The Colonization of Stevens
In the year 1954, two years prior to the setting of Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, the Suez canal was returned once again to the government of Egypt putting an abrupt end to the English imperialism and colonialism that had extended throughout centuries. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro serves as a conceit for the rejection of the British Empire by its colonized subjects. Much like the narrator of the novel, Stevens, personifies the dynasty of the British Empire, his realization of the extensive price his “dignity” has cost him symbolizes the colonial subjects’ realization that their freedom was bought at a price as well.
By succumbing to his “dignity”, Stevens, the ‘great’ English butler also loses much of his self-rule, as did the colonies of the Empire. The subjects of these colonies were led to believe that their voices were heard and valued, as in a democracy, but once acquired the English Parliament paid little attention to the citizens other than as means to a profit. Just as the colonies realized the extent of their dependency on the British Empire, Stevens too realizes the impact of placing his whole existence into the misguided hands of Lord Darlington. Stevens finally admits the foolishness of his devotion to Darlington, a devotion that cost him much of his life.
“Lord Darlington wasn’t a bad man. He wasn’t a bad man at all. And at least he had the priviledge of being able to say at the end of his life that he made his own mistakes. His lordship was a courageous man. He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at least. As for myself, I cannot even claim that. You see, I trusted. I trusted in his lordship’s wisdom. All those years I served him, I trusted I was doing something worthwhile. I can’t even say I made my own mistakes. Really- one has to ask oneself- what dignity is there in that?” (p. 201)
Stevens believed in the end that he had made his life a waste by placing it in the hands of his social betters.
Christopher Columbus discovered the America’s for Spain in 1492. The explorers and settlers that settled in Central and South America were mostly Spanish and Portuguese. The English took notice of the Spanish success in the America’s, so they decided to explore the upper part of the America’s, North America, in the late 1500’s.
Were the settlers attacked and “murdered? Did they die of natural causes? Or were they assimilated into Native American tribes?” The title of this documentary is Roanoke: The Lost Colony and directed by Brendan Greockel and Brian Leckey. This is an instructive documentary about the Roanoke settlers and how they suddenly disappear. “Croatoan” was the only clue left, carved on the trunk of a tree by the Roanoke Colony before they disappear. In the year 1587, over 100 English settlers came ashore Roanoke Island, NC, to establish the first English colony in America. Sir Walter Raleigh sent John
"Examine pages 100 to 115 of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel "The Remains of the day" in detail. Show by a close reading of key scenes within this how the novelist's language and form both reveals, and conceals, central issues of character, emotion, politics and memory."
Winston, Jessica "A Mirror for Magistrates and Public Political Discourse in Elizabethan England." Studies in Philology 101 (2004): 381-400. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 6 Nov. 2009.
In the early 1600’s there was the development of New England and Chesapeake Bay colonies, and even though they were both settled by people mainly of the English origin by 1700 they became very two distinct societies. As the two colonies evolved, they developed contrasting economies, societies and institutions.
When people think of the concept of imperialism, they usually view it as something that pertains to government. Even the first definition of imperialism in the dictionary is “imperial state, authority, spirit, or system of government” (Webster 729). However, imperialism encompasses so much more than this. In comparing the resonations between Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness with Johann Goethe’s Faust, one can see how imperialism affects the political, the social, the psychological, and the spiritual, especially within the past 200 years. Stemming from this is man’s existential freedom, his “mechanical and lifeless existence in society”, explored in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor” and Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener”.
In the early 17th century, British colonizers began arriving in the New World in hopes of expanding their territorial domain. By the 18th century, Spanish colonizers had established trading posts and missions in the New World, covering a vast expanse of land that extended beyond even England’s colonial holdings. When the British arrived, they spurred on Indian depopulation and African and European immigration. The arrival of the Spanish resulted in near Indian extinction and a burgeoning international trade. Though Spain had an advantage of a century over Britain, both nations used the New World’s resources to further their mercantile goals, in the process, ravaging the native populations; however, Spain’s missionary efforts were more successful and the location of their respective colonies resulted in a monopoly of different economic commodities.
By the 1700's two regions of English colonization , New England and the Chesapeake Bay, varied greatly. Physical and cultural differences separated them. The seeds of diversity were planted in the early days of colonization when they grew into distinctive societies. Colonists came to America with different motives. Some came for religious reasons while others came to get rich. Religion was the basis of the people's lives in New England, but in the Chesapeake region, money and producing tobacco dominated life. This would affect the colonies economically, socially, and politically.
In his letter, eighteenth century writer, Samuel Johnson constructs his rejection of a woman seeking his assistance in convincing the archbishop of Canterbury to admission to an university. Unapologetically, Johnson conveys his unwillingness to fulfill the mother’s request through the implementation of definition, tone shift, and logical appeal.
The Roanoke colony was located on the Roanoke Island, in Dare County. This is where North Carolina is located today. In 1584, explorers Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe were the first Europeans to set view the island. They were sent to that particular region by Sir Walter Raleigh with the assignment of exploring the extensive sounds and estuaries in hunt of an ideal location for settlement. Barlowe wrote bright information of Roanoke Island, and when the explorers returned to England a year afterward with two Natives, Manteo and Wanchese, all of London was abuzz with chat of the New World’s wonders.Queen Elizabeth, impressed with the results of the reconnaissance voyage, knighted Raleigh as a reward. The new ground was named “Virginia” in respect of the Virgin Queen, and the next year, Raleigh sent a gathering of 100 militia, miners and scientists to Roanoke Island. It was a late 16th century attempt for England to establish a permanent settlement. Queen Elizabeth 1 was queen at the time. The attempt was put together and financed by Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Sir Gilbert drowned in his attempt to colonize St.John’s, Newfoundland. His half-brother Sir Walter Raleigh, gained his deceased brothers charter. He would execute the details of the charter through his delegates Ralph Lane and Richard Greenville. Greenville was a distant cousin of Raleigh. Raleigh’s charter specified that he needed to establish a colony in the North America continent, or he would lose his right to colonization. Raleigh and Elizabeth hoped that the colony would provide riches from the New World and a location from which to send privateers on raids against the treasure fleets of Spain. Raleigh never had visited the continent of North America, although he did lead e...
The Remains of the Day is a book that believes in defining its characters to remarkable detail. Even minor characters are brought to life, using a variety of methods; some subtle, others more overt. This essay will discuss the entire novel - just the first eight pages. Many novels would still only be setting the scene at this point but, with The Remains of the Day, many of the main characters have already been described in a fair amount of detail.
Chesterfield, Lord. Lord Chesterfield's Letters: Complete, Unabridged, and Uncensored. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2008. Print.
The interaction among the English and Native Americans helped shape the development of the Virginia colony. The origins of the traditions held by the population of America started from the time that this land was first set foot on by the human species and was compounded throughout the rest of time. The immigrants and slaves expanded on the traditions of the original settlers. And, along with those they brought their own religions and cultures that also added to the traditions of this country.
At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens (butler) begins a solitary motor trip through which he embarks on a harrowing journey through his own memory. It is on this journey, a motif which is used as a deceptive structural device, that Stevens begins to first question his Lord’s greatness and the meaning of his service. The farther Stevens travels from Darlington Hall, it seems, the closer he comes to fully understanding his life, then sets in the regrets. Upon arriving to the conclusion of Stevens’ journey, literal as well as meaningful, does one encounter the passage by Ishiguro, which ties up the all the loose ends and completes Mr. Stevens life chapter labeled “Past Regrets.”
Robinson Crusoe is a popular fiction of eighteenth century where the author represents imperialistic attitude of a European man, who wants superior position to authorize or to ...