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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Spiritual Citadel:
Throughout Burmese Days, the narrator uses a spiritual metaphor as a motif, comparing the European Club to a "spiritual citadel" and a form of "Nirvana" for people like U Po Kyin. Note the following example of this motif from Chapter 2:
In any town in India the European Club is the spiritual citadel, the real seat of the British power, the Nirvana for which native officials and millionaires pine in vain.
This metaphor reveals that it is power, not spiritual enlightenment, that provokes religious fervor in U Po Kyin and others like him. These men long for the affirmation of hierarchy. Only White European officials, who sit above them in this hierarchy, can give U Po Kyin the "Nirvana" he desires.
The narrator provides further context for this spiritual relationship in Chapter 12, again affirming U Po Kyin as an acolyte of the European Club by noting that he has "worm[ed] his way into the European Club," which, the narrator notes, is a "remote, mysterious temple, that holy of holies far harder of entry than Nirvana!" U Po Kyin views this European Club as "remote"—a "mysterious temple" he yearns to penetrate. It is precisely the exclusivity of the Europeans that allows them to maintain their authoritative status. By refusing all but a few entry to the Club, they ensure that this apparent Nirvana remains a scarce resource in high demand. This demand preserves their own power.
Related Themes:
Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Spiritual Citadel:
Throughout Burmese Days, the narrator uses a spiritual metaphor as a motif, comparing the European Club to a "spiritual citadel" and a form of "Nirvana" for people like U Po Kyin. Note the following example of this motif from Chapter 2:
In any town in India the European Club is the spiritual citadel, the real seat of the British power, the Nirvana for which native officials and millionaires pine in vain.
This metaphor reveals that it is power, not spiritual enlightenment, that provokes religious fervor in U Po Kyin and others like him. These men long for the affirmation of hierarchy. Only White European officials, who sit above them in this hierarchy, can give U Po Kyin the "Nirvana" he desires.
The narrator provides further context for this spiritual relationship in Chapter 12, again affirming U Po Kyin as an acolyte of the European Club by noting that he has "worm[ed] his way into the European Club," which, the narrator notes, is a "remote, mysterious temple, that holy of holies far harder of entry than Nirvana!" U Po Kyin views this European Club as "remote"—a "mysterious temple" he yearns to penetrate. It is precisely the exclusivity of the Europeans that allows them to maintain their authoritative status. By refusing all but a few entry to the Club, they ensure that this apparent Nirvana remains a scarce resource in high demand. This demand preserves their own power.
Related Themes:
