Post Colonial Britain
Britain has colonized many countries over the course of history. Their influence has shaped cultures and has given opportunities for many people of different Nationalities.
Places that Britain has colonized:
America 1607
South Africa 1652
Australia 1788
East Africa 1840
New Zealand 1840
India 1858
Places that Britain has colonized:
America 1607
South Africa 1652
Australia 1788
East Africa 1840
New Zealand 1840
India 1858
Today:
Today, Britain has no colonial interests in other countries because many of these countries have become their own independent nations. This video which was created by youtuber Kaliningrad General shows the colonization of Great Britain from the years 1492 – 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Tn4uOSe6o
Britain and India
As stated earlier, Britain started to colonize India in the year 1858. According to worldatlas.com, “Britain colonized India from 1858 to 1947 and the colony was known as British Raj. The empire consisted of present-day India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan” (https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/former-british-colonies.html)
The British Raj
Raj in the Hindi language means “to rule” or “kingdom” according to the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/independence1947_01.shtml). One of the main reasons why Britain colonized India was for resources and for better trade routes to Asia. With colonies in India, it would have made it much easier for the British to get from England to Asia for trade purposes. India was also used for resources according to the BBC, “As well as spices, jewels and textiles, India had a huge population. Soldiering was an honorable tradition in India and the British capitalized on this. They regimented India's manpower as the backbone of their military power” (https://www.bbc.com/teach/class-clips-video/history-gcse-why-was-india-so-valuable-to-the-british-empire/zv2rwty) Great Britain was able to use the Indian resources to help further their own Country.
Hanif Kureishi (1954)
Kureishi was born in England from parents of British and Pakistani decent. “His mother was English, and his father, who harbored frustrated desires to become a writer, came from a family which had been displaced by the partition of India and Pakistan” (https://www.bl.uk/people/hanif-kureishi) . The Partition of India was a fight of independent between Britain and India. India and Pakistan became independent in 1947.
After attending college in Britain, Kureishi began to write plays and screenplays for movies. He had the most success in the late 1980’s and early 2000’s when writing movies. In 1997, Kureishi wrote the short story My Son the Fanatic which is about a man whose son converts to Islam and then judges the man on his life. In the end, the man, who is radical about the life he lives, beats his son for his beliefs. In the end, the son asks, “So who’s the fanatic now?’ (1209).
After attending college in Britain, Kureishi began to write plays and screenplays for movies. He had the most success in the late 1980’s and early 2000’s when writing movies. In 1997, Kureishi wrote the short story My Son the Fanatic which is about a man whose son converts to Islam and then judges the man on his life. In the end, the man, who is radical about the life he lives, beats his son for his beliefs. In the end, the son asks, “So who’s the fanatic now?’ (1209).
My Son the Fanatic (1997)
The story is written about a man, Parvez who is from India but has moved to England and has become a successful taxi driver. He makes good money, drinks, and has sexual relations with prostitutes. In the beginning of the story, his college aged son, Ali seems to be getting rid of all of his possessions for no reason. Parvez first thinks that it is because his son may have become a drug addict, but then soon realizes that his son has converted to Islam.
Parvez does not have many pleasant memories of this Muslim religion mainly because of his bad experiences growing up. “Parvez had grown up in Lahore, where all the boys had been taught the Koran. To stop him falling asleep when he studied, the Maulvis had attached a piece of string to the celling and tied it to Parvez’s hair, so that if his head fell forward, he would instantly awake. After this indignity Parvez had avoided all religions” (1204). Having such bad experiences may be a reason why Parvez does not understand his son’s religious awakening.
Ali constantly disapproves of Parvez’s lifestyle. He criticizes his drinking, “Each time Parvez took a drink, the boy winced, or made a fastidious face as an accompaniment” (1205). Ali even goes on to tell Parvez that drinking and gambling is forbidden.
Such constant disapproval causes Parvez to become irritated and angry. “Parvez kicked him over. Then he dragged the boy up by his shirt and hit him. The boy fell back. Parvez hit him again. The boy’s face was bloody” (1209). This incident happens after Ali insults the prostitute that Parvez spends most of his time with. Parvez argues to his son that life was made to be lived and that one should enjoy it but his son has the opposite thoughts.
