Preview

Kubla Khan

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
913 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Kubla Khan
Explanation of “Kubla Khan” in Post-Colonial Context Post Colonialism is the interactions and reactions of the colonialists and the imperialistic powers. Literature which reacts by challenging the content and form of colonial influence and expresses its ideas in its own voice and vernacular language, is deemed to be Post-Colonial.
Kubla Khan is a poem written by S.T coleridge.This poem describes Xanadu, the palace of Kubla Khan, a Mongol emperor and the grandson of Genghis Khan.But if we interpret it in terms of post colonial criticism then a new colonial way is interpreted. Opening lines gets a lot of work done quickly. It introduces us to the title character Kubla Khan, and begins to describe the amazing setting of the poem Xanadu.That "stately pleasure dome decree" means that he had a really fancy and beautiful palace built. Actually Coleridge is actually talking about a real place and a real guy. Kubla Khan was the grandson of the legendary Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. According to the facts of history, Kubla Khan was the non – Chinese emperor who ruled China and made a beautiful palace Xanadu over there. This is a historical valuable idea to understand the colonialism in this poem.
The speaker begins to describe the geography of Xanadu. He starts by introducing us to the River Alph. He tells us about a river that runs across the land and then flows through some underground caves and into the sea. He also tells us about the fertile land that surrounds the palace. he talks about "caverns measureless to man" we get a sense that this landscape is both huge and unknowable. The palace, Xanadu, is situated between the forest surrounded by the hills proves the prestigious nature of the place and this fact put Xanadu on the place of Colonized, which is under the rule of Kubla Khan. Further, he gives River Alph the attributes of a character of poem by calling it “romantic chasm”. Now the river can be reinterpreted as Colonized in terms of post colonialism.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The book I have chosen is called Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. This book describes the Mongol Legacy and how his achievements have impacted the globe since he was first found. This book consists of Jack Weatherford’s take of how the Mongolian empire impacted the world. This book is divided into sections that talk about the stages of the Mongol influence.…

    • 1556 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Genghis Khan and the Making of the New World is a narrative of the growth and power of Genghis Khan and his successors, including their influence on Europe’s civilization. The book is divided into three sections, the beginning of the Mongol Empire and Genghis Khan’s rule, Genghis Khan’s death and his successors. The author, Weatherford, delivers a different viewpoint on Genghis Khan than what was very typical in most books. He talked about the positive cultural effects to Genghis Khan’s rule. At the end of the book, he analyses the historiography of Genghis Khan in the West and claims that the Genghis Khan’s earlier portrayal was an "excellent, noble king" transformed to that of a ruthless pagan during the Age of the Enlightenment.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, by Jack Weatherford. New York: Crown, 2004, 312 pages. Reviewed by Tyler E. Tatum.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Postcolonial Lens Essay

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “Postcolonial theory challenges us as readers to see the world differently, to look at history, literature, language, and culture in new ways.” (Baldwin & Quinn, 2007, p. 18) In other words, interpreting literature through a post-colonial theory lens is like using a magnified glass to look at the world, to see things more clearly and from different perspectives. Alterity as…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Let's start begin with, What is Colonialism? Colonialism is the establishment of a colony in one territory by a political power from another territory, and the subsequent maintenance, expansion, and exploitation of that colony. The term is also used to describe a set of unequal relationships between the colonial power and the colony and often between the colonists and the indigenous peoples.…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genghis Khan

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Many forceful leaders can guide their empires through any situation. They make decisions based on logic and fact and gain the confidence of others. One of the greatest ancient leaders, if not the greatest was the Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan. He claimed these titles through his origins, military campaigns, his ability to administrate his empire and legacy.…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genghis Khan

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The name of Genghis Khan is often associated with destruction, although the image of Genghis Khan has been rehabilitated somewhat in the west. The western world, saturated in media distortion and a reluctance to accept changes in perceptions of history, has been rather averse in accepting Genghis Khan's activities as pivotal in world history and the shaping of the modern world. Thus, the publication of Jack Weatherford's book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, is a welcome addition to the literature on the Mongols.…

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genghis Khan

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Genghis khan has done what many could not during his time like being one of the greatest conquers, having a very high education, and is a great military leader. Genghis Khan should be included into the medieval Hall of Fame. He has good government establishments, he is an effective military leader, and under his control even alone, the Mongol Empire had a vast territory and growing during and after his time, but eventually everything that goes up, must come down.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marco Polo

