This painting depicts the sepoy rebellion, which resulted from issues regarding the British East India Company, is indicative of the fact that British India was not as peaceful or exotic as the British or Westerners would like to believe. Rather, it consisted of people that were directly affected by and could react to British policy.
A popular British, and indeed Western, view of India as being wild and exotic.
https://colorem.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/british-hunting-in-india-ca-1920s-6.jpg
The bare bones reason that I took this course was that I needed English Credits. It looked interesting to me, as I come from a history background and it seemed to relate to a subject that I have read about since childhood, but have not taken any specific courses on. Coming from a history background, I was not quite sure what to expect, given that coming into this course, I had not taken an English course since high school. What I got out of it was a different perspective of the British Empire than I think I would have gotten out of a history course or by simply reading an online article or some such. This course focused on looking at and analyzing notable works, in particular two works of fiction, that were written around the time that the British ruled India. Such an approach is different than say one in a history course, which usually focus on a chronological view or the analysis of facts and hard data. I think that the approach taken by this course was important, in that, by analyzing the historical works that we did, we were able to come to a more complete view on a specific time and place in history, specifically the British rule over India.
When seeking information about the British, the encyclopedia named after them is a good place to start. This section of the online encyclopedia provides a good idea of what was happening in Britain and the societal developments that were occurring during the time that the Empire ruled India.
https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom/Early-and-mid-Victorian-Britain
On the other hand, this article from the BBC details what occurred in India over about the same period.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/independence1947_01.shtml
This article details the history of the British East India Company, an important precursor to British rule.
https://www.qdl.qa/en/brief-history-english-east-india-company-1600–1858
While these other links provide information on the British Empire, this one provides a counter view by looking at India.
https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-history/index.html
This essay compares contrasting views of the real relationship between the British and the peoples they viewed through the lenses of two works
Nathaniel Breier ERH-321WX-01 Reading Response Paper #3
Help Received: See Bibliography. References to Jon Wilson come from the prompt.
In the study of history, how certain people and events are often viewed differently by people of different regions and time. The historians of one era will likely view things differently than those of another. A good, albeit indirect, example of this are the ways Rudyard Kipling describe the relationship of the British Empire and those it rules in his poem “White Man’s Burden” as compared to how Jon Wilson describes it in his study of India, India Conquered: Britain’s Raj and the Chaos of Empire. These views can be compared both to actual history, as well as fictional stories, such as E.M. Forrester’s Passage to India, a novel written in the 1920s, when Britain’s hold on its colonial possessions was increasingly tenuous.
In “White Man’s Burden”, Kipling paints a picture of the British Empire’s relationship as on the formal side of things, with whites sacrificing themselves in order to tame the savages who inhabit the regions that they rule. More importantly, it is done for the latter’s benefit and the former’s detriment. This is clearly seen in the following stanza from the poem:
Take up the White Man’s burden, the savage wars of peace, Fill full the mouth of Famine and bid the sickness cease; And when your goal is nearest The end for others sought, Watch Sloth and heath Folly Bring all your hopes to naught. 1
The sacrifice for the betterment of others who do not appreciate it and will in fact bring it to ruin is self-evident. It also implies a formal relationship, similar to the one between parents and small children, with the former being required to sacrifice themselves to keep the latter in line so that the latter do not ruin themselves.
In contrast, in regards to India at least, Jon Wilson describes a much more fluid relationship, one much more disorganized, based more on the interests of self than on self-sacrifice. It may be that Kipling’s description is more accurate, at least in regards to Forrester’s A Passage to India. The character of Ronny Heaslop, a civil administrator, is an example of the more formal relationship that Kipling describes. Over the course of the novel, he demonstrates several times that he views his role chiefly as an administrator, rather than for self-interest. This is first hinted at in the beginning of the novel, when he is discussing the introductory party thrown for Mrs. Moore and Ms. Quested. He mentions to Ms. Quested, “You wanted something not picturesque and we’ve provided it….. What do you think of the Aryan Brother in a topi and spats?” 2 While this could admittedly be argued to be out of the self-interest that Mr. Wilson describes, it is also very similar to a comment that a parent would make when presenting their children to guests in their house, thus making it similar to the themes in The White Man’s Burden.
