Tuesday, March 1 – Please take out your course packs and open up to your Heart of Darkness section. While you take your quiz I will come around and check your annotations.

Agenda 1.HOD Quiz (40 minutes) 2.Ota Benga – Reactions? (5) 3.HOD Unit – Assessments & Unit (5) 4.Read “The White Man’s Burden,” “Poor Man’s Burden,” and “Black Man’s Burden” (30)

Ota Benga It is important to realize that this type of behavior was not limited to other countries but was a part of us as well.

Heart of Darkness Unit What evil lurks in the heart of men? What are the causes, effects and moral implications of European colonialism in the late nineteenth century? When in history have we seen greed assuaged by human suffering? Is greed assuaged by human suffering ever acceptable? 1. 1 st reading of HOD and reading comprehension quiz nd reading is a closer read. We will each present a section of the book, presenting not only the content, but the literary elements as well. I will present the first half of Part Literary Criticism Report 4. In Class Essay (50 minutes)

The Congo Free State From Encyclopedia Britannica on the Congo Free State:Congo Free State Under Leopold II's administration, the Congo Free State was subject to a terror regime, including atrocities such as mass killings and maimings which were used to subjugate the indigenous tribes of the Congo region and to procure slave labor. Estimates of the death toll range from three to twenty-two million. Beginning in 1900, news of the conditions in the Congo Free State began to be exposed in European and U.S. press. By 1908 public pressure and diplomatic maneuvers led to the end of Leopold II's rule, and to the annexation of the Congo as a colony of Belgium, known as the Belgian Congo. The Congo Free State was the epitome of imperial brutality, though by no means the only one. Leopold II was, in many people's eyes, insane, adding to the absurdity of the colonialist venture. This information begs the question: Is Conrad giving us the full truth, or is he glossing over the atrocities committed in the name of colonialism?

Read “White Man’s Burden” by Ruyard Kipling, “The Poor Man’s Burden” by George McNeill, and “The Black Man’s Burden” by H.T. Johnson 1. Read all three poems twice so that you are familiar with the content. 2. Then answer the following questions: What is “white man’s burden”? What is “poor man’s burden”? What is “black man’s burden”? What is it today’s reader finds so repugnant about Kipling’s poem? If you were a citizen of a colonized territory, how would you respond to Kipling?

Interpretations A straightforward analysis of the poem may conclude that Kipling presents a Eurocentric view of the world, in which non- European cultures are seen as childlike and demonic. This view proposes that white people consequently have an obligation to rule over, and encourage the cultural development of, people from other ethnic and cultural backgrounds until they can take their place in the world by fully adopting Western ways. The term "the white man's burden" can be interpreted simply as racist, or taken as a metaphor for a condescending view of non- Western national culture and economic traditions, identified as a sense of European ascendancy which has been called "cultural imperialism". A parallel can also be drawn with the philanthropic view, common in Kipling's formative years, that the rich have a moral duty and obligation to help the poor "better" themselves whether the poor want the help or not.

Interpretations Within a historical context, the poem makes clear the prevalent attitudes that allowed colonialism to proceed. Although a belief in the "virtues of empire" was wide-spread at the time, there were also many dissenters; the publication of the poem caused a flurry of arguments from both sides, most notably from Mark Twain and Henry James. Much of Kipling's other writing does suggest that he genuinely believed in the "beneficent role" which the introduction of Western ideas could play in lifting non-Western peoples out of "poverty and ignorance." Lines 3-5, and other parts of the poem suggest that it is not just the native people who are enslaved, but also the "functionaries of empire," who are caught in colonial service. This theme may also be contrasted with the Christian missionary movement, which was also quite active at the time in Africa, India, and other British and European colonies (e.g. the Christian and Missionary Alliance).

Interpretations Some commentators point to Kipling's history of satirical writing, and suggest that "The White Man's Burden" is in fact meant to satirically undermine imperialism.

Homework Write a Found Poem Start rereading Part 1 of HOD. Vocabulary Quiz 4 (loose sentences)