Quote by George Orwell
England is not the jewelled isle of Shakespeare's much-quoted message, nor is it the inferno depicted by Dr Goebbels. More than either it resembles a family, a rather stuffy Victorian family, with not many black sheep in it but with all its cupboards bursting with skeletons. It has rich relations who have to be kow-towed to and poor relations who are horribly sat upon, and there is a deep conspiracy of silence about the source of the family income. It is a family in which the young are generally thwarted and most of the power is in the hands of irresponsible uncles and bedridden aunts. Still, it is a family. It has its private language and its common memories, and at the approach of an enemy it closes its ranks. A family with the wrong members in control - that, perhaps is as near as one can come to describing England in a phrase.
Summary
This quote by George Orwell provides a metaphorical description of England as a family. He suggests that England is not as glorious as Shakespeare portrayed it, nor as terrible as Nazi propaganda depicted. Instead, Orwell compares it to a stuffy Victorian family with hidden secrets and a rigid social structure. The rich relatives must be appeased while the poor ones suffer oppression. There is a collective silence about the questionable sources of the family's income. The young are often frustrated, as power rests in the hands of irresponsible members. However, when faced with an external threat, England closes ranks as a united family. Overall, the quote conveys the idea that England is a dysfunctional family with inappropriate people in positions of authority.
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