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Gender Theory in 'Anancy An De King Daughta' and 'Puss, Dog An Nancy'
Anancy An De King Daughta and Puss, Dog and Nancy are both stories from the short story book entitled Anancy and Miss Lou: A Collection of Jamaican tales and songs written by Louise Bennett. Originally written for children, the book contains inspirational and comedic stories about life and the Jamaican culture. While these stories are intended to be entertainment for children, there are larger socially significant elements that can be analyzed within the text. The role that gender plays in the telling of these two stories is an important point of analysis, as patriarchy,masculinity and feminism are key themes evident in these stories. These themes are seen not only in the text, but are also visible in the Caribbean society at large, and so language usage in these stories serve as the basis for a gendered analysis.

The Author
Born Louise Simone Bennett on September 7th, 1919, Miss Lou was a known Jamaican writer, performer, and folklorist. She is best known for her beautifully written poems, that are written in our home language, the Jamaican patois. With slavery stripping black people of our identity, we culturally needed representation and recognition too. Miss Lou’s poems provided a platform for black people to be identified, these poems, with the deliberate lack of standard English was like a silent protest against the eurocentrism of slavery. Our history and identity as a people were taken away from us and we were now faced with a new reality that we could not relate to. The work of Miss Lou helped to put Caribbean people 'back on the map'. The Europeans had their Shakespeare whom they were proud of. Miss Lou was the Caribbean's Shakespeare; she shattered the barriers of the 'prim and proper ‘style of writing and paved the way for a whole new era. An Era, where Caribbean people for years to come can express themselves using their own language through poetry and the arts in general. Years after her passing, there was a notion to make Miss Louise Bennett-Coverley a nation icon for her contribution to not only Jamaican culture but also Caribbean culture. And a petition was formed. On the 3rd of September of 2019, culture Minister Olivia Grange launched ‘Miss Lou 100’ which was a series of events that were held all over the country to commemorate the hard work of our cultural icon who helped to fasten our home language in the world.

Story-Telling in Caribbean Culture and The History of Anancy Stories
Anancy/Anansi is an African folktale character originating from among the Ashanti Tribes in Ghana. Folklore can be defined as traditional stories and beliefs passed down from generation to generation through word of mouth. These stories were spread orally throughout generations until permeating through all of West Africa. The legend of this character is that Anancy was the son of Nyame, the Sky God, who got so annoyed by his son’s devious and sneaky behavior that he turned him into a half spider, half man creature. The transatlantic slave trade saw elements of the cultures from West Africa being transported to the Caribbean. In some stories he is portrayed as being clever and wise with specific aims to be achieved, while in most stories he is a cunning, deceitful and greedy creature. Anancy’s adventures frequently leaves the lives of others in disarray, usually for his own selfish gains or amusement. He is often placed up against animals that are larger and stronger than himself, but somehow finding ways to defeat them. Despite his size, the story emphasizes how his ability to outsmart should never be underestimated. In spite of the character of Anancy, the stories of his exploits remain popular in the Jamaican culture, and so in Jamaica, the stories of Anancy have become a core component of culture folklore []. These stories formed part of the oral traditions of Jamaica and so for years they were never transcribed, as details were constantly changing because there was no set author. These stories, though originating in Africa, were adopted and interpreted to fit the context of the Caribbean region. The telling of Anancy stories in the Caribbean was accompanied by music and songs and then further adjusted to include the popular ending ‘Jack Mandora me nuh choose none’.

Anancy An De King Daughta
The king of the village started a quest to murder the bull for his ‘golden tongue’ with the promise of his daughter’s hand in marriage. Every man in their village tried their best to kill the bull, however, the bull devoured them all, now Anancy had a friend named Tookooman who he challenged to kill the bull and take the tongue for his own reward while Anancy gets the King’s daughter for a bride, however, this plan back fired on Anancy because the king was made aware that the golden tongue is missing and that caused Anancy to flee, but not before obtaining a souvenir from the princess which he wore on his stomach. The moral here was ‘So from dat day till teday, Anancy got a white sinting pon him belly is the princess handkerchief”. This story sounds very familiar to the story of Lot and his family from the Bible, throughout history we see where women and treated as an after thought and not someone holding great authority/power.

