The Colonization of Hawaii and Tourism Essay -- Hawaii Tourism History

The Colonization of Hawaii and TourismSince 1840 the Hawaiian Islands absorb been an escape to a tropical enlightenment for millions of tourists. People all all over the world encounter alluring, romanticized pictures of Hawaiis lush, tropical vegetation, exotic animals, beautiful beaches, crystal legislate water, and fantastical women. This is the Hawaii tourists know. This is the Hawaii they visit. However, this Hawaii is a state of mind, a corporate-produced image be on the surface. More precisely, it is an aftermath of relentless colonization of the islands natural inhabitants by the United States. These native Hawaiians experience a completely different Hawaii from the paradise tourists enjoy. No one makes this as clear as Haunani-Kay Trask, a native Hawaiian author. In her book, From a Native Daughter Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii and through her poetry in Light in the Crevice never Seen, Trask provides an intimate account of the tourist industrys regard on native Hawaiian culture. She presents a negative perspective of the violence, pollution, commercial development, and cultural exploitation produced by the tourist industry. Trask unveils the cruel reality of suffering and struggling through a native Hawaiian sermon. Most of the world is unaware of this. To examine variant discourses, it is crucial that the idea of discourse and the way in which discourses operate is clear. A discourse is a language, or more precisely, a way of theatrical and expression. These ways of talking, thinking, or representing a particular subject or topic produce meaningful knowledge about the subject (Hall 205). Therefore, the importance of discourses lies in this meaningful knowledge, which reflects a groups ideolo... ...e (Trask xix). This incident beautifully illustrates and signifies tourisms impact in American society. Like most Americans, this woman uses a discourse that has been shaped by tourist advertisements and souvenirs. The womans statement impl ies that Trask resembles what the tourist industry projects, as if this image created Hawaiian culture. As Trask asserts, Hawaiian culture existed long to begin with tourism and has been exploited by tourism in the form of advertisements and items much(prenominal) as postcards. Along with the violence, endangered environment, and poverty, this exploitation is what the tourist industry does not want to show. However, this is the Hawaii Haunani-Kay Trask lives in everyday. This is Hawaii, once the most fragile and precious of taboo places, now transformed by the American behemoth into a dying(p) land. Only a whispering spirit remains (Trask 19).