This spirit had what he calls an elective affinity or unconscious similarity to the Calvinists' beliefs and attitudes. This included predestination, which is a belief that God had chosen who would go to heaven even before birth, and asceticism, which refers to abstinence, self-discipline and self-denial. Because of these beliefs, the Calvinists lifestyle involved no luxury, working long hours and practicing high self-discipline. Their high work ethic resulted in them systematically and methodically accumulating wealth by the more efficient means possible, and because they refused themselves all luxuries they reinvested their wealth into businesses which grew and prospered, producing further profit and so on. This shows how the religion of Calvinism brought about modern capitalism, which was a form of social change.
Compare the theme of racism incorporated in the novel “This earth of mankind” and “Heat and Dust”. This earth of mankind and Heat and Dust are both colonial period novels incorporating the theme of racism. The origins of these two novels were both colonies controlled by two powerful European nations. The colonizers did not only bring with them the alien culture and regime to their colonies, but also the ideology of racism. Both Toer and Jhabvala use the theme of racism to portray the effects of colonization and colonizers’ attitude toward their colonies.
Revolutionary Americans resented the economic restrictions, finding them exploitative. They claimed the policy restricted colonial trade and industry and raised the cost of many consumer goods. In his 1774 pamphlet, "A Summary View of the Rights of British America, " Thomas Jefferson asserted the Navigation Acts had infringed upon the colonists' freedom in preventing the "exercise of free trade with all parts of the world, possessed by the American colonists, as of natural right." Yet, as O. M. Dickerson points out, it is difficult to find opposition to the mercantile system among the colonists when the measures were purely regulatory and did not levy a tax on them. The British mercantile system did after all allow for colonial monopoly over certain markets such as tobacco, and not only encouraged, but with its 1660 regulation was instrumental in, the development of colonial shipbuilding.
Although both groups had similar purposes for their explorations, they have different goals, the achievements and failures. were more concerned with colonization, debtors and prisoners to get rid of the old world, and to achieve religious freedom. Spanish and English explorers to support the newly settled colonies need to make some sort of revenue.They also harvesting sugarcane, "rich man's crop", investment and although it took hard work and labor, and slaves require a large amount of work, it was still a source of income. They also set up foreign trade. Central and South America had settled in Spanish, the English chose to explore North America.Either find it or steal gold, or by serving as a trading post was established to make money.Tobacco proved to be easy to develop and bring in a great deal of revenue for the colony.
After witnessing two thriving centers of capitalism, Nkrumah returned home with hopes of turning his homeland around. One thing that was occurring in Africa and not the United States was a process known as “balkanization”. The United States were strong because they realized that even a confederacy was not adequate to maintain a successful capitalist state. Africa was continually being exploited due to the many isolated governments that could be swayed by powerful foreign investors. One of the examples Nkrumah used was cocoa production.
The tendency to uphold colonial powers as part of God’s plan has been evident in the missionary agenda. As a matter of fact, it is hard to differentiate the two. This has led to the condemnation of local religion and religious systems in preference for the Christian foreign religion. Ngugi wa Thiongo referred to the missionaries as the “colonial spiritual police” while amplifying on the great connection between colonial imperialism and the missionary enterprise. However, as much as one should not be blind to the mistakes done in the early days of the spread of Christianity in Africa, we must come to terms with both historical facts and other instances that show that Christianity is indeed an African religion.
Although creating this dichotomy seems a gross generalization and oversimplification of the colonial African experience, it more importantly allows for a different perspective- one that exposes the overwhelming success of the typically peaceful or pacifist reaction in contrast to the little gain and large losses of the violent response. Throughout history, European powers have tried and succeeded in imperializing lesser developed countries, countries that did not fall under or follow the European standards. This was the case with China and Japan. Both China and Japan were self-sufficient countries that only trade with neighboring countries. They had the necessities they needed to live and did not want trifle gadgets.
Nalo Hopkinson’s Midnight Robber portrays a manifestation of various characteristics of postmodernism, such as irony, the incredulity of metanarratives, temporal distortion, pastiche, technoculture, hyperreality, intertextuality, metafiction and histographic metafiction, as well as characteristics of postcolonialism such as Orientalism, pluralism, identity, double consciousness, colonization and resistance. Typical of the chaotic nature of postmodern literature, the literary techniques utilized in Midnight Robber aim to mock the reality and logical sense of reason which is characteristic of the period of modernism. The irony of postmodernity denies a difference between what is real and what is appearance and even embraces incoherence and lack of meaning (Coletta, 2009). Therefore, irony is another vehicle through which the line between the real and unreal is blurred. In other words, ‘meaning’, through post modern irony is constructed through interpretation, rather than perceived or understood.
Upon arriving in the colonized country and during his travels up the river he begins to see the truth about the company’s “trade” as well as the “cultivation” of the “uncivilized” inhabitants and culminates his enlightenment during his encounter with Kurtz. Conrad’s descriptions of the cruelties he encountered, albeit as a backdrop more than the main subject matter, point out that imperialism, contrary to popular belief at that time, was not a noble endeavor to civilize savage people but rather it was simply a horrific display of exploitation and man’s cruelty to man. Joseph Conrad’s novella contrasted the European’s view of imperialism as a noble, principled pursuit to bring culture to an uncivilized world with the stark reality that is was materialistic and evil in nature. Marlow begins his journey as a business man, going on a business trip. He slowly discovers through his observations that “business” in the Congo and his ideas of how his own “civilized” world is actually the savage one.
Although he is indicated as the “amazing” Mr. Kurtz, readers find out at the end that Mr. Kurtz was the one with the dark heart. “Heart of Darkness” does not reveal its meaning in digestible morsels, like the kernel of a nut. Rather, its meanings evade the interpreter; they are larger than the story itself. (Yale.edu-modernism research) “Heart of Darkness” is about savagery, racism, slavery, harshness. The story is an exploration of the difference between the savagery and civilization, and the colonialism and the racism which makes the imperialism possible.