The Role Money Plays

Critical Text-Based Analysis Money plays a vital role in Bahamian society. Throughout the years our governments have placed our cultural identity at risk. They negotiated contracts and decisions based on our country’s financial circumstances. It is evident that our islands are truly “up for sale” but this can have drastic effects. As the years go by The Bahama Islands are being sold for the naturalness of what they are and are being transformed into something different.

Nowadays, there are more aspects of American culture rather than Bahamian culture on display. If this continues our country will eventually succumb to the hands of its main financial provider, the United States. The Bahamas is too dependent on other societies and if we don’t change our mindsets our culture would be destroyed. Immigration has become a major issue in Bahamian society. Many migrants travel here searching for a better way of life. Their values and customs have greatly influenced our society.

This was indicated by the author in paragraph three, “Abaco is called ‘Wcylef Jean Refuge’ after its new owner, the Haitian hip-hop superstar, while white Abaconians steam in lobster-red fury at the fact that their land could now be owned by a Haitian. ” This agitated the natives of Abaco because their beloved island is now owned by a Haitian. In the Bahamas, Haitians are populating our islands in vast amounts and are influencing our culture. This has led to clashes among the societies which have caused a negative opinion of them. This evidence proves that our native culture is on decline and must be preserved.

The Bahamas is known as a tourism country. Most of our income comes from the tourism industry. This has allowed our country to become a popular tourist destination. However the government constantly jeopardizes our main source of revenue. This was stated in paragraph 6, “Dead dolphins and whales beach daily like drowned slaves. ” As a result of signing the Pipeline Contract, many tourists travelled to other countries due to the pollution of the ocean. This was emphasized in paragraph eight when he mentioned how Cuba took over as the number one tourist destination.

In addition, Bahamians escaped to Cuba to avoid working under poor conditions at the amusement park and factories. This is quite ironic considering Bahamians love to travel to other countries for their amusement parks. The industry further declined when Junaknoo was abolished in 2015. It was no longer of tradition but of a trend. This was displayed in the twelfth paragraph, “A thoroughly diluted version on Junkanoo, Junkanoo Lite, is currently serving as the official mascot of the Miami Dolphins. ” These instances show how our culture is constantly placed at risk.

The writer used various rhetorical techniques to enhance his message. He used similes and euphemisms to give his piece appeal. In addition, the use of sarcasm and humor strengthened his purpose. Our society is becoming a replica of America. We are adopting customs and policies that are not our own. As indicated by the author our nation is losing its identity. This produced serious consequences in the future which inhibited our growth as an independent nation. Our governments should not sacrifice our culture for money but endeavor to save this special gem.