Justified and Ancient: Analysis

Justified and superannuated. Through come on the years, the red-brick world has had an enormous impact on third world countries, where we continually influence them on varied levels. Whether or not this is a good thing, is also continually discussed, like in this story where the motion is primarily our relations to the people from less(prenominal) developed countries. We usually fail to remember that we be in item not cleverer nor superior when speaking of intelligence, just because we live in a world where electricity among other things is not an evolution, further a matter of course.These things are perfectly illustrated in the short-story justified and ancient, where Lee is a clear representative of the narrow-minded modern man. This confusion ab out the village grows as we follow Lee making his arrangements with the village president, until another happening makes the commentator stop and wonder. When the deal is everyplace the village president gives Lee a necklace wo rth nothing and expects the Zippo lighter in return as a gesture of trust.Punjee sharply announces that one must not offend the village president and Lee feels deeply pressured by this act. So why would anyone religious expect such gestures and why do Punjee and the president continually talk with mysteriously low voices in their own language? Soon the reader is about to find out. Throughout the story we have construed it all from Lees perspective, but as he walks out the village and sees a lady with a donkey, the perspective changes completely.Suddenly we hear everything from her point of view, which certainly changes the whole picture. From the neutral perspective of the woman, we learn that the village president actually delivers info to the local police, in favor of some money. This means that Lee will probably be caught the snatch he steps into town and as it is described the policemen will enjoy this event greatly. Although the village has bounteous under these circumstanc es, which the president has created, the woman describes him as a man without honor.Surely she feels that despite the growth, corruption is withal high a price to pay. What started out as giving the indication of a holy place, turns out to be a place founded on corruption. This indicates that the third world is not only influenced in a cultural way, as seen with the song, but also in their attitude towards economics and business. Materialism has had its entry in the third world, where the priorities are no longer religion or honor but in fact money. Lees attitude towards the Indian people, epresents the opinion a lot of western people posses. The opinion, that because we are richer, we are wiser and therefore superior to those people less fortunate. This story shows the complete opposite, because the bright one fools the less bright one, meaning that the village president fools Lee. Honorable or not the village president turns out to be far smarter than first expected, so perhaps t he message of this story is, that one should never forecast a book by its cover, but at least turn a few pages first.