Things Fall Apart, Chapter 7 - ‘Settled versus Colonised; a Play on Words’

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"And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Mighty tree branches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown-earth color of the vast, hungry swarm” (Achebe 58).

Prompt, Part II - How is imperialism encouraged by patriotism, religion, &/or a sense of cultural / racial superiority in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart / the past?

Here, it can be said that the invasion of the English on the Ibo people was not only swift; it was absolute and devastating to the people’s overall culture. In interpreting this piece of text, one could say that “every tree every tree and on every blade of grass” are representative of the tribal people of Nigeria. The people were planted and/or born in their native land, and have grown and thrived in this land. In addition, the “roofs and covered the bare ground” could be said to be their homes and crops. Here the allegory is more straightforward yet still evokes a sense of invasion as well as imperialistic arrogance on the part of the English. Next, the “mighty tree branches” could be symbolic of many things. They could be the strong and proud men of the villages, the wise elders, the mysterious women, the religious figures or a combination of each of the aforementioned possibilities. What is clear, in this instance, is that Achebe is creating a convincing allegory between locusts and the negative effects of imperialism on the native peoples of Africa.

Brave New World, Chapter 2 - Livin’ the Dream & the Power of Suggestion

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“Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta” (Huxley 38).

In arguing against the idea that individuality is a threat to a harmonious society, this passage demonstrates that social acceptance can breed complacency, and thus, lead to mediocrity. First, it foreshadows the dangers of social hierarchies in that the idea of hierarchies is introduced as a mindless hypnotic memorization. The citizens of the Brave New World are literally taught their belief system while asleep when there is no possibility for original &/or individual thought. Next, the very fact that this idea of hierarchical superiority is both genetically engineered and predestined shows that there is no plausible way to move-up the social ranks. The status in which the people are born remains their status throughout their lives, and if there is no hope of improving one’s social status then why try? The result is social complacency. Lastly, because there is no initiative or possibility of improving one’s social standing, and the people do not try to move up the ladder, there is a shared experience of mediocrity following the vicious cycle of: social acceptance leading to complacency which ultimately leads to mediocrity.