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In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the main character, Marlow travels through the Congo, witnessing scenes of torture, cruelty and near-slavery. The incidental scenery of the book offers a harsh picture of colonial enterprise. The book is regarded as an attack on imperialism and criticizes the immoral treatments of the European colonizers in Africa in the 19th century. However, the dehumanization of the Africans, and use of Africa as a backdrop setting for Marlow’s thought process, rather than an important focus has to do with hypocrisy inherent in the rhetoric used to justify imperialism.…
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After setting foot on the land and beginning his journey to the Inner Station, Marlow observes a group of slaves, from which a particular one stands out in his decimated clothing and deprived appearance. Marlow, in vain, offers the slave a biscuit immediately before they die of hunger right before his eyes (28). This simple encounter echoes the irrefutable damages caused by imperialism and the idea that no matter what anyone does to try and reverse the effects, including Europeans themselves, the damage that has been done has been set in stone for centuries to come. As noted in Edward Said’s essay critiquing Heart of Darkness, “Conrad… could clearly see… imperialism was pure dominance, [but] he could not conclude that imperialism had to end so that natives could lead lives free of European domination” (Said par. 18). This quote unequivocally supports the notion that Europe became a necessary crutch for Africa, and provides evidence for the transformation of darkness to convey the idea of the long-lasting effects of…
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He outwardly castigates Conrad’s novel as being racist and demeaning to non-white cultures. Chinua Achebe criticizes Conrad’s depiction of Africa as being stereotypical in the views of Western culture. One of Achebe’s fundamental arguments is that Conrad is advertising a false version of the African continent and its people. He portrays them as being hostile and uncivilized through the accounts of the main character, Marlow. Achebe is infuriated at this notion because Conrad’s style of writing covers up the true nature of its meaning. He believes that this form of writing emanates from Conrad’s own racist beliefs and upbringings as a child. Specific citations from the story indicate that Conrad put the Europeans on a higher pedestal as he characterizes them as being “illuminating”, and “twinkling” with brilliant ideas (Achebe 3). Conrad’s racism is delineated perfectly when there is an encounter with a black man and he describes his feelings as being “blind, furious, and unreasoning rage” when he encountered this man (Conrad 11). This vast disparity of descriptions of the two races show his inner thoughts and his hatred towards non-whites. According to Achebe "Conrad appears to go to considerable pains to set up layers of insulation between himself and the moral universe of his story”(Conrad 14). This is exactly how Conrad uses his stylistic form of writing to cover up these feelings of hatred and detest towards the African continent and its population. Achebe also points out that Conrad’s depiction of the rivers is a symbolic sign of his inherent racism. He states in his story that "going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world” (Conrad 9). This is referencing the Congo River that led to Africa and Conrad uses a negative connotation in describing…
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Instead, it paints a controversial historical account of the culture in African tribes and societies, defying the Western imperialist views that have dominated the minds of many. Through Umuofian tribe, Achebe shows his readers that African culture is more than imbellic, and unthorough; instead, it's complex, unique, and rational. He also dispels the stereotypes that African countries and tribes are savages with no sense of government, by showing the functionality and stability of the Umuofian government. Lastly, he disregards the blame that has been put on Africans for their dysfunctionality by people like Joseph Conrad and the District Commissioner, and puts accurate blame on the colonizers. In Achebe’s critical article about Conrad’s Heart of Darkness he states: “The real question is the dehumanization of Africa and Africans which this age-long attitude has fostered and continues to foster in the world” (An Image of Africa 4). His argument is that these Western imperialist accounts of Africa have remained the imperious story of Africa through many years. His argument is valid; these accounts have shaped and sculpted not only the peripheral and outsiders minds, but also the minds of many Africans today. In one of his later expositions; The Novelist as Teacher, Achebe states, "I would be quite satisfied if my novels…
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Throughout the imperial conquests of Africa, Europeans in general held very low opinions of those that they dominated. Instead viewing the native African people as sub-human, or tools if they were particularly fond of an individual. While Heart of Darkness presents itself as anti-imperial, Marlow, and by extension Conrad still display an astonishingly undesirable view of the tribes assisting himself and Kurtz. For example, there exists an International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs that Kurtz writes a report for. To Marlow it is an elegant paper that he cannot help but praise for its elegance. The contents of this paper suggest that the Europeans, to, “exert a power for good,” must appear as gods, deities, and supernatural beings…
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Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad and “Apocalypse Now”, a movie directed by Francis Coppola represent two outstanding examples that compare relevant ideas regarding racism, colonialism, and prejudices. The two combine film along with descriptive language to portray their mastery during different eras. For Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses his writing techniques to illustrate Marlow in the Congo, while in “Apocalypse Now”, Coppola uses film editing and close ups on important scenes with unique sounds to identify Willards’ quest for Kurtz. Both portray the idea of colonization in foreign lands that otherwise may have been uninhabited by their own people if left alone.…
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Racism is extremely prevalent in current times, yet society tends to turn a blind eye towards it. By ignoring racism, society essentially condones it, and teaches future generations to do the same. Authors often choose to incorporate the belittlement of their characters based on ethnicity to address social problems. Joseph Conrad utilizes racism in his literary works to bring to light this widespread issue. In his novel, The Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses verbs connoting animalistic traits to create an apathetic tone towards the dehumanization of natives, demonstrating how racism is inevitably ignored in society.…
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Heart of Darkness is a very bias story about the imperialism of Africa. Conrad’s purpose for writing this story was to inform Europeans about the African colonization, but