...According to Orwell’s depiction of Imperialism as one of his main themes in the story, which can be found all over the story at many points, it causes tensions between the natives, it affects both sides, it promotes immorality to gain the oppressors needs, and it makes people such as the officer take decisions that they ought not to in their daily lives. For example Orwell states that “the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny...prostate people”, and he goes on in the same paragraph mentioning the “bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s guts”. “feelings like these are normal by the products of imperialism ask any anglo indian official” Imperialism also promotes racism, prejudice, and resentment. The oppressors continues to break rules and disregards rights in order to stay in power and to show control of the land and people. This increases resentment in natives as shown in the story that even though the elephant does not have any strength the officer wants to make sure that it dies, “lands a bullet after a bullet to put the beast to end”, meaning the oppressor wants to make sure that enough damage is done to those oppressed that they are completely broken and have no ways to resent or to retaliate. Even though the elephant stood their and was calm the officer still made the decision of shooting it basing on the “yellow faces” as he mentions would have thought of him as weak or fool if he hadn’t shot the elephant. This certainly shows that the oppressor would do anything in his power...
Words: 2021 - Pages: 9
...Heart of Darkness Imperialism has always had certain negative effects. Not only are the victims of imperialism exploited economically but they are often bound to experience racism. The natives are forced to abandon their political and spiritual views to learn the ways of the imperialists. In Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, Conrad describes the negative consequences affiliated with imperialism for not only the indigenous people, but also the imperialists themselves. In the beginning of the novel Heart of Darkness, Conrad shows that the British believed their imperialism had a positive influence on the Congolese by introducing them to civilization and the British way of life. "Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, 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." (pp. 2-3 ll. 29-2). This is an optimistic statement describing the British mentality. They assume that they are imperializing for helpful reasons when they are truthfully just attempting to obtain Congo's resources. Marlow undermines the good intentions of the explorers. In the quote, "Mind, none of us would feel [...] at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea." (pp. 4-5 ll. 26-5), Marlow...
Words: 1111 - Pages: 5
...otherwise the town people would joke and laugh at him. The overall theme of this story is peer pressure from the people and also the power of imperialism that can affect you and others. The story is told in a first person point of view. Orwell describes himself through the narrator’s voice. He described the Burmese people as mean and disrespectful. The village police were often teased and made fun of because of their ethnicity and look. “As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so” (Orwell, G. (1950). Shooting An Elephant.). The police of the town were obviously noticeable to heckle. The readers of the story have to recognize the power of peer pressure. It can cause a big amount of anxiety which can make you think different in different situations....
Words: 633 - Pages: 3
...Portland State University English 547: Arthurian Literature Tobias Wilms 913944913 Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King in the Discourse of Postcolonial Criticism Introduction: Ever since his name was first mentioned by the Welsh monk Nennius in the 9th century, writers modified and applied the great King Arthur's popular legend to convey their various political, religious and social beliefs. The Victorian author Alfred Lord Tennyson followed this tradition exemplarily and enwraped his imperialistic views in the famous Arthurian poem Idylls of the King. The aim of this paper is to accentuate his political and social ideologies from the context and introduce to some of the reactions of postcolonial critics. Idylls of the King, a Piece of Victorian Literature: Especially if Tennyson's Idylls are the first and only piece of Arthurian literature one has read, one can irritatedly ignore its dedication and letter to the royals Albert and Victoria, and simply summarize it as the story of a medieval King, the adventures of his accompanying knights, the fortune of the ladies at his court, and the creation and downfall of his kingdom in twelve books. Those readers, however, who are familiar with the previous versions of Arthurian stories written by Chrétien de Troyes and Thomas Malory, for instance, cannot be satisfied with that. They wonder about Tennyson's framing poems “Dedication” and “To the Queen”, stumble over the changes the author made in his adoption of the Arthurian...
Words: 3566 - Pages: 15
...The Incandescent Darkness Within Africa Imperialism in Africa was a dark time to say the least. Many novels are set within this time period in history due to its polemic. Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness are both set in the era of imperialism; they are constantly read together in order to obtain two different perspectives on imperialism within Africa. Reading the novels one after the other is a practical way to understand the messages each author is trying to convey to their readers. They both complement and enhance each other. Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness are two novels from which lucid similarities and differences can be found through the sense of community, the depiction of the Africans, and the vitalness of language found within both. The sense of community is a very important aspect throughout both novels. When the white missionaries start to appear in Things Fall Apart, the Ibo people are confused and reluctant to change. In the village of Mbanta, the first white missionary and his followers start talking about their god and how the gods of the Ibo people cannot harm anyone; a lot of the people listening to these men considered them mad and some of them began to go away (Achebe 146). It is human nature to resist change and hold on to what a person is accustomed to and already knows. The Ibo people were no exception. On the other hand, in Heart of Darkness, the white imperialists felt united only through race. Marlow leaves the first station he goes...