This latter view is backed up in some of the conversations that he has over the course of the novel. One such conversation occurs in Chapter XXII, in his discussion with Mrs. Moore and Ms. Quested. As opposed to the two ladies, who are respectively irritable and confused, he seeks to try and determine the heart of the matter, trying to determine what exactly Mrs. Moore is trying to say about Mr. Aziz’s innocence and even reminding her that if she has evidence that it is her duty to testify. This stands in contrast to the actions of Aziz, who, it is revealed in the same conversation, tried to escape with a friend in a stolen car, unbecoming character for an educated doctor who apparently supports his own innocence.
This attempt unfortunately provides more support to Kipling’s position. It provides something of a foil to Mr. Heaslop’s efforts to make sure a trial takes place and falls neatly into the passage cited from The White Man’s Burden. While Mr. Heaslop makes an effort to look into additional evidence, Aziz’s escape attempt is similar to the efforts of the savages in the poem, apparently seeking to undo those efforts by further incriminating himself by attempting to flee. This runs contradictory to Mr. Wilson’s assertion that the relationships of the British Raj were based on self-interest. If Aziz had acted on his interests, being an educated doctor, reasonably indicating that he had some sort of intellectual buy-in to the British system, he would have remained and contended his innocence. Instead, it fall to Ronny to seek out the evidence, not unlike a dutiful parent.
Citations
1 Kipling, Rudyard. “The White Man’s Burden” Empire Writing: An Anthology of Colonial Literature 1870-1918 Oxford University Press Inc. New York. 1998
2 Forrester, E.M. Chapter 5, pg. 38-39 A Passage to India Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. New York. 1924
Bibliography
Forrester, E.M. Chapter 5, pg. 38-39 A Passage to India Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. New York. 1924
Kipling, Rudyard. “The White Man’s Burden” Empire Writing: An Anthology of Colonial Literature 1870-1918 Oxford University Press Inc. New York. 1998
In this essay, the impact of names is examined, specifically in regards to the character Kim in the novel of the same name by Rudyard Kipling.
ERH-321WX Reading Essay #2
Help Received: None
Signature: Nathaniel Breier
Early in Kim, Kim is known as “Friend of All the World” as well as “Friend of All the Stars”. These names refer to both those he associates with, as well as the knowledge that he is able to glean from moving between different social groups, as well as his associates. Both of these abilities stand in contrast to many of the Sahibs in the novel, many of whom express a mix of surprise, shock and unease when Kim displays them. This serves to demonstrate just some of the boundaries that Europeans operate within while in India, despite being considered its masters.
Kim’s first name, Friend of All the World, can be seen as a reference to his many associates, or as to how he associates with a variety of characters of various origins. He notably demonstrates this in Chapter 6 while dealing with the scribe and the drummer boy. While the scribe expects him to be a typical European and offhandedly insults him, Kim responds in kind, earning his amazement and respect.
This stands in stark contrast to how most Indians interact with Europeans. A good example would the drummer boy in charge of watching him, who is wholly unable to understand what they are discussing or even to comprehend why Kim would want to talking to “that nigger”. Moreover, while “nigger” seems to be the only word the drummer boy seems to be able to use when referring to the natives, they “called him abominable names to his face, and, misled by their differential attitude, he never understood them” (pg. 92, Kim). This is of some consolation to Kim during his travel to the school. It is also indicative of many Europeans towards the natives in general – a mixture of condescending, dismissive and insulting, all the while not being aware that those same natives gained some satisfaction by being able to insult them right back, often in a far more creative way and without any fear of reprisal.
His second name, Friend of All the Stars, is directly connected to this ability, especially in his ability to interact with and understand different groups. Kim gains the name after discussing information about the British Army with the old soldier while he is on the road with the lama towards the start of the novel, information gained from his interactions with Mahbud Ali and his listening in on Creighton when he receives the message from Mr. Ali. This later serves to astound the British when they first officially meet Kim in the camp, which demonstrates another boundary that many Europeans operate under. Despite their being the nominal masters of India, they are unable to gain and then control the information that Kim comes across through his associates.
