Originally Posted by iamkanwal

Following is Introduction of the essay. This took about 30 minutes to write. I chose this topic randomly from a past paper; no prior research done on it. Please be harshly critical. What is wrong with it? How can I improve? I have a habit of elaborating unnecessarily. Is it obvious in the paragraph below? How do I improve it?


Is Colonial Mentality Impending Pakistan's progress?


"He that apes others will never be himself."

Before I elaborate on the above mentioned adage, let me underscore some quirky habits and beliefs of an average Pakistani. Firstly, he is awe-inspired by anyone who speaks fluent English and considers English an ultimate measure of intelligence irrespective of whether the substance of the speaker carries any weight or not. Secondly, he considers fair complexion a standard symbol of beauty and makes every effort to look fairer. Thirdly, it is relatively easier for an average Pakistani to either climb up the career ladder, coax superiors into accepting his ideas and boss around the subordinates if he is well versed in English. All these elements indicate rather deeply embedded aftermath of colonialism. As my grandfather puts it eloquently, "The Englishmen left, but we are still very much under their spell...dancing to the music that does not resonate with us, laughing at the jokes pretentiously we do not even find funny and taking pride in the culture that does not even belong to us." Anatol Leivon, a British himself, rightly mocks upper-middle class Pakistani youth's snobbish attitude that stems from their pseudo sense of superiority of being better versed at English, in his widely acclaimed book: Pakistan a Hard Country. This inferiority complex runs raft in the Pakistani society, to the extent that it stifles the intellectual growth and suppresses the creativity of indigenous fellow beings. The idea of trying to adopt to the customs that are no where near our true identity has resulted in longstanding identical crisis. Hence the above mentioned proverb accurately describes a social quagmire that Pakistan has been facing since 1947; Pakistan's enslavement to colonial ways is indeed impending its growth.