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From: rajeev@sftri.UUCP (S.Rajeev)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india
Subject: Re: 'Jewel', British India, and us
Message-ID: <385@sftri.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Mar-85 17:55:35 EST
Article-I.D.: sftri.385
Posted: Fri Mar 22 17:55:35 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Mar-85 03:57:07 EST
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Summit N.J.
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> recognising their own fallibility. It certainly does not "right any wrongs,"
> it can only serve as an object lesson against future arrogance. Let
> us hope that it will.
> 
I have to agree with you here. Perhaps someday we will learn not to repeat
our ancestors' mistakes.

> > It's merely that in times of trouble, people look to a glorious past, and
> > the British, with their country in decline, want to bask in the vicarious
> > thrill of running an empire.....
> >                                           ... Blimpish types who railed at
> > the "distorted" views presented by 'Jewel' and yearned for the good old
> > days of 'Gunga Din' etc.
> 
> This is self-contradictory, so I need hardly point out that, if self-
> congratulation were the goal, ITV would have written Merrick right out
> of the story.

I don't see the contradiction, really: an empire is still an empire, even if
some of the empire-builders are a bit mean. Furthermore, Merrick really is the
protagonist (even though he is an antihero) of the book: writing him out or
diluting his character would have gutted the story.
-- 
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Sri Rajeev, SF 1-342, Bell Labs, Summit, NJ 07901. (201)-522-6330.