A cura di Paola Della Valle 
 
 A historical overview of the largest empire of all time, from its origins to the decline and then the Commonwealth, through five stories from the five continents, told by: Joseph Conrad (An Outpost of Progress), keen observer of European colonialism in Africa; Rudyard Kipling (Lispeth, India); Henry Lawson (The Drover’s Wife, Australia); Henry Rider Haggard (Long Odds, South Africa); Gilbert Parker (A Man, A Famine and a Heathen Boy, Canada).
 Stimulating in-depth analyses enrich each story. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Transcripts - Summing-up Activities
 
 Uno sguardo storico al più grande impero di tutti i tempi, dalle origini al declino e al Commonwealth con cinque storie per i cinque continenti narrate da: J. Conrad (An Outpost of Progress, acuto osservatore del colonialismo britannico in Africa); R. Kipling (Lispeth, India); H. Lawson (The Drover’s Wife, Australia); H. R. Haggard (Long Odds, Sudafrica); G. Parker (A Man, a Famine and a Heathen Boy, Canada).

History of the British Empire: Birth and Decline

Joseph Conrad

Story 1 – An Outpost of Progress

Extension – From Heart of Darkness to Apocalypse Now

History of the British Empire: Colonial India

Rudyard Kipling

Story 2 – Lispeth

Extension – The voice of non-violence: Mahatma Gandhi

History of the British Empire: Colonial Australia

Henry Lawson

Story 3 – The Drover’s Wife

Extension – Australian identity: the bush and the Aborigines

History of the British Empire: Colonial South Africa

Henry Rider Haggard

Story 4 – Long Odds

Extension – From lost worlds to psychoanalysis

History of the British Empire: Colonial Canada

Gilbert Parker

Story 5 – A Man, a Famine and a Heathen Boy

Extension – Canada’s indigenous peoples

Summing-up activities

Glossary

romantic, his fiction presents men in extreme situations, having to face hostile external forces and make dramatic choices. Conrad s main interests are the ambiguity of human nature, the ambivalence of man s moral codes and the difficulty of communication between individuals. His works are therefore voyages into the inner1 self of his characters as much as explorations of faraway countries. Some of them, such as Heart of Darkness, pose2 critical questions on European colonialism. An Outpost of Progress was first included in the collection Tales of Unrest in 1898. A Belgian company leaves two agents, Kayerts and Carlier, in charge of a small trading station on a river in the middle of the African jungle. Their job is to trade European goods for ivory, as in Heart of Darkness. In fact, it is their African employee3, known as Makola, who is the real  head  of the station, because he is the only one who can speak both the various local languages and French. Kayerts and Carlier are depicted as ineffectual bureaucrats, unable to act and make choices. They symbolize the gears4 of a complex system that uses (and finally sacrifices) mediocre5 people, by giving them the illusion of easy success. They will end up being victims of their mediocrity. The role of efficient Makola is crucial, since he seems to have identified with the interests of the company better than the two white men. He basically sells the black labourers of the station as slaves, in exchange for a considerable amount of ivory. Kayerts and Carlier are horrified at first, but the prospect of good money makes them approve of Makola s action. Conrad probably wanted to underline that the slave trade could never have occurred without the help of black chiefs, as proved by historical evidence. However, the overall story throws a dark light on the aims and practices of European colonialism in Africa. 1. inner: private and secret. 2. pose: ask. 3. employee: a person who works for a company. 4. gears: pieces of a machine. 5. mediocre: not very good, secondrate. Conrad on the Congo River (C. Anyango, 2010). 

An Outpost of Progress BEFORE READING 1 1  Story The story is set in a trading station along a river in Africa. Do you know what a trading station is? Choose the best option. a. A shop or store selling European products to native people. b. A place where European products are kept to be exchanged with local goods brought by the natives. c. A place where people can take a train or bus. 2 What African goods or material may interest the Europeans? gold   clothes   ivory   artifacts   animal hides and furs   food 3 The surnames of the two protagonists are Kayerts and Carlier. What nationality do you think they are? German   British   Portuguese   Belgian   Italian 4 Here is a map of Africa in late 1800. Look for Belgian Congo (also called Congo Free State), where the story takes place (although it is never explicitly mentioned). Look for other two places mentioned: Angola and Sierra Leone. 

Una prospettiva storica sull'Impero britannico con cinque storie rappresentative dai cinque continenti: Africa, India, Australia, Sudafrica e Canada.

The British Empire - Collana Rainbows

Level B2 • Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

The British Empire

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