Essay Questions

What are some criticisms of Burke’s ideas?

We can argue that Burke does not acknowledge the struggles of the French people in his argument. For those who are starving and suffering in the present, the promise of gradual reform does not seem much consolation. Critics have argued that Burke as a wealthy statesman, does not understand the true extent of suffering in France. Burke was criticized heavily at the time of this writing for his superfluous, dramatic descriptions of the King and Queen of France being attacked at their palace. When reading, the descriptions come across as ridiculous in parts. For a political pamphlet that is so reliant on logic and philosophy, it seems detrimental to his argument to resort to fictional, dramatic illustrations.

How does Burke use the image of a building to illustrate his argument?

Throughout the text, Burke repeatedly uses the image of a building to illustrate his advocation of gradual reform over revolution. He argues that political changes that are made too quickly are destructive and damaging. Burke argues that reform is to repair a building, while preserving its structure and integrity. The building might be damaged or old, but it does not need to be destroyed. He argues that revolution is to destroy the whole building and build something new in its place. He believes that in the structure and foundations of the building lies culture and value, so it is wrong to tear it down. Here Burke associates the revolution with needless destruction and chaos, which is something he does throughout the text in a variety of ways.