G.C.E.

(O/L) English Literature

Coach: P.Sujeevan Brilliant Institute, Colombo-13.

A Worker Reads History - Bertolt Brecht

Who built the seven gates of Thebes? The books are filled with names of kings. Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone? And Babylon, so many times destroyed. Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima's houses, That city glittering with gold, lived those who built it? In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? Over whom Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song. Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend The night the seas rushed in, The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves. Young Alexander conquered India. He alone? Caesar beat the Gauls. Was there not even a cook in his army? Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears? Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War. Who triumphed with him? Each page a victory At whose expense the victory ball? Every ten years a great man, Who paid the piper? So many particulars. So many questions.

The poet (dramatist) Bertolt Brecht (18981956) was one of the most brilliant practitioners of the German theatre. He is still regarded as one of the most influential figures in the European theatre. He was born in Augsburg in Germany, the son of a manufacturer. He studied philosophy and natural science in Munich and Berlin. He wrote 39 plays, the first of which, Baal, was written in 1918. Brecht was an innovative German playwright, theatre director and theoretician who changed the direction of European theatre and even world 1

theatre. Brecht was influenced by Marxism and incorporated Marxist theories and principles in the construction of his plays as well as in staging them. Brecht was also a great poet and a song-writer and has been held to be the closest equivalent to Shakespeare, in Germany. He was the founder of the epic-theater. Almost all his works of literature bring political and social massages to the audience and he is perhaps a communist. He tries his level best to reveal the bitter hidden truth of the society. Thus, he played the role of a social reformer and was a controversial literary figure.

ANALYSIS
A Worker Reads History shows Brechts political stance that the workers are centrally the political, economic and social actions of a society. By workers he means builders, masons, and labourers of all sorts, but also, soldiers who make it possible for kings to conquer nations. Brecht builds up an argument (Marxist dialectics) that over the past workers have laboured to build various buildings, structures, walls etc and helped to win wars. But the name or reputation for what was achieved was always given to the leaders to the kings who gave the order or the leader who commanded. The millions of ordinary men and women who sweated, strived and shed blood were never mentioned. The view he had was that the attitude to history or the perception of history that has been put forward so far has been an unfair one. Credit has been given to those who gave instructions, supervised and threatened, but not to those who really laboured. What is needed is a true record of human advancement, to give credit to those who really deserved it. Brecht builds up his argument, through a series of rhetorical questions Who built the Thebes of the seven gates? In the books you will find the names of kings. Did the kings haul up the lumps of rock? The poem was intended to critique the conventional histories, which attributed the great achievements to heroic individuals and kings. It argues that such achievements could not be possible without the labour of countless ordinary people. There is an implicit claim on behalf of the working people to the glory represented by those architectural wonders and great conquests. The poem gives importance to the labourers-particular time and the culture where workers belong which capitalist take it for granted. The Great Wall of China, Great Rome, Alexander, Caesar and Philip of Spain are some representation of a big capitalist company operated in China, Great Rome and Babylon which was known as a city of luxury, wealth or vice that the capitalist had and enjoyed it. It also gives us the idea that capitalist freely operate in every part of the world and they operate by neglecting the significant roles of the workers. One Question based on this poem we can raise is: Who built the Taj Mahal? - Shahjahan or the workers who laboured for it? This approach to history actually only manages to stand the traditional history on its head without really questioning its assumptions. In a way it indeed accepts the building of the Great Wall of China, Alexander conquest of India and Caesars conquest of the Gauls etc. as major achievements of mankind. The fact that these achievements were conceived by the ruling classes for their own benefit and the working people had to act as mere cannon fodder is entirely ignored. For example the question,

Frederick the Second won the Seven Years War Who else won it? It implies that the common man and soldier too won the war. For example, on the 7thstanza of the poem, India was conquered by young Alexander. Therefore, He became famous in the world but if we deeply observe young Alexander, He conquered India with the help of his armies and other fellow men. So why only young Alexander became famous? Where are the appreciations for the significant roles of armies? Just like in capitalism, workers received unreasonable wage and too much working time while the capitalist are just sitting and enjoyed the benefits or advantages they got from their innocent workers. To sum up, the entire poem told us in every successful stage of capitalist: workers must experience the sweet benefits and advantages they got from their hard works. The entire poem told us in successful stage of capitalist: workers must experience the sweet fruit of those successes too. A very satirical approach has been taken by Bertolt Brecht as he was a great maxim, he teaches us how foolish to write the names of great kings' names instead of poor hard labours who sacrificed their each and every life in building the history of the world. There are many kingdoms which were flourished in ancient time not by their effort they just did was giving out orders to carry out their plans. but poor innocent labour who built the world flourishing kingdom such as Babylon in his initiation of the poem interrogate whose forces that built the giant gates of Thebes which are man-made but unimaginable miraculous how did they craft them. His rhetorical style makes us think really how these master pieces emerged in the world? When the invasion hit upon the kingdom of Babylon in each time it was destroyed beyond the repair anyhow they were re built is it the kings who gave their entire manpower to rebuild them? This poem A worker reads history by Bertolt Brecht reveals his boundless compassion to the working class people. We always boast our history mentioning the names of great kings and their marvelous creations but no one bothers to speak about the labourers who shed their sweat for these creations. Who build the seven gates of Thebes? The books are filled with names of kings It is the working class people who made all these creations of great emperors and kings. No emperors could invade a country unless the soldiers fought for them. No kings could build a great wall or a city unless the carpenters and masons provided their labour. But it is ironical when only the names of kings and the people of higher ranks are written in the books. It is a great injustice. They must be appreciated and valued for their labour. This poem has grater relevance to the modern society as well. The buildings constructed by working class people through their own funds and taxes are declared open by the presidents, prime ministers and other higher class authorities. Their names are written in the monuments in memory of them. No one values the labour rendered by working class people. Hence, the poem deals with a socio-political theme. It deals with the theme of social injustice against the working class people and the political theme of invisible power of the rulers. The tone of the poem is highly critical as it directly refers to world reputed and renowned rulers like Julius Caesar, and great Alexander and the world famous creations such as seven gates of t Thebes and the great wall in China. Who build the seven gates of the Thebes? In the evening when the Chinese wall finished where did the masons go? The tone of the poem is very critical. The poet arises the public awareness and brings wisdom to the reader. The language is quite effectively used in the poem. The poem is full of rhetorical questions which instill to the mind of the reader to question themselves whether they are right or wrong over their judgment. Thus, it has attributed a dramatic quality. At the end we also have so many particulars and so many questions on the victories and creations written in the history. 3