Question

The author titled this section "Everything Tends to Ruin." What does the word tend mean in this context? Why did the author of this article choose this subtitle for this section? What is "ruined"? Who is doing the "ruining"?

Answer 1

Answer:

1. The word 'tend' means 'disposed to', or 'frequently leads to' destruction.

2. He chose this subtitle for this section to explain how difficult it was for the French people to control the Vietnamese people.

3. Ruined means destruction.

4. The Vietnamese people were doing the ruining.

Explanation:

The article, "The Vietnam Wars," highlights the resistance put up by the Vietnamese people when other nations like the Chinese and French tried to subjugate them. In that section, the phrase, "Everything Tends to Ruin", was used by a French Military commander to summarize the frustration of the French people who tried to colonize the Vietnamese people.

The locals used their knowledge of the terrains to cause mayhem to their colonists. They resisted the schooling offered by the French people and rather embraced their culture. All ploys by the French colonists to subjugate them were met with resistance.