This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

Here Comes the Sun: Deconstructed Student Essays

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.

This page has paths:

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.