Heart Of Darkness, By Benjamin Kidd: An Analysis

Colonialism in terms of history was the result of one’s will to expand and establish rule over an area. The need for expansion was motivated by political needs that associated the development of national greatness, and social and religious reasons that promoted the superiority of the European society over other societies. Through the use of direct military force, economic influences, and extermination, European countries dominated the continents of Africa and Asia. This led to differences in levels of knowledge, development, and progressiveness in societies.
Civilization and primitivism can be seen in various perspectives due to one’s personal background and views. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad describes civilized Europeans venturing
Throughout the text the difference between Europeans and non-Europeans is distinguished in their levels of progressiveness in development which establishes the author’s concept of civilization and primitivism. The author begins stating that the “Anglo-Saxon overflow[s] his boundaries, going forth to take possession of new territories, and establish[es] himself like his ancestors in many lands.” This displays the European’s growing power in terms of establishment over new territories which plays a role in their progressiveness in society. Benjamin Kidd describes the Europeans as a dominant race through portraying their actions including their extermination of the natives they had come in contact with, leading the primitive to submit to the more civilized and dominating race. This conveys how the natives become underprivileged due to the invasion of foreign powers slowing down their progress in development in society. The author further describes the Europeans as a dominant race that has an “energetic, vigorous, virile life amongst them [that] is maintained at the highest pitch of which nature is
He believes that the rule will be detrimental to the natives while breaking their tradition. Leopold goes on to state that Belgian soldiers will positively impact perspectives of the natives with desires to wipe out their enemies completely. The author depicts this perspective of the natives when saying “that victory [of the natives was] only decisive when [their] enemy, fallen beneath their blows, [was] annihilated.” This portrays the concept the author develops about primitivism meaning values of humaneness. He conveys that human life has a higher value towards those who are moral showing the primitivity found in the natives. Civilization can be distinguished when Leopold states that his “refined society attaches to human life (and with reason) a value unknown to barbarous communities.” This further enhances his concept that the value of human life depicts one as civilized or