Small Island - Family and Cultural Identity

Family and Cultural Identity 

Family: A group consisting of two parents and their children coming together as a unit. All descendants of a common ancestor. A group of related things.

Cultural Identity: Is he identity or feeling of belonging to a group it is part of a person’s self-concept and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.

Hortense

School

“And you will be staying at the penny a week school” - 42

“School had to lose its star pupil when I reached the age of 15” - 44

“I departed for the teacher training college in Kingston” - 62

Hortense attended a Government school, in which she was educated on the British Empire, she then further goes on to get a teaching degree in Kingston

Upbringing

“I was given to my father’s cousins for upbringing, I could learn to read and write” - 38

“Those diligent years of upbringing – feeding me with the food from their plates, dressing me in frocks made of cotton and lace, teaching me English manners and Christian discipline” - 61

Her upbringing was alongside Michael, who constantly got Hortense into mischief. However, she was still brought up correctly, and often uses her manners.

Life experiences

“I recall a warm smell of boiling milk” - 38

“I remember a skirt flapping in the breeze and bare black feet skipping over stones” - 38

“Upon leaving I was pressed by Miss Ma and others to continue improving myself by assisting with the education of young children” - 44

Hortense’ life experiences are mainly with her second family, however she does have good memories with her mum, even though she was young. She was also pressured into teaching at the school as an assistant, which then after she might have become interested in taking up an actual teaching career.

Aspirations

“From that moment my eyes first beheld this handsome, dapper, newly made man – I knew that I loved him” - 47

“We new girls were to be cultivated into teachers” - 62

Hortense’ aspiration is hoping to rise with Michael as his wife. And Hortense desperately aspires to be a teacher, especially when to comes to England.

Queenie - “I, the first born child of Wilfred and Lillie Buxton, came to be christened Victoria, yet called for ever Queenie” - 235

School

“They used to follow me around the playground these miner’s children, wanting to know if I had brought one of my mums pies in for dinner” - 242

“I left Bolsbrook Elementary School to work on our farm as a Skivvy” - 243

She attended Bolsbrook elementary School, but left at the age of 14 to help attend to the farm.

Upbringing

“There were three sons now: Bill, Harry and Jim” - 240

“By the Time I was twelve I was my mother’s little helper” - 240

“I got my three little brothers out of bed. I…