Puss, Dog An Nancy
Brother Puss and Brother Dog were not just neighbours, but were also extremely good friends. Their friendship caused them to play with each other daily, which eventually become a nuisance to Anancy. Their raucous playing, led Anancy to devise a plan to break up their friendship, which would ultimately put an end to the noise. His plan was to spread gossip between them about each other. This plan was successful. Despite the plan's success, Anancy still was not pleased and so he used his cunning ways to drive a deeper wedge between them in an attempt to leave the friendship in an irreconcilable state. The breakdown of the friendship was used as an explanation for why the relationship between cats and dogs have been tumultuous in the real world. The main themes emerging from the story were Gender Socialization and masculinity.

Gender and Language
Gender stereotype is defined as a preconception about the characteristics of a specific gender, and that entails what they are expected to do based on their gender. Women often experience gender stereotyping a lot, because society paints a narrative that women have specific roles and by those roles they should live their lives. Gender stereotype in the Caribbean is a popular thing, we see it everywhere, from the school, church, home, social media and among peers. We are all put inside of a box and given a sheet of paper with a manual of the ‘right’ way to act based on the genitalia we were born with. Gender, unlike sex, is a social construct and like all social constructs, we learn it through socialization. Gender socialization is how we learn how to act out masculinity and femininity.

There are many ways to indicate the gender someone identifies with, such as the way they dress and their actions, however, there are some indicators that are not so easily identifiable such as that person speech and diction. Mary Talbot mentioned that the complexity of language and other social barriers are the reasons for the gender segregation that exist in societies worldwide. [6]. Though Talbot looked at the correlation of language and gender from a feminist perspective, it is evident that language does play a part in gender stereotypes as men and women are not expected to speak the same as a matter of a fact, society would prefer if women do not have a voice for themselves. Society now wants to dictate what a woman should do with her body and what careers are fitting for a woman to hold.

Patriarchy and gender stereotype
Patriarchy is defined as the system of structure and habits in which men take control, oppress and take advantage of women, (Do you know What patriarchal violence is, n.d). ‘The word patriarchy literally means the rule of the father or the "patriarch”, and originally it was used to describe a specific type of "male-dominated family”-the large household of the patriarch which included women, junior men, children, slaves and domestic servants all under the rule of this dominant male. Now it is used more generally to refer to male domination, to the power relationships by which men dominate women, and to characterize a system whereby women are kept subordinate in a number of ways’.[7]

Both stories have a patriarchal tone. For example, in Puss, Dog An Nancy there were only male characters who were present in the story. which meant that the story though written by a woman, is read from a male's perspective as there were no women present to give a new perspective. In Anancy An De King Daughta we see the sexism and male dominance playing out where the king made a grand declaration, which Anancy has repeated for brother Tookooma ,“anybody wat kill de bull an bring de tongue to him wi get him daughta de princess fi married”. [8] The language here is patriarchal because if suggests that the king is in control of his daughter's body.

The princess being the only female character in this story presses a major issue with gender stereotypes where all the hunters who went to accomplish the task of killing the bull were notably men. there was no mention of a woman attempting the quest or anything of the sort. this places into the notion that a woman's place is the home and it is a man's duty to fend for the family. While the king ruled over the kingdom, he showed no respect for his daughter's body or wellbeing, as he was ready to offer her up to just anyone as long as he got the gold he was seeking. She was not seen as a human being but instead seen as a mere object that could easily be disposed of. The daughter had no say in what was taking place and it comes as no shocker that she remained quiet. This reinforces the ideology that women must be silent. Note too that in this story, the only voices, or characters with important roles you see are all men. They are the ones given orders, carrying out the orders and have complexity to their character meanwhile the lone woman, in the story is just a prize to be won.

