Introduction of the Essay:
In the essay entitled National Prejudices, the writer deplores the fact that we are so much enslaved to our national prejudices that we are no longer able to think of man as man. He presents the causes of national prejudices which show his intimate knowledge of human nature. He concludes the essay by declaring that he would prefer the title of A Citizen of the World to any other appellation. In the essay, the writer, after a close observation, finds out that the feeling of prejudice is the outcome of our excessive love for our country. Our feeling of patriotism is also responsible for this prejudice. He also describes the great downfall of the feelings of brotherhood and neighbourhood. He thinks that the feelings of jealousy, superiority and proud have given birth to prejudice.
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| Oliver Goldsmith’s Essay National Prejudices—Summary and Critical Analysis |
Summary of the Essay:
The writer was one of those human beings who spent the greatest part of their time in inns or public houses. He also wandered at such places where a great variety of people could be seen. All sorts of people had different nature. The writer got a special opportunity to meet and talk different kinds of people. It was a higher entertainment for the writer. He observed those people closely and tried to know their views on different things. In one of his rovings, he fell into the company of half a dozen gentlemen who were badly involved in a warm dispute about some political affair. During their discussion, they became sentiments. When their discussion took a violent form, they wanted that the writer should be a part of their conversation. Perhaps they desired to include some new ideas which they thought to derive from the writer. Now, the gentlemen took occasion to talk about the different characters of the several nations of Europe. One of the gentlemen assumed the feeling of superiority. Putting on hat in a slanting way, he showed his importance among the companions. He wanted to show as if he had possessed all the merit of English nation. He declared that the Dutch were the bundies of greediness. They were the men of the base characters and the French were a group of those people who gained the favour of other people by sincerely flattery. Due to being flatterers and greedy by their nature, they, at once, agreed with others’ views. According to the gentleman, the Germans were habitual drunkards and mostly they mostly they were found under heavy intoxication. They were excessive eaters. They ate beyond their satisfaction. In this matter, they were like the beasts which cannot judge that they have taken their food to their satisfaction. The gentleman tells about the Spaniards that they were arrogant and tyrants, but the English excelled all the rest world in bravery, generosity, mildness of temper and in every other virtue. The remark given by the gentleman about the people of different nations got the commendation by all the company. His other companions thought his remark very learned and judicious. But the writer could not approve the gentleman's remark. He could say nothing against his remark. He tried to maintain his gravity. Leaning his head upon his arm, he continued to remain in the state of musing. It seemed as if he did not want to attend their conversation. The gentleman was not satisfied with his company, so he thought that his opinion should not pass without any contradiction. He wanted clear approval of his opinion. Showing his importance and superiority, he asked the writer with confidence if he (the writer) was not agreed with him. The writer told him that he was not in the condition to speak anything on his opinion about people of different nations. The writer also expressed his inability to speak in favour or against his opinion without making a tour of Europe and examining the manners of these several nations with great care and accuracy. The writer told the gentleman that a more impartial judge would not doubt or hesitate to say with confidence that the Dutch were more thrifty and hard – working, the French were more self - restrained and polite, the Germans were resolute and were capable of enduring labour and weariness patiently and the Spaniards were grave than the English. The English were undoubtedly brave and generous, but at the same time they were obstinate and rash. When they gained prosperity, they were overpowered with joy, but in the moment of adversity, they lost their hope.