Moreover, Kim is not limited to just informational knowledge. He is able to use his understanding and insight into different groups to identify men as a threat and keep track of them at least twice while with Mahbud Ali. The first is when he is staying with Mr. Ali towards the start of the novel and observes the man going through Mr. Ali’s possessions seeking information. Later in the novel, he is able to warn Mr. Ali of a threat of two would be assassins, again demonstrating the information and knowledge is able to gain from living on the streets. It would be highly dubious if one of the students of St. Xaviers would have been able to react correctly to either incident.
Thus, both of Kim’s nicknames refer to his ability to associate with many groups of many differences, as well as his ability to glean information based on his experiences dealing with these groups. He is then able to utilize this information to instigate actions, rather than react to it. This is in contrast to the Europeans, some of whom merely react, such as the Regiment reacting to the news that Kim indirectly provided to them, or, even worse, are powerless all together, such as the students at St. Xaviers or the drummer boy.
This essay compares how interpretations of ‘the’ world differ based on ‘my’ world, specifically in how the British Empire viewed some of the native populations it ruled.
Nathaniel Breier ERH-321WX-02 Reading Response Paper #1
Help Received/Sources: Asked Yuri Panchick about format of paper (single or double spaced), used “Explanations of Racial Difference from the Enlightenment” and “White Man’s Burden” from readings. Used previous Fact Sheet assignment for information on India and HI-310X-01 War and Society in Modern China (VMI Class I am currently taking) for information on China.
Signature: Nathaniel Breier
Mr. Devdutt Pattanaik goes into detail defining, and detailing the differences between ‘my’ world and ‘the’ world. Where ‘my’ world is subjective and is based upon belief, myths, religion and interpretation, ‘the’ world is based upon facts, universal truths and science. Reconciling the two is one of the key conflicts of the human condition. In relations to this class, the differences between how the British interpreted the world and reality played a key role in how the British treated those under their rule and indeed explains in part how they justified that rule.
How the British interpreted the world can be found in such works as the famous poem “White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling, as well as various explanations of racial differences produced during the Enlightenment. In the first, Kipling describes the burden of whites as:
“…The savage wars of peace – Fill full the mouth of Famine And bid the sickness cease; And when your goal is nearest The end for others sought, Watch Sloth and heathen Folly Bring all your hope to nought.”
This reflects the view of the British that the places they were colonizing and ruling were places of hunger, war and sickness brought on by the laziness and foolishness of the natives. This could not be further from the truth. While places like India and China were indeed going through downturns during the late 18th and 19th centuries, they had both during the centuries prior been ruled by the Mughal and Qing Empires respectively, both of which had come to rule over the modern land area of the modern nations. This is no small feat given the diverse populations that live in those areas and is hardly indicative of either sloth or folly.
In the handout given to ERH-321WX-02 “Explanations of Racial Difference From the Enlightenment”, Immanuel Kant cites a Mr. Hume as challenging “…anyone to cite a single example in which a Negro has shown talents”. A notable example that directly refutes this would be Mansa Musa, otherwise known as Musa I of Mali. He is notable for ruling over the kingdom of Mali during the early 1300s. He is most known for making an extravagant pilgrimage from Mali (on the west coast of Africa) to Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula. However, during his reign, the kingdom of Mali was greatly expanded, both in terms of land area as well as infrastructure (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Musa-I-of-Mali). Both the pilgrimage to Mecca and the expansion of Mali indicate a level of logistics that is at least on par with anything Europe was doing at the time, given that most European nations were coming off of the Crusades at that time (personal estimate based on world history classes taken years ago).
In both examples of British writings on the other regions of the world, the authors express the subjective views that the British, and whites in general, were the superior race. However, this goes against facts, or against what Mr. Pattanaik describes as the definition of “the” world. Perhaps this is because of the lack of information that they had, specifically in regards to Mansa Musa, who had lived and died hundreds of years before the British became involved in Africa.
However, the British would have had dealings with both the Mughal and Qing Dynasties in India and China. In these cases, they would have been exposed to evidence in terms of written histories, archaeology and what they could physically see when they traveled in these areas in terms of architecture, art, etc. This highlights the stark contrast that can happen between “my” world and “the” world. In the British world, they built a mythology around how they, whites, were naturally superior to the other races of the world, despite the facts that could be found in the world that would refute that and that other races could do just as well as they could.
