The Historical Basis Of Heart Of Darkness - 883 Words

The historical basis of Heart of Darkness is the overtaking of the Congo by King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold subjugated the indigenous people of the Congo in order to use them as slaves in his quest for rubber and ivory, much like that of the Company who said they were helping the natives while searching for ivory and Kurtz who took advantage of the peoples beliefs to have them procure the ivory for him. In an attempt to attain colonies for Belgium, Leopold acquired a colony of his own as a private citizen. Leopold was able to establish a private holding company known as the â€Å"Association Internationale Africaine†. This company was publically intended to be an international scientific and philanthropic association; however under the guise of this company Leopold hired a Henry Morton Stanley to acquire a colony in the Congo. Stanley was able to gain the land by deceiving the chiefs into signing land deal when they thought they were signing friendship treaties. This colony would be known as the Congo Free State after the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885 when the representatives of 14 European countries as well as the United States recognized Leopold’s claim to most of the land that he had acquired. When everything was said and done the Congo Free State was 905,000 square miles, 76 times larger than Belgium. Leopold had total control over an area 76 times larger than th e country he ruled, giving him the ability and the power to do whatever he wished. Though Leopold privatelyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Heart Of Darkness By Chinua Achebe1364 Words   |  6 Pages In Chinua Achebe’s essay, â€Å"An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad s Heart of Darkness,† Achebe purports that Joseph Conrad’s short story, Heart of Darkness, should not be taught due to it’s racist caricature of Africa and African culture. In Conrad’s book, Marlow, a sea captain, is tasked with venturing into the center of the Congo, otherwise known as the Heart of Darkness, to retrieve a mentally unstable ivory trader named Kurtz. Marlow narrates his adventures with a tinge of apathy for the enslavedRead More Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness and A Passage to India1683 Words   |  7 Pages It is best to analyze the works, Heart of Darkness and A Passage to India, applying the historical and cultural conditions of the society in which they were produced. The relations between groups and classes of people that imperialism sets up, and that these two works explore, starkly reveals the contradictions within capitalism in a way that a similar piece of fiction set within one culture and dealing with characters from that culture alone cannot. Prior to the analysis however, I would likeRead MoreThings Fall Apart vs. Heart of Darkness Essay1617 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican Colonization through Literature: Things Fall Apart Vs. Heart of Darkness History is an extraordinary mix of truth and fiction. The dichotomy that is bred from different historic al perspectives opens the eyes of those who study history to the semi-fabricated nature of much of humanities past. For most of recorded history, events have been recorded and retold through the eyes of the victors. Only recently have people had the opportunity to view both sides of issues. The Western practiceRead MoreHeart of Darkness Lit. Journal1712 Words   |  7 PagesHeart of Darkness: Literary Vocabulary Journal Directions: As you read Heart of Darkness, you will note examples of important literary devices used by Conrad in the text. First, find the definition and fill them in the table below. Then, find and example from the text. You can find definitions on the internet (using a literary terms dictionary). Or in a Literary Dictionary. Online Literary Dictionary: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_A.html Term/Definition: Example from the text: BriefRead MoreEssay on Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness1276 Words   |  6 PagesIn the present era of decolonization, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness presents one of fictions strongest accounts of British imperialism. Conrad’s attitude towards imperialism and race has been the subject of much literary and historical debate. Many literary critics view Conrad as accepting blindly the arrogant attitude of the white male European and condemn Conrad to be a racist and imperialists. 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(Boa, 250) God is in control and has one s best interest at heart. 　　　　One might also maintain the truth of biblical teaching, and yet affirm elements of God s wisdom variously present in the cultures and cultural religions of the world. The cultural mentalities that produced such historical phenomena as the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition are entirely devoid of biblical faith of general human wisdom. Faith in God s wordRead MoreThe New Testament Book of John: An Analysis1711 Words   |  7 Pagesinstance, in Chapter 21, the text tells us that the Gospel is a part of the testimony from the disciple whom Jesus Loved. However, when the text and style is analyzed, it seems that it is more likely an amalgamation of a number of texts that provide a basis for the material as well as the textual subject (Theissen, 1998, Chapter 2). 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