Words: 1348 - Pages: 6
...James Heart of Darkness Quote Reflection Since I was not here on the day we wrote quotes in class I have chosen a quote to reflect on it. “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life. And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.”(page72) This quote offers Marlow’s first impression of the Central Station. The word “ivory” seems to be something he hears all too often now that he works for this company. To them, it is far more than just the tusk of an elephant or rhinoceros; it represents an economic freedom that companies have never seen or experienced. These companies are running amuck doing as they please with no thought of how their actions affect the people or animals of Africa they simply only care about “Ivory” and its economic value. Marlow’s reference to a decaying corpse is both literal and figurative: elephants and the African people both die as a result of the European’s pursuit for ivory and the entire enterprise of the ivory trade is just rotten at the core. This is true in the cruelties and the greed that are both part of a greater evil of how money corrupts the soul of every human, instead of thinking...
Words: 539 - Pages: 3
...the many contradicting aspects of racism during the 17th century and the limited information known about the personality of Conrad, the question of racism versus realism is too complex to give a definitive answer. One of the passages that appears to be intuitively racist is included in Part I: “All their meager breasts panted together, the violently dilated nostrils quivered, the eyes stared stonily up-hill. They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference...
Words: 1462 - Pages: 6
...Showing disinterestedness about other religions and attacking them with ignorance can create fear among other people and increase stereotypes. Orientalists like Daniel Pipes commented on Islamic religion by calling them the most dangerous business, which is disrupting the west and spreading fanaticism everywhere else. Daniel Pipes has a wide readership of audience who think of Islamic religion as a nuisance instead of admirable culture. Pipes have also shown us that he failed to understand Islam in various contexts, such as Imperialism, Internal diversity. Distancing from the advantage of the great work on Islam in different societies and work on humanistic research. [Said, E. W. (1985). Orientalism Reconsidered. Cultural Critique, (1),...
Words: 678 - Pages: 3
...Native American Oppression Santucee Bell Case Western Reserve University Native American Oppression Introduction & Focal Population Imagine living in a world that consistently devalues your existence and is heavily populated with individuals who are quick to use and abuse your resources, but are slow to share the wealth that is accumulated from those resources. How would you feel? Unfortunately, certain populations do not have to visualize the disparity that is pictured above. This is because inequity is one of the most demoralizing social issues that plague America today. The worst thing about inequity is the fact that it continues to disproportionately burden individuals who are categorize as being minority in today’s society. This is especially true for the American Indian/Alaska Native population. This population continues to be one of the most vulnerable minority groups. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010 (2011), “American Indian or Alaska Native refer to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central American) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment” (Humes, Jones, & Ramirez, 2011, p. 3). 2,475,956 out of 308, 745,538 people that live in America are believed to be American Indian/Alaska Native, including those who report affiliations with tribes and South and Central American Indian groups (Humes et. al,, 2011, p. 4). This number is...
Words: 5989 - Pages: 24
...concludes the cause of The Great War was directly due to the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist Group who was bent on driving Austo-Hungarians from Serbia. (Schultz 2010) During that time period there were two major powers called the Allied Powers (France, Russia, and England) and the Central Powers (Germany, Turkey, and Austro-Hungarian Empire). Clearly with all of these alliances it was inevitable that a conflict between these countries. The assignation was the straw the brought the camel’s back and in turn started the war. The other issues that lead to this war however were Militarism, Nationalism, and Imperialism. Any of these qualities can strengthen a country but the combination of them can be deadly. “Militarism is the glorification of one’s military. It is the belief of a nation or its people to build and maintain a strong military, with the intention to use it whenever it is necessary.” (Brown) In essence Germany was big on militarism since they were known for their military. To be such a little country compared to England and France their military was phenomenal. Germany’s Navy more importantly, their U-boats, threatened England and forced them to concentrate on building their Navy up as well as France. It is impossible to believe that all of these countries were building these militaries for nothing. Everyone knew a war was bound to happen...
Words: 1314 - Pages: 6
...privileged, middle class, white, able-bodied (at the time) person, I rarely had to think about this and often chose not to. Part of this was a survival mechanism; if I became any more radical while I was still at home, I risked my dad potentially demanding full custody of me so that he could reverse this radical shift in my ideology. Over the course of this semester, my definition of the word “queer” has significantly expanded. The fact that I took two courses based on queer issues in the same semester catalyzed this shift. A New Queer Agenda, which we addressed fairly late in the course, provided an avenue through which I could articulate much of what I had been thinking throughout the semester. Due to the length of A New Queer Agenda, it is impossible to address every point it makes in a limited space, but the main ideas surround how mainstream LGBT organizations largely ignore anything that does not exclusively affect LGBT people. Thus, over recent years there has been a disproportionate focus on inclusion in neoliberal institutions and specific pushes for marriage, anti-hate crime legislation, admittance into the military, and anti-workplace discrimination ordinances, to the detriment of issues that affect many less privileged members of the community. In his article about disability and queer politics, Robert McRuer discussed how the politics of neoliberalism harm disabled and less privileged queer people alike. He defines neoliberalism as “a system that positions the market...
