Imperialism and Colonialism
Consider how criticism might engage with race and religion (through two texts)
(889 Words)
Race and religion can form vital parts of any play or novel; history has proved that tension, be it through different religions/ races of people, has stirred up many conflicts. In this essay, I will refer to two texts namely ‘The Jew of Malta’ by Christopher Marlowe and ‘The Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad. I would like to show how criticism can engage from a story and that we can see the undertones of the text that shows racial and religious streams of thought and action. These narratives both show the act of colonialism/countries powers, which are true accounts of the Christian colonizers and the Turkish Siege of Malta as well as King Leopold and the Belgium Congo.
Initially, The Jew of Malta resonates with themes of religious tension, which was a parallel to the time, in the sixteenth century. There were not many Jews in England during this time. Jews in England secretly practiced. Many Jews who were born into the Jewish faith either converted or pretended to be Christians. Criticism can be pointed not only towards the non-secular people in England but also where this play tries to deal with the anti-semitic feeling that was rife throughout the whole of Europe. The Jewish people did not believe in Christianity, so they were a threat to social order. English Protestants felt that Jews were outsiders as well as Muslims and Catholics. Marlowe forces the reader to re-examine the factors that were the start of internationalism. It makes the reader comment about the internal affairs at that time. The subject of commerce and internationalism had a role in the unfolding drama that could be equal to the effects of antisemitism.
Furthermore, in 1594 the Queens physician Roderigo Lopez, a Portuguese Jew was tried and executed for treason on charges that included conspiring to poison the queen. The Lopez case inspired a wave of anti-Jewish feeling and was probably responsible for the appearance of several dramas dealing with Jewish characters including the revival of the Jew of Malta. At that time, Marlowe’s story would have assessed the Jewish implication as much as we do now. Barbaras is a Jewish merchant he is angered by the passage of law requiring all Jews to either convert to Christianity or give up one-half of their wealth. Barbaras’ daughter is also in love with a Christian. He commits crimes for revenge because he hates Christian race.
Marlowe wrote it about a Jew, of another religion, and let the reader see Barbaras as someone that is capable of any heinous crime, a factor brought on by other people’s motives. He is a wealthy Jewish man that cannot be trusted. Marlowe shows us a character of a Jew (Barbaras) and gives us that experience and thus forms the reader’s opinion. The main character Barbaras displays the kind of strategic cunning that is at odds with the Christian notions of altruism, but he shares much with Machiavellian self-advancement. There was anti-Machiavellian feeling that was widespread in Elizabethan England. In all do we admire or criticize Barbaras for his fight against the invaders?
In Conrad’s novel, we find a certain racial tension, which is documented throughout the novel, with reference to black and white with the insinuation to bad and good. The white race has the strong hold on the black. We find arguments with the whites who exploit the blacks though the whites are seen as dark souled. You feel pity for the blacks who are taken over. Europe at the time of the late 1900’s was generally thought a place of light or enlightenment and Africa was generally thought as a place of darkness. Conrad finds disparagement with the history of colonialism as it was applied in the Belgium Congo. We find criticism in the ways of the whites. He writes about the sociological investigation of those who conquer and those who are conquered and the complicated way between the two races.
King Leopold founded the ‘International Association for the Suppression of Slavery and the Opening up of Central Africa’ where he attempted to impose civilization and order. This colonial greed just fostered widespread abuse; so much for racial alliance! Conrad’s disparagement not only festered when he visited the Congo but also saw that exploitation suppurate everywhere. Again, we have reason to analyses; we find a race of people with their own motives trying to take over another country. Essentially, we come to evaluate the white race for their love of spreading salvation, religion, culture and commerce and not letting the blacks have their own. Do we admire or criticise the whites invaders for this?
To conclude, we find motivation for criticism because of some heinous acts from people of dissimilar races and religions. The height of racial tension must be thought to come from the colonialists who then thought that they were of superior wealth and knowledge that they would bring great ideas and make everything for the better although we find that they are not of the right knowledge to see the problems that they are causing. Here we have to challenge their motives. Racial and religious tension is made from acts that will not be forgotten with the passage of time, and we see here what mistakes each race of people could have made and the reactions that are born from them.
