Essay on Post-colonial Encounters in the Early 20th Century

Alfred Noyes wrote The Empire Builders at the turn of the twentieth century. Despite the time at which it was written in, there are various post-colonial themes regarding the hierarchy of difference. The tone of the poem is pessimistic which is understandable since Noyes is writing during the Naturalist period of English literature. Noyes is speaking to the middle class of England; those who â€Å"fulfill their duties as they come† (Noyes, 45). He uses the first person plural article to create a unification between the readers and the narrator. Noyes, in his poem, addresses two postcolonial themes of Christianity as a vehicle of colonization, and the fallacies of European philosophy. In this essay, I argue that the themes and structure that†¦show more content†¦Since the empire- builder has more lines of description, he is situated in a higher category of social stratification. Another instrument that allows the empire-builder to situate himself in higher categories of hierarchy is Christianity. Noyes gives Christianity a large amount of agency in the discourse of colonialism. Christianity was composite in producing Africa as backward. Christianity has two roles: firstly, it is a method by which the white man created an inferiority complex amongst the natives and secondly it created a clear distinction between colonizer and native. At the beginning of the poem, he mentions the superiority of the white man and describes them as the â€Å"Lord God of battles†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Noyes, 5). By saying this, he is not only amplifying the inequality between the white man and the native but also introducing Christianity as a method of creating the divide. On line thirty- six, there is a description of the empire- builder as having a â€Å"shadowy crown of thorn† (Noyes, 36). At this point in the poem, Noyes is slightly empathizing with the empire- builder since he has to carry all the burden of the country on his back. Furthermore, by saying that he has a â€Å"crown of thorns,† Noyes is comparing the status of the empire- builder to that of Jesus Christ, which is establishing the former as the highest authority in societal hierarchy. Towards the end of the poem, Noyes makes the distinction between heaven and home. This isShow MoreRelatedNegative Effects Of Colonialism1445 Words   |  6 PagesOver the centuries, various historiographies have been developed to justify and outline the impact of colonialism on various communities across the world. Some of these postcolonial studies contend that colonialism brought civilization to minority communities in the form of formal education, improved technology, religion, improved infrastructure, and increased trade. 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