Homework: The Wood That Weeps

Date assigned
Thursday, Oct. 8


Assignment
Read "The Wood That Weeps" and answer the following questions:

1) What fueled the demand for rubber during the boom that started in the 1890s?

2) Why was King Leopold so desperate to harvest rubber in the Congo as quickly as possible?

3) What was the effect of the rubber boom on the profits and stock prices of the concession companies bought and sold it?

4) Why was it so easy to make profits from harvesting wild rubber?

5) How was wild rubber collected?

6) How was rubber sap dried?

7) How did Belgian officials compel the Congolese to gather rubber?

8) What were the possible consequences for not gathering the required amount of rubber?

9) Describe the working conditions for Congolese rubber harvesters.

10) How was the population in the Congo “tightly controlled?”

11) What were the rubber gatherers paid for their harvests?

12) Why did Belgian soldiers in the Congo collect severed hands?


Due date
Read by Monday, Oct. 12 and answer questions by Wednesday, Oct. 14