Jessica Y E Block
74,187—the number of Indian soldiers that died in World War I.
India was far off from the battle sites of WW1. What reason, what incentives did they have to get involved in such a bloody war?
The British government promised self-government to the Indians, if they fought in the British army in WW1. If I wanted freedom, I’d have enlisted. If we have self-rule, I wouldn’t be degraded. It may cost my life, but my people can have freedom. As we all know, the idea of a self-governing government was still a dream, even after WW1. Independence, self-rule, was still out of reach, even though over a million Indian soldiers fought for it, and 74,187 people died for it. The British government brought terrible injustice to the India, to the Indian soldiers that fought in World War I.
Giving false hope is one of the most cruel things people tend to do. The British government did just that after WW1. The British were giving a false promise that cost thousands of lives. We’ll give your country self-rule. How would you feel if someone offered you candy, you broke your leg trying to get it, then not receive it in the end? Betrayed, frustrated, disappointed–is how I’d feel. Knowing that the consequences in this story were much more dire, these emotions would boil within us.
If the British were to have given them self-rule, there would have probably been less prison-bursting, rioting, beating for the next two decades following WW1. In the end, the Indians were granted self-rule. It was an unfair price, though.The Indians payed lives to the British. But the British didn’t give them self-rule until they themselves were desperate. Shouldn’t the British pay more reparations to the families that lost their relatives and to the Indian nation?
The British built a monument (picture above) to honor the soldiers, but if this event had caused me to lose someone, I’d look at that monument in disgust. What would it stand for? A broken promise?
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April 25th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Excellent writing, J, from Ideas to the other five traits. Especially the conclusion. What a fine closing!
That one analogy, though, between Britain’s betrayal of India and the candy example….can you see how a more “adult” analogy would have helped your idea and writing?
But that’s just a bit of constructive criticism.
I wonder if England’s textbooks mention this shameful incident.