Examine the two cartoons depicting King Leopold II and his influence on the Congo. How does this affect the "darkness" of the region into which Marlowe is about to embark?
King Leopold II influenced the Congo by coming in and selling the inhabitants into slavery or killing them. In the cartoon, it is seen that he gained wealth and power by doing these things. In the second one, King Leopold is made as a rubber vine which looks like a snake entangling and choking the life out of the Conngolese people. By being put into such harsh situations, the Congolese people become wary of newcomers, making the "darkness" of the region a potentially dangerous place for Marlow to enter. Conrad emphasizes through the character of Marlow that darkness is chosen by each individual and Marlow puts himself in this situation of darkness intentionally.
I can somewhat see Devon's point because the other white agent accompaning Marlow on the march couldn't stand the conditions of the Congo physically and when asked about why he came he said he did it just for the money, so some people did in fact choose to go to the "darkness" of the Congo.
Jack--this relates very much to the conversation we had in class. We choose our own darkness because of our separate ideals of humanity. If morality is thoroughly ingrained in a person, very little can strip them of that morality. If that morality was taught by society, however, it will disappear in the wild. Conrad shows this through Marlow's disgust of the actions of the whites. He is not tricked by the illusion of "doing good," as his aunt is. He recognizes the white brutality for what it is and therefore chooses not to choose the darkness. Manisha Banga
I agree with your sentence about the Congolese people being treated in such harsh conditions that they are wary of newcomers. In the book, when Marlow was standing under the tree, the natives did not look surprised to see him but just stared with blank, glassy, expressionless eyes. Because of the brutality that they are experiencing, it is like they are unemotional due to the enslavement that binds then.
This comment is directed towards Manisha Banga. How could morality be thoroughly ingrained in a person through any way other than society? Morality is only what a society classifies as being "moral" or right.
The "darkness" of the Congo is in many ways both literal and figurative. Obviously, this "darkness" can refer to the skin color of the natives, and also the shade of the Congolese jungle. Deeper meaning, however, resides in the figurative darkness represented in the cartoons. King Leopold is represented as a rubber snake, and also is pictured greedily hugging bags of money. This greed is the primary darkness that has descended on the Congo Marlow is about to enter. it permeates the motives of the white men; the fat man that Marlow travels with on his walking journey admits that his reason for being there is "to make money."
I think these pictures offer a different perspective as to what "darkness" means. On the annotations sheet, it's said that Conrad flips around the traditional symbols of white meaning goodness and darkness meaning evil, and these pictures support this. These pictures (especially the snake one) depict King Leopold as more savage than the native people. It shows them as victims of this man rather than just plain savages. About the darkness, I think these cartoons just add to Conrad's nontraditional use of symbolism, showing that the darkness (natives) are more good than the white men, or at least King Leopold.
I didn't look at it this way at first but I completely agree. The cartoons clearly show that King Leopold is more of a savage than the natives, and that the "darkness" (Congolese) is actually the good in the situation.
I like your idea about King Leopold being more of a savage than the natives! I completely agree with that! Going back to the anticipation question about helping people in other countries, I think that what you're saying helps to show that sometimes the people that take over are not really helping and are creating more problems because they are not fit to be in control of another country. I really like this perspective...thanks!
I really like how you said that King Leopold was the savage rather than the natives. I completely agree that the Europeans were seen as "savages" because of their crimes rather than the actual "savages" themselves.
I don't think that Conrad has yet entertained the idea that the black is necessarily "good"--they've done nothing to merit that. He has, however, utilized the idea that white is WORSE than black.
When I first saw the cartoons, I didn't see that they depicted King Leopard as more savage, but once you pointed it out I totally agree. King Leopard is coming in and trying to attack the natives for his benefit instead of the natives' benefit.
Wow I didn't even think about that, but I can see what you mean and I totally agree! I liked how you mentioned the Congolese people as "natives" if that's what you were referring to. It is so often in history that people from outside a country comes over and controls it in a way that is sometimes harsh and evil in which your comparison of the reverse symbolism supports very well.
Wow,I hadn't even realized the annotation sheet points out how Conrad reverses the traditional roles of white and black. Well now I feel pretty unoriginal. Oh well. I too agree that throughout this book, literal darkness is contrasted with figurative darkness in order to make a point.
King Leopold and his influence affect the darkness of this region by making the Congolese suspicious of the people coming to the Congo. As depicted in the cartoons, King Leopold was an oppressive and greedy leader. King Leopold had dark intentions with the Congolese, which made the Congo have a certain "darkness" to it. Since the Congolese were ruled by the greedy and cruel King Leopold, they expect other white people coming to the Congo to be like him; this makes them skeptical and creates a darkness in the region.
On page 17 it says, "I couldn't help asking him once what he meant by coming there at all. 'To make money, of course. What do you think?' he said, scornfully." I think you are correct when you say the other white men are coming to the region for the same purpose as Leopold, so the skepticism and mistrust of the locals for the white men would also create darkness in the region.
I like how you made the statement that the Congolese people will generalize and judge white people based on the actions of Leopold. I never thought of it that way!
King Leopold created the darkness in the Congo by creating an environment where the congolese people would suffer under harsh conditions and forced labor while getting nothing in return. He used the people as a easily obtainable labor source where no-one would object to them being abused just so he could gain personal wealth by selling their resources. King Leopold created a "white darkness" where the congolese are so scared of whites, there is now a dark uneasiness in the Congo towards any other white men, like Marlow, from any of the natives.
I agree with Eamon. In a traditional sense white means pure while black means dark, but in Heart of Darkness the colors are seen as white as dark and black as pure. Aaron, I like your idea of calling it "white darkness" because it is indeed ironic that the color white would actually cause the darkness and evil in the region instead.
Like many European leaders at this time, King Leopold II was no different in that he was willing to do anything to gain a profit. This is depicted in the second cartoon; Leopold is willing to harm and exploit the natives in order to make a profit. His actions represent the "darkness" that Marlow is about to enter. The natives of Congo have been burdened by Leopold's greedy and corrupt behavior (shown in the first cartoon) and as a result suffer from this "darkness" in that their own land has been taken, they aren't treated with respect, and they are forced to work for a man who doesn't even care about the land. Leopold only wants the cheap resources, and only leaves a barren, empty space behind him.
I really like your last sentence. It shows his selfish nature in that he comes, destroys the land and gets what he wants, and leaves. This is the best example of his selfishness that I've seen! Thanks for the insight!
Conrad creates a great juxtaposition between what is thought to be dark and what is dark. The Congo is a dark place, literally. Its people are dark and so is their forest, but does that make their hearts dark?In both political cartoons King Leopold II is shown and a villain/crook. In the first one he is portrayed as a rubber snake attacking a native and in the second he is seen holding his sacks of coins with a smirk on his face and a air bubble showing how his men are treating the natives. The King is the only one whose heart is truly dark. He exploits the native's land and then has the audacity to seize control over them and treat them as his slaves. The "darkness" of the Congo is not from its people, but from those who control it.
Ooh I like how you referred the darkness completely to Leopold, I hadn't thought of it in a negative connotation and instead laid it upon the people but I like your viewpoint on what's dark and what's not.
I really like how you used darkness to describe the people in control were dark and evil as opposed to the people being controlled. Interesting perspective!
I like how you say the place is literally dark, but it does not make the spirits of the people dark. It shows that Leopold was the hovering cloud to make them dark.
In the first cartoon, King Leopold is shown as a snake that is wrapped around and destroying the African people. In the other cartoon, he is shown as holding bags of money, showing his greed. Marlow is about to enter an area of darkness because the area has been exploited due to the greed of the Europeans. The Europeans look at all of Africa as an opportunity to make money, therefore they decide to exploit it. They do not care about what it does to the native people. On page 63 in my book, Marlow discusses rapids that come and fill up the stillness. This is a symbol for the destruction of the Europeans because they enter into other people’s affairs and cause problems for the native populations. After the Europeans came, these natives became like slaves to the Europeans. King Leopold was more concerned about profit than the goodwill of the natives. The Congo has been destroyed by King Leopold, and this shows the darkness that Marlow is about to enter into because the nation has now become a way to make money rather than improving the conditions of the natives.
I like how you viewed darkness as not only the cruel intentions of King Leopold but also of the greed fueling his actions and ideas. The reference also greatly strengthens your argument.
I really liked how you pointed out the greed Leopold possessed when dealing with the Congolese people. And I really liked the reference that you used :)
As a conqueror, King Leopold was willing to do whatever it took in order to achieve his ultimate greed and keep that greed. This is displayed in the two cartoons. In the first cartoon, Leopold is clutching the natives in his grasp and controlling them in whatever way he wants. This is to keep his profit. The second cartoon demonstrates how Leopold has no boundaries is what is acceptable when it comes to receiving money, even torturing and killing the native Congo people. His darkness is shown through his greed and apparent ignorance of what he is doing to this land and to these people.
This greed you talk about, is a characteristics we see in many of the world leaders that have risen with iron fists. For example, Hitler. He had a greed for power, so did Mussolini, Mubarak, and Asad
I agree with you, King Leopold and the other Europeans under his voice would do anything to gain wealth, even if that means destroying the life and freedom of others to increase their own. The cruel acts that they commit against the natives reveals their ignorance and rampant desire to prosper.
The cartoon shows the struggles that the people of the Congo had to face when King Leopold attempted to colonize the people. Leopold is depicted as a snake in the first cartoon and is strangling the life out of the African man. This shows that the true darkness is in the people who are foreign to the Congo and not the Africans themselves. Leopold took the Africans as slaves and used them in order to make money as showed in the second cartoon. This exploitation shows the dark intent that he possessed and that is how the Congo people will see all white people now.
I like how you referred to how the Congo people viewed the whites and why. I didn't realize that the darkness could be from the people foreign to Congo, and not have to do with the natives themselves.
Congo is represented as a country built upon slavery and cruel power. From the beginning, through King Leopold's reign, Congo experienced brutal situations and the country's people were under complete control, as shown through the cartoons. Both cartoons depict Leopold as a conniving, merciless, and selfish ruler. Thus because of Congo's past, the country which Marlow is about to embark on is a historical spot of darkness filled with physically and emotionally abuse. The people had suffered more than he could imagine and it has affected generations of the people immensely.
"historical spot of darkness filled with physically and emotionally abuse", that quote pretty much sums everything up. I like how you used historical spot of darkness.
I totally agree with your statement that the Congo experienced brutal situations. Lots of lives were lost, and I guess that is why it is a very poor country, because of the exploitation.
The two cartoons are a great depiction of the immense darkness that overshadowed the Congolese region. Before talking about the significance of the cartoon, there is a parallel between this event and another event that takes place in history. The relationship between the Dutch and Congolese is the same relationship seen between the British and the Indians, especially when it came to spices. The natives of these two lands were put to work in order to bring about riches that will benefit the mother land. King Leopold is accurately depicted as working the Congolese to a point of death.He is a selfish, self-centered man that wants the benefits without any work. The disturbance of the cartoon images is a child's play compared to the darkness Marlow is about to encounter.
I agree with you that what is depicted in the two pictures do not and will not compare to what Marlow will face. In a sense, I feel as if there is a greater darkness waiting for him to discover.
I agree with your statement concerning his selfish characteristic to so easily subjugate people and work them while sitting back and reaping the benefits.
The first cartoon actually depicts a Congolese rubber collector, as he is being strangled by King Leopold. Their harsh conditions for harvesting rubber and paying taxes were immense. King Leopold would do anything for a steady supply of rubber. The second cartoon looks like King Leopold taking the money for himself as in reality the Congolese work with blood and sweat. If they didn't work hard enough, the whites would beat them with a whip. The whole idea of King Leopold coming into the Congo devastates the Congolese rights, creating a cloud of darkness that befalls over the Congo. King Leopold is a feared man.
You are completely right with your description of King Leopold, his brutal actions, and the way he was perceived as a result of them. Because of his lack of concern as to what negative effects his greed had on the Congolese people, many of them developed a fear and even hatred of Europeans in general because all they had ever known was exploitation at the hands of those who claimed to be coming to their rescue and bringing them civilization.
Marlow experiences the darkness of a country and a people violently oppressed by their white conquerors to increase Belgium's wealth and international power. These two cartoons represent the harsh treatment, literal or metaphorical, inflicted upon the Congolese people by the European colonizers. The Congolese are simply slaves to the Belgian King Leopold and due to the color of their skin and status as a conquered people, the Congolese are treated as subhuman by their Belgian masters. The symbolic snake of forced labour in the rubber plantations coils around the natives, crushing their spirit and health of body and mind. When they occasionally attempt to fight back against the cruel oppressors, they receive harsh punishments. Such brutality causes an atmosphere of darkness and hopelessness besides in addition to the darkness of the unkown.
Both of the cartoons illustrate European greed. It is ironic that while contemporary Europeans attributed negative characteristics to the "uncivilized" Congolese, it was in fact the Europeans that were brutalizing Congo and its people for greed. The paradox of "civilized" Europeans -- personalized in the cartoons as Leopold II, but he was not alone in brutal colonization and exploitation -- unjustly exploiting Congolese for greed seems to be the "darkness" that Conrad explores in the book.
I like how you also though it was ironic that the Congolese were "uncivilized" when in reality it was the Europeans who had "hearts filled with darkness"
In a sense, I saw the same irony. The greed in both the pictures show how the Europeans cared more about their well being rather than those who they forced into involuntary labor. The darkness stems from their greed for te resources and their brutality towards the natives.
I also saw this same irony. The Europeans came to "civilize the savage", when they themselves were the real savages. Instead of bringing progress to the people, greed led them to only pay attention to their own wants and needs, which destroyed the Congolese people.
Darkness is a symbol for the unknown and uncivilized world. Everything is dark, from the natives to the cruel exploitations of King Leopold II. Both cartoons show the struggle of the natives from the Europeans, especially King Leopold. King Leopold is depicted as a greedy, over-controlling, and harsh exploiter who only cares about his personal riches than the lives of the Congolese. I think it is sort of ironic how Marlow is entering the "darkness" when in reality, the darkness is inside the hearts of the exploiters rather than the ones being exploited. The darkness is a symbol for the pain, suffering, and torture of the natives rather than the actual natives themselves as the Europeans view them. Ana Villa
Your last sentence is really interesting! I feel like one might add, following that argument, that the book was written from a native POV rather than a European POV? In that case, is Conrad inappropriately projecting his own perception of natives to a primarily European audience, therefore ironically erasing native voice and reinforcing colonialism?
I really like how you interpretted the word "darkness." When I thought of darkness, I thought of evil and bad, but I like how you said it's a symbol for the unknown world. Also, I agree that darkness is just in our hearts. Most humans only see the darkness and evil in other people, but in reality we only see the bad in others because we ourselves are filled with darkness.
I agree with Nicole. I also liked how you defined "darkness" as a symbolism of the unknown. It reminded me of when Marlow perceived Africa as a mystery (a blank space) as a boy.
I liked your insight as to what darkness is referring to. I took darkness in the more literal sense, but I can see how the darkness would mean the unknown. Good job :)
Both these cartoons, even though they have some differences, offer the same message: King Leopold and/or the Europeans who have come over to the Congo for conquest are more savage than the natives. In the first picture, King Leopold is depicted as a snake wrapped around the native - this picture represents the cruelty that he has set forth in his conquest for the raw materials in the Congo, where he will do anything (in this case, use all the lives he can) to achieve his goal. The second picture expands the message demonstrated in the first due to the fact that Kind Leopold only cares for his life and his ultimate goal; he steals and depletes the raw materials of the natives for his own benefit. He represents the harsh exploiation of colonization. Marlowe goes into a world of "darkness," but the darkness is not the natives who live here; slowly, he begins to realize the darkness lies withins those who conquer the natives because of their selfishness, greed, and cruelty.
I noticed that you, along with sarah-rose, used the word savage to describe the europeans in reference to the snake cartoon. I love this interpretation because it truely forces the audience to question what it means to be savage. The cruelty of the whites dispays a more savage nature that the enslaved position of the blacks.
The darkness in this book and the darkness of this cartoon show the cruelty that occurs between two different groups. Both Conrad and the cartoonist show the ways that the white man exploits the black man, although they do nothing to show that this exploitation is not deserved (which would support Achebe's idea that this book is, in fact, racist). Although Conrad may eventually delve further into the inherent evil of the white conquerers, the cartoonist is less focused on the white population as a whole and more concerned with King Leopold and the part he played. This raises the question--is Leopold the only one at fault? Are the ones who actually did the actions more accountable than Leopold himself?
I agree with what you are saying about the cartoons solely depicting King Leopold's actions. Although he led the conquest, he is definitely not the only one at fault.
You bring up a great point to support Achebe's belief that this book presents racist ideals and characterizes the European people as a group separate and superior to Africans. Both of these sources merely illuminate the ways in which many colonizers exploited Africa, however, they do not neccesarily condemn their actions.
You bring up a good point about the question of whether or not those who committed the crimes were more accountable than Leopold, and this connects back to the discussion question we had in class about whether or not people who act on orders of a corrupt leader are corrupt.
In both cartoons, King Leopard is taking over the natives in evil ways. First he is a snack and trying to wrap himself around the native. By King Leopard coming into the natives land and trying to take over for his benefit, he is creating darkness for the country and the rest of the people that are coming into the country. The natives will now be timid to anyone that is coming into their country because they will think that the new people will harm them and try to take over them just like King Leopard did. Conrad creates this image by giving the place a gloomy feeling and also feelings of tension between the natvies and the whites in the town.
Great analysis on Conrad creating a "gloomy feeling"! I completely agree on your description of the cartoons King Leopold is depicted as an exploiter. Zina Ibrahim
Both cartoons illustrate the greed that King Leopold had. In the first, he is depicted as a rubber snake strangling a Congolese man. The seconds shows him holding his piles of money. King Leopold was a leader who was willing to do anything to profit himself, regardless of the consequences it had on the natives. His selfish motives and ruthless behavior created the darkness associated with the Congo. This attitude was prevalent among many conquerers that sought to "civilize the savage". Darkness is often associated with evil, sin, and the unknown. Marlow prepares to travel into the unfamiliar environment of the Congo, a place destroyed by greed and filled with suffering people. Emily Kohne
You described King Leopold in the perfect way. he was selfish and greedy and you can see this through the picture of him holding the bag of money. Also, Marlow is going to a place that has been devastated by the exploitation.
Both cartoons depict Leopold as evil and selfish. He takes over the nation for greed and exploits the country for his own personal benefit, wanting only money. By not caring about the people and only caring about the interests of himself, Leopold has left the people of the Congo to be left in darkness. By darkness I mean lacking all sense of control and also having no sense of self worth, since Leopold, as depicted as a snake, took everything from the people of the Congo and left them with no way to make it on their own. This is similar to how Marlow depicted the conquerors as being destroyers who took away everything for riches.
I like how you connected Marlow's depiction of conquerors to how King Leopold took everything from the natives just like the conquerors did. Great connection!!
I really like your approach on this Lindsay. I saw the snake and I thought of how he described the river. I completely see how you found the darkness and greed that Leopold had. I agree on your take on these pictures.
Lindsey I loved how you made the connection between the two. Your definition of "darkness" really opened my eyes to view his journey to the Congo a little differently!
I like how you brought a new meaning to the definition of darkness. You proved that the people of the Congo were not responsible for the darkness surrounding them, they are just victims of the darkness thrust upon them.
Both cartoons depict the image of King Leopold, who is used as a representation for the European’s acts of capturing the natives and their land and using them as a means to prosper. In the first picture, King Leopold is depicted as a snake wrapped around one of the natives. The fact that he is a snake symbolizes his poisonous power to dominate in a foreign land. The second picture portrays King Leopold selfishly guarding his money, which shows that the Europeans could care less about the people, but are merely there for the bountiful resources that will result in their great self-profit. King Leopold’s influence on the Congo affects the “darkness” in the sense that the natives are not “dark” or evil or contemptuous, but rather the Europeans, who are taking over their land, are the “dark” ones. Their self desires present them as the enemies, who are only concerned with prosperity and would do anything, by all means, to get what they want…wealth.
I love the contrast you made by saying that it is the White skinned Europeans that are 'dark' and evil and not the dark skinned Africans. This truely was caused by Leopolds greed and desire for profit no matter what the cause!
I like the connection you made between the snake and King Leopold. And I also agree with your definition of the darkness and how it represents the Europeans' viciousness rather than the natives.
The two cartoons show how King Leopold II influenced the Congo and the Congolese people in a negative way by forcefully making them produce and deliver all the rubber he could get for his own gain (greed). He was so demanding and controlling that it "choked" the Congolese people, leaving them with an impression of people outside their own country/land as evil which affects the "darkness" of the region that Marlow is journeying off to.
I like how you explained the use of King Leopold as the snake in the political cartoon especially when you said he choked the Congolese people. It was interesting how you said it left the natives with a bad impression.
King Leopold II abuses the Congo by enslaving its people and building his riches off of their labor. In one cartoon, the king is portrayed as a snake that is crushing the life out of a native. In the other, the king hugs his treasured riches while thinking of the violence and cruelty by which he obtained them. Because of King Leopold’s cruelty, the Congo has become a dark land of corruption and abuse. The region Marlowe is heading into is darkened by the corruption of the white man and by the blood of enslaved Africans.
King Leopold's main concern with the Congo was to exploit the country's resources for his own benefit. The second cartoon shows this depiction of Leopold because he is gathering all the money he is making while his soldiers are killing over ten million innocent Africans. The first cartoon shows that Leopold would do anything to get rubber, even if that meant terrorizing the villagers. Marlow is about to enter a region filled with darkness that King Leopold has casted upon the villagers. The villagers are scared of white people because of how King Leopold has treated them.
I like your stance on how the Congolese saw white people in general. It's very true that because of their experience with King Leopold and his people, the African's view of white people was forever tainted.
I really like your interpretation of the two cartoons and like Abby^, I also like your stance on how the Congolese saw white people in general - I saw that too!
The two cartoons depict how King Leopold II has changed the Congo. In a sense, he has casted a dark shadow over the region that is now full of suffering and destruction. In the first cartoon Leopold is shown as a snake that is attacking a native, which can represent how he literally and spiritually killed the life of the natives. The second cartoon shows the natives being abused by Leopold's men while Leopold hoards large amounts of money. This shows his willingness to hurt other humans in order for his own personal gain. The greed of the conquerors exploit the locals, and this is the darkness that Marlow is about to enter.
I like how you said that he spiritually killed the natives which is not a point that i thought of. It brings up a good point on how their religion and hopes would be affected.
Both of these cartoons perfectly depict King Leopold as the greedy colonizer he was, concerned solely with how to acquire as much wealth as possible for himself regardless of the negative effects his actions had on the Congolese. This greed and lack of humanity affects the "darkness" in the Congo for it fosters the hostility between the incoming Europeans and the native Africans to whom they wish to bring "civilization." Because most European leaders cared little about the actual wellbeing of their African subjects, King Leopold is a perfect example of the darkness of colonization and the vicious, brutal cycle that is imperialism.
I don't think that the Europeans lacked humanity, but it's just that at the time they thought that the African people weren't equal to the status of humans. However, I do agree with the fact that they definitely did not show any compassion for their African subjects.
I think that both cartoons accurately depicted King Leopold and his conquest of Africa. In the back of the first cartoon entitled "In the Rubber Coils," you can see a mother and her baby running away along with the obvious man being strangled by the snake who is King Leopold. This shows how King Leopold and his mission did not care who they hurt or killed; they only wanted the rubber. The second cartoon shows how King Leopold was not even in Africa during the time of the invasion, but still reaping all the benefits. While King Leopold was comfortably in Europe, his men were killing the Africans in order to make a profit. This reminds me of the quote in the book on page 4 that says "They were men enough to face the darkness." This made me think that if they were able to live in Africa and handle the darkness and brutality themselves, they were just as dark as the Africa they were attempting to conquer.
I really liked your textual reference, because it helped show how replaceable the Africans were. Also, it showed that the Europeans were becoming the dark Africa they were creating.
As Jessica said, I love the quotation from the book that directly relates to the topic at hand. The Africans were being engulfed in the darkness of man when, ironically, they were attempting to spread the flickering light.
What's funny is how Marlow uses the term "flickering light" instead of a more passionate description- it really shows that he isn't even certainly that the Europeans were doing the right thing by being in Africa.
In these cartoons we see King Leopold as a greedy, selfish man. He goes to the extreme to get what he wants. As we see in the first cartoon, he is a snake who is squeezing the life out of the people. He is next depicted with bags of money showing his greediness. This affects the "darkness" of the region that Marlow is about to enter by showing how corrupt the region has become because of all the conquerors who have taken advantage of the region and its people. The conquerors have made the region dark; they made it like theirs, where someone will do anything to get on top.
I agree Katy and Devon. In the weekend reading section, we read that Marlow described conquerors as people who exploit the weakness of others merely because chance or fortune or God made them stronger. Since the Congolese likely had no way to combat the cultural assimilation of the European conquerors, they were consumed by the darkness and gloom that hangs over London. The serpent in the first cartoon chokes away all opposition. ~Megan Smart
The two political cartoons pictured above definitely shed some negative light on King Leopold and his overall influence on the Congo. The drawing depicting the snake strangling a local native shows that, in many ways, Leopold was more of a savage than the African people were. The second picture demonstrated his true purpose for controlling the Congo: greed. His actions introduced a certain level of hatred and darkness to the Congo that will never be changed or forgotten.
I think Kimberly's definition of savage in this respect is both lack of civilization and what we consider inhumane. With our Westernized perspective of civilization and our connotation of savagery, some still describe the "uncivilized" areas of the world (3rd world countries, Native American reservations, etc.) as more savage than, say, San Francisco or London. But our other definition of savage, as Gabe mentioned in class being the disregard for other human life, is the savagery Kimberly might have been referring to with Leopald's disregard for the Africans as fellow human beings and his shameless exploitation or their culture and resources.
The cartoons show King Leopold as a greedy leader and only wants to make himself happy, even if it does involve hurting others. It seems like in both pictures, people would fear him. The darkness can refer to the skin tone of the Natives, or it could represent the darkness or emptiness Marlow is about to enter. The Congo will be affected by what King Leopold did to the Natives.
The two depictions of King Leopold and his influence on the Congo shows a negative side to the King's involvement in the Congo. In the first political cartoon King Leopold is the snake that wraps around the native. This makes the statement that Leopold did not care about the well-being of the Congolese people and was willing o do whatever it took despite if it hurt them. Then in the second cartoon Leopold is shown with bags of money as he thinks of the Congolese people. This cartoon makes the point of how greedy King Leopold actually was. These ideas from the political cartoons affect the "darkness" that Marlow is about to enter by revealing the coruption that the region has experienced and what a lasting effect it has had on the Congo. -Abigail Bennett
By looking at the cartoons you can tell that King Leopold is being down right greedy and selfish at the Congolese expense. He obviously does not care about the wealth that the Congo can bring Europe and more importantly himself. King Leopold has forgotten all about the Congolese at this point and has become the snake depicted in the first cartoon. By becoming this snake he is creating darkness in the Congo. This darkness will thus cause the native to be scared of every foreigner that will visit their country. It doesn't even matter if they are coming to better the country or further destroy in. The darkness will forever represent the torturing and pain King Leopold put the Congolese through.
King Leopold is portrayed as an evil-minded man in the two cartoons. In the first cartoon, the cartoonist intentionally depicts him as a snake because it represent a dual expression of good and evil. The snake suits King Leopold very well because his intention for threatening the natives is to get what he wants, which can be viewed as good by Leopold himself, while the natives would view it as evil. In the second cartoon, although he is not physically hurting the natives, he is conniving to cause them harm. The two cartoons prove that there is more than one way to interpret or define 'darkness'. The darkness may be literally 'black' and dark in color. However, there can also be a white darkness in which the natives fear white men for the way the natives were treated by them. Perhaps, the darkness is the pain and the suffering the natives had to endure. If so, then such darkness would never be visited by Marlow if he fails to share the same pain.
dang i'm late... You can see that King Leopold is only concerned with his financial gains and that he does not care for the humanity of the people. In the first cartoon you can see that he takes the men and uses them as "snacks" while he leaves the women and children to fend for themselves. He is a greedy tyrant that cares only for his wealth as depicted in the second cartoon. He is the dark cloud hovering over the Congolese people so that they will not be able to grow or prosper. He inhibits any chance of them becoming a society that thrives.
oh dear...well in the two cartoons we can see King Leopold as a very selfish and self-concerned man.In the first cartoon, he is represented as a snake who is wrapped around a man and squeezing the life out of him. This cartoon shows how he is overworking the people of the Congo in order to obtain the rubber he wants. The other political cartoon depicts him as a man grabbing bags of money which shows his selfishness and greediness. This affects Marlow's journey into the darkness by showing how Marlow will describe and has already described the depiction of the conquerors who have come and corrupted the land of Africa.
The two cartoons clearly show the negative impact King Leopold has brought onto the Congolese people. In both the cartoons, you can see and conclude that he has brought upon the darkness that Marlow is soon going to be embarked upon, due to King Leopold's greed and desire for wealth. In the first cartoon, you see King Leopold has a rubber snake, constricting and crushing the life out of the native in the cartoon - this shows how he is willing to hurt and harm the people of the Congo to get what he wants. He has no care for humanity and because he has full control over all the people, like the native in the cartoon, he has made the Congo into a "dark" and gloomy place due to his greed and selfishness. In the second cartoon, you see King Leopold hugging and guarding his money while in the back of the cartoon, you see the natives being harmed and threatened, showing again, that he has no care for the well-being of the natives and he only cares about himself. Both of these cartoons affects the darkness of the region because 1) King Leopold's destructiveness, cruelty and selfishness brings darkness upon the Congo and this can create a dangerous position for Marlow because since King Leopold is a white man, the natives could view Marlow as the just same, because they're the same color.
Okay so: In Cartoon #1, we see that appearences are deceiving. The king is a rubber snake & usually rubber snakes are harmless (or so we think). Instead of using his power in society for good, he manipulates/abuses his power to fulfill his avarice (i.e. depicted in cartoon #2). This applies to the Anticipation Guide question about the grim concept of survival of the fittest. The king strips the Congo people until there is nothing left, and his greed for money dissolves his heart/conscience. He is only left with darkness, and brings his dark cloud with him wherever he goes.
You know how you said that his greed for money dissolved his heart/conscious? Well I wonder if he ever had one in the first place. Does a moral man come to another country intentionally to destroy it for his own purposes? Or does a heartless man come knowing full well what he is going into. If he was heartless in the beginning then the Congo is not darkness,nothing but he himself is. Otherwise, the Congo was filled with the darkness already, corrupting him into the greedy man he is now.
Ever since Marlow described Africa as a curling serpent, I've been looking at the connections within this book from a Garden of Eden lens. In the first comic, Leopald is depicted as a snake that is strangling the natives, about to consume them whole or suck them dry until they're shriveled up. Marlow described the snake of Africa as being tempting, just like the Garden's snake that tempted Adam and Eve with knowledge and deception. Colonists/conquerors may have done the same with the natives. They tricked them into letting their guards down and then exploited their hospitality for their own profit. Leopald is the consuming serpent who, by sinking his fangs into Africa's soil and culture, sucked all its resources dry and forever soiled the innocence and purity of the supposedly savage people. The second comic obviously portrays Leopald/colonists' greed, and how they amass their wealth by stealing from and brutalizing the native people. Leopald has a defensive gesture over his bags of money, suggesting that, though he may have implied that he collected this money for his country, he is in fact keeping it all to himself. Is the "darkness" the result of this avarice or the cause?
I actually didn't even think about the snake of Africa as a Biblical symbol. Looking at your explanation, you're completely right. Do you think that Africa itself is dark or that its history with the "temptress" Europeans is what has tainted its name?
Both cartoons represent the constricting of the congolese people advanced by motives of greed and profit, and paint a picture of as essentially most of the colonist expediations as they were quite frequently marked by increased subjugation and motives of profit. Additionally, the cartoons relate to the bigger theme of darkness as a whole as Africa as a whole was essentially shrouded in darkness with the back breaking labor and stripping of individual freedom, and most importantly, the shutting out of any glimmers of hope or any ideals of any "light at the end of the tunnel." Effectively, creating the darkness Marlow describes.
The depiction of King Leopold II as a snake in the first cartoon connects to the image Marlow stated he had of the Congo River "as a snake" (Conrad 8)in the white space he wanted more than anything to explore. With King Leopold as a snake, this presents an interesting take on the extent to which Marlow knew what he was getting himself into and a commentary by Conrad on the nature of the crimes being committed in the Congo. By Marlow wanting to go to the river he deems a snake, he is unintentionally furthering the progress of Leopold's case, and thereby darking his soul through the white. Moreover, the second cartoon depicting Leopold greedily hovering over his treasure destroys the idealistic image seen in the quote, "We live in the flicker" (Conrad 6) as the spread of the flicker of knowledge and civilization was the justification for the progression into the darkness. Ironically, however, the cartoon demonstrates that by attempting to spread this flicker, they were only blackening the darkness and stifling the light. This brings up the question of is ignorance an excuse as Marlow is unaware of the atrocities of the Congo when he departs, and will this save him from moral darkness?
Both cartoons are fairly straightforward. The first shows a python (who represents King Leopold II) choking an African (Congolese man) while a presumed wife and child run away in the background while the second cartoon shows Leopold coveting bags of coins while unconcernedly thinking about the violence that went behind getting that money. As many have already mentioned, King Leopold II was not a particularly nice man, enslaving the Congolese people and chopping off the hands of the people in an entire village if they didn't quite meet their quota. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad plays on the expectations of his Victorian (read: slavery-friendly) audience. His depiction of London as a dark place better characterizes the expectations we have of darkness than the blank slate of Africa- that it is gloomy and depressing and full of ethics-lacking Europeans who don't care whether an African died in the making of their sugar, coffee, rubber, etc. (as seen by Marlow's aunt). While Conrad does describe Africa as a dark place, he's also sure to point out that it is dark because it is unfamiliar and therefore something to be feared by Europeans. With this attitude of the Europeans in mind, Africa is a dark place only because of the history the Europeans have forced upon the Africans. Certainly, Marlow's adventure will not be an easy one.
This reminds me of how one of our "On-the-fence" numbers mentioned how we might lose our "humanity" when we are placed in foreign environment; however, King Leopold II convinces me that people don't lose their "humanity" to foreign settings, but are inhumane even before they arrive to that place. The "loss of humanity" is played out already in who you are.
I like how you pointed out the wife and child running away, I somehow missed that. I agree that King Leopold isn't a nice man and how you mention Africa as dark and it is unfamiliar and to be feared by the Europeans.
The cartoons represent the cruelty and darkness in the Congo when King Leopold II was in power. The first cartoon represents King Leopold as a snake that is choking a Congolese person's life away. This shows that King Leopold as a cruel inhumane being that killed people with no regards (because snakes are symbolizes as the devil). I found this cartoon interesting and "punny" because snakes have a sort of elastic body as rubber and the bottom caption reads "In The Rubber Coils." The second cartoon shows King Leopold with sacks of coins (money) and he is scheming of ways to "punish" the Congolese people if they do not meet their quotas. In the thought bubble there is a white man with a sword/blade and a Congolese man on his knees with stubs at the end of his arm.
I really like how you saw the symbolism in the cartoons. The serpent is an allusion to original sin and the elastic body is the rubber killing the natives. Haha your analysis gave me a new perspective to the cartoons.
What gets to me the most is his radical lack of compassion toward the Congolese. Both cartoons depict the extent of pain and toil that Leopold is willing to press upon the natives in order to gain more and more money. The pictures even make me look at our trading systems today like our out-sourcing in China and Mexico. I see a resemblance between Leopold and the USA in the power of exploitation to gain money. -HAENA
It is interesting how you describe the cartoons to "depict" pain and toil I realize how you could see pain in the second picture with King Leopold's thought but in the first one all I see is fear. I also see the resemblance between Leopold and the USA in exploitation of power in order to gain wealth.
I didn't think about the way the US is like Leopold, but I see your perspective; kind of believe it too. We go into other countries knowing we will both gain something, but we always end up with the greatest benefit.
Marlowe is about to enter a region where the people who are physically dark (the native Congolese) are the enlightened, innocent, and pure ones (traits typically represented by the color white or a metaphorical light). The “dark” natives know fully of the atrocities and have done nothing so wrong that it would earn them the suffering they experience at the hands of the European white men. The white men, on the other hand, are cruel and evil but also lost and confused in this new world of the Congolese. The qualities of evil and confusion are often symbolized by the color black or the idea of “darkness”. I believe that Joseph Conrad highlighted the contrast between the character’s physical coloring and moral coloring in order to make the point that race is only skin deep; it’s an arbitrary classification which reveals nothing about an individual’s morality or character. The cartoons call attention to the innocence of the black race through depicting an unarmed man being beat and a helpless woman and child cowering in fear from the King Leopold II snake. They also point out the greed and brutality of the white king, showing him hording his money like a miser and by depicting him as a cruel serpent. This new world that Marlowe is preparing to enter is the antithesis of his native world – it’s one where black is good and pure, and white is lost and evil. -Tyler Puszewski
These two cartoons illustrate the selfishness and power the white man (King Leopold) held in Africa. Marlow is about to enter this region completely oblivious to the social status of the races. Also, he does not realize how badly the African workers are treated there. The cartoons show that King Leopold is like a snake, holding the Africans as his prey. Furthermore, the second picture shows a white man with bags of money with thoughts of the African workers on his mind. It shows that although the white man has not completely forgotten the Africans, he is more greedy than virtuous, and will do whatever it takes to keep earning money. It shows that the whites think themselves to be superior to the Africans simply because of their race and technology.
It is made apparent that King Leopold II was somewhat of a modern conquistador in that he took over a people and destroyed their way of life in order to reconstruct and reinforce his empire. The first cartoon depicts a King that is concerned with natural resources and lacks any regard for humanity and decency. Rubber was one of the hardest resources to cultivate and was often excruciating for the Africans who did. The King's relentless sneer and portrayal as a snake only adds to his domineering nature. The second cartoon shows King Leopold in a more reflective light, but still portrays him as evil because he chooses the riches in his hands over the suffering he sees in his mind. With this being said, Marlowe has only a vague idea of what he is going to encounter in the land he once considered white and uncharted. He is unprepared for the crude lifestyles he will encounter and the atrocities he will surely witness, much like the family in Poisonwood Bible. Because Marlowe ventured out mostly on free will and curiosity, it will come as a shock when he will ultimately be condensed to his rawest form in the grit of humanity.
The portrayal of King Leopold in the two cartoons ultimately points out the atrocities he had committed against his African workers for self-gain. In the first cartoon, the African man is wrapped by a snake meant to personify King Leopold himself. The fact that he is wrapped up is significant in itself for it symbolizes the way in which the African workers were trapped by Leopold, unable to break free from his oppression. The fact that he has a snake's body exemplifies the symbol of the snake as sin. In the second cartoon, Leopold is more humanized, but this human portrayal has a more sinister effect. It shows King Leopold's utter disregard for the sanctity of human life due to selfish motivations. His humanized portrayal reveal's, not only his, but man's evil capabilities. Leopoldo's actions hold great significance in the Heart of Darkness because they foreshadow the horrifying actions and situations Marlow may come to encounter.
King Leopold is depicted as the darkness of Africa and the dark pain surrounding its natives. The first cartoon shows Leopold as a snake; choking and constricting its prey: the African Americans. There is a phrase about cutting the head off the snake, that is perfect to describe this first portrayal. If Leopold is the snake controlling everything, all you would need to do is cut his head off, end the reign of exploitation in Africa.
In the second cartoon, King Leopold is shown hoarding all of his money, despite knowing in the back of his mind what is going on to gain this wealth. His presence brings darkness about the country, despite his attempts to lie and say he is the light of Africa. In the back of his mind he knows this, knows of his evils, but has no empathy for those suffering for his "philanthropy." Leopold puts his own selfish greed above the welfare of other human beings.
King Leopold II influenced the Congo by coming in and selling the inhabitants into slavery or killing them. In the cartoon, it is seen that he gained wealth and power by doing these things. In the second one, King Leopold is made as a rubber vine which looks like a snake entangling and choking the life out of the Conngolese people. By being put into such harsh situations, the Congolese people become wary of newcomers, making the "darkness" of the region a potentially dangerous place for Marlow to enter. Conrad emphasizes through the character of Marlow that darkness is chosen by each individual and Marlow puts himself in this situation of darkness intentionally.
ReplyDeleteQuick question: how does Conrad emphasize darkness as being chosen by individuals, as you state in your last sentence?
DeleteI can somewhat see Devon's point because the other white agent accompaning Marlow on the march couldn't stand the conditions of the Congo physically and when asked about why he came he said he did it just for the money, so some people did in fact choose to go to the "darkness" of the Congo.
DeleteJack--this relates very much to the conversation we had in class. We choose our own darkness because of our separate ideals of humanity. If morality is thoroughly ingrained in a person, very little can strip them of that morality. If that morality was taught by society, however, it will disappear in the wild.
DeleteConrad shows this through Marlow's disgust of the actions of the whites. He is not tricked by the illusion of "doing good," as his aunt is. He recognizes the white brutality for what it is and therefore chooses not to choose the darkness.
Manisha Banga
I agree with your sentence about the Congolese people being treated in such harsh conditions that they are wary of newcomers. In the book, when Marlow was standing under the tree, the natives did not look surprised to see him but just stared with blank, glassy, expressionless eyes. Because of the brutality that they are experiencing, it is like they are unemotional due to the enslavement that binds then.
DeleteThis comment is directed towards Manisha Banga. How could morality be thoroughly ingrained in a person through any way other than society? Morality is only what a society classifies as being "moral" or right.
DeleteThe "darkness" of the Congo is in many ways both literal and figurative. Obviously, this "darkness" can refer to the skin color of the natives, and also the shade of the Congolese jungle. Deeper meaning, however, resides in the figurative darkness represented in the cartoons. King Leopold is represented as a rubber snake, and also is pictured greedily hugging bags of money. This greed is the primary darkness that has descended on the Congo Marlow is about to enter. it permeates the motives of the white men; the fat man that Marlow travels with on his walking journey admits that his reason for being there is "to make money."
ReplyDeleteI would have never gotten the literal way you could look at the "darkness" of the Congo. Great insight!
DeleteI surprisingly never thought of the darkness as the shade of the Congolese jungle. Glad you pointed it out!
DeleteI noticed that Marlow craved the shade of the trees also when reading,but never really thought about that form of darkness until now.
DeleteI would have never put that the darkness could be depicted so literally! Thank you for that perspective!
DeleteI think these pictures offer a different perspective as to what "darkness" means. On the annotations sheet, it's said that Conrad flips around the traditional symbols of white meaning goodness and darkness meaning evil, and these pictures support this. These pictures (especially the snake one) depict King Leopold as more savage than the native people. It shows them as victims of this man rather than just plain savages. About the darkness, I think these cartoons just add to Conrad's nontraditional use of symbolism, showing that the darkness (natives) are more good than the white men, or at least King Leopold.
ReplyDeleteI didn't look at it this way at first but I completely agree. The cartoons clearly show that King Leopold is more of a savage than the natives, and that the "darkness" (Congolese) is actually the good in the situation.
DeleteI like your idea about King Leopold being more of a savage than the natives! I completely agree with that! Going back to the anticipation question about helping people in other countries, I think that what you're saying helps to show that sometimes the people that take over are not really helping and are creating more problems because they are not fit to be in control of another country. I really like this perspective...thanks!
DeleteI really like how you said that King Leopold was the savage rather than the natives. I completely agree that the Europeans were seen as "savages" because of their crimes rather than the actual "savages" themselves.
DeleteI don't think that Conrad has yet entertained the idea that the black is necessarily "good"--they've done nothing to merit that. He has, however, utilized the idea that white is WORSE than black.
DeleteWhen I first saw the cartoons, I didn't see that they depicted King Leopard as more savage, but once you pointed it out I totally agree. King Leopard is coming in and trying to attack the natives for his benefit instead of the natives' benefit.
DeleteWow I didn't even think about that, but I can see what you mean and I totally agree! I liked how you mentioned the Congolese people as "natives" if that's what you were referring to. It is so often in history that people from outside a country comes over and controls it in a way that is sometimes harsh and evil in which your comparison of the reverse symbolism supports very well.
DeleteI liked how you thought of King Leopold as more of a savage than the natives! i would have never thought of it like that
DeleteI like how you took the darkness as quite literally the darkness of the natives skin. Good analysis.
DeleteWow,I hadn't even realized the annotation sheet points out how Conrad reverses the traditional roles of white and black. Well now I feel pretty unoriginal. Oh well. I too agree that throughout this book, literal darkness is contrasted with figurative darkness in order to make a point.
DeleteKing Leopold and his influence affect the darkness of this region by making the Congolese suspicious of the people coming to the Congo. As depicted in the cartoons, King Leopold was an oppressive and greedy leader. King Leopold had dark intentions with the Congolese, which made the Congo have a certain "darkness" to it. Since the Congolese were ruled by the greedy and cruel King Leopold, they expect other white people coming to the Congo to be like him; this makes them skeptical and creates a darkness in the region.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment in describing the people's suspicion of other whites coming to the Congo! Very insightful
DeleteOn page 17 it says, "I couldn't help asking him once what he meant by coming there at all. 'To make money, of course. What do you think?' he said, scornfully." I think you are correct when you say the other white men are coming to the region for the same purpose as Leopold, so the skepticism and mistrust of the locals for the white men would also create darkness in the region.
DeleteI like how you made the statement that the Congolese people will generalize and judge white people based on the actions of Leopold. I never thought of it that way!
DeleteKing Leopold created the darkness in the Congo by creating an environment where the congolese people would suffer under harsh conditions and forced labor while getting nothing in return. He used the people as a easily obtainable labor source where no-one would object to them being abused just so he could gain personal wealth by selling their resources. King Leopold created a "white darkness" where the congolese are so scared of whites, there is now a dark uneasiness in the Congo towards any other white men, like Marlow, from any of the natives.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you took the darkness and made it deeper by calling it a "white darkness". It's a good way to look at it
Deletei agree with Chrissy the way you describe the darkness as "white darkness" is really insightful.
DeleteWow! I really liked the idea of the black/white contrasting darkness. It just has that certain feel of parallelism to it.
DeleteThat "white darkness" ties in with Conrad's own reversal of the traditional symbolic meanings of black and white which we see in Heart of Darkness.
DeleteI agree with Eamon. In a traditional sense white means pure while black means dark, but in Heart of Darkness the colors are seen as white as dark and black as pure. Aaron, I like your idea of calling it "white darkness" because it is indeed ironic that the color white would actually cause the darkness and evil in the region instead.
DeleteLike many European leaders at this time, King Leopold II was no different in that he was willing to do anything to gain a profit. This is depicted in the second cartoon; Leopold is willing to harm and exploit the natives in order to make a profit. His actions represent the "darkness" that Marlow is about to enter. The natives of Congo have been burdened by Leopold's greedy and corrupt behavior (shown in the first cartoon) and as a result suffer from this "darkness" in that their own land has been taken, they aren't treated with respect, and they are forced to work for a man who doesn't even care about the land. Leopold only wants the cheap resources, and only leaves a barren, empty space behind him.
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out how he doesn't care about anything he leaves behind!
DeleteI really like your last sentence. It shows his selfish nature in that he comes, destroys the land and gets what he wants, and leaves. This is the best example of his selfishness that I've seen! Thanks for the insight!
DeleteI like how you said that the natives have been "burdened" by Leopold's actions because that's exactly what he did to the natives!
DeleteConrad creates a great juxtaposition between what is thought to be dark and what is dark. The Congo is a dark place, literally. Its people are dark and so is their forest, but does that make their hearts dark?In both political cartoons King Leopold II is shown and a villain/crook. In the first one he is portrayed as a rubber snake attacking a native and in the second he is seen holding his sacks of coins with a smirk on his face and a air bubble showing how his men are treating the natives. The King is the only one whose heart is truly dark. He exploits the native's land and then has the audacity to seize control over them and treat them as his slaves. The "darkness" of the Congo is not from its people, but from those who control it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this. I like how you noticed the juxtaposition between the two!
DeleteOoh I like how you referred the darkness completely to Leopold, I hadn't thought of it in a negative connotation and instead laid it upon the people but I like your viewpoint on what's dark and what's not.
DeleteThat is an interesting perspective, indicating that the darkness truly orginates from Belgium and the Belgian conqueror's than from the Congo itself.
DeleteI really like how you used darkness to describe the people in control were dark and evil as opposed to the people being controlled. Interesting perspective!
DeleteI like how you say the place is literally dark, but it does not make the spirits of the people dark. It shows that Leopold was the hovering cloud to make them dark.
DeleteIn the first cartoon, King Leopold is shown as a snake that is wrapped around and destroying the African people. In the other cartoon, he is shown as holding bags of money, showing his greed. Marlow is about to enter an area of darkness because the area has been exploited due to the greed of the Europeans. The Europeans look at all of Africa as an opportunity to make money, therefore they decide to exploit it. They do not care about what it does to the native people. On page 63 in my book, Marlow discusses rapids that come and fill up the stillness. This is a symbol for the destruction of the Europeans because they enter into other people’s affairs and cause problems for the native populations. After the Europeans came, these natives became like slaves to the Europeans. King Leopold was more concerned about profit than the goodwill of the natives. The Congo has been destroyed by King Leopold, and this shows the darkness that Marlow is about to enter into because the nation has now become a way to make money rather than improving the conditions of the natives.
ReplyDeleteGreat explanation and references to the book. I didnt notice that before but i just found it so thanks!
DeleteKelly I agree! I see how he was squeezing the life out of the people and being greedy. Great job! I totally agree with you :)
DeleteI like how you viewed darkness as not only the cruel intentions of King Leopold but also of the greed fueling his actions and ideas. The reference also greatly strengthens your argument.
DeleteThank you for the reference to the book! I completely agree with you ideas on this. It was very insightful.
DeleteI really liked how you pointed out the greed Leopold possessed when dealing with the Congolese people. And I really liked the reference that you used :)
DeleteGreat job finding a specific example of your idea from the book. Good job!
DeleteAs a conqueror, King Leopold was willing to do whatever it took in order to achieve his ultimate greed and keep that greed. This is displayed in the two cartoons. In the first cartoon, Leopold is clutching the natives in his grasp and controlling them in whatever way he wants. This is to keep his profit. The second cartoon demonstrates how Leopold has no boundaries is what is acceptable when it comes to receiving money, even torturing and killing the native Congo people. His darkness is shown through his greed and apparent ignorance of what he is doing to this land and to these people.
ReplyDeleteThis greed you talk about, is a characteristics we see in many of the world leaders that have risen with iron fists. For example, Hitler. He had a greed for power, so did Mussolini, Mubarak, and Asad
DeleteI agree with you, King Leopold and the other Europeans under his voice would do anything to gain wealth, even if that means destroying the life and freedom of others to increase their own. The cruel acts that they commit against the natives reveals their ignorance and rampant desire to prosper.
DeleteThe cartoon shows the struggles that the people of the Congo had to face when King Leopold attempted to colonize the people. Leopold is depicted as a snake in the first cartoon and is strangling the life out of the African man. This shows that the true darkness is in the people who are foreign to the Congo and not the Africans themselves. Leopold took the Africans as slaves and used them in order to make money as showed in the second cartoon. This exploitation shows the dark intent that he possessed and that is how the Congo people will see all white people now.
ReplyDeleteI like how you referred to how the Congo people viewed the whites and why. I didn't realize that the darkness could be from the people foreign to Congo, and not have to do with the natives themselves.
DeleteI like how you said the snake was strangling the life out of the people. That was deep Peyton I don't know how you come up with this kind of stuff.
DeleteCongo is represented as a country built upon slavery and cruel power. From the beginning, through King Leopold's reign, Congo experienced brutal situations and the country's people were under complete control, as shown through the cartoons. Both cartoons depict Leopold as a conniving, merciless, and selfish ruler. Thus because of Congo's past, the country which Marlow is about to embark on is a historical spot of darkness filled with physically and emotionally abuse. The people had suffered more than he could imagine and it has affected generations of the people immensely.
ReplyDelete"historical spot of darkness filled with physically and emotionally abuse", that quote pretty much sums everything up. I like how you used historical spot of darkness.
DeleteI totally agree with your statement that the Congo experienced brutal situations. Lots of lives were lost, and I guess that is why it is a very poor country, because of the exploitation.
DeleteThe two cartoons are a great depiction of the immense darkness that overshadowed the Congolese region. Before talking about the significance of the cartoon, there is a parallel between this event and another event that takes place in history. The relationship between the Dutch and Congolese is the same relationship seen between the British and the Indians, especially when it came to spices. The natives of these two lands were put to work in order to bring about riches that will benefit the mother land. King Leopold is accurately depicted as working the Congolese to a point of death.He is a selfish, self-centered man that wants the benefits without any work. The disturbance of the cartoon images is a child's play compared to the darkness Marlow is about to encounter.
ReplyDeleteI liked that you brought historical facts into the discussion.
DeleteI agree with you that what is depicted in the two pictures do not and will not compare to what Marlow will face. In a sense, I feel as if there is a greater darkness waiting for him to discover.
DeleteI agree with your statement concerning his selfish characteristic to so easily subjugate people and work them while sitting back and reaping the benefits.
DeleteThe first cartoon actually depicts a Congolese rubber collector, as he is being strangled by King Leopold. Their harsh conditions for harvesting rubber and paying taxes were immense. King Leopold would do anything for a steady supply of rubber. The second cartoon looks like King Leopold taking the money for himself as in reality the Congolese work with blood and sweat. If they didn't work hard enough, the whites would beat them with a whip. The whole idea of King Leopold coming into the Congo devastates the Congolese rights, creating a cloud of darkness that befalls over the Congo. King Leopold is a feared man.
ReplyDeleteYou are completely right with your description of King Leopold, his brutal actions, and the way he was perceived as a result of them. Because of his lack of concern as to what negative effects his greed had on the Congolese people, many of them developed a fear and even hatred of Europeans in general because all they had ever known was exploitation at the hands of those who claimed to be coming to their rescue and bringing them civilization.
DeleteMarlow experiences the darkness of a country and a people violently oppressed by their white conquerors to increase Belgium's wealth and international power. These two cartoons represent the harsh treatment, literal or metaphorical, inflicted upon the Congolese people by the European colonizers. The Congolese are simply slaves to the Belgian King Leopold and due to the color of their skin and status as a conquered people, the Congolese are treated as subhuman by their Belgian masters. The symbolic snake of forced labour in the rubber plantations coils around the natives, crushing their spirit and health of body and mind. When they occasionally attempt to fight back against the cruel oppressors, they receive harsh punishments. Such brutality causes an atmosphere of darkness and hopelessness besides in addition to the darkness of the unkown.
ReplyDeleteI like how you referred to the darkness of the unknown as opposed to darkness only being evil.
DeleteI also like your interpretation of darkness as being one of the unknown rather than evil.
DeleteBoth of the cartoons illustrate European greed. It is ironic that while contemporary Europeans attributed negative characteristics to the "uncivilized" Congolese, it was in fact the Europeans that were brutalizing Congo and its people for greed. The paradox of "civilized" Europeans -- personalized in the cartoons as Leopold II, but he was not alone in brutal colonization and exploitation -- unjustly exploiting Congolese for greed seems to be the "darkness" that Conrad explores in the book.
ReplyDeleteI like how you also though it was ironic that the Congolese were "uncivilized" when in reality it was the Europeans who had "hearts filled with darkness"
DeleteIn a sense, I saw the same irony. The greed in both the pictures show how the Europeans cared more about their well being rather than those who they forced into involuntary labor. The darkness stems from their greed for te resources and their brutality towards the natives.
DeleteI also saw this same irony. The Europeans came to "civilize the savage", when they themselves were the real savages. Instead of bringing progress to the people, greed led them to only pay attention to their own wants and needs, which destroyed the Congolese people.
DeleteDarkness is a symbol for the unknown and uncivilized world. Everything is dark, from the natives to the cruel exploitations of King Leopold II. Both cartoons show the struggle of the natives from the Europeans, especially King Leopold. King Leopold is depicted as a greedy, over-controlling, and harsh exploiter who only cares about his personal riches than the lives of the Congolese. I think it is sort of ironic how Marlow is entering the "darkness" when in reality, the darkness is inside the hearts of the exploiters rather than the ones being exploited. The darkness is a symbol for the pain, suffering, and torture of the natives rather than the actual natives themselves as the Europeans view them.
ReplyDeleteAna Villa
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DeleteYour last sentence is really interesting! I feel like one might add, following that argument, that the book was written from a native POV rather than a European POV? In that case, is Conrad inappropriately projecting his own perception of natives to a primarily European audience, therefore ironically erasing native voice and reinforcing colonialism?
DeleteI really like how you interpretted the word "darkness." When I thought of darkness, I thought of evil and bad, but I like how you said it's a symbol for the unknown world. Also, I agree that darkness is just in our hearts. Most humans only see the darkness and evil in other people, but in reality we only see the bad in others because we ourselves are filled with darkness.
DeleteI agree with Nicole. I also liked how you defined "darkness" as a symbolism of the unknown. It reminded me of when Marlow perceived Africa as a mystery (a blank space) as a boy.
DeleteI like how you thought of darkness as something differend that most people would have thought of.
DeleteI liked your insight as to what darkness is referring to. I took darkness in the more literal sense, but I can see how the darkness would mean the unknown. Good job :)
DeleteBoth these cartoons, even though they have some differences, offer the same message: King Leopold and/or the Europeans who have come over to the Congo for conquest are more savage than the natives. In the first picture, King Leopold is depicted as a snake wrapped around the native - this picture represents the cruelty that he has set forth in his conquest for the raw materials in the Congo, where he will do anything (in this case, use all the lives he can) to achieve his goal. The second picture expands the message demonstrated in the first due to the fact that Kind Leopold only cares for his life and his ultimate goal; he steals and depletes the raw materials of the natives for his own benefit. He represents the harsh exploiation of colonization. Marlowe goes into a world of "darkness," but the darkness is not the natives who live here; slowly, he begins to realize the darkness lies withins those who conquer the natives because of their selfishness, greed, and cruelty.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that you, along with sarah-rose, used the word savage to describe the europeans in reference to the snake cartoon. I love this interpretation because it truely forces the audience to question what it means to be savage. The cruelty of the whites dispays a more savage nature that the enslaved position of the blacks.
DeleteThe darkness in this book and the darkness of this cartoon show the cruelty that occurs between two different groups. Both Conrad and the cartoonist show the ways that the white man exploits the black man, although they do nothing to show that this exploitation is not deserved (which would support Achebe's idea that this book is, in fact, racist).
ReplyDeleteAlthough Conrad may eventually delve further into the inherent evil of the white conquerers, the cartoonist is less focused on the white population as a whole and more concerned with King Leopold and the part he played. This raises the question--is Leopold the only one at fault? Are the ones who actually did the actions more accountable than Leopold himself?
I agree with what you are saying about the cartoons solely depicting King Leopold's actions. Although he led the conquest, he is definitely not the only one at fault.
DeleteYou bring up a great point to support Achebe's belief that this book presents racist ideals and characterizes the European people as a group separate and superior to Africans. Both of these sources merely illuminate the ways in which many colonizers exploited Africa, however, they do not neccesarily condemn their actions.
DeleteYou bring up a good point about the question of whether or not those who committed the crimes were more accountable than Leopold, and this connects back to the discussion question we had in class about whether or not people who act on orders of a corrupt leader are corrupt.
DeleteIn both cartoons, King Leopard is taking over the natives in evil ways. First he is a snack and trying to wrap himself around the native. By King Leopard coming into the natives land and trying to take over for his benefit, he is creating darkness for the country and the rest of the people that are coming into the country. The natives will now be timid to anyone that is coming into their country because they will think that the new people will harm them and try to take over them just like King Leopard did. Conrad creates this image by giving the place a gloomy feeling and also feelings of tension between the natvies and the whites in the town.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis on Conrad creating a "gloomy feeling"! I completely agree on your description of the cartoons King Leopold is depicted as an exploiter.
DeleteZina Ibrahim
Both cartoons illustrate the greed that King Leopold had. In the first, he is depicted as a rubber snake strangling a Congolese man. The seconds shows him holding his piles of money. King Leopold was a leader who was willing to do anything to profit himself, regardless of the consequences it had on the natives. His selfish motives and ruthless behavior created the darkness associated with the Congo. This attitude was prevalent among many conquerers that sought to "civilize the savage". Darkness is often associated with evil, sin, and the unknown. Marlow prepares to travel into the unfamiliar environment of the Congo, a place destroyed by greed and filled with suffering people.
ReplyDeleteEmily Kohne
You described King Leopold in the perfect way. he was selfish and greedy and you can see this through the picture of him holding the bag of money. Also, Marlow is going to a place that has been devastated by the exploitation.
DeleteBoth cartoons depict Leopold as evil and selfish. He takes over the nation for greed and exploits the country for his own personal benefit, wanting only money. By not caring about the people and only caring about the interests of himself, Leopold has left the people of the Congo to be left in darkness. By darkness I mean lacking all sense of control and also having no sense of self worth, since Leopold, as depicted as a snake, took everything from the people of the Congo and left them with no way to make it on their own. This is similar to how Marlow depicted the conquerors as being destroyers who took away everything for riches.
ReplyDeleteI like how you connected Marlow's depiction of conquerors to how King Leopold took everything from the natives just like the conquerors did. Great connection!!
DeleteI really like your approach on this Lindsay. I saw the snake and I thought of how he described the river. I completely see how you found the darkness and greed that Leopold had. I agree on your take on these pictures.
DeleteLindsey I loved how you made the connection between the two. Your definition of "darkness" really opened my eyes to view his journey to the Congo a little differently!
DeleteI like how you brought a new meaning to the definition of darkness. You proved that the people of the Congo were not responsible for the darkness surrounding them, they are just victims of the darkness thrust upon them.
DeleteBoth cartoons depict the image of King Leopold, who is used as a representation for the European’s acts of capturing the natives and their land and using them as a means to prosper. In the first picture, King Leopold is depicted as a snake wrapped around one of the natives. The fact that he is a snake symbolizes his poisonous power to dominate in a foreign land. The second picture portrays King Leopold selfishly guarding his money, which shows that the Europeans could care less about the people, but are merely there for the bountiful resources that will result in their great self-profit. King Leopold’s influence on the Congo affects the “darkness” in the sense that the natives are not “dark” or evil or contemptuous, but rather the Europeans, who are taking over their land, are the “dark” ones. Their self desires present them as the enemies, who are only concerned with prosperity and would do anything, by all means, to get what they want…wealth.
ReplyDeleteI love the contrast you made by saying that it is the White skinned Europeans that are 'dark' and evil and not the dark skinned Africans. This truely was caused by Leopolds greed and desire for profit no matter what the cause!
DeleteI like the connection you made between the snake and King Leopold. And I also agree with your definition of the darkness and how it represents the Europeans' viciousness rather than the natives.
DeleteThe two cartoons show how King Leopold II influenced the Congo and the Congolese people in a negative way by forcefully making them produce and deliver all the rubber he could get for his own gain (greed). He was so demanding and controlling that it "choked" the Congolese people, leaving them with an impression of people outside their own country/land as evil which affects the "darkness" of the region that Marlow is journeying off to.
ReplyDeleteI like how you explained the use of King Leopold as the snake in the political cartoon especially when you said he choked the Congolese people. It was interesting how you said it left the natives with a bad impression.
DeleteKing Leopold II abuses the Congo by enslaving its people and building his riches off of their labor. In one cartoon, the king is portrayed as a snake that is crushing the life out of a native. In the other, the king hugs his treasured riches while thinking of the violence and cruelty by which he obtained them. Because of King Leopold’s cruelty, the Congo has become a dark land of corruption and abuse. The region Marlowe is heading into is darkened by the corruption of the white man and by the blood of enslaved Africans.
ReplyDeleteI like how you said that the king is "crushing the life out of a native", I couldn't have worded it better myself.
DeleteKing Leopold's main concern with the Congo was to exploit the country's resources for his own benefit. The second cartoon shows this depiction of Leopold because he is gathering all the money he is making while his soldiers are killing over ten million innocent Africans. The first cartoon shows that Leopold would do anything to get rubber, even if that meant terrorizing the villagers. Marlow is about to enter a region filled with darkness that King Leopold has casted upon the villagers. The villagers are scared of white people because of how King Leopold has treated them.
ReplyDeleteI like your stance on how the Congolese saw white people in general. It's very true that because of their experience with King Leopold and his people, the African's view of white people was forever tainted.
DeleteI really like your interpretation of the two cartoons and like Abby^, I also like your stance on how the Congolese saw white people in general - I saw that too!
DeleteThe two cartoons depict how King Leopold II has changed the Congo. In a sense, he has casted a dark shadow over the region that is now full of suffering and destruction. In the first cartoon Leopold is shown as a snake that is attacking a native, which can represent how he literally and spiritually killed the life of the natives. The second cartoon shows the natives being abused by Leopold's men while Leopold hoards large amounts of money. This shows his willingness to hurt other humans in order for his own personal gain. The greed of the conquerors exploit the locals, and this is the darkness that Marlow is about to enter.
ReplyDeleteI like how you said that he spiritually killed the natives which is not a point that i thought of. It brings up a good point on how their religion and hopes would be affected.
DeleteBoth of these cartoons perfectly depict King Leopold as the greedy colonizer he was, concerned solely with how to acquire as much wealth as possible for himself regardless of the negative effects his actions had on the Congolese. This greed and lack of humanity affects the "darkness" in the Congo for it fosters the hostility between the incoming Europeans and the native Africans to whom they wish to bring "civilization." Because most European leaders cared little about the actual wellbeing of their African subjects, King Leopold is a perfect example of the darkness of colonization and the vicious, brutal cycle that is imperialism.
ReplyDeleteI like how you showed the Europeans as people who lacked humanity, because this is a very true aspect of the men who invaded Africa and the Congo.
DeleteI don't think that the Europeans lacked humanity, but it's just that at the time they thought that the African people weren't equal to the status of humans. However, I do agree with the fact that they definitely did not show any compassion for their African subjects.
DeleteI think that both cartoons accurately depicted King Leopold and his conquest of Africa. In the back of the first cartoon entitled "In the Rubber Coils," you can see a mother and her baby running away along with the obvious man being strangled by the snake who is King Leopold. This shows how King Leopold and his mission did not care who they hurt or killed; they only wanted the rubber. The second cartoon shows how King Leopold was not even in Africa during the time of the invasion, but still reaping all the benefits. While King Leopold was comfortably in Europe, his men were killing the Africans in order to make a profit. This reminds me of the quote in the book on page 4 that says "They were men enough to face the darkness." This made me think that if they were able to live in Africa and handle the darkness and brutality themselves, they were just as dark as the Africa they were attempting to conquer.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your textual reference, because it helped show how replaceable the Africans were. Also, it showed that the Europeans were becoming the dark Africa they were creating.
DeleteAs Jessica said, I love the quotation from the book that directly relates to the topic at hand. The Africans were being engulfed in the darkness of man when, ironically, they were attempting to spread the flickering light.
DeleteWhat's funny is how Marlow uses the term "flickering light" instead of a more passionate description- it really shows that he isn't even certainly that the Europeans were doing the right thing by being in Africa.
DeleteIn these cartoons we see King Leopold as a greedy, selfish man. He goes to the extreme to get what he wants. As we see in the first cartoon, he is a snake who is squeezing the life out of the people. He is next depicted with bags of money showing his greediness. This affects the "darkness" of the region that Marlow is about to enter by showing how corrupt the region has become because of all the conquerors who have taken advantage of the region and its people. The conquerors have made the region dark; they made it like theirs, where someone will do anything to get on top.
ReplyDeleteKaty I agree with what you're saying. I also do believe that the Congolese people lost control to the conquerors without much choice.
DeleteI agree Katy and Devon. In the weekend reading section, we read that Marlow described conquerors as people who exploit the weakness of others merely because chance or fortune or God made them stronger. Since the Congolese likely had no way to combat the cultural assimilation of the European conquerors, they were consumed by the darkness and gloom that hangs over London. The serpent in the first cartoon chokes away all opposition.
Delete~Megan Smart
The two political cartoons pictured above definitely shed some negative light on King Leopold and his overall influence on the Congo. The drawing depicting the snake strangling a local native shows that, in many ways, Leopold was more of a savage than the African people were. The second picture demonstrated his true purpose for controlling the Congo: greed. His actions introduced a certain level of hatred and darkness to the Congo that will never be changed or forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI understand he was acting like a savage in respect to the natives, but I do not believe the natives were literally savages themselves
DeleteI think Kimberly's definition of savage in this respect is both lack of civilization and what we consider inhumane. With our Westernized perspective of civilization and our connotation of savagery, some still describe the "uncivilized" areas of the world (3rd world countries, Native American reservations, etc.) as more savage than, say, San Francisco or London. But our other definition of savage, as Gabe mentioned in class being the disregard for other human life, is the savagery Kimberly might have been referring to with Leopald's disregard for the Africans as fellow human beings and his shameless exploitation or their culture and resources.
DeleteThe cartoons show King Leopold as a greedy leader and only wants to make himself happy, even if it does involve hurting others. It seems like in both pictures, people would fear him. The darkness can refer to the skin tone of the Natives, or it could represent the darkness or emptiness Marlow is about to enter. The Congo will be affected by what King Leopold did to the Natives.
ReplyDeleteThe two depictions of King Leopold and his influence on the Congo shows a negative side to the King's involvement in the Congo. In the first political cartoon King Leopold is the snake that wraps around the native. This makes the statement that Leopold did not care about the well-being of the Congolese people and was willing o do whatever it took despite if it hurt them. Then in the second cartoon Leopold is shown with bags of money as he thinks of the Congolese people. This cartoon makes the point of how greedy King Leopold actually was. These ideas from the political cartoons affect the "darkness" that Marlow is about to enter by revealing the coruption that the region has experienced and what a lasting effect it has had on the Congo. -Abigail Bennett
ReplyDeleteBy looking at the cartoons you can tell that King Leopold is being down right greedy and selfish at the Congolese expense. He obviously does not care about the wealth that the Congo can bring Europe and more importantly himself. King Leopold has forgotten all about the Congolese at this point and has become the snake depicted in the first cartoon. By becoming this snake he is creating darkness in the Congo. This darkness will thus cause the native to be scared of every foreigner that will visit their country. It doesn't even matter if they are coming to better the country or further destroy in. The darkness will forever represent the torturing and pain King Leopold put the Congolese through.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the snake is symbolic in the way that it appears in the Bible? Representing evil?
DeleteKing Leopold is portrayed as an evil-minded man in the two cartoons. In the first cartoon, the cartoonist intentionally depicts him as a snake because it represent a dual expression of good and evil. The snake suits King Leopold very well because his intention for threatening the natives is to get what he wants, which can be viewed as good by Leopold himself, while the natives would view it as evil. In the second cartoon, although he is not physically hurting the natives, he is conniving to cause them harm. The two cartoons prove that there is more than one way to interpret or define 'darkness'. The darkness may be literally 'black' and dark in color. However, there can also be a white darkness in which the natives fear white men for the way the natives were treated by them. Perhaps, the darkness is the pain and the suffering the natives had to endure. If so, then such darkness would never be visited by Marlow if he fails to share the same pain.
ReplyDeletedang i'm late... You can see that King Leopold is only concerned with his financial gains and that he does not care for the humanity of the people. In the first cartoon you can see that he takes the men and uses them as "snacks" while he leaves the women and children to fend for themselves. He is a greedy tyrant that cares only for his wealth as depicted in the second cartoon. He is the dark cloud hovering over the Congolese people so that they will not be able to grow or prosper. He inhibits any chance of them becoming a society that thrives.
ReplyDeleteI like how you noticed the women and children were left to fend for themselves. I didn't notice that when I first saw it.
Deleteoh dear...well in the two cartoons we can see King Leopold as a very selfish and self-concerned man.In the first cartoon, he is represented as a snake who is wrapped around a man and squeezing the life out of him. This cartoon shows how he is overworking the people of the Congo in order to obtain the rubber he wants. The other political cartoon depicts him as a man grabbing bags of money which shows his selfishness and greediness. This affects Marlow's journey into the darkness by showing how Marlow will describe and has already described the depiction of the conquerors who have come and corrupted the land of Africa.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point of view.. The squeezing of life hints at death which yields darkness..
DeleteThe two cartoons clearly show the negative impact King Leopold has brought onto the Congolese people. In both the cartoons, you can see and conclude that he has brought upon the darkness that Marlow is soon going to be embarked upon, due to King Leopold's greed and desire for wealth. In the first cartoon, you see King Leopold has a rubber snake, constricting and crushing the life out of the native in the cartoon - this shows how he is willing to hurt and harm the people of the Congo to get what he wants. He has no care for humanity and because he has full control over all the people, like the native in the cartoon, he has made the Congo into a "dark" and gloomy place due to his greed and selfishness. In the second cartoon, you see King Leopold hugging and guarding his money while in the back of the cartoon, you see the natives being harmed and threatened, showing again, that he has no care for the well-being of the natives and he only cares about himself. Both of these cartoons affects the darkness of the region because 1) King Leopold's destructiveness, cruelty and selfishness brings darkness upon the Congo and this can create a dangerous position for Marlow because since King Leopold is a white man, the natives could view Marlow as the just same, because they're the same color.
ReplyDeleteOkay so:
ReplyDeleteIn Cartoon #1, we see that appearences are deceiving. The king is a rubber snake & usually rubber snakes are harmless (or so we think). Instead of using his power in society for good, he manipulates/abuses his power to fulfill his avarice (i.e. depicted in cartoon #2). This applies to the Anticipation Guide question about the grim concept of survival of the fittest. The king strips the Congo people until there is nothing left, and his greed for money dissolves his heart/conscience. He is only left with darkness, and brings his dark cloud with him wherever he goes.
You know how you said that his greed for money dissolved his heart/conscious? Well I wonder if he ever had one in the first place. Does a moral man come to another country intentionally to destroy it for his own purposes? Or does a heartless man come knowing full well what he is going into. If he was heartless in the beginning then the Congo is not darkness,nothing but he himself is. Otherwise, the Congo was filled with the darkness already, corrupting him into the greedy man he is now.
DeleteEver since Marlow described Africa as a curling serpent, I've been looking at the connections within this book from a Garden of Eden lens. In the first comic, Leopald is depicted as a snake that is strangling the natives, about to consume them whole or suck them dry until they're shriveled up. Marlow described the snake of Africa as being tempting, just like the Garden's snake that tempted Adam and Eve with knowledge and deception. Colonists/conquerors may have done the same with the natives. They tricked them into letting their guards down and then exploited their hospitality for their own profit. Leopald is the consuming serpent who, by sinking his fangs into Africa's soil and culture, sucked all its resources dry and forever soiled the innocence and purity of the supposedly savage people. The second comic obviously portrays Leopald/colonists' greed, and how they amass their wealth by stealing from and brutalizing the native people. Leopald has a defensive gesture over his bags of money, suggesting that, though he may have implied that he collected this money for his country, he is in fact keeping it all to himself. Is the "darkness" the result of this avarice or the cause?
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't even think about the snake of Africa as a Biblical symbol. Looking at your explanation, you're completely right. Do you think that Africa itself is dark or that its history with the "temptress" Europeans is what has tainted its name?
DeleteBoth cartoons represent the constricting of the congolese people advanced by motives of greed and profit, and paint a picture of as essentially most of the colonist expediations as they were quite frequently marked by increased subjugation and motives of profit. Additionally, the cartoons relate to the bigger theme of darkness as a whole as Africa as a whole was essentially shrouded in darkness with the back breaking labor and stripping of individual freedom, and most importantly, the shutting out of any glimmers of hope or any ideals of any "light at the end of the tunnel." Effectively, creating the darkness Marlow describes.
ReplyDeleteThe depiction of King Leopold II as a snake in the first cartoon connects to the image Marlow stated he had of the Congo River "as a snake" (Conrad 8)in the white space he wanted more than anything to explore. With King Leopold as a snake, this presents an interesting take on the extent to which Marlow knew what he was getting himself into and a commentary by Conrad on the nature of the crimes being committed in the Congo. By Marlow wanting to go to the river he deems a snake, he is unintentionally furthering the progress of Leopold's case, and thereby darking his soul through the white. Moreover, the second cartoon depicting Leopold greedily hovering over his treasure destroys the idealistic image seen in the quote, "We live in the flicker" (Conrad 6) as the spread of the flicker of knowledge and civilization was the justification for the progression into the darkness. Ironically, however, the cartoon demonstrates that by attempting to spread this flicker, they were only blackening the darkness and stifling the light. This brings up the question of is ignorance an excuse as Marlow is unaware of the atrocities of the Congo when he departs, and will this save him from moral darkness?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! As to your final question, I believe nobody will ever be safe from moral darkness in our world.
DeleteBoth cartoons are fairly straightforward. The first shows a python (who represents King Leopold II) choking an African (Congolese man) while a presumed wife and child run away in the background while the second cartoon shows Leopold coveting bags of coins while unconcernedly thinking about the violence that went behind getting that money. As many have already mentioned, King Leopold II was not a particularly nice man, enslaving the Congolese people and chopping off the hands of the people in an entire village if they didn't quite meet their quota. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad plays on the expectations of his Victorian (read: slavery-friendly) audience. His depiction of London as a dark place better characterizes the expectations we have of darkness than the blank slate of Africa- that it is gloomy and depressing and full of ethics-lacking Europeans who don't care whether an African died in the making of their sugar, coffee, rubber, etc. (as seen by Marlow's aunt). While Conrad does describe Africa as a dark place, he's also sure to point out that it is dark because it is unfamiliar and therefore something to be feared by Europeans. With this attitude of the Europeans in mind, Africa is a dark place only because of the history the Europeans have forced upon the Africans. Certainly, Marlow's adventure will not be an easy one.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of how one of our "On-the-fence" numbers mentioned how we might lose our "humanity" when we are placed in foreign environment; however, King Leopold II convinces me that people don't lose their "humanity" to foreign settings, but are inhumane even before they arrive to that place. The "loss of humanity" is played out already in who you are.
DeleteI like how you pointed out the wife and child running away, I somehow missed that. I agree that King Leopold isn't a nice man and how you mention Africa as dark and it is unfamiliar and to be feared by the Europeans.
DeleteThe cartoons represent the cruelty and darkness in the Congo when King Leopold II was in power. The first cartoon represents King Leopold as a snake that is choking a Congolese person's life away. This shows that King Leopold as a cruel inhumane being that killed people with no regards (because snakes are symbolizes as the devil). I found this cartoon interesting and "punny" because snakes have a sort of elastic body as rubber and the bottom caption reads "In The Rubber Coils." The second cartoon shows King Leopold with sacks of coins (money) and he is scheming of ways to "punish" the Congolese people if they do not meet their quotas. In the thought bubble there is a white man with a sword/blade and a Congolese man on his knees with stubs at the end of his arm.
ReplyDelete- David Kim
I really like how you saw the symbolism in the cartoons. The serpent is an allusion to original sin and the elastic body is the rubber killing the natives. Haha your analysis gave me a new perspective to the cartoons.
DeleteWhat gets to me the most is his radical lack of compassion toward the Congolese. Both cartoons depict the extent of pain and toil that Leopold is willing to press upon the natives in order to gain more and more money. The pictures even make me look at our trading systems today like our out-sourcing in China and Mexico. I see a resemblance between Leopold and the USA in the power of exploitation to gain money.
ReplyDelete-HAENA
It is interesting how you describe the cartoons to "depict" pain and toil I realize how you could see pain in the second picture with King Leopold's thought but in the first one all I see is fear. I also see the resemblance between Leopold and the USA in exploitation of power in order to gain wealth.
DeleteI didn't think about the way the US is like Leopold, but I see your perspective; kind of believe it too. We go into other countries knowing we will both gain something, but we always end up with the greatest benefit.
DeleteMarlowe is about to enter a region where the people who are physically dark (the native Congolese) are the enlightened, innocent, and pure ones (traits typically represented by the color white or a metaphorical light). The “dark” natives know fully of the atrocities and have done nothing so wrong that it would earn them the suffering they experience at the hands of the European white men. The white men, on the other hand, are cruel and evil but also lost and confused in this new world of the Congolese. The qualities of evil and confusion are often symbolized by the color black or the idea of “darkness”. I believe that Joseph Conrad highlighted the contrast between the character’s physical coloring and moral coloring in order to make the point that race is only skin deep; it’s an arbitrary classification which reveals nothing about an individual’s morality or character. The cartoons call attention to the innocence of the black race through depicting an unarmed man being beat and a helpless woman and child cowering in fear from the King Leopold II snake. They also point out the greed and brutality of the white king, showing him hording his money like a miser and by depicting him as a cruel serpent. This new world that Marlowe is preparing to enter is the antithesis of his native world – it’s one where black is good and pure, and white is lost and evil. -Tyler Puszewski
ReplyDeleteIt's good that you see more than just the literal meaning of dark versus light in the context of the Congolese people and the Europeans. Key analysis.
DeleteThese two cartoons illustrate the selfishness and power the white man (King Leopold) held in Africa. Marlow is about to enter this region completely oblivious to the social status of the races. Also, he does not realize how badly the African workers are treated there. The cartoons show that King Leopold is like a snake, holding the Africans as his prey. Furthermore, the second picture shows a white man with bags of money with thoughts of the African workers on his mind. It shows that although the white man has not completely forgotten the Africans, he is more greedy than virtuous, and will do whatever it takes to keep earning money. It shows that the whites think themselves to be superior to the Africans simply because of their race and technology.
ReplyDeleteIt is made apparent that King Leopold II was somewhat of a modern conquistador in that he took over a people and destroyed their way of life in order to reconstruct and reinforce his empire. The first cartoon depicts a King that is concerned with natural resources and lacks any regard for humanity and decency. Rubber was one of the hardest resources to cultivate and was often excruciating for the Africans who did. The King's relentless sneer and portrayal as a snake only adds to his domineering nature. The second cartoon shows King Leopold in a more reflective light, but still portrays him as evil because he chooses the riches in his hands over the suffering he sees in his mind. With this being said, Marlowe has only a vague idea of what he is going to encounter in the land he once considered white and uncharted. He is unprepared for the crude lifestyles he will encounter and the atrocities he will surely witness, much like the family in Poisonwood Bible. Because Marlowe ventured out mostly on free will and curiosity, it will come as a shock when he will ultimately be condensed to his rawest form in the grit of humanity.
ReplyDeleteThe portrayal of King Leopold in the two cartoons ultimately points out the atrocities he had committed against his African workers for self-gain. In the first cartoon, the African man is wrapped by a snake meant to personify King Leopold himself. The fact that he is wrapped up is significant in itself for it symbolizes the way in which the African workers were trapped by Leopold, unable to break free from his oppression. The fact that he has a snake's body exemplifies the symbol of the snake as sin. In the second cartoon, Leopold is more humanized, but this human portrayal has a more sinister effect. It shows King Leopold's utter disregard for the sanctity of human life due to selfish motivations. His humanized portrayal reveal's, not only his, but man's evil capabilities. Leopoldo's actions hold great significance in the Heart of Darkness because they foreshadow the horrifying actions and situations Marlow may come to encounter.
ReplyDeleteKing Leopold is depicted as the darkness of Africa and the dark pain surrounding its natives. The first cartoon shows Leopold as a snake; choking and constricting its prey: the African Americans. There is a phrase about cutting the head off the snake, that is perfect to describe this first portrayal. If Leopold is the snake controlling everything, all you would need to do is cut his head off, end the reign of exploitation in Africa.
ReplyDeleteIn the second cartoon, King Leopold is shown hoarding all of his money, despite knowing in the back of his mind what is going on to gain this wealth. His presence brings darkness about the country, despite his attempts to lie and say he is the light of Africa. In the back of his mind he knows this, knows of his evils, but has no empathy for those suffering for his "philanthropy." Leopold puts his own selfish greed above the welfare of other human beings.