Isabella Tugman
Dr. Carano
English 225
14 February 2009
England 1945-1970: Rebellion and Revolution The period of time from 1945 to 1979 marks an age of sexual and cultural revolution in Great Britain. England, run by a holy monarchy formerly outfitted with a pompous attitude of status and mannerisms, as of 1945 would be defied by its youth. Immigrants flocked to England, laws enabling sexual freedom were passed in Parliament, new and absurd fashions mocked tradition, and music was played in rebellion. England was no longer to be ruled by the upper class; the working class began its reign. Social groups broke out and took on new identities, much to the dismay of traditional Old Englanders. As David Christopher stated in British Culture: an Introduction, England was about to become “a multi-ethnic country with a plurality of identities and heritages” (1). England was regarded internationally as a place of high desire at this time; people of all races flocked to England to chase dreams of education and success. An educated Englishman, in their minds, had superior status, so they sought to become educated in England themselves. Such is the case with the man who came to visit Adah’s village in Second Class Citizen. Buchi Emecheta wrote of Adah’s dream; “She made a secret vow to herself that she would go to this United Kingdom one day. Her arrival would be the pinnacle of her ambition” (16). However, the arrival of new cultures was met with disapproval from the traditional Monarchy. Even high class citizens who migrated from other countries were rejected by the high class of England to the point that they were forced to live in slums. Not only were new cultures coming to England, but also new freedoms were arriving as well. In 1960 gambling was legalized, and in 1969 eighteen-year-olds were given the right to vote. The right to vote alone was a leeway into gaining power and influence for the younger generations. Women’s Rights especially boomed, opening doors for sexual freedom and experimentation. The Abortion Act was legalized in 1967, and birth control pills were made easily available by the National Healthcare service that same year. Women were finally able to break free from the previous gender barriers. British Culture: An Introduction sums up the newfound rights of women: Before the advances of the 1960s many women’s lives were conditioned by their reproductive abilities. But on taking control of their fertility, they could begin to control their lives. They could decide if they wanted to become wives and mothers or if they wanted to plan or postpone family life to fit in with their jobs. (Christopher, 8) Divorce was an especially foreign concept for immigrants such as Adah from Africa and Karim’s family from India. The Divorce Reform Act passed in 1969, which made it easier for women to break away from abusive relationships. Adah endeavored throughout Second Class Citizen as she had child after child; she was beaten by her husband, and she struggled to take care of her family. Brought up in her Ibo culture, she thought that these circumstances were normal and failed to fight back. But as Adah became more exposed to English culture, she started to value her own gender, which she had brought up to believe was inferior. This eventually led her to seek birth control, write a book, and, eventually, leave her husband to become a single mother. Similarly, in Buddha of Suburbia, Haroon left his wife for Eva, and Jamila refused her arranged marriage with Changez, and slept with Karim unabashedly. Only poor old Princess Jeeta let herself be tied down by tradition, and stayed with her husband until his comical death by being beaten over the head with a sex toy. Homosexuality (which became legal in 1969), abortion, divorce, and birth control together led Englanders to feel free to experiment sexually without repercussions. This led to an era of euphoric bliss and acceptance, a sexual revolution. In Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif Kureishi wrote of Karim’s sexual experimentation. The first sexual experience described early in the book shows his lack of inhibitions and desire towards Charlie; “I tried to kiss him. He avoided my lips by turning his head to one side. But when he came in my hand it was, I swear, one of the most preeminent moments of my earlyish life. There was dancing in the streets. My flags flew, my trumpets blew!” (17). Never does Karim admit any sort of disgust of guilt toward his sexuality. Only once is the issue of homosexuality confronted; his dad yelled at him in a drunken rage right after, but the event was soon dismissed and unspoken of. Before this time period, it was a crime to have homosexual tendencies. The rate at which homosexuality became accepted and spread is clear evidence to the rapid change and revolution of this time period. Despite racism