"One the Equal and Opposite of the Other: More Humanity than Christiani" by Drois Nadia Vi

Abstract

Tongan scholar and author Epeli Hau'ofa's "Our Sea of Islands" is an influential essay in several fields including archipelagic studies, Pacific Islands studies, and transpacific studies. However, his poems and short stories have been overlooked as a parallel attempt to advocate for and influence Tongan people. The main purpose of his writings is to educate both Pacific Islanders and Westerners on the importance of putting a stop to viewing the Pacific as small, isolated, and poor. The short stories in his collection Tales of the Tikongs are both satirical and very humorous, yet these moments of satire are not just for a good laugh. Hau'ofa flips the norms in his short stories to expose the impact of psychological colonization on the native people in the name of Christianity. His exaggerated examples of belittlement urge both islanders and Westerners to stop viewing the Pacific as small, isolated, and poor. Hau'ofa specifically alludes to the Bible, but his fictional characters behave extremely un-Christian ways. Examining the role of Christianity in "The Seven and Other Days," "The Tower of Babel," and "Blessed are the Meek" draws a parallel to widely known stories in the Bible. This thesis delves deeper into these short stories and analyze the humour and satire that Hau'ofa uses as a tool to challenge the norms of the Tongan culture. This is a commentary on how analogously missionaries have sought to spread Christianity but have used words and actions that go against the very ethics of Christianity.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Humanities; English

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2023-12-15

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13486

Keywords

Epeli Hau'ofa, Christianity, belittlement, humour

Language

english

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