Topic
The overall topic of the excerpt from “The Pioneers: Fifty Years of Caribbean Migration to Britain” by Caryl Phillips is multiculturalism. However, the writer links it with other themes as well, including British history, immigration, and raci…
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Multiculturalism
The topic of multiculturalism is introduced at the very beginning, when the writer presents two definitions of the concept: “…a society that is composed of many different cultures all living side by side. Or it can refer to a society whose common culture is composed of an amalgam of the interests…” (p. 31, ll. 5-7). He then continues to argue against the first definition: “The first alternative, while implying a healthy respect for the cultures of different people, can never really work. In such societies there will always be one dominant culture…” (p. 31, ll. 8-10)
In exploring how multiculturalism developed in Britain, the writer includes…
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Discrimination
Cohen argues that the existence of a ‘dominant culture’ leads to other cultures being seen as “lesser” (p. 31, l. 11) and “merely tolerated” (p. 31, l. 12). He supports his argument by giving examples of religious discrimination in British society.
The writer focuses on parents boycotting schools that teach religious traditions from India and on the discriminatory attitudes of law enforcement officers towards Sikhs: “…a boycott agai…
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Argumentation
The essay written by Caryl Phillips is constructed using direct argumentation. This implies that the writer expresses the views he supports in a straightforward and explicit manner.
For example, Caryl Phillips states his views on multiculturalism directly: “The first alternative, while implying a healthy respect for the cultures of different people, can never really work. In such societies there w…
