one of the justifications of
colonizing by europeans was
that they had an obligation to
"better the lives" of the people
they conquered. so they were
not actually doing it for
(primarily) profit, but as an act
of noblise oblige, a duty to act
for those people.
Just getting to some of
the colonies took
months; it would be
years or decades before
many would or could
return to England
Go bind your
sons to exile
To serve your
captive's need
Many of the territories were
populated by nomadic people and
those unwilling to acknowledge the
British rule. Half devil because of the
brutality natives were percieved to be
capable of, and half child because to
the British the natives seemed to have
short attention spans and childlike
niavete.
To wait in heavy
harness On fluttered
folk and wild - Your
new-caught sullen
peoples, Half devil
and half child.
The empire's actions are not
all noble; he admits to the
economic/financial gain of
the empire by collecting
revenues from the defeated
natives, by taxes or other
means
To seek
another's profit,
And work
another's gain.
the work of "the white
man's burden was done
by common men, not
royalty
No tawdry rule of
kings, But toil of
serf and sweeper -
The tale of
common things.
the story of conquest is
that of the average man,
average soldier Kipling
always looked on things
from this view, rather
than that of the ruling
elite
having conquered, this refers
to the process of educating and
enlightening the "heathen
natives", which refers both to
matters religious, and more
imporantly, to the scientific
and technological advances of
the age
The cry of hosts
ye humour (Ah
slowly !) towards
the light:-
he merely reflects the common
sentiments of the time
PROS : Heart
of Darkness
Satirical of
the Empire
The colonists are
described as shiny,
altruistic pioneers
sallying forth into the
dark uncivilized world to
bring salvation and
civilization to the
ignorant races.
Hunters for gold or pursuers
of fame, ... bearing the sword,
... messengers of the might
within the land, bearers of a
spark from the sacred fire.
What greatness had not
floated on the ebb of that
river into the mystery of an
unknown earth!…The dreams
of men, the seed of
commonwealths, the germs of
empires.
Now Marlow undermines
everything he just said about the
nobility and good intentions of the
explorers. He's seen how messed up
colonization really is, and he knows
that the colonizing countries care
only about efficiency and profit. The
explorers aren't heroes; they're
robbers and murderers who just
wanted to bring home profit.
They were no colonists; ... They were
conquerors, and for that you want only brute
force—nothing to boast of ... since your
strength is just an accident arising from the
weakness of others. They grabbed what they
could get for the sake of what was to be got.
It was just robbery with violence, aggravated
murder on a great scale, and men going at it
blind—as is very proper for those who tackle
a darkness. The conquest of the earth, which
mostly means the taking it away from those
who have a different complexion or slightly
flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty
thing when you look into it too much.
Marlow makes fun of
the colonist's motto—to
civilize savages—by
comparing it to an idle
traveler imposing
himself on hosts too
generous to make him
leave. The implication is
that the colonists'
arrival with all their
rhetoric of civilization is
ultimately undesired by
the native African
inhabitants.
I had then, as you remember, just returned to London after a lot of Indian
Ocean, Pacific, China Seas - a regular dose of the East - six years or so, and I
was loafing about, hindering you fellows in your work and invading your
homes, just as though I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you.
PROS :
Oliver Twist
Dickens’s works are
overwhelmingly concerned
with the social and
psychological conditions
that city life fostered
Who can describe the pleasure and delight,
the peace of mind and soft tranquility, the
sickly boy felt in the balmy air and among the
green hills and rich woods of an inland village!
... Men who have lived in crowded, pent-up
streets, through lives of toil, and who have
never wished for change ... even they ... have
been known to yearn at last for one short
glimpse of Nature’s face, and [once they see it]
have seemed to pass at once into a new state
of being.
Dickens goes on to
note that, in the
country, even “the
poor people” are
“neat and clean.”
POETRY : In a
London Drawing
Room
Simile:
comparing
the houses
to "solid fog"
Through the process of
urbanization, individuals are lead to
isolation due to the busy lives that
urbanites carry; the common
repetitious architecture in the
setting of city also makes the
surroundings uninviting and dull,
leaving no space for the
appreciation of nature.
Metaphor:
houses are
"cutting the sky
with one long
line of wall"
Metaphor:
"thickest
canvass" refers
to clouds
Personification:
hunger of the
eye (curiosity is
not fulfilled)
Personification:
sun is dressed
in hemp
Personification:
"wheels are
hurrying"
Simile: world
compared to
"prison-house
& court"
Process of urbanization
leads to isolation:
"All hurry on &
look upon the
ground, Or glance
unmarking at the
passengers by"
Position of Women
PLAY : A Woman of No Importance
Oliver Twist
Nancy- dies
because of Sykes
The Ruined Maid
Her new role in society
Social Problems
Assisted by the
Industrial Revolution
Upper class were rich and
Lower class were poor.
There was a clear
divide between classes.
A Dolls House
Nora had to take out a loan to
protect their middle class status.