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Conner Chen
Paul Harris
IB Lang Lit SL
2022/10/23

In what ways does the use of language in this article help to interest and entertain the reader?

Use of Language in Hirsch article

The Guardian’s 2019 article Teach British tourists the truth about empire — they can take it

discusses how modern Britain was built on hundreds of years of oppression in the form of the

British Empire. Written by Afua Hirsch, a mixed-race British writer of partial Ghanaian descent,

this article introduces the violent imperial past of many popular tourist destinations for British

people. To entertain readers, Hirsch uses literary devices to help convey her message from both a

satirical and a serious approach.

Sarcastic rhetoric and exaggerative language make parts of the article more engaging. In the

first sentence, Hirsch states that “I am the worst kind of British tourist. My crime is way worse

than…”. Since the article is mainly directed towards British tourists, this first sentence successfully

hooks the audience and prepares readers for the topics yet to be discussed. The word “worst” is a

superlative that establishes the serious tone that will be coherent throughout the article. This tone is

further amplified in the following part of the sentence where Hirsch compares her “crime” to “binge

drinking in Benidorm, or mortifying locals in Rhodes with sex acts performed in front of their

Orthodox chapels.” She uses very specific examples to provoke thoughts from the readers. A point

of comparison is established between misunderstanding the history of one’s own nation and

committing a condemnable, even sinful, act. The word “crime” has the same hyperbolic effect. By

regarding it as a crime, Hirsch implies that the current portrayal of the British empire in post-

colonial territories is unjustified and immorally wrong. This is significant as it shows readers the

level of seriousness with which the topic should be discussed. Later in the article, Hirsch details her
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travels to Jamaica and visit to the Rose Hall museum, which is built on the grounds of a former

slave planation. She mentions that the museum bathroom was once “the cell where those who

attempted to escape had their legs amputated by a bear trap, and were left to bleed to death.” Rather

than simply stating the bathroom was converted from a cell, Hirsch uses vivid language to evoke

visual imagery. This idea is amplified in the second part of the sentence, where she states that the

cell “is now a tourist toilet that the guides assure visitors is ‘perfectly safe to use.’” She plays on the

situational irony of the cell being safe. While the toilet may appear safe to use, the cell over which it

was built was anything but, especially for those who “attempted to escape.” The juxtaposition

creates a stark contrast between the two parts of the sentence, as one highlights the safety of the

area, and the other gives it a horrifying and gory description. Through the use of examples, imagery,

and irony, the sentence as a whole causes the audience to consider the museum’s dark history.

Furthermore, Hirsch specifies that the toilet is meant for tourists, calling it a “tourist toilet.” This

attention to detail connects the idea back to the article itself, which is intended for British tourists.

Although it is unlikely that the toilet is used exclusively by tourists, this detail is added to make the

article more relatable for its audience. Hirsch also recounts her visit to the highlands in Kenya. She

uses the word “generously” to describe the British settlers committing land seizures, establishing

racial apartheid, and extracting wealth from the land. This builds on the sarcastic tone of the article

through verbal irony, as the connotation of the word is incongruous with the rest of the article and

Hirsch’s intent. The word-choice does show, however, how colonizers often have a sense of

“helping” the colonized, even as they are actively harming them. This connects back to the 19th

century idea of the white man’s burden, which was often used to justify imperial conquest. The use

of satire, irony, word choice, and imagery does not simply convey the message but also makes it

more personal for readers.

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The article also interests readers using language that is relatively serious and forthright.

When Hirsch discusses her visit to the museum in Jamaica, she mentions how “Tourists are

reminded, repeatedly, that this site, ground zero of one of the greatest horrors in human history – is

‘paradise.’” The em dash demonstrates the use of medial caesura as it interrupts the natural flow

between the phrases “greatest horror in human history” and “is paradise.” Hirsch makes this

dramatic pause in order to give the statement more significance and allow readers to consider the

idea being presented. In the following sentence, she expresses that “if ‘paradise’ is Jamaica, in the

British tourist lexicon, then ‘Africa’ is basically Kenya.” In this sentence, metonymy is used when

Kenya is referred to by the continent where it presides “Africa.” Hirsch alludes to the fact that

understanding Britain’s relationship with Kenya is a microcosm for understanding the relationship

between Britain and Africa as a whole. At the same time, she is seeking to mock British tourists for

their ignorance and comment on their tendency to view colonized territories as homogenous and

monolithic and strip them of their diversity. Similarly, Hirsch mentions a piece published by the

famous British newspaper The Telegraph that misplaced emphasis on different reasons to visit

Kenya. The piece had no mention of African inhabitants and focused rather on Kenya’s “wildlife,

landscape, and history of any British royalty who had deigned to visit.” This sentence establishes a

juxtaposition between the different characteristics of Kenya and shows how colonizers, as well as

people today, often ignore the colonized people all together when discussing colonized territory.

Later in the article, Hirsch discusses the popular tourist destination in Kenya of white author Karen

Blixen’s house, and she writes that “nostalgia for an era of white adventure and loyal black

servitude is a key attraction for today’s tourists.” In doing this, she implies that the desires of

present day British tourists to experience white adventure and loyal black servitude are the same

desires that shaped Britain’s past colonial conquests. She further emphasizes this in the next

sentence using litotes when she writes that “it’s not subtle”. Hirsch emphasizes that this should be

an incredibly clear relationship to see and also preemptively dismisses any attempts to downplay
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this idea. This is reinforced by the last sentence of the article, which demonstrates the use of

erotesis. Although this rhetorical question allows readers to consider “what hope have we got?” the

answer is already quite obviously implied. Hirsch’s purpose in writing this article surrounds the idea

that if this neglecting and false retelling of history continues, Britain has no hope.

The use of language helps to interest readers while still supporting the idea Hirsch hopes to

convey. the article calls for Britain to recognize its dark colonial history–widespread violence,

displacement and cultural erasure–which has been omitted from the British national narrative that

sees Britishness as synonymous with decency and civilization. This global issue has the same, if not

more, significance in today’s society. Similar ideas are present in movements such as Black Lives

Matter where people are protesting the broken system that disregards black lives. In the case of

Britain and its imperial era, the system is not broken. It is built this way.

Word Count: 1209