summary of the national prejudices by Oliver Goldsmith
Answers
Answer:
Oliver Goldsmith is of the opinion that we should all strive to be a citizen of the world and not just one particular nation.
Explanation:
Oliver Goldsmith, was an Anglo-Irish writer and essayist. In his famous essay "On National Prejudice" he recounts an encounter with a group of elderly gentlemen discussing about nationalism. One man described the different people of Europe in the negative way but praised the "English" for their "bravery, generosity, clemency" etc and they are the best of everyone in the world. When asked for an opinion, Goldsmith decided not to talk on it as it is for sure he will contradict that statement. While the rest of the group agreed with the man, when directly asked, Goldsmith had to say his thoughts reluctantly. He couldn't make such a broad statement about the characteristics of the other European nations and that even they also possess positive attributes that are not mentioned or taken into consideration by the man. He questions why it is important for people to easily judge others and just talk of themselves as the best. Reiterating that in order for him to talk about the other nations, he had to still visit them. And that instead of being citizens of a particular country, why not be a citizen of the world? We should view ourselves as being part of the whole world and not just one nation, one country to be proud of.
He concludes by stating that yes, it is okay to be proud of one's on land and country. But that should not stop us from thinking outside of the box. Narrowing our minds won't make anything useful. Instead, try to be a citizen of the whole world without the need to hate others.
Answer:
briefly explanation of authors argument on national prejudices