An Analysis Of The Statue Of Cecil Rhodes

Cecil Rhodes Essay Cecil Rhodes amassed immense wealth by establishing the diamond industry in southern Africa. Rhodes exploited the native population in order to mine the diamonds so that he could increase his wealth. Upon his death, his fortune was given mostly to Oxford University to fund Rhodes scholarships. At Oriel College, there is a statue of Cecil Rhodes that has caused extensive protest recently, as people are angered at the representation of someone responsible for the abuse and slaughter of the native South Africans for personal gain. Many students argue for the removal of the statue because it represents racism, but Oxford insists on keeping the statue due to donors who threaten to withdraw their gifts if it is taken down. The statue of Cecil Rhodes should be removed from Oriel College at Oxford University. Those who argue against tearing down the statue claim that “we are not proud of absolutely everything that happened in our past, but we cannot erase it all” ("Backlash over Plot to"). They claim that the statue does not represent racism or oppression and that if the Rhodes statue is removed, then commemoration of many
As Simpson states, “he wasn’t a nice man, even by the standards of the time.” The men arguing against removing the statue cite other leaders who had opinions disagreeing with modern ideas, but they fail to acknowledge that Rhodes was not simply a product of his times, but he was instead worse than many. Rhodes donated a fortune to the university, so it is understandable that they would want to honor him. It was not wrong of Oriel College to erect the statue honoring Rhodes, but now that we are able to look back and see who he was and what he did, it is imperative that the statue is removed because it honors someone who, even by the standards of his time, was cruel due to