Babel, or The Necessity of Violence

I am SO MAD at this book because the first half is so perfect and then it drives straight off a cliff. nyyyyyyoooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

parts that I love/general comments: (and then I'll open fire on criticisms later)

- For context, I literally study at oxford am graduating this year. This book made my city come alive to me, persuaded me to touch grass and man reallllly made graduating and leaving way harder than it was gonna be lol. Thank you to this book for gifting my city to me again before I leave.

- For context, I'm a first gen Chinese immigrant. I've been obsessed with the differences between the two languages for yoinks and this book actually brought many flavours of what I love in Chinese/East Asian literature that's often lost in translations (reference not intended but I'll take it anyway thank you thank you). Thank you R F Kuang for letting the great reader base of English only peeps know what they're missing out on LOL. Understanding both languages also made this book amazing. This book wasn't written for me but it sure felt like it was B)

- Can't believe that no one complained that Oxford water tastes bad LOL I swear it's the only thing people talk about in freshers (I still don't get what is up with this y'all btw Bristol tastes even worse)

- Working you to the bone is real and true though. Could not be the maths dept actually not letting you to go fourth year without at least a 2.1, it gen might as well feel like being dragged out and thrown down a tower.

- Bro I never got oysters at a college ball I want my money back. Oh wait, I never paid cus I organised that shit LOL (lil side note just cus misinformation annoys me, we don't get any money from college and nor are we allowed to turn a profit, and we definitely would not be able to afford oysters)

- Griffin is SO REAL for missing being a student. I miss my first year room. New building st Peter’s will always have my heart

- secretly wished that the author had included some explanations of language using some more commonly misunderstood chinese terms. Just for personal satisfaction. Hearing people say the ‘Ying to my Yang’ I umh uh I ahahaha uhhh AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

criticisms:

I genuinely have few bad words to say about the first half, and I think that's why the whiplash of so many problems being in the second half has me so sad :((((

- lots of plotholes. loads.

- killing like everyone within in two chapters with not much reason really gave me wattpad fic flashbacks. I think they were meant to make me sad, but the whole situation was so fanatical and rushed I was more like uhhhh ok

- Not sure about the notion of violence being the only solution to everything. And even as a first gen chinese immigrant who’s had a fair share of marginalizing experiences (if anyone tries again to correct my own EXPERIENCES of a different political system I’m going to scream thx), I’m skeptical at the portrayal that all white people are imperialists and feel that that sterotype is harmful. I know this is the 1830s but my point still stands, it is written today for people today.

- again, I do believe that it is difficult to fundamentally understand the concept of different cultures without having actually fully experienced them, and this is something I sometimes struggle communicating to homegrown white brits, but most of them will try their best, and you can’t demonize people who never had that toolkit.

- Also not sure about the notion of innovation being fundamentally tied with oppression. The book does touch on the idea of a ‘freemarket’ being happily manipulated for benefits of certain groups, but did not factor it into its solution and just yelled technology bad.

- Nottt sure I’d consider the manipulation of the poor working class into fighting a cause that only has their interests as a byproduct and an afterthought as a resounding moral success.

- the working class are very 1D and portrayed as violent and stupid, to only attempt a save at the end with ‘it was never about the silver bars it was about the working conditions of our women and kids’ feels cheap and patronizing. Many of the 'problems of silver' presented such as wagons not coming off the tracks just ??? like is it better health and safety to have wagons flying off rails? surely you move the person and not the cart right. The book simultaneously tries to use silver to draw a parallel with ethical concerns with the industrial revolution, but also... highlights the fact that these problems have also existed since the industrial revolution (and somehow haven't been solved?). This undermines its own message about the problems that silver brings (if the problem existed before silver anyway, why are people only obsessed with getting rid of silver) and makes it very difficult to take the actions of the core group seriously.

anyway I've yapped enough I'm gonna go do sth else now.