Chapters 12, 13, and 14 Summary and Analysis

Note that Chapter 13 begins "Part II - A King at Bay," the second major division of the text that extends to the end of Chapter 19. To this point, the text has established background and provided biographical and geographical information. The remainder of the text deals with, essentially, the fight against Leopold's human rights abuses and his struggle to retain total control. This fight positioned Leopold against E. D. Morel, a young and unknown man of little experience—a situation which informs the title of Chapter 12. Morel began publishing articles in 1900. By 1902, he resigned, under pressure, from Elder Dempster and in 1903, he established the West African Mail, an illustrated weekly newspaper. Additional minor biographical data are offered for Morel. His media attack concerned Leopold, and Morel was pressured by his boss and then unsuccessfully bribed with a considerable amount...