Paul Buchanan’s brilliant allegorical narrative
Dear Editor,
The Paul Buchanan’s political narrative, ‘Dreaming with Norman, Lisa and Golding’, published in the Sunday Observer of October 25, 2020, was not only interesting, it was also instructive.
It was an interesting brilliant piece of allegory in terms of his placing of the late party leader, Norman Manley, into the midst of a current and important party discussion.
It is instructive because of its appealing lessons in political history and moral philosophy.
As I began to read the article it stirred my memory to recall the first time I came across the word allegory and its use in writing. It took place at the launching of the book, And We Are Not Saved: The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice, by the distinguished legal scholar and civil rights activist Derrick Bell, February 1989 at Columbia University, New York. I was amazed at the presentation of a discussion about the making of the American Constitution, with the placement of an eloquent and intelligent black woman in the story unleashing some piercing questions to the “founding fathers”.
Paul Buchanan’s narrative reminds me not only of the style of writing, but also on the significance of the topic of Derrick Bell’s most enlightening book. This story by Buchanan deserves to be worked on and refined into a larger body of work.
Louis E A Moyston, PhD
Kingston 8
thearchives01@yahoo.com
