Murphy
AP Lit
Name:
Date:
“King Leopold’s Ghost” – Heart of Darkness Assignment
Pd:
You will be watching the documentary “King Leopold’s Ghost” and reading the short essay “How to
Write about Africa”. This movie is an interesting film that exposes the initial and lasting impact of King
Leopold of Belgium’s control of the Congo region of Africa. The essay, by Kenyan author Binyavanga
Wainaina, is a satirical look at the stereotypes imposed upon Africa by Western literature.
After watching the movie, and reading he document you will write a four-part essay; it will be essentially
four shorter responses within the same document.
Part I:
What is your reaction to the information that you learned from the video? What sticks out in your mind?
Discuss the implications of the far-reaching impact of King Leopold’s obsession with the Congo.
Part II:
Given this information (and the fact that Joseph Conrad worked for King Leopold’s company), why do
you think that Conrad chose the Belgian Congo as the setting for his novel? Think about not only the
physical but the mental and moral understandings that he was trying to convey. Find CD’s from the book
to illustrate your point.
Part III:
Compare the real-life treatment of the native people (from the documentary) with Conrad/Marlow’s
treatment of them (in the novel) and Wainaina’s satirical perspective (from the essay).
Questions to think about: What influence did the mentalities of the time period have on Conrad? How
do you know? Considering the subtle criticism of imperialism in HoD, do you see Conrad as being
hypocritical at all? Considering the lasting impact of Heart of Darkness and the events in the Congo as
you now understand them, should this book continue to be read? Which is more powerful: the lasting
impact of the book, or the knowledge of the harsh realities of the history of the Congo? Are they
mutually exclusive?
Part IV:
What is Wainaina’s point in writing this essay? How is Wainaina’s perspective reflected in Conrad’s
Heart of Darkness? What about Things Fall Apart? Does Achebe’s writing support or refute the point/s
made by Wainaina?
Extra: Can you make any connections between the points in the essay and the documentary? Go beyond
superficial analysis; consider the use of film as a means of delivering information vs. the use of print (as
in HoD and TFA).