Creoleversus French

The main theme running throughout the story is the conflict between the Creole and the French culture and language. This is the focus of Chamoiseau's school days, and is the main point of this story. It is therefore very important to understand this theme. The little boy and the other inhabitants of Fort-de-France speak Creole and associate themselves with the Creole culture. This is a culture and language born out of slavery. It is a mix of the French that the slaves heard their white masters using and various African languages brought with the slaves from different tribes and areas. French is therefore familiar to the Creole children, more so than an African dialect would be, but at the same time it is very different. French is used for formal occasions and as a mark of respect, but is often spoken in a distinctly Creole way. When...