Jim Cooper "Down on the Island": Teaching English

 During the 70’, under the government and supervision of  Rafael Hernandez Colón better known as “Cuchin” , there was propaganda around the island in almost all the public schools that said more or less like this “English No, Spanish Yes”. Language in Puerto Rico had always been a delicate theme because of our status as a colony of the United States of America. Jim Cooper on his book “Down on the Island” introduces us the controversy seen in Puerto Rico back when schools were trying to teach English for the students to learn it.  “Teaching English” is the seven chapter of the book and it touches various main points that in this days we continue seeing in our public schools and in collage. One of the things that amazed me and at the same time maked me laugh out loud when I discovered it, was the issue with the syllabus and Cooper’s wanting to discussed it with the director of the English Department, Dr. Beckwith. While I was reading all his complaints about the syllabus I was just thinking: “Come on Cooper change it and don’t tell anyone, I have professors that don’t follow a bit the syllabus”. And then I discovered that some of his friends did the exact thing that I was thinking… then I realized that we continue having the same problems since 1954. 

While reading this chapter I discover some clear examples that I could related to some of the subjects we are discussing in class: the communication model and Jamaica Kincaid’s book. For example if we analyze the discovering made by the same Cooper about the way of thinking of Dr. Beckwith:  “I learned later that he was one of the many continentals then on the island who didn’t believe Puerto Ricans were capable of learning anything anyway”(Cooper, 69). We can compare this quote with the Antigua’s tourist and the English way of thinking about the poor capacity of the “Africans”, the black people, to govern a country or do something good just by themselves. Also this quote makes us think that all the previous comments of Dr. Beckwith to Cooper were all made with a double meaning. He wasn’t expressing his own invention of reality and because of that Cooper was so confused with the original syllabus, he knew that it wouldn’t help the students in the process of learning English at all. Another point were I was able to read between lines was on his narration on March 3, 1952. On that day the people of Puerto Rico were able to vote for their own Constitution and he took that day as a holiday and went to relax in the beach. Most Puerto Ricans take those “holidays” to do the same thing that Jim Cooper did. Maybe the message that he want us to perceive was that most of the people living on the island didn’t know how this new Constitution would affect them or what changes would be occurring.  After reading this chapter I discover that even though “Down on the Island” was written according to some experiences lived by Jim Cooper in 1954, there are a lot of things that we, Puerto Ricans, continue having problems with. So I think that this book gives an excellent background and base not only for English teachers but also to any other course teachers.