Quote by Christopher Hitchens
Wars, wars, wars': reading up on the region I came across one moment when quintessential Englishness had in fact intersected with this darkling plain. In 1906 Winston Churchill, then the minister responsible for British colonies, had been honored by an invitation from Kaiser Wilhelm II to attend the annual maneuvers of the Imperial German Army, held at Breslau. The Kaiser was 'resplendent in the uniform of the White Silesian Cuirassiers' and his massed and regimented infantry...Strange to find Winston Churchill and Sylvia Plath both choosing the word 'roller,' in both its juggernaut and wavelike declensions, for that scene.
Summary
This quote discusses an unexpected connection between two historical figures - Winston Churchill and Sylvia Plath - through their choice of a specific word in describing a scene. The scene in question is the visit of Churchill, who was then a minister in charge of British colonies, to the annual maneuvers of the Imperial German Army in Breslau in 1906. The quote points out how both Churchill and Plath used the word 'roller,' which conveys both the unstoppable force of a juggernaut and the undulating motion of waves, to describe the scene. It highlights the commonality in their perception and language choice despite their different time periods and backgrounds.
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