Resisting Pedagogical Oppression:The Cultivation of Identity Through Memory and Experience in Jamaica Kincaid's Lucy.

The language and labels of the oppressor to represent the oppressed is insufficient to accurately portray historically marginalized groups. Lucy chooses to utilize her memories and dreams, as well as an attempt at photography to create her own historical narrative as a form of resistance against imperialist pedagogies that her childhood education, mother, and Mariah- a well meaning mother figure- attempt to instill upon her. Although at times painful, her memories represent her individual past and experiences, allowing her to create a space for her own voice and experiences. Lucy's refusal to succumb to these external forces is her attempt to de-subjectify herself from dominating powers in order to reclaim her own identity.