Belgian Congo

holdings in the continent. The European powers obtained colonies throughout Africa for social and religious reasons but mainly for economic ones. Leopold II of Belgium under the guise of African advancement and free trade, obtained the Congo secretly to enrich himself on the backs of the native population. Unrestricted in his power, Leopold II ruled the Congo with an iron fist extracting as much profit from the region as possible at the expense of the Congolese and their…

In the source “Victims of Belgian Congo Atrocities” by Roger Casement and David Engohahe, the malicious practices of King Leopold II of Belgium are exploited. During the era of industrialization, raw materials were needed in excess in order to keep up with the manufactures occurring in Europe (Lecture 2/22). With the industrialization, came new technologies; like the steam engine, factories, and auto-mobiles. These new inventions demanded a surplus of rubber, which was largely produced in the…

“The First Heretic” At this point in the class, the first heretic has arisen, George Washington Williams. He wrote an open letter to King Leopold II, condemning him for his horrendous treatment of the Congolese people including breaking all of the promises that Leopold built the Congo Free State on. While all of these claims to be proven true to the fullest extent and are later used to argue against Leopold by the international Congo protest movement. However, at this point in time Williams’…

This emphasizes the theme of race, and how the colonists believed they were superior mainly because they “conquered” the land. When in reality, the native tribes had been on the land in Africa for decades. Marlow is an agent for the Company, a Belgian ivory trading firm. Throughout his journey, they learn about Kurtz, a god and prisoner of the natives. After rescuing Kurtz, Marlow’s point of view shows us how he succumbs to madness and disease. The novel primarily focuses on how the “savages”…

Culture, it’s what define a nation. It also plays a key role in shaping the reactions and the events that play out through the story of The Poisonwood Bible. It can be evidently seen in characters such as Nathan Price. Nathan is witnessing the congo after years of turmoil caused by king leopold and his cronies. “For Europeans, Africa remained the supplier of valuable raw materials—human bodies and elephant tusks. But otherwise they saw the continent as faceless, blank, empty a place on the map…

In the Belgian Congo, the Price family lives in a little hut in a tiny village by a river. This is where Orleanna (Mrs.Price) realizes how crippled she is. The only things her husband thought she was good for was cleaning, cooking and taking care of their children. Other than doing chore, she was expected to follow her husband and support him in his endeavors. This also reached their three daughters. The girls were told that they should just get married and be a housewife. “Father says a girl…

“The Posionwood Bible”, written by Barbara Kingsolver, is a tale of the Price family’s mission trip to spread the word of God in a primitive town called Kilanga within the Belgian Congo. Although the book is about the whole family’s experience, each chapter includes many narrations from different narrators, also known as a multi-voiced narrative. The multi-voiced narrative allows for the reader to view the story through different members of the family, and this reveals previously hidden aspects…

In Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, Leah has a reveals, “God doesn’t need to punish us. He just grants us a long enough life to punish ourselves”(327). This relates directly to Nathan’s life, as his life begins a long downward spiral to his own demise. The Poisonwood Bible shows how stress from war can affect human relations and cause deep emotional problems. The book begins with the Price family going to the Congo unprepared, and trying to convert the locals. The failed attempts of…

In The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, the need to break away from family on behalf of someone’s own well being is a lesson readers have learned from this novel. When the family’s missionary effort to convert Africans to Christianity becomes perilous, the father/husband, nonetheless, continues to follow through with his mission at the hands of his own family’s demise. Later on in the novel, the family goes separate directions after the youngest daughter passed away from a snakebite,…

Aviance Carlisle Harvey APLC 9-7-14 In Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible Nathan Price leaves home yet,he finds that home remains significant in his life; home’s significant to instill the morals that he lived by before his move to Congo and how they were able to be heightened afterwards, leading him to develop a more controlling personality while inflicting his beliefs on others. Nathan fought in War World II and almost lost his life, but was lucky enough to escape the death…