Analysis of a - Book Report/Review Example

As a government’s diplomat, Casement was in charge of investigating human rights violations in both Congo’s rubber plantations and in Putumayo jungles in Peru (Kristal and John 141). His experiences while carrying out the assignments depict how he was touched by the inhumane conditions that the individuals in Congo and Peru went through in the name of colonialism, and at this point Casement viewed colonialism in a different perspective because in eventuality he rose up against it by becoming a human advocate and an anti-colonialist.

Casement did not only advocate for the African and South American people, but also for his Irish nation. In his attempt to shun British colonialism in Ireland, Casement joined the enemy of my enemy dictum by secretly planning an attack on the British by collaborating with the German military. Nevertheless, his scheme did not work out because he was eventuality caught on his way to Ireland and the authorities imprisoned him and hanged him due to traitorship. Mario Vargas writing style combines historic novel elements with journalistic chronicle to bring out both historical themes and main human themes.

Historical themes explore colonialism and enslavement in the Congo basin, and Amazon jungles of Peru in the late 19th century, while the human themes depict casement’s experiences in his diplomatic assignment as well as his hopeless situation in the prison (Vargas 21). On another perspective, the narrative is in the form of flashbacks where the author reflects on the characters' experiences in the Pentonville prison as he eagerly waited for either leniency from the government’s decision or the death sentence.

More so, the narrative presentation is in an alternate style that alternate between the details of his career and the life in prison in a simultaneous and balanced manner not forgetting the narrative and dialogue strategies used in the novel to bring out the modernist nature. Additionally, the book is divided into three sections where the first section depicts the characters experience in the Congo Basin, the second part reflects on Casement’s trip to the Amazons of Peru, and the last part of the book reviews his Irish war adventure.

In general, the book depicts literal realism in a natural version that at times undergoes critics by thorough research. With an anthropological view, the author uses social anthropology because this type of anthropology deals with people’s sociology and history. In this respect, history and sociology are depicted by the books narration of the colonialism and enslavement happenings in the late 19th century in Africa, South America and even Ireland and other events that unfolded during this period that included the World War 1 (Goodstein 1).

More so, sociology depicts when the author shows how law and justice condemned people without justification. This is the case because Casement underwent an unjust judgment that sentenced him to death without thorough case investigation or opting for alternative punishment just because he advocated for anti – colonialism, which was deep rooted in the era. Though the author portrays inhumanity during the era through Casement’s fictionalized bibliographies, the experience represented million others who passed through the same inhumanity and suffered in silence.

[Part 2] Mario