Bibliography
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Musa-I-of-Mali
“East vs West: The Myths that Mystify” Devdutt Pattanaik Ted Talk.
https://www.britannica.com/place/India
“White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling
“Explanations of Racial Difference From the Enlightenment” Handout
British Empire
• Great Britain’s first overseas’ settlement was founded in 1497-98 in Newfoundland in modern Canada by Italian explorer John Cabot on behalf of King Henry VII. This was a mere six years after Columbus made his first voyages and forty years after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire and before the main swing of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. (New World Encyclopedia)
• The term “British Empire” was proposed by explorer John Dee, who had made it to the coast of California. He had originally used the term “New Albion” refer to the land north of the Spanish holdings called New Spain in modern Mexico and Southwest United States. (New World Encyclopedia)
• In 1661, James Island on the Gambia River was established as the first British possession in Africa. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• The Portuguese and especially the Dutch were much more successful in Asia. Great Britain was mostly excluded from the highly profitable East Indies, forcing it to concentrate on India and China, which would pay dividends in the 1800s. (http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/asia.htm)
• The Suez Canal acted as a strategic link to Great Britain’s colonies, especially in Asia. It was acquire in 1875 when the British government bought the Sultan of Egypt’s majority share. It was lost in 1956 during the Suez Crisis. (New World Encyclopedia).
• Trade with Asia was a key driver of early overseas expansion, with the North American Colonies being somewhat accessory to this fact. It was mainly in the 1800s after the Napoleonic wars that the goal of the British Empire switched to resource extraction, particularly in the Scramble for Africa, which was also fuel by the desire for prestige. (http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/asia.htm)
• Things did not always go well for the British Empire. The Anglo-Afghan Wars, fought between the 1830s and 1919, fueled by concerns about Russia expanding into Central Asia, gave the British Empire several blows to its prestige, especially after the First Afghan War. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• The British flag is known as the Union Jack. It is the mixture of St. George’s Cross (the flag of England), St. Andrew’s Cross (the flag of Scotland) and St. Patrick’s Cross (the flag of Ireland). It was designed in 1606. (http://www.know-britain.com/general/union_jack.html)
• Demand for sugar and tobacco fueled much of the early expansion of the British Empire in the Americas. (http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/british-and-irish-history/british-empire)
• The history of the Empire is divided into two parts – the First Empire, before the American Revolution, and the Second Empire, after the American Revolution. The First Empire was based in the Americas while the Second was based in Asia and the Americas. (http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/british-and-irish-history/british-empire)
India
• There are four major language groups, Indo-Iranian, Dravidian, Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman. These four groups are estimated to include hundreds of distinct languages and dialects, although most speak either an Indo-Iranian or Dravidian language, with English also being a common language. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• Civilizations, particularly around the Indus River Valley have been traced back to at least 2600 BCE. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• Until around 1500 A.D., India was largely fragmented, mostly being made up of feudal states. Hinduism was the main religion during this time, although there were Muslim settlements and even Muslim Kingdoms, most notably the Delhi Sultanate. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• The Indian subcontinent was mostly organized into one entity under the Mughal Dynasty, which lasted from 1526-1761, although it had largely started to disintegrate before then. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• Trading Forts were first established by the Portuguese in the 1500s. These were tolerated by the Mughal Empire, which even allowed Jesuit missionaries to attend the Imperial Court. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• The Bengal Revolution, which began in 1756, allowed the British to dissolve the Mughal Dynasty and begin domination of the subcontinent. (Encyclopedia Britanica)
• India was a major source of spices for Europe during the Renaissance and British Imperial eras. (https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/2014/06/21/spice-trade-in-india/)
• During the height of the Mughal Empire, rules such as Akbar, though Muslim, demonstrated notable religious tolerance, going so far as to include Hindus in the government. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• The Vijayanagar Dynasty was an important predecessor to the Mughal Empire. It was one of the only Indian states, at least in the south, that managed to unify several major cultural regions. It lasted from 1336–1646. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• During the Bengal Revolution mentioned above, the British were able to take advantage of religious rivalries, notably dissatisfaction felt by Sikhs against Muslims, to gain an additional advantages over the Mughals. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
British Empire Sources
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/British_Empire
https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Empire
http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/asia.htm
https://www.britannica.com/event/Anglo-Afghan-Wars
http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/modern-europe/british-and-irish-history/british-empire
India Sources
https://www.britannica.com/place/India
