... child" who has been murdered - merely because of his color - in retaliation by Mau Mau fighters or to the "savages," who - in as racist an attitude as was taken by Nazis against Jews - are deemed worthless, or expendable. ("Savages" is a controversial term that derives from the French word sauvage meaning wild, and is now wholly derogatory in English. Walcott ... 's use of "savage" functions to present a British colonialist's racist point of view.) Lines 11-14 Walcott shifts gears in these lines and returns to images ... African subject and doing so from a distance. It's an apt title, t...

• Word Count: 4862
• Approx Pages: 19
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

King Leopold's Ghost tells a story of the Belgian King Leopold II and his misrule of an African colony, named (at the time) the Congo Free State. It is a wild and unpleasant story of a man's capacity for evil and the peculiar manifestation of it. In telling this story, Hochschild does a wonderful job of giving detailed descriptions, especially of the colorful individuals involved, both good and bad. His analysis of the situation is very solid, starting with ... were wasted or hidden for use in rebellions. Hochschild goes on to point out that the killing of the Congolese was not an elaborate p...

• Word Count: 2087
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate