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Here Comes the Sun: Deconstructed Student Essays

Tour Guide [Dennis-Benn, 10]

In the image above, the narrator explicitly mentions Margot’s “additional” job. From this point on, the novel showcases that the Sex Industry and Tourism Industry are inextricably linked to one another. This linkage not only showcases how “Romance” appears in the Tourism Industry but also highlights the unrestricted access to the land, natural resources, and bodies of black women. Moreover, it emphasizes how employees, like Margot, are expected to serve and cater to the desire and fantasies of the Tourists.

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Digital Print, created by Arlene Hoffman in 1980 entitled Jamaica. The text on the bottom of the print says, “We’re More than a beach. We’re a Country.” This print made me uncomfortable, not only because it’s held by the MoMA in New York, but also because it features women in bathing suits — one in the nude — clearly laying on the beach. The words at the bottom of the print do little to deter from the imaging of the women. I have spoken thoroughly about the gendered aspects of the Tourism Industry, and how women’s bodies are made available to be penetrated and explored, therefore; for this primary source I will go directly to Dennis-Benn’s novel to consider the theoretical work it does to dismantle the authority and prevalence of this kind of images.
Contents of this path:
1. Tour Guide [Dennis-Benn, 10] In the image above, the narrator explicitly mentions Margot’s “additional” job. From this point on, the novel showcases that the Sex Industry and Tourism Industry are inextricably linked to one another. This linkage not only showcases how “Romance” appears in the Tourism Industry but also highlights the unrestricted access to the land, natural resources, and bodies of black women. Moreover, it emphasizes how employees, like Margot, are expected to serve and cater to the desire and fantasies of the Tourists.
2. Dennis-Benn. Here Comes The Sun, 61.pdf The image above is a sexual exchange between Margot and her longtime client, Horace, a German Tourist. Margot’s “additional” job, as a sex worker and “Boss Lady” [pimp] further cements the linkage between Sex and the Tourism Industry. Horace uses Margot’s body to fulfill his fantasies and desires. Horace is given unrestricted access to exert control over and exploit the land and the bodies of black women.
Contents of this path:
1. Job Prospects [Dennis-Benn, Pg 44] In the image above, the narrator lists jobs available at the Hotel. All the jobs listed are centered around creating a “Paradise” where the Tourist can relax and have all their desires catered to by the employees. These forms of servitude are racialized and gendered. I spotlight this excerpt alongside my annotations of Jamaica’s 2022 advertisements to serve as evidence for my claims about the Tourism industry.
2. Tour Guide [Dennis-Benn, 10] In the image above, the narrator explicitly mentions Margot’s “additional” job. From this point on, the novel showcases that the Sex Industry and Tourism Industry are inextricably linked to one another. This linkage not only showcases how “Romance” appears in the Tourism Industry but also highlights the unrestricted access to the land, natural resources, and bodies of black women. Moreover, it emphasizes how employees, like Margot, are expected to serve and cater to the desire and fantasies of the Tourists.
3. Palm Star Restorts, Tourism and Colonial Conquest [Dennis-Benn, 12] In the image above, the italicized sentences spotlight one way in which the employees of Palm Star Resort cater to the desires of the Tourist. Within this are examples of gentility and hospitality, wherein employees are expected to use honorifics to respect and honor the Tourists. The always willing and available, smiling, servant is an archetype associated with Colonial narrativizing of enslaved Africans and their “willingness” to labor. This emphasizes the connection between the Tourism Industry and Colonization, while also introducing the labor required to create “Paradise” for the Tourists.