Hochschild's Congo-Leopold Tale

By providing an in-depth analysis of what really occurred with Leopold and his exploitative proprietorship of the Congo “Free” State, Hochschild cogently convinces readers that beneath all of Europe’s coaxing and flattery about their imperialism, there is an underlying nature of terror and an almost inescapable and pervasive essence of death and slavery. Hochschild perfectly depicts the drama arising from the deceitful manipulations, courageous resistances, and uncut greed into an enthralling piece of literature. Not only does Hochschild use the perspectives of Europeans, but he tells the untold truths of the natives in their abysmal states, having to face inevitable horrors and atrocities. The reader experiences the magnitude of effects that resulted in this imperialism, which may still last in modern-day Africa. Hochschild’s persuasion perfectly captures what it is that he wants the readers to take in the most: that Leopold’s imperialism of the Congo did not only affect Europe and himself. Separating from the common curriculum of history class, Hochschild doesn’t want to tell the readers that imperialism led to European nations gaining more markets, population, and raw materials: he wants the reader to understand that this all came at a cost. This imperialism led to the deaths of ten million natives in the Congo alone. This imperialism led to brutal torture of the

European powers began to take over territories throughout the continent of Africa during the 19th century. Historian Adam Hochschild’s depiction of King Leopold of Belgium was written in 1998 and titled, King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa. Hochschild talked extensively about the greed for money and slavery resulting in the genocide of the Congo and the protests of humanitarians that followed the King’s exploitation of Africans. In his thesis, the author stated that “[t]his is the story of that movement, of the savage crime that was its target, of the long period of exploration and conquest that preceded it, and of the way the world has forgotten one of the great mass killings of recent history.”

King Leopold was abusing his position of power to exploit the Congo for it’s raw materials, it can be said that the vivid cruel and gruesome images Conrad conveys in the book are merely mirroring the harsh reality of the brutalisation in Africa. One could therefore conclude that due to Conrad’s own experiences in the Congo he has to tell his story through a framed narrative, as it may be too difficult for him to share his story in the first person. Whether this was the case or not, it is clear than in ‘Heart of Darkness’ Conrad reveals the abuse of power to be ever present in the colonial age that Conrad lived in, and he demonstrates the abuse of power as something to be wary of and to fear, as it can result in madness.

King Leopold’s Ghost is a nonfiction book about Imperialism in Africa written by Adam Hochschild. Hochschild was born in New York in 1942 and graduated from Harvard in 1963 with a B.A. degree in history and literature (Interview with Adam Hochschild). He worked as a reporter for a daily newspaper for two years and then he went on to writing and editing magazines. In 1986 he wrote his first book, and then twelve years later he wrote his second: King Leopold’s Ghost. Hochschild said he writes about subjects he’s interested in. In the introduction to King Leopold’s Ghost he states that he knew nothing about the history of the Congo until he noticed a footnote in a book (Hochschild 3). Hochschild said that when you come across something striking, you remember where you were when you read it. In this particular experience he was in an airliner crossing the United States. He read a quotation by Mark Twain about the caliber of what happened in the Congo and was startled (3), this sparked his interest in the Congo and inspired him to start researching to see if the mass murders he read about were true.

“King Leopold’s Ghost- a story of greer, terror and heroism in colonial africa” written by Adam Hochschild, reveals the hidden horror in the Congo. Hochschild conveys the exploitation of the Congo Free State by King Leopold II of Belgium from 1885 to 1908, as well as the revolting brutality during that period. Hochschild discloses how King Leopold II’s unpleasant and atrocious capacity of maliciousness is shown through mass killings and colonization of Congolese land. The Ghost of King Leopold II still plagues the world while he is celebrated as a great humanitarian. (use own words).

In the first chapter of the book, they give a brief description of one of the main characters, Henry Morton Stanley. The man with many different names worked as a journalist and was a soldier on both sides of the civil war. He was then employed by King Leopold and was sent to explore the Congo and help him to develop it to open it up to trade (he was sent first to find Livingstone then develop the Congo). While many people may say that he was a hero (since most explorers were classified as heroes do to their bold explorations), he still did many cruel and terrifying things in Africa. Yet, he never really faced any consequences for his actions.

Characterized by ambition and restlessness from an early age, King Leopold II of Belgium utilized his desire to make a name for himself, while increasing his personal wealth and power, and deftly harnessed subterfuge in order to convince the Belgian government that his interests in Africa were philanthropic, all the while exploiting and deceiving the native peoples of the Congo. However, it was this same relentless ambition which would eventually lead to Leopold’s being forced to sell his colonial holdings, as the moral limits of the observers and of participants in the king’s imperial system were pushed to their breaking points.

