Analysis Of The Text 'Had Long Ago Been Conquered'
Essay
As is conventional, the citizens of an imperial state are often satisfied with the notion of sovereign cultural superiority, this not by natural happenstance, but because “[they] were meant to”. The author, among citizens of Antigua, inadvertently allowed the subtle invasion of her cultural heritage by the English. As a result, the author’s childhood was consumed by English culture, considering “the shoes [worn] to work would have been made in England, as were [the] khaki shirt and trousers, [the] underpants and undershirt, [the] socks and brown felt hat”. Presumably, this inevitable realization by the author, that she “had long ago been conquered” by the autocratic English culture, develops a unique juxtaposition of past and present.
As is conventional, the citizens of an imperial state are often satisfied with the notion of sovereign cultural superiority, this not by natural happenstance, but because “[they] were meant to”. The author, among citizens of Antigua, inadvertently allowed the subtle invasion of her cultural heritage by the English. As a result, the author’s childhood was consumed by English culture, considering “the shoes [worn] to work would have been made in England, as were [the] khaki shirt and trousers, [the] underpants and undershirt, [the] socks and brown felt hat”. Presumably, this inevitable realization by the author, that she “had long ago been conquered” by the autocratic English culture, develops a unique juxtaposition of past and present.