Words: 1294 - Pages: 6
...Rachel remains the most stagnant throughout the novel; she begins as a self-absorbed, materialistic, typical teenage girl, and the Rachel at the end of the novel still feels very much like the same naive teen we were introduced to. As Adah describes it, Rachel “is, herself, her own brand of goddess”(442). This self-centered attitude is a reflection of her personal maxim: “You stick out your elbows, and hold yourself up”(517). Her escape to Johannesburg via Axelroot also shows this, as she strives to learn and adapt to the life in South Africa, and works her way up the social ladder. Since her way of life centers around her self-preservation, her family’s plight in Kilanga seemingly don’t affect her. She maintains a type of “chosen” ignorance toward similar issues of whiteness and imperialism— a strong contrast to Leah’s struggle for reparations. She buys into the institutional racism in South Africa during the later years of her youth, and maintains that worldview throughout her life. This viewpoint captures an almost stereotypical American’s view of the events in Africa; Rachel ignores the people and the political turmoil that takes place right in front of her eyes, in favor of believing communist threats, propaganda and that Karl Marx is the current leader of Russia. This type of behavior allows her to continue with her self-centered mindset, because, if she knows nothing about the happenings outside her own little world, than what is there for her to care about, other than...
Words: 1404 - Pages: 6
...better evaluate how they would react in that situation and compare that to how the author reacts. For example in chunk seven of the reading George Orwell is faced with the decision whether or not to shoot an elephant and comparing him and myself we would've handled the problem differently. On one hand he does not want to shoot the elephant because it hasn't done anything wrong, but also he does not want to look like a fool in front of the Natives for some reason. Eventually he comes to the conclusion that he shall shoot the elephant. My decision would have differed some because I would've had a different mentality due to what I've experienced personally, my fondness for elephants and the lack there of for a good reason to shoot one would lead me to not put the elephant down. Our personal histories influence what we think about the story and give different meanings of the text to each...
Words: 681 - Pages: 3
...IGOROTS * Home * IGOROT SONGS * IGOROT DANCE * IGOROT TRADITIONS * MONEY ON THE MOUNTAIN IGOROT TRADITIONS IGOROT TRADITIONS When we talk about Igorot identity and culture, we also have to consider the time. My point is that: what I am going to share in this article concerning the Igorot culture might not be the same practiced by the Igorots of today. It has made variations by the passing of time, which is also normally happening to many other cultures, but the main core of respect and reverence to ancestors and to those who had just passed is still there. The Igorot culture that I like to share is about our practices and beliefs during the "time of Death". Death is part of the cycle of life. Igorots practice this part of life cycle with a great meaning and importance. Before the advent of Christianity in the Igorotlandia, the Igorots or the people of the Cordilleran region in the Philippines were animist or pagans. Our reverence or the importance of giving honor to our ancestors is a part of our daily activities. We consider our ancestors still to be with us, only that they exist in another world or dimension. Whenever we have some special feasts (e.g., occasions during death, wedding, family gathering, etc.), when we undertake something special (like going somewhere to look for a job or during thanksgiving), we perform some special offer. We call this "Menpalti/ Menkanyaw", an act of butchering and offering animals. During these times we call them...
Words: 53758 - Pages: 216
...From Literature to Film Film adaptation is transferring the written work, such as novel, short story comic books and etc., into a film as a whole. The most common form being used to make a film adaptation is the novel. According to George, “between 1994 and 2013, 58% of the top grossing films in the world were adaptations. (Bluestone, George)” According to Linda Cahir, there are three types of adaptations. The first one is “literal”, “which reproduces the plot and all its attending details as closely as possible to the letter of the book. (Linda, Cahir, p16) The second one is traditional, which maintains the overall traits of the book (its plots, settings, and stylistic convention) but revamps particular details in those particular ways that the filmmakers see as necessary and fitting. The third one is radical, which reshapes the book in extreme and revolutionary ways both as a means of interpreting the literature and of making the film a more fully independent work. (Linda Cahir, p17) Traditional adaptation and radical adaptation are considered to be the top two types of film adaptations to discuss since traditional adaptation and radical adaptation are mostly seen in films. In order to examine the effectiveness of both traditional adaptation and radical adaptation in films, Pride and Prejudice (both novel and film), Heart of Darkness (novella) and the film adaptation of this novella Apocalypse Now are going to be discussed here. According to Linda Cahir, “Traditional adaptation...
Words: 2845 - Pages: 12