After hearing the different opinions from the writer, all the company began to see him with jealousy. By now the writer could not finish his answer. The gentleman who was full of the spirit of patriotism, observed the writer. Perhaps he was greatly surprised to know how some people, without loving their country, enjoyed the benefits and protection of the government of the country. The writer could at once notice that by presenting his modest declaration of his sentiments, he had offended their good opinions about their own countrymen. The writer did not think it proper to argue with those men who could not give importance to others before their superiority and who were the true embodiments of patriotism. Indeed they were full of the feelings of prejudices. The writer left that place. In his opinion, there are only few people who are very far from the feelings of prejudices. In this modern time, the feeling of partiality has its abode in every heart. The citizens of different nations are known as Englishmen, Frenchmen, Dutchmen, Spaniards, or Germans. Every citizen of every nation sees with the feeling of prejudices. In this way, he is called the citizen of country not the citizen of the world. In this modern time, the people have formed different societies on the base of their nationality. Now one man does not regard the other as his brother. The people no longer consider themselves as the general inhabitants of the globe, or the members of that grand society which understands the whole human kind. The writer thinks that if these prejudices prevail only among the meanest and lowest of the people, they can be excused and corrected but they have also infected the minds and conduct of the gentlemen. The gentlemen have every good characteristic, but they are not free from prejudice which should be regarded a special mark of a gentlemen. If a man is not free from national and other prejudices, he cannot be a gentleman and he would be called the man of low and vulgar mind whether he belongs to high family or he is the master of good fortune. In writer's opinion noble birth and good fortune do not make anyone the gentleman but it is only humanly and brotherly attitude. Those who boast of their national merits have little or no merit of their own and they depend on others. The feeble creeper twists around the strong oak tree because it has not its own power to stand. It can be stated without being proved in defence of national prejudice that it is the natural and necessary growth of love for the country which encourages fostering the feeling of prejudice. The feeling of prejudice cannot be destroyed without hurting the feeling of love. But it is only a misleading argument. Love for the country or nation can never be hurt. The writer does not accept that love is natural growth, but it gets its form from national prejudice. Religion creates superstition and enthusiasm, but nobody has ever taken it in his head that they are the necessary growth of this noble principle. Indeed religion is a heavenly plant and superstition and enthusiasm are its illegitimate off - shoots which, being parasitical, must be removed if the parent tree is to remain healthy. The writer asks if it is not possible to love the country without hating the natives of other countries and if a citizen of a nation may not perform the most heroic bravery in defending its laws and liberty without despising all the rest of the world. The writer prefers the title of a citizen of the world to that of Englishman, a Frenchman, a European, or to any other title.
Critical Analysis of the Essay:
Introduction:
In the essay entitled National Prejudices, the writer deplores the fact that we are so much enslaved to our national prejudices that we are no longer able to think of man as man. He gives a masterly analysis of the causes of national prejudice, which shows his intimate knowledge of human nature. The writer observed different kinds of people and tried to know their views on different things. In the present essay, he, after close and minute observation, describes the people of different nations who have fostered the feelings of prejudice on the basis of their nationality. He finds that man has enclosed himself within the circle of his own country. Today's man is known and identified on the basis of his nation. The feeling of prejudice is the outcome of our excessive love for our country. Our feeling of patriotism is also responsible for this prejudice. In the essay, the writer also describes the great downfall of the feelings of brotherhood and neighbourhood. The feelings of jealousy, superiority and proud have given birth to prejudice. The writer concludes the essay by declaring that he would prefer the title of A Citizen of the World to any other appellation.
Thought - Content:
In the essay, the writer shows his great fondness of wandering at different places such as in inns or public houses where he meets different kinds of people. He observes the nature and tendency of the people. In one of his rovings, he falls into the company of half a dozen gentlemen who were badly involved in a warm dispute about some political affairs. One of the gentlemen of the company talks about different characters of the several nations of Europe. Due to belonging to English nation, he shows his great superiority and thinks as if he had possessed all the merit of English nation. He badly condemns the Dutch, the French, the Germans, the Spaniards etc. But, he maintains the superiority of his nation and its citizens. His other companions favour his remark, but the writer does not approve his remark which was full of feelings of prejudice. The writer expresses his inability to speak in favour or against his opinion without making a tour of Europe and examining the manners of these several nations with great care and accuracy. The writer thinks that in this modern time, the feeling of partiality has its abode in every heart. The people have formed different societies on the base of their nationality. Now, one man does not regard the other as his brother. Even the gentlemen are also influenced with the feelings of prejudice.
The Use of Anecdote:
In the essay, the writer tells us that in one of his rovings, he falls into the company of half a dozen gentlemen who were badly involved in a warm dispute about some political affair. One of the gentlemen took occasion to talk about the different characters of the several nations of Europe. He assumed the feeling of superiority and started to condemn the citizens of different nations. He presented every bad quality related to them. He tried to show that he belonged to a great English nation and he possessed all the merit of English nation. His other companions thought his remark very learned and judicious. But, the writer said nothing. He (the writer) told him that he was not in the condition to speak anything on his opinion about people of different nations.
Style and Language:
The writer has adopted an easy and informal way without sacrificing his originality and native grace of style. There is his extraordinary powers of boldness and originality of thought. The essay has also the charm of a story because he depicts one of his rovings. During this roving, he falls into the company of the gentlemen belonging to English nation. He describes the affairs of this meeting one after another. He has used long sentences. Like / other 18th century essayists, he too uses uncommon words. He defies analysis, and therefore, synthetic imitation.
