The commander of the planet-based Baburite occupation forces Orwellianizes language when speaking to Grand Duchess Sandra. Hermetian ships attacked Baburite invaders because there were "'...many subversives...'" (p. 182) in the Hermetian navy! That is one way of using language. We can say anything. It does not have to be true: Genghis Khan was a pacifist.
Despite the occupation, Sandra:
"...had been astonished to find she could still enjoy a meal..." (ibid.)
The cliche is that life goes on - until it stops. Some characters in Rockets In Ursa Major by Fred and Geoffrey Hoyle make the point that, whether or not aliens conquer Earth, some people will still have to work in offices or factories. They might not see their new overlords as very different from their previous ones. In one of Aesop's Fables, a donkey who is already carrying as much as he can sees no point in running to avoid capture by an enemy army because they will not be able to make him carry any more than he is already carrying.
Despite all this, I do not favour acquiescence before Baburite invaders.
"When (fill in the blank) is occupied, resistance is justified!" Suddenly this post becomes up to date and relevant. It did not start out that way.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteSometimes, however, conquests endures for centuries and the once alien masters becomes accepted as legitimate rulers, even to the point of them becoming assimilated into the people they conquered. Which is exactly what happened to the French speaking Normans who conquered England in 1066. By the time the first Plantagenet, Henry II, became king in 1153, I don't think there was any serious thought of overthrowing Norman rule.
Hope this uploads.
Ad astra! Sean
Yup. Mind you, the lower orders of the Normans became Anglicized in a real hurry -- not least by marrying Anglo-Saxon widows to get their property. The upper aristocracy and the court remained French-speaking for longer, but that wasn't what most ordinary English people met. By the late 13th century only a tiny court clique was still really "French" in any real sense.
ReplyDelete