Question

‘The Gentlemen of the Jungle’ is a critique of European super powers and their laws. Explain.​

Answer 1

In the late nineteenth century, the chief European powers divided Africa among themselves. They could do this because European arms were superior and because the African chiefs did not understand the meaning of the treaties they were asked to sign. As a result, Africans lost the lands they had traditionally lived on and cultivated. Their attitude toward European expansion is made clear in 'the gentlemen of the jungle's which reflects the attitude of Kikuyu people of Kenya toward European laws and commission. The story tells us about the man living alone in the jungle with many animals. The story finishes with a moral maxim, as in every parable "Peace is costly, but it's worth the expense