âA bloody nation, barbarous and rudeâ is how Daniel Defoe describes England in his hilarious poem âThe True-Born Englishmanâ. The poem is a satire about the stupidity of xenophobia. Defoe mocks the idea of a natural Englishman as they are a blend of Saxon, Danish and Roman. The poem âlampoons the nationâ and was celebrated at the time for Defoeâs use of wit and irony. This piece remains relevant in todayâs highly fractured society and serves as an important and entertaining reminder that kindness is favourable to hate.
Daniel Defoe (1660 â 1731) is one of the most important authors in the English language. Defoe was one of the original English novelists and greatly helped to popularise the form. Defoe was highly prolific and is believed to have written over 300 works ranging from novels to political pamphlets. He was highly celebrated but also controversial as his writings influenced politicians but also led to Defoe being imprisoned. Defoeâs novels have been translated into many languages and are still read across the globe to this day. Some of his most famous books include âMoll Flandersâ and âRobinson Crusoeâ which was adapted into a movie starring Pierce Brosnan and Damian Lewis in 1997. Defoeâs influence on English novels cannot be understated and his legacy lives on to this day.