African American Imperialism In Things Fall Apart

1: Achebe is right in saying, Conrad's portrayal of the african civilizations and africans is just as damaging. Conrad looks at them in a negative light. He writes “ the men were inhuman”, and “ They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces on the shore of the river; but what thrilled you was the thought of their humanity-the thought you may be related to them and their wildness in some way. Conrad sees their culture as strange, because it is new and different. He does not attempt to show the good side of the culture, like Achebe when he writes about the peoples beliefs and festivities.

2: Books that people now find offensive should not be taken off the “ must read “ list of Western Literature, because these books show us how people thought , and portrait other cultures. Conrad thought of African civilization as inhuman, strange, and primitive. His opinion can be considered offensive to many people. Conrad says “He was usefull because he had instructed properly; and what he knew was this-that should the water in that transparent thing disappear, the evil spirit inside the boiler would get angry through the greatness of its thirst, and take a terrible vengeance.” He exploits the religion of the man, by convincing him, that if he will not complete his task, a spirit would seek vengeance. Conrad, like many people thought of africans, as lower class, and that he had the right to take advantage of them, because they were different.
Joseph Conrad does not consider the good of the culture, but instead judges it. In “The Heart of Darkness”, he portrays Africans to be savages,inhuman, and people who can be exploited. In Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart, Africans are represented as people capable of speech, not just one massive group of natives. There culture is not regarded as strange, but as normal