By George Orwell

“The potential for colonialism is inherent in a
world comprised of countries in radically
different stages of economic development.
The powerful invariably dominate the
powerless.” (anon)

Your bellwork prompt is to respond to this
quote: Is colonialism inevitable? Why or
why not?
Vocabulary Word
Definition
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
a. smiling in a mocking or taunting way
baited
hideous
sneering
despotic
squalid
unnerving
supplant
agony
b. foul or unclean; wretched
c. upsetting, unsettling
d. frightful, repulsive, or revolting
e. extreme mental or physical suffering
f. dictatorial, oppressive
g. harassed or annoyed
h. replace or take the place of
What is it?
When is it used?
What does it look like or sound like?
Read the points on the following page to understand why
Orwell felt like an outsider in Burma, as well as why the
Burmese people would have felt resentment toward
Orwell and others like him:
I’m
George
Orwell
• Colonialism refers to the rule of one nation over a group of
people in a geographically distant land—usually to maintain
control of that land’s resources.
• Between the 1600s and the 1800s, Great Britain took control
of millions of people, their land, and their resources through
colonization.
• British citizens often went to live in the colonies and to
govern over the people there. They were outsiders and in
the minority in the colonies.
• The colonial subjects were resentful of the British
• This essay is set in the British colony of Burma
• George Orwell was a British police officer in Burma
So…How do you think the Burmese felt about Orwell’s
presence in their country? How do you think Orwell might
have felt?

** Let’s look at a map to see the distance
between England and Myanmar (Burma)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=United%20Kin
gdom&utm_campaign=en&utm_medium=ha&u
tm_source=en-ha-na-us-skgm&utm_term=united%20kingdom%20map

How do you think they were able to travel
between England and Myanmar? And (as a side
note) how does that relate to the piracy
problems (mostly from Somalia) we see in the
Gulf of Aden today?