Oppression Essay

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Stephanie Castañeda Ms. Kasner Honors English 10; Period 1 26 May 2014 The Impact of Oppression “Learn to feel beyond yourself” (Earthlings). Oppression seems inevitable and is brought upon by your sex, race, or species. If only the human race could stop being selfish and feel beyond themselves, the world would be a better place. Oppression is not an ultramodern problem; it has been around since the Earth began to be inhabited. Oppression in India from foreign countries began centuries ago, now only the lasting impression sits. In Surat in 1612, the British built its first factory and founded the East India Company. As a result, many people of India encountered numerous hardships due to industrialization. Before the British conquered Indian lands, the Indians were farming and not technologically advanced. Until 1858, the East India Company quelled any Indian revolts and prolonged the rule of the British. The Indians were forced to acculturate to the English language, education system, religion, and controlling rules. A sepoy mutiny that broke out in 1857 to 1858 led the British to be directly in charge of the people. Sepoys were Indians with authority, but British puppets—meaning the Indian sepoys did anything the British demanded. India was granted self-rule and government in 1935 with the help of Gandhi, a peaceful leader who gained India’s independence, and his method of non-violence and non-cooperation. They did not gain their full independence until 1947 (Infoplease). The joy of the Indians did not linger long enough because the Muslims segregated and moved to their own country Pakistan (Infoplease). Seventeen million Muslims migrated to Pakistan—making it the largest migration ever. Two years later, India affirmed their ... ... middle of paper ... ...orn Brahmin—India’s highest Hindu caste. At the University of Madras, Markandaya studied history and worked as a journalist. In 1948, Markandaya moved to London, —where she wrote her novels—but made frequent trips to India (Glassman). The most popular literature work she created was her first novel Nectar in a Sieve (Glassman). American views of India aspired from her work (Glassman). In the 1980s Markandaya struggled to get her books published because “traditional realistic” type novels were not in demand anymore (Glassman). Both authors directly or indirectly have a connection with the oppression of Indians in India. Throughout the twentieth century, European imperialists took advantage of the Indian people. The novel of Kamala Markandaya and the poetry of Sarojini Naidu depict how the Indian people accepted their lives, even though they endured many hardships.

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