J. H. Patterson's The Man-Eaters Of Tsavo

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British Superiority in The Man-Eaters of Tsavo Imperialism is the extending of a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military power to gain profit and promote nationalism. J. H. Patterson’s memoir, The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, demonstrates these Eurocentric views by criticizing the differences between the Britain and Africa. Britain’s industrialization led to its “mission to civilize.” Britain believed that other countries should aspire to be as civilized. This concept, the “White Man’s Burden,” turned into racism; Europeans assumed that nations outside of Europe consisted of primitive people. Patterson’s memoir expresses the superior position taken by the British regarding colonization and non-British people through his judgment …show more content…

To begin, Patterson first visited the Swahili tribe. He expected them to be savage and amoral by implying them to be cheaters. He even mentioned that some “have found them scarcely so guileless as might have been expected,” (Patterson, 117). Contrary to the Swahili having been dishonest, Patterson found that they were a “careless, light-hearted, improvident people, and [were] very fond of all the good things of this world,” (Patterson, 118). Moreover, the Swahili were also hard-working people. Patterson explained that “their life is spent journeying to and from the interior, carrying heavy loads of provisions and trade-goods on the one journey, and returning with similar loads of ivory or other products of the country,” (Patterson, 118). Europeans who colonized Africa were afraid natives would “slip into laziness and undo hard work;” however, the Swahili was a productive tribe. (Dangerfield). Patterson described the men as wearing “a long white cotton garment, like a night-shirt,” and the women, “who are too liberally endowed to be entirely graceful—go about with bare arms and shoulders,” (Patterson, 122). Men and women did not dress like this in Europe. The Swahili being dressed like this represents a difference that made the Europeans believe the Africans to be

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