Parvez may beat his son because of the anger that he feels when his son tries to tell him what is the best way to live. His son speaks his disapproval which is probably something that any father would not appreciate. Parvez may also be beating his son because of misguided emotions that he may be feeling. He may feel wrong for drinking too much, or for gambling, or for cheating on his wife. He may have beaten his son as a way of dealing with his emotions.
You can read my initial blog post about the story here: https://jacobsethking.weebly.com/home/who-is-more-radical
Parvez does not have many pleasant memories of this Muslim religion mainly because of his bad experiences growing up. “Parvez had grown up in Lahore, where all the boys had been taught the Koran. To stop him falling asleep when he studied, the Maulvis had attached a piece of string to the celling and tied it to Parvez’s hair, so that if his head fell forward, he would instantly awake. After this indignity Parvez had avoided all religions” (1204). Having such bad experiences may be a reason why Parvez does not understand his son’s religious awakening.
Ali constantly disapproves of Parvez’s lifestyle. He criticizes his drinking, “Each time Parvez took a drink, the boy winced, or made a fastidious face as an accompaniment” (1205). Ali even goes on to tell Parvez that drinking and gambling is forbidden.
Such constant disapproval causes Parvez to become irritated and angry. “Parvez kicked him over. Then he dragged the boy up by his shirt and hit him. The boy fell back. Parvez hit him again. The boy’s face was bloody” (1209). This incident happens after Ali insults the prostitute that Parvez spends most of his time with. Parvez argues to his son that life was made to be lived and that one should enjoy it but his son has the opposite thoughts.
Parvez may beat his son because of the anger that he feels when his son tries to tell him what is the best way to live. His son speaks his disapproval which is probably something that any father would not appreciate. Parvez may also be beating his son because of misguided emotions that he may be feeling. He may feel wrong for drinking too much, or for gambling, or for cheating on his wife. He may have beaten his son as a way of dealing with his emotions.
You can read my initial blog post about the story here: https://jacobsethking.weebly.com/home/who-is-more-radical
Conclusion:
Britain has colonized all over the world from the start of 1500’s to then middle 1940’s. They have done so for trade purposes and to share their beliefs and cultures with the rest of the world. Hanif Kureishi did not experience Britain colonization, but lived in England and has created some great written work that involves people of Indian descent.
References:
Greenblatt, Stephen, and Jahan Ramazani. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. W.W.
Norton, 2018
“Hanif Kureishi.” The British Library, The British Library, 28 Sept. 2015,
www.bl.uk/people/hanif-kureishi.
“History KS3 / GCSE: Why Was India so Valuable to the British Empire? - BBC Teach.” BBC
News, BBC, 27 Nov. 2018, www.bbc.com/teach/class-clips-video/history-gcse-why-was-india-so-valuable-to-the-british-empire/zv2rwty.
Kaul, Dr Chandrika. “History - British History in Depth: From Empire to Independence: The
British Raj in India 1858-1947.” BBC, BBC, 3 Mar. 2011,www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/independence1947_01.shtml.
Sawe, Benjamin Elisha. “Former British Colonies.” WorldAtlas, 14 May 2018,
www.worldatlas.com/articles/former-british-colonies.html.
Photo Credit:
http://www.densmodelships.com/5.html
https://geology.com/world/india-satellite-image.shtml
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-art-of-writing-hanif-kureishi-reveals-how-to-succeed-in-the-worlds-of-fiction-and-film-2231223.html
Norton, 2018
“Hanif Kureishi.” The British Library, The British Library, 28 Sept. 2015,
www.bl.uk/people/hanif-kureishi.
“History KS3 / GCSE: Why Was India so Valuable to the British Empire? - BBC Teach.” BBC
News, BBC, 27 Nov. 2018, www.bbc.com/teach/class-clips-video/history-gcse-why-was-india-so-valuable-to-the-british-empire/zv2rwty.
Kaul, Dr Chandrika. “History - British History in Depth: From Empire to Independence: The
British Raj in India 1858-1947.” BBC, BBC, 3 Mar. 2011,www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/independence1947_01.shtml.
Sawe, Benjamin Elisha. “Former British Colonies.” WorldAtlas, 14 May 2018,
www.worldatlas.com/articles/former-british-colonies.html.
Photo Credit:
http://www.densmodelships.com/5.html
https://geology.com/world/india-satellite-image.shtml
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-art-of-writing-hanif-kureishi-reveals-how-to-succeed-in-the-worlds-of-fiction-and-film-2231223.html