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War Of the Worlds Vs. British Colonialism

War Of the Worlds Vs. British Colonialism. British Imperialism. During the mid-late 1800’s Britain had one the vastest overseas empires to the point where ¼ of the total landmass and population of the world was under British control

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War Of the Worlds Vs. British Colonialism

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  1. War Of the WorldsVs.British Colonialism

  2. British Imperialism • During the mid-late 1800’s Britain had one the vastest overseas empires to the point where ¼ of the total landmass and population of the world was under British control • Many of these colonies/territories which Britain possessed, were taken by force, or just drawn up at meetings with other great European powers who were dividing land up amongst themselves

  3. British Imperialism (cont.) • And many if not all of these colonies that were annexed to Britain during this time were taken without the consent of the native peoples of the land and by arbitrary force • This was especially evident in the carving up of the African continent as well as on the Indian sub-continent

  4. Alien Invasion • In the early moments of alien insurgency instead of trying to establish any lines of communication at all with men, the Martians just start destroying everything in sight • This kind of barbaric behavior and tyranny was exhibited by the Martians invaders all throughout their campaign which almost completely wipes the human race from the face of the Earth

  5. Alien Invasion (cont.) • During the Martian occupation beside the fact that mankind was nearly wiped off the face of the Earth, the structure of society was also nearly destroyed as well because of the state of total chaos the Martians caused • The Martians just implanted their own culture and customs on Earth when they began their campaign of occupation, which slowly but surely began stamp out the life and culture of the indigenous people (humans)

  6. One in the Same British Imperialism The War of the Worlds

  7. Connections Between the Two • One of the biggest connections that is made between Wells’ novel and British imperialism during that time period is the arbitrary force used to take over the foreign territories against the indigenous population’s wishes • This is most evident in the initial actions taken by the Martians after they landed on Earth, even after attempts for communications and peace talks were taken by men towards the Martians they still showed no mercy and massacred the human onlookers • These actions are almost exactly a mirror image of the actions of greed and barbarism taken by the British in their overseas campaign for world domination

  8. Connections Between the Two (cont.) • Wells placed the setting of War of the Worlds in Britain to give the people of his country an idea of the kind of oppression that their own armies were imposing on the helpless natives of African and Asian countries • This is shown through the great devastation and terror the Martians instill on the British people all throughout their campaign to wipe the human race and claim Earth for themselves • This is meant to put the British people into the position of those poor native peoples of Africa and Asia where British ambition his taken precedence over the welfare and rights of the natives

  9. More Connections • Another way the Martian invasion in H.G. Wells’ novel can be related to British imperialism in the 19th Century is in the appearance of the Martians • This is especially evident in the many tentacles that the Martians had and how they would use them to capture its pray and pull it in • This is in comparison to how England held multitudes of foreign territories, and how the English had many slimy tentacles stemming from their country controlling all the many territories it possessed, squeezing all life out of them as England’s imperial ambitions grew

  10. And Some More Connections… • Yet another very pertinent aspect within War of the Worlds that is very close to the major pillars of British Colonialism which were represented by the curate and the artilleryman characters • These two characters represent the two major pillars of British Colonialism/rule over the colonies: the church spread through missionaries and the military which occupied these territories • And the depictions of the deterioration of both these characters’ mental and emotional states during the Martian occupation shows how the two major supports of colonial rule were built with false values and senses of power

  11. Work Cited • Wells, H. G.. The War of the Worlds. London, UK: Createspace, 2008. Print. • "Science fiction, colonialism, and the plot of invasion - page 5 | Extrapolation." Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2010. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1421/is_3_46/ai_n29235667/pg_5/>. • O'Callaghan, Scott. "War of the Worlds: Why Do We Fear Martians?." Learn More at Space.com. From Satellites to Stars, NASA information, Astronomy, the Sun and the Planets, we have your information here.. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2010. <http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/phenomena/war_worlds_fear_991029.html>.

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