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Moreover, he assures his audience that the writing will consist of only the truth, while egoistically claiming that he his the sole explorer who has traveled so many lands and that his sharing of knowledge is a selfless act which will educate those who are ignorant. Later on in chapter three, Polo goes to talk about the Mongol Empire, under Khubilai Khan. In this chapter, it is evident that he views Khubilai Khan in high regards. He commences by physically and personally describing the Khan, and then moves on to talk about his rule. He put much priority describing his lifestyle and how the people react to him. For instance he goes in an in depth explanation of the beauty of the palace, in which Khubilai resides during the winter months, “The palace itself has a very high roof. Inside, the walls of the halls and chambers are all covered with a gold and silver and decorated with pictures of dragons and birds and horsemen and various breeds of beasts and scenes of…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Leadership from Genghis Khan

    • 2861 Words
    • 12 Pages

    In 1165, a child was born in the heart of Asia. It is said that when he was born, he was clutching a blood clot-a sign from Heaven that he was destined to be a great warrior. His name is Genghis Khan, meaning "Universal Ruler". The word Khan is not a name, but a title. It means emperor or king. This word had been used by different tribes or nations in various forms in central Asia. Genghis Khan is the most greatest among those Khans.(Abbott, 1902) His life was about to become a legend in human history. Many people believe that his story is full of butchering people and some scholars even compared him to Hitler. The real character of Genghis Khan, however, is far more intriguing. How did this illiterate outcast turn the feuding tribes of Mongolia into a powerful nation? And how did he transform the Mongol hordes into a ruthless and disciplined fighting machine?…

    • 2861 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mongol Empire

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Mongols were known for forcefully invading inhabited territories. A compilation of their oral traditions talks about Genghis Khan’s conquests and how he used trickery to destroy cities and slaughter their soldiers (doc 1). This shows how brutal the Mongol warriors could be in their expansion efforts. This is further explained in a document written by Russian monks, who said when the Mongols came to Ryason, they killed almost everybody and violated the women (doc 2). This ruthlessness is explained by Marco Polo’s accounts, which talked about the barbaric nature of their living conditions, sustaining themselves on almost nothing (doc 3). An eyewitness account, reveals that Genghis Khan wiped out a whole tribe for rebelling and allowed neighboring areas to plunder what was left (doc 7). This shows how seriously the Mongols were keeping conquered areas in line, and how forceful and violent they were even after the initial invasions. Their rage is discussed by the Pope who said they laid whole countries in ruined and killed everybody without discrimination (doc 8). This final document exemplifies the forcefulness of Mongol conquest.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Romanticism - Coleridge

    • 3412 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. Selected Poetry . Edited by Heather Jackson. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.…

    • 3412 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Genghis Khan

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Changez Khan was born in 1162 at Mongolia. His father Yesukhei was the chief of the minor Borijin clan of nomadic Mongols, who lived by hunting. His mother’s name was Hoelun. He was given the name Temujin. Mongol legend says that the baby was born with a blood-clot in his fist, a sign that he would be a great warrior. When Temujin was nine, his father took him to a neighboring tribe to work for several years and earn a bride. On the way home, Yesukhei was poisoned by rivals, and died. Temujin returned to his mother, but the clan expelled Yesukhei's two widows and seven children, leaving them to die. They were left alone for many years to care for themselves. Throughout these years, his family met many hardships such as shortage of food and shortage of money. Though unable to read, Genghis was a very wise man. His mother told him at a very early age the importance of trust and independence. "Remember, you have no companions but your shadow". Young Temujin and his full brother Khasar grew to resent their eldest half-brother, Begter. They killed him; as punishment for the crime, Temujin was seized as a slave. His captivity may have lasted more than five years. He was married at the age of sixteen to a slightly older girl named Borje. At the age of 27, by 1206, an assembly of Mongolian chieftains proclaimed him “Genghis Khan”. Which meant Universal or invincible prince. Within five years, the Mongols had annexed much of Siberia till Afghan border, modern China and captured every Khwarizm city, adding lands from Turkey to Russia. In 1222, the 61-year-old Khan called a family conference to discuss the succession. His four sons disagreed over which should be Great Khan. As a compromise, the third son, Ogodei, became successor. Jochi died in February 1227, Ogodei took East Asia, which became China, Chagatai got Central Asia, Tolui, the youngest, took Mongolia proper and Jochi's sons got Russia and Eastern Europe. Genghis Khan died on August 18, 1227, and…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kubla Khan

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The land is constructed as a paradisical garden, but like Eden after Man's fall, Xanadu is isolated by walls. The finite properties of the constructed walls of Xanadu are contrasted with the infinite properties of the natural caves through which the river runs.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays