1. Heart of Darkness First Published 1899 and 1902

2. Joseph Conrad 1857 – 1924
Born in Poland but later takes British citizenship as an adult
Parents fought for Polish independence
Conrad orphaned by 11 years old
Varied working career and education
Extremely well educated

3. Heart of Darkness Late19th and early 20th century colonialism
5 million murdered or died of disease “Black Holocaust”
Focus on greed, self-delusion, murder, evil
Darkness of social corruption
For 500 years “human treasure” was taken, but when slave trade ended “ivory treasure” took its place (rubber, diamonds and gold)

4. King Leopold II of Belgium 1835-1909
Severe exploitation of the Congo
Saw colonization as a noble cause
Belgian “destiny” to dominate other peoples
Missionaries gave cover to the real quest for wealth

5. More……… The “rape” of Africa Leopold exploited Christianity
The Congo as a “free” state
Trading for ivory turned into “raiding” for ivory
A story about “The West against the Rest”
Often considered a racist novel because of the lack of identity of the native Africans
Conrad was a product of his time and probably racist but disgusted by what he saw in the Congo

6. Ivory Trade – 1890’s Ivory………. (a symbol of wealth) used for:
Piano keys
Art
Jewelry
Carvings
Other adornments

7. Slave Labor

8. Hands were lost due to being bound
tightly as well as cut off as a trophy to
signify an enemy killed.

9. One of the many
political cartoons that helped turn public sentiment against colonization and the exploitation of Africa and its people.