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A Larger World Opens – A Look at Imperialism and Colonialism
What made the Europeans so eager for expansion and control? Their vast empires stretched all across the world which led to trade and capitalism as we now it. As early as the 1400s Europe was aware of the high culture in China and overland trade routes to far off continents such as Asia. The only problem was that these trade routes were wholly Muslim enterprises. Not only were Chinese products being brought back but also Indian, as the trade for luxury in The West prospered. Unfortunately, at the time, the rise of the Ottoman Empire led to the curtailing of this trade, which instead of slowing down trade, led to the rise of sea travel and trade routes. European countries now wanted a slice of the profits to be made from the far away countries, not only Asia but also the Americas. Thus the first roots of Imperialism and Colonialism started to manifest.
Seas were precarious places and ships had to battle fierce waters and long distances, but the journeys were still made to be the first to conquer. In 1450, the Portuguese started to sponsor trade routes and in 1488 Bartolomeu Dias made crucial advances around the Cape of Good Hope, as he went looking for African gold and spices. Vasco De Gama sailed to the Indian Ocean and the West Indies. Also, explorer Pedro Alvarez Cabral ended up in Brazil by way of winds and tides from his Portuguese base which led to their claim of the land. These were intrepid voyages but were vital in opening trade and establishing colonies. It was actually the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492 that coined the phrase the Columbian Exchange which saw the Old World marry up with the New World as all kinds of good were to be transported to the Americas. Also in 1510, the Portuguese had landed in Goa, India, and as far as Macau marking their position as the domineering country. The world was expanding and the Portuguese took the initiative to have the control of most profitable routes.
The sixteenth century was a turning phase for the Portuguese. Although they were wise in their first exchanges, they were no match for the Spanish whose strength began to grow. Many voyages in the early 1500s by the Spanish (namely Columbus who was under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and at the invitation of King Manuel I of Portugal, Amerigo Vespucci, whose name was given to the New World) emphasized Europe’s new goal to be in control of many places. Spain actually had gained control of Northern South America and Central America. By 1550 with Portugal not taking a hold on its stations, the Spanish began to incorporate themselves in Portuguese ventures. This turning point gave the Dutch and English the incentive to stake their claim on trade and control. The English had been slow to get in on the lucrative trade as they were fighting their own battles back home such as the famous War of the Roses. The Dutch also grew stronger as they had gained independence from Spain. Now, towns such as Antwerp and Amsterdam were major trade ports. The Dutch wanted to carry vast loads bought from the Far East at low prices and ship them back to Europe for vast profit. This was done by the opening up of the East India Company which would be one of the first multinational mega-corporations in trading. This company would take most of the Portuguese trade. The English, although having wars with the Dutch never really fought for this trade, having established trade with India and having acquired the seaport of Singapore as well as the colonies in North America. There was also the London East India Company which was a private entity and extremely powerful in itself. This company came to rule large parts of India with its military power and also its administrative functions. Europe was gaining control of the world.
Trade was not the only idea that was prevalent in these journeys to far off places. The motto was God, Glory, and Gold. This now begins to explain more of the suggestion that these explorers and the countries behind them were going forget all they needed. They wanted to convert the natives to their respective faith. Each of the explorers wanted the glory back in his homeland for finding new sources of income for the nation, and Gold was the income source they were looking for the most. Locals were unable to stop the European intruders with their fast weaponry and training that while this would seem total overthrow of the natives, trade was still done with locals with established trade. The Portuguese actually failed in this respect as they used their strength to try and take over all trade. The British, Dutch, and Spanish would later appease this by maintaining trade relationships but still with control. Trade continued and the Spanish crown took a vast amount of gold and silver from India to fill its coffers. The Catholic Spanish would also try to convert the locals. This was heightened by the fact that countries like England were Protestant. The Spanish took their technology, and strangely, disease to conquer most of South America, parts of the Southwestern United States, and all of Mexico and Central America. The English would make big inroads to North America along with the Dutch.
To conclude, the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were astonishing times of exploration and discovery. These European countries had enormous power and took it to all parts of the world colonising many countries and taking natural wealth from them. The Europeans also have the view that these were inferior lands but as time moved on instead of thinking that these people were just man-eaters they came to the view that they were ‘noble savages’. It could be said that European domination led to the erosion of many traditional values and destroyed many existing social relationships while taking many natural resources. Conversely, imperialism and colonialism can be said to have saved countries in a lot of ways by way trade, technology, roads, railroads, schools, hospitals and better farming.
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