Said’s Orientalism: First Go!

In the first four pages of Said’s texts, he hits off the ground running by tearing apart a lecture given by Arthur James Balfour to the House of Commons in 1910. Throughout the pages Said is dissecting parts of Balfour’s lecture and criticizes the British presence in Egypt. The point that Said makes is that Balfour constantly refers to Asia and the Middle East as unstable. He explains that Balfour is making a false claim that these countries severely need help by the British and should mirror British culture. Balfour’s speech is a great starting point for Said’s argument about regarding orientalism and how other countries have created this false preception of those in Asia and the Middle East.

I found it interesting to learn more about British history, how Brits viewed occupying other countries, and why they believed it was imperative to stay. This just shows me that Said is going to use many more historical examples throughout the rest of his writing. Although, the history helps his argument it makes this text a little challenging for me because history isn’t really my strong suit. I don’t really know how to absorb the facts and Said’s comments all at once. I feel that the for the rest of this reading I will need to take my time with it in order to soak in his points and locate his specific claims.