Marlow and his fellow Europeans in England believe that since their country has taken control of the Congo, their people by proxy have complete influence over the lives of the Congolese. The irony is found in the fact that the Europeans who come to the Congo to harvest its resources are subject to the influence of the African jungle once they arrive, and are twisted in both mind and soul. Conrad

King Leopold II was a cruel and greedy man who wanted to expand Belgium’s power by taking over the Congo. He would kill to better his country. He convinced the Congolese people that he wanted to colonize Africa. Little did they know, it was the start of Leopold taking over the Congo, stealing their riches, and enslaving the Congolese people. Adam Hochschild's King Leopold’s Ghost illustrates the five themes of AP World History in the following ways:

European Colonialism to the Congo during the early twentieth century was labeled and sold as an idea that the Congo would be transformed from a savage jungle into a place of international trade, education, and development. This idealistic idea of having a flourishing civilized place in Africa was crushed by the harsh realities of imperialism. The Congo along with its people were exploited and used as slave labor for the King of Belgium to personally profit off his new purchase. Joseph Conrad’s novella “Heart of Darkness” reveals these truths about european colonialism through Marlow’s, the main character, recollection of a past voyage to the Congo he had experienced. The novella tackles eurocentric ideas of Africans being depicted as savages, while also revealing european supremacy as the white washed illusion it is. The author draws on his own past to tell not only a thrilling adventure, but also expose Europe for its exploitative actions during the early twentieth century.

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is one of the most well known novels written about Africa in U.S history. This novel provides individuals with a look inside the horrid functioning of the Congo, highlighting many imperialistic, inhumane, and discriminatory acts that made it one of the most cruel and insatiable colonies in African history. Conrad expresses his anti-imperialist views through Marlow, illustrating the horrors Marlow witnessed on his voyage to the inner station, giving the novel a racist stigma. It is these major themes that give this novel importance in society.

European colonization in the Congo during the early twentieth century was labeled and sold as the idea that the Congo would be transformed from a savage jungle into a place of international trade, education, and development. This idealistic idea of having a flourishing civilized place in Africa was crushed by the harsh realities of imperialism. The Congo along with its people were exploited and used as slave labor for the King of Belgium to personally profit off his new purchase. Joseph Conrad’s novella “Heart of Darkness” reveals these truths about European colonialism through the main character’s recollection and retelling of a past voyage to the Congo he had experienced. The novella tackles problematic Eurocentric ideas of Africans and their culture, while also revealing European supremacy as the white washed illusion it is. The author draws on his own past to tell not only a thrilling adventure, but also expose Europe for its exploitative actions during the early twentieth century.

Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” displays a cynical view on imperialism and its effects on both the imperialists and the colonized. It also explores the depth of the malignance in human interactions at the same time. One passage presents this perspective by presenting the two spiritual outlooks of Marlow and the pilgrims on board of his steamboat watching the emergence of Kurtz’s mistress after Marlowe sees him for the first time. The mystical and spiritual elements that are twisted in this passage alone confirm the degradation to animal status the Congolese natives endure. The emergence of the Congolese mistress is a clear afterimage of the of a people, who are transformed into an afterimage and caricature of independent entity they were before the imperialist’s presence.

With a critical commentary on the effect of imperialism in the height of the British Empire, “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad is a revolutionary novel illuminating the monstrous colonization in the Congo. The protagonist, Marlow, recounts both his pilgrimage to the center of the Congolese jungle and his controversial self-transformation aided by sights of brutality and colored by the violent yet mesmerizing environment. Marlow’s gradual approach towards the “inner truth” (38) changes his learned view of African stereotypes. The evolution, however, is a challenging and emotional one. Just as the physical distance between Marlow’s steamship and the “civilization” of the seaside station increases, the disparity between his newfound ideas and those of his English counterparts grows, ultimately opposing their ideas of civil. His treacherous journey up-river parallels his shift in ideas matching every precarious bend in the river with his evolving perspective of the natives.

Conrad wants to point out that the Europeans were in heath to civilize Congo and bring benefit of science but they have instead left the people of Congo like slaves instead of civilizing them. Europeans had exploited the people as well as their natural resources such as ivory and rubber. This shows that the native in their own land does not have any freedom and were brutally tortured by white