Second Congo War

Leopold and belgians colonized congo in 1885, due to the industrial revolution which made raw goods, money, and resources more desirable. Because this new found governmental power construct, western empire’s greed for control, as well as influence over neighboring rivals increased. Alongside this greed for power, came the thought process that Africans were inferior, and needed the help of European countries to make them more civilized, further motivating Western societies to take over, or at least have an excuse too. Subsequently, Leopold was able to gain control of congo through manipulation of natives, his “ humanitarian philosophies”, and eventually tricking land distributers into believing he had relationships with Congolese people. Now,…

intention of reaping profit, exploiting trade and the ongoing competition between European empires. The Free State of Congo was a peculiar scenario and the Belgian monarch had a certain grip on Congo. Leopold’s reign of the Congo started with many promises of great prosperity for the Congolese. His promises would not materialize. Leopold’s main desire was resources and a source of wealth, his false precept of civilization were contradicted by his agents in the Congo. These contradictions…

Cindy Vue CIA Literature 02/03/15 Marlow got hired to a job. He travels across the English Channel to a city to sign his employment contract. While he was there he found the guy Fresleven by the Chiefs son and was left there. He was stabbed. "Why does Marlow feels strange before going to Africa and his journey?" He services the Belgian company. Marlow took the French steamer to Africa. He feel like his trip is like a nightmare. "Why does he feel like his trip is like a nightmare when he signed…

Marlow’s all-consuming drive to find Kurtz and search for Ivory is just that--a drive-- without it, Marlow would have never gone on his journey down the Congo. Marlow’s pursuit, going back into the Heart of Darkness, is misunderstood by the others on the ship as madness because they don’t understand or share his desire and willingness to sacrifice everything for the end result. Marlow is not mad, but instead possesses a passion which he is unwilling to relinquish. His steadfast persuit suggests…

wanted to start a life with Mama Nadi. He loved her and would always flirt with her and attempt to convince her to run away with him. In the end, he got what he wanted and finally kissed and danced with her. Mr. Harari wished to never come back to the Congo. He was a city man and hated every part of being in the Congo. That is why he left Sophie behind at the end of the book. Fortune wanted to have his wife back. He loved her and wanted her forgiveness. He even stood outside Mama Nadi’s bar for…

In the novel The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver and published in 1999, follows the story of the Prices, a missionary family. They depart from Georgia in 1959 and head to the Congo, their expectations coming nowhere close to unforgiving African life. The mother and four daughters tell their stories first person of how they suffered under the fist of their legalistic, abusive father. The main portion of the book takes place in a village called Kilanga, where the patriarch, Nathan,…

Not only does Nathan attempt to overpower the Congolese, he also pursues power over his wife and four daughters. Throughout the novel, Nathan reveals an attitude of discontent whenever he is with his family since “he views himself as the captain of a singing mess of female minds,” (43). He treats his wife and daughters as if they were incapable of being “drag[ged] toward enlightenment [due to] the marrow of [their] poor female bones,” which allows him to become their boss since he reminds them…

The japanese soldiers captured many soldiers and marched them to a death camp but many of the soldiers were either killed or died of dehydration or starvation. This greatly affected Nathan because he believes that he should have died there with his brothers in arms, and he feels like he owes them everything so he puts that into his work to “save” the people of the congo. In the novel the price family not including nathan want to stay in Bethlehem, Georgia, but Nathans’ stubbornness started a…

Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness follows a young man named Marlow during his travels through the Belgium Congo. Throughout the novel there are countless mentions of the native Congo people being inferior to the white man along with many mentions of the white man’s abuse of the natives. The seemingly constant symbols of light and dark can be interpreted to represent the complicated relationship between the two races, however there is a lot of ambiguity in the specific scenes. Contrary to…

western arrogance is emphasized throughout both the Price family and the Western countries through the actions they show toward the Congo. At the start of the novel, all of the Prices hide their belongings in their clothes in order to have the necessities in the new country. These belongings have no real place in the Congo, where Betty Crocker cake mixes, a hand mirror, scissors, a thimble, pencils, and first aid supplies represent former world and stand out. These are “civilization’s evils”…