Darkwater · Theme
War and Imperialism
How Darkwater develops War and Imperialism.
The work condemns war as murder and links colonial conquest of darker nations to domestic racism, arguing that militarism and empire are tools of white supremacy and economic greed.
Where it surfaces
- Credo
Explicitly states 'War is Murder' and condemns the conquest of weaker nations by stronger, whiter nations.
- II: The Souls of White Folk
The chapter argues that World War I was primarily a war for colonial resources and labor, and that imperialism is a continuation of racial oppression.
- III: The Hands of Ethiopia
Du Bois connects World War I to colonial greed and the color bar, arguing that the war's aftermath threatens to intensify exploitation of Africa.
- Of Work and Wealth
World War I is presented as a catalyst for industrial demand and migration, while government suppression of strikes and colonial exploitation are linked to domestic racial violence.
- IX: Of Beauty and Death
The poem 'The Prayers of God' condemns war, imperialism, and the exploitation of colonized peoples, linking them to divine silence and human sin.
- The Prayers of God
The speaker confesses to killing for 'Dominion' over non-white peoples and references the horrors of war.
- A Hymn to the Peoples
The hymn decries 'the Anarchy of Empire' and the bloodshed of war, calling for an end to conflict and domination.