In conclusion, the Congo was an Empire of ivory, built on exploitation. They utilized get rich quick schemes and their actions against black natives was absolutely senile. In comparison to the Americas, they used forced labor, came to colonize for new opportunities, and had various successful slave revolts. I thought this source was very important to read because it taught me various things previous history classes would have never. Mostly because only the winners write the
The population decreased drastically due to the working conditions and hard quotas of the missionaries, due to these hard conditions their consequences were extremely brutal. For example found in document 8 it states “it is blood curdling to see them returning with the hands of the slain, and to find the hands of the young children amongst the bigger ones evidence their bravery.” ( Document 8) This evidence contributes to the decrease in population amongst the African tribes in Congo. The African tribes hard work, was what they would consider lazy, and in return for that they would get limbs cut off, and severely, death could occur. The limbs weren’t only the workers, but the wives and children of the workers, to make them work harder. King Leopold should be punished for the actions and hardship that he made the people of Congo go through, and how many lives were innocent lives were lost.
King Leopold should be held accountable for his actions in the Congo because he caused a genocide and massacred half of the population. Some people say that Leopold II’s action in the Congo Free State cannot be viewed as crime, because they were typical of the Europeans’ actions in their colonies. But, the treaty that was made by the powerful countries during that time clearly stated that they believed Africans should be treated as people, and that they should be provided with food, shelter, education, etc. King Leopold ignored these terms and was using the Congo only to increase his wealth, rather then provide for the people of
New Criticism View of Imperialism in Heart of Darkness In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the imperialism of Africa is described. Conrad tells the story of the cruel treatment of the natives and of the imperialism of the Congo region through the perspective of the main character, Marlow. Throughout the novel, Marlow describes how the Europeans continuously bestow poor treatment to the native people by enslaving them in their own territory. Analyzing the story with the New Criticism lens, it is evident that Conrad incorporates numerous literary devices in Heart of Darkness, including similes, imagery, personification, and antitheses to describe and exemplify the main idea of cruel imperialism in Africa discussed throughout the novella.
In the novel, The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, a missionary family travel to the African Congo during the 1960’s, in hopes of bringing enlightenment to the Congolese in terms of religion. The father, Nathan, believes wholeheartedly in his commitment, and this is ultimately his downfall when he fails to realize the damage that he is placing upon his family and onto the people living in Kilanga, and refuses to change the way he sees things. However, his wife, Orleanna, and her daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, take the Congo in, and make the necessary changes in their lives, and they do this in order to survive with their new darkness that they are living in. Curiosity and acceptance help the ones with curious minds,
They are in Africa to solely to teach the people about morals and Christianity, and throughout the book, the girls seem to be more connected to the African people. Orleanna and her daughters better understand their differences with the Congo people. Nathan, however, sees their practices as wrong, and believes they must be humanized. Early in the story, Kingsolver shows
Throughout Heart of Darkness, the Lord of the Flies, Hollow Men, and Demian, there seemed to be a pattern of showing morality and the battle between good versus evil in each person. In the Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad transcends the deep, dark African jungle in order to illuminate the true nature of humanity’s heart, filled with the darkness of obsession, corruption, and evil. The story itself follows the protagonist, Marlow, as well as Kurtz, a secretive, mysterious man who resides in the heart of Congo and furthermore represents humanity itself and its evils. Through the savagery seen through the setting with its inhabitants and the primal darkness each human heart contains, Conrad draws a cruel world, possessing horror. As Marlow travels through Africa, the place European strived to
In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the imperialism of Africa is described. Conrad tells the story of the cruel treatment of the natives and of the imperialism of the Congo region through the perspective through the main character, Marlow. Through the lens of New Criticism, it is evident that Conrad incorporates numerous literary devices in Heart of Darkness, including similes, imagery, personification, and antitheses to describe and exemplify the main idea of cruel imperialism in Africa discussed throughout the novella. Throughout Heart of Darkness, Kurtz and other men that are known as strong, greedy, European leaders of the movement to imperialize Africa, are mentioned multiple times. To describe these men, Conrad utilizes the literary
As Marlow is meeting with other explores in the Thames River, Marlow begins to tell his story about the horrors that he encounters while in the peak of the ivory trade in the Congo. Marlow made his way down to the Congo because he was contracted by The Company by the booming business of Ivory down in the African Congo. The company was a group of men who would patiently wait for something to happen. Marlow gets the word about a guy named Kurtz who is living in the inner station and decides to meet up with him, but the only way to get to him is through an old steamboat. As Marlow begins his journey to meet up Kurtz he encounters a series of cruelty and darkness in the heart of Africa.
Often in literature, the physical journey the main character takes represents their psychological growth. In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Marlow’s journey into the heart of the Congo represents his progression into the darkest parts of his mind. As he travels deeper into the foreign terrain, he begins to question the world around him and himself. As Marlow begins his journey into the heart of Africa, he holds onto his idealistic belief in imperialism. He believes that although imperialism “is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much... it is [redeemed by] the idea only,” showing that he thinks imperialism is rational if the belief in helping the ‘native’ people is sincere and unselfish (Conrad 7).