he was not only an Indian expert， but also a Malaysian and African expert. This is actually the unrealistic imagination and comments towards the east of Westerners through discourse power due to their superior status.
Nurkid was awfully drunk when he stabbed Pamlin. The next day after that， he asked people around about the person he hurt the day before. Nurkid couldn’t remember the exact process， but he still made an apology to the person he didn’t know. When he requiring the victim， those sailors’ faces suddenly became expressionless. This is also typical of the Oriental， they usually act emotionless when they met murder or trouble. Nurkid looked carefully at those dumb looks in their eyes. Kipling showed the readers that the oriental tend to remain silent when confronted in any trouble. If Pamlin stood up and received the apology from Nurkid， the tragedy can be saved. The silence interfered with the opportunity of peace.
After leaving the ship， Pamlin lived a life of poverty on an island. Nurkid came to visit him to show care and kindness. While chatting， Pamlin stabbed deeply into the ribs of Nurkid with the knife in his hand. Pamlin did kill Nurkid by himself， and then tried to commit suicide but failed. He was saved by the best medical care which can be bought. Finally， his health returned to the point where he was enough to be hanged. The absurd action of Pamlin showed the orient will never forget the revenge， which seems to be the point Kipling intended to convey through this story.
IV. Conclusion
Edward Said believes that the Orientalists record some typical oriental characteristics， such as autocratic， domineering， rude and degenerate. The story demonstrates the rudeness and ignorance of the Orient. The unnamed kind man signifies the good qualities of Westerners， but Pamlin does represent the rudeness and cruelty of the typical Orientals depicted by Kipling. The striking contrast implies Kipling’s discrimination against the east. Pamlin is actually a symbol of defects of the Oriental. The term Orientalism describes a universal Western tradition， an explanation from the outsiders who hold prejudice against the Eastern world， which were influenced by European imperialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
References：
[1]Robert Young，White Mythologies：Writing History and the West，New York