moral Even colonized students learned English texts It built respect for British tradition Eagleton writes English Literature rode to power on the back of wartime nationalism This shows that English gave emotional and national strength It was more than just a subject It helped grow and keep the empire Literature as Cultural Weapon English was used to spread values It taught colonized people British thinking They learned about British heroes and ideas It shaped minds with foreign culture This made people admire their rulers They followed ideas they read in class Eagleton says Like religion literature works primarily by emotion and experience Literature touched hearts like religion once did It helped control without using force This cultural rule was very powerful English literature became a soft weapon It worked quietly but deeply in society Training the Imperial Officers The empire needed strong loyal officers They had to feel morally superior So they were taught great English texts These books gave a sense of mission They believed they were civilizing the world Poems and plays gave them confidence English studies made the ruling feel like a duty Eagleton writes English was literally the poor man's Classics It was easy to teach and learn It replaced Greek and Latin in training It worked well for the empire's needs Officers carried books with guns and flags Making Empire Look Natural English literature showed rulers as heroes It hid the violence of the empire Stories and poems made the empire look good It looked peaceful moral and wise The bad parts were hidden in beauty This helped rulers feel guilt-free Colonial rule was shown as helpful Eagleton says Literature in the meaning we inherited is an ideology Literature made power look natural and right It shaped emotions not just knowledge So people did not question the system They saw empire as order not control Long-Term Effects of Imperial English English stayed in many colonies after the rule Schools still teach British writers today This shows the deep roots of the empire Language and culture continued to spread It gave old rulers silent power English became a global subject later People connect it with knowledge and success However it started as a tool of the empire Eagleton's essay helps us understand this clearly He deeply connects language history and politics So English is more than literature It shaped the modern world through the empire In termination Eagleton clearly shows how English rose It was tied to power and empire Literature worked like religion and law It ruled minds not only lands The rise of English was not neutral It helped build and protect British imperialism