Key Themes and Quotes Flashcards
(32 cards)
Theme: Colonialism - Quote
‘The British Empire will last a thousand years.’ – Shows the pride and arrogance of colonial rule.
Theme: Colonialism - Quote
‘We have brought civilisation to the savages.’ – Reflects racist imperial ideology.
Theme: Colonialism - Quote
‘I thought Britain would be grand… but I was treated like dirt.’ – Reveals the harsh reality of colonial subjects’ experience in Britain.
Theme: Colonialism - Quote
‘The Queen rules India from a distance… with little understanding.’ – Critiques the detachment of British rulers from the people they govern.
Theme: Identity - Quote
‘I am neither fully Indian nor fully British.’ – Highlights the struggle of belonging.
Theme: Identity - Quote
‘Why do they stare at me as if I do not belong?’ – Highlights racism and alienation in British society.
Theme: Identity - Quote
‘They stripped me of my language, my name, my pride.’ – Cultural erasure under empire.
Theme: Identity - Quote
‘I am more than your curiosity.’ – Confronts the exoticisation of Indian characters.
Theme: Power & Politics - Quote
‘A servant is a servant, no matter what uniform he wears.’ – Highlights the rigid British class system and racial hierarchy.
Theme: Power & Politics - Quote
‘You think giving us titles changes how you treat us?’ – Critiques token gestures of respect without real equality.
Theme: Power & Politics - Quote
‘Power is not just given, it is taken.’ – Suggests resistance against colonial authority.
Theme: Power & Politics - Quote
‘Even in the palace, you remind us we are less than you.’ – Highlights institutional racism within elite spaces.
Theme: Racism - Quote
‘Go back to where you came from.’ – Expresses racism faced by immigrants in Britain.
Theme: Racism - Quote
‘You smell of curry and dirt.’ – A shocking example of casual racism.
Theme: Racism - Quote
‘A brown man in Buckingham Palace? Disgraceful.’ – Shows outrage at breaking racial and social barriers.
Theme: Racism - Quote
‘They don’t see me—they see my skin.’ – Emphasises how race becomes a barrier to human connection.
Theme: Relationships - Quote
‘She listens to me, even when others laugh.’ – Abdul Karim finds an ally in Queen Victoria.
Theme: Relationships - Quote
‘You are my friend, my teacher – my Munshi.’ – Shows mutual respect between Victoria and Abdul.
Theme: Relationships - Quote
‘Friendship doesn’t see colour.’ – Suggests hope for cross-cultural understanding.
Theme: Relationships - Quote
‘I served you with loyalty, yet you turned on me.’ – Highlights betrayal and shifting power dynamics.
Theme: Change & Progress - Quote
‘India will not stay chained forever.’ – Foreshadows India’s eventual independence.
Theme: Change & Progress - Quote
‘The Empire is crumbling and you refuse to see it.’ – Reflects the decline of British colonial rule.
Theme: Change & Progress - Quote
‘New voices are rising, demanding justice.’ – Foreshadows political and social change.
Queen Victoria - Quotes
‘You are my Munshi, my teacher.’ – Shows her affection and respect for Abdul.
‘I find your company most enlightening.’ – Reflects her openness to learning from an Indian man.
‘Let them grumble, I shall do as I please.’ – Demonstrates her authority and disregard for the court’s racism.
