Frederick Douglass’ speech titled ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July’ is a passionate oration on the plight of black slaves in pre Civil War America. Delivered in 1852 the speech is elaborate and rationale but also emotionally touching. It is fair to claim that this speech is a key piece of American…
Category: History
The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn: Review of Chapters 1 through 5
Howard Zinn is arguably the most important American historian. He brought a radical transformation to the construction of history that was previously unheard of. By siding with the oppressed, the underprivileged, the victims, the poor and the weak, he made their voices heard through his writing. The People’s History of the United States is a…
During the period from about 1405 and 1750 why was religious toleration practiced in some places and not in others?
When we look at geo-political and social conflicts across the world today we can see how religion is a factor in most of the conflicts. In this backdrop, it is fair to claim that the world would be a more peaceful place to inhabit if more people practice religious toleration. What is true today has…
Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning: A Perspective
Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning will continue to be a key text on human psychology due to its concerns with universal themes. The most focused of those themes in the book is that of suffering and human choice. Frankl suggests that even in the most hopeless and helpless of situations, where one is under…
To what degree did Buddhism provide a basis for cultural exchange and trade along the Silk Road?
The Silk Road (or Silk Route) was a vast network of inter-continental pathways that was a key artery of trade and cultural exchange during ancient times. First developed during the Han dynasty two millennia ago, the routes connected China to India, Europe, Arabia and beyond. While silk produced in China was a major commodity being…
The Agency and Post-Colonial Consciousness in Singlish
Singlish is a creolized language, drawing mainly from English but also supplemented by words and expressions from Malay, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Tamil. Having evolved and still in currency in Singapore, Singlish is not highly regarded by Singaporean elite society, which prefers and promotes Standard English. In many ways, this cultural conflict is reminiscent of…
The Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente
Geopolitical equations toward the end of the 19th century were as complex as it was fragile. The two broad groupings were the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. These two distinct groupings came into existence in 1882 and lasted till the First World War. But even among alliance partners, there were conflicts of interest and…
Response to Equiano the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man
The book Equiano the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man is one of the most important historical documents of imperialism. The book narrates the story of a former slave – Olaudah Equiano (born circa 1750 and died 1797) – who is one of the earliest voices of African slaves. Reading this book has been an…
The misapplication of the myth of Hercules to the injustices of imperialism – based on illustrations by John Smith and Richard Frethorne
The imperialists’ adoption of the myth of Hercules and the many headed Hydra to their cause is problematic and flawed. Firstly, there is nothing Herculean about the imperialist agenda of expansion and economic exploitation. Secondly, far from being the devilish and much maligned mythic creature that is the Hydra, those represented by it are mostly…
Why Thales holds a special place in the history of Western philosophy?
Thales of Miletus, usually referred simply as Thales, was an eminent pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. Hailing from Miletus of the Asia Minor region, he is regarded as one among Seven Sages of Greece. Though it was under Socrates, Plato and Aristotle that Greek philosophy found its highest expression, Thales’ discourse set the foundation for the subsequent…