I enjoyed this reading because it has already rounded out my knowledge of the setting of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. A memorable quote from Joseph Conrad's story made a strong connection between the two texts. As Marlow tells his tale to his crew, he comments on the imperialist expansion, "which mostly means the taking away [of land] from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much" (Conrad Pt. 1). The author of King Leopold's Ghost describes this as well. I find it intriguing that the nations of Europe got away with complete extortion and even genocide by justifying their heinous crimes with hollow rationals containing little more than hypocrisy and ignorance. The powers of Europe simply hid their injustices behind the veil of religious and humanitarian interests. Out of all of the topics discussed in the first few chapters of Kind Leopold's Ghost, I find this topic especially interesting.
Questions:
1. If the casualties of the conquest of Africa (specifically the Congo) reached levels close to those of the Holocaust, why do most people of our society continue to live their lives without learning about these events?
2. Stanley's compulsive need to reinvent his past was said to embody the attitude of many similar figures at the time. What does this say about 19th century society?
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