Feminism and Caribbean Literature
In the stories of Anancy An De King Daughta and Puss, Dog and Nancy feminism is not actively seen in the stories written, but instead is present within the wider concept of who the author is, and what her writing has represented to the Jamaican/Caribbean culture. Feminism in Caribbean literature is important, as traditionally stories have placed women in subordinate positions. The role that women play in storytelling is indicative of the responsibility that women have in Caribbean society. While cultural identity remains central to Caribbean writings, gender identity can be seen as being of equal importance. Feminist scholars in Caribbean literature have highlighted heteronormativity as being a safe haven that writings tend to lean into. As such these representations are often pursued in fictional writings as they act as authoritative accounts of the sociocultural manifestation of Caribbean gendered realities. Since language is seen as a reflection of society, the gender disparities in the real world are therefore reflected in the literary materials. Language and storytelling can then be used as an inclusionary tactic for the advancement of gender equality and the advancement of feminist goals. Modern language has a close relationship with feminism, as it can emphasize the relationship between  the dominated and the dominating within society.

Feminism in Caribbean literature seeks to deconstruct the ways in which social realities and hierarchies are able to manipulate writings. As such, language becomes a medium through which power structures are perpetuated,and the idea of "power" itself is established. Historically in the Caribbean, women have been relegated to more marginalized positions. Subverting the patriarchy and its deep rooted effects has been an essential element of feminism and feminist literature. This subversion might be obviously visible in the written text, in the ideological conflicts presented or might even not be the conscious aim of the author but is in fact open to gendered analysis from readers. This deconstruction and reconstruction of gender in literary works, has even lead to a questioning of the concept of language and thought themselves.

Post-colonial Jamaica has had to redefine what it meant to be Jamaican, outside of oppressive colonial rule, and this redefining is even necessary along gender lines. Periods of time have always influenced not just the view of women, but also the writings of women. The work of Louise Bennett sought to portray women in multifaceted ways, as she writes them as being crafty, cunning, intelligent, hardworking, family oriented etc. Just as there are several types of women in real life, Bennett sought to make these representations visible in her poetry. This inclusion serves to empower women, and so just as Jamaicans are proud of their language and the different elements of culture, they can be empowered and encouraged to be proud of the women they are, and the role they are able to play in shaping a new Jamaica. A major aim of feminist theory and feminist literature has been to expose the dynamics between ideas of dominance, which underlies the social construction of gender, and the cultural practice, which governs daily interactions.

Caribbean Masculinity and Heteronormativity
Caribbean masculinity is taught based on a heteronormative view. Heteronormativity is the belief that heterosexuality is the norm and as such all relationships, behaviors and attitudes are fitting in the scope between the opposite sex, Habarth J (2008). For example, in Jamaica the accepted relation is that which consists of persons who’s biological make up makes them man and woman. Which may also very well be the reason why in the story, Anancy An De King Daughta, only male characters were made known to have gone on the quest. This shuns and excluded homosexuality. As it reinforces what the Bible and by extension the society says about homosexuality. There is evidence of this in Leviticus 18:22 which says, ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable’. [9] This scripture is used explicitly in Jamaican and Caribbean culture to discriminate persons, and it is all in the attempt to segregate the sexes and conform people to heteronormative way of living. Both stories have at least one male character who doesn't conform to the patriarchal society, for the most part. For example the main difference between the stories is that there are no women in 'Puss, Dog and Nancy' which, by just looking at the title one would assume that 'Puss' would be a feminine character, which they would not have been too farfetched about. Although there were only male characters in the story, the dynamics of the men are so different. For example, Brother Dog's character is the typical Caribbean man, he is proud, loud, and aggressive, while Brother Puss, though he was also loud and proud, he was not aggressive but more conservative. That goes back to the point of a dog being aggressive and a devourer, and society tend to refer to men as "dawg", while referring the the female genitals as "puss*", they believe that the vagina. Female humans are usually seen as vulnerable and dependent. Both of them allowed their pride to take control of the situation instead of talking to each other about the situation, instead they allowed the gossip that Anancy told them to ruin their friendship and have them fighting each other.