toward immigrants, interracial relationships became more widely common and accepted during this time as well, furthering the sexual freedom Englanders were allowing themselves. In Second Class Citizen, Emecheta demonstrates this newfound sexual freedom between different races with the Noble family. Mrs. Noble, who is white, had been rejected from the white society, and being with Mr. Noble, a black man, validated her acceptance to society. In Buddha of Suburbia, an interracial relationship occurred between Haroon and Eva. They followed their hearts in an erratic and whimsical fashion typical of this time period. Karim partook in many sexual encounters with partners of a different race as well, including his encounters with Charlie and the assorted actors he worked with later in life. In the beginning of “To Sir, With Love,” Sir, a black immigrant from Guyana, expressed his freedom that he chose to be single. As he gained respect from his students, he became unreservedly admired by one of his young white students. Additionally, the students of his class let go of their inhibitions and brought flowers to him, when they had previously stated that doing so would be social suicide. Common in The Buddha of Suburbia is the theme that sex need not be assumedly translating to love. It is easy to lose track of all the sexual encounters each character with another. The previous sanctity of sex was a privilege accepted only with marriage, which was accompanied by love. The pressure to get married declined during the sexual revolution. It was suddenly accepted for people to share sex and be unbridled. For instance, when Pyke took a liking to Karim, he offered his wife to him, “It wouldn’t look good if I turned down Pyke’s gift. Actors all over the world would give their legs just to talk to him for five minutes, and here I was being invited to fuck his wife” (Kureishi, 192). The scene was soon followed by a sort of orgy between the actors; Karim had accepted the gift. Not only was the sanctity of marriage invaded, but the boundaries of professionalism are completely erased once the orgy-like scene occurred. Taking in more than the sexual revolution, the young generations; bright eyed, open-minded and unscathed by traditionalist views, took fast to the changes happening around them. In a snowballing effect, fashion and music began to change, along with the attitudes of the working class. Distinctive groups formed. The Mods dressed fashionably in space-inspired dresses marked with bold patterns and colors. Twiggy revolutionized the fashion industry with a tall and spindly body, banishing curvy bodies for modern fashion. Opposite the mods were the Rockers, who wore leather jackets and took on a “bad-ass” persona. Each group had their own style of music. The working class was breaking away from society and splitting up even further. No longer did they accept their fate, condemned to be defined as the lesser class. They found inspiration through the new music, for instance, to break free and bring their class to new light. For example, in “To Sir, with Love,” Sir, who was unappreciated at the start of his teaching career, reformed a class of hopeless students originally bound for the lower working class. He inspired them and showed them that they could aspire to more than their supposedly pre-determined fate. They lost the sense of being helplessly overpowered by the monarchy and began to take power for themselves. To the disgust of traditionalists and “Anti-smuts,” the Punk movement arose. Kids donned ripped clothing with obscene symbols, and raved and moshed to angry and offensive songs like “God Save the Queen” by equally offensive names like the Sex Pistols. Kureishi wrote about Karim’s friend, Charlie, having him state;“‘The sixties have been given notice tonight. Those kids we saw have assassinated all hope. They’re the fucking future’” (131). This quote shows the willingness of the youth to change with the times. Immediately, Charlie became part of the punk movement and found his success within. The offensive uproar caused by this “Punk” movement ensured the punks a place in English History. England would never again be the same place. Like the previous revolutions in racial acceptance and sexual behavior, the overall attitude and acceptance of rebellion and change became a common motif of English youth, such as is evidenced by punk movement. The radical Punk movement’s acceptance proves how willing the youth of 1945-1979 was to change with the times. In conclusion, immigration, laws permitting new freedom, sexual revolution, and the emergence of youth culture inspired the groups of England to split, gain acknowledgement, and create and multiply into new and specific identities, each a distinct piece of British history that helped define England as the revolutionary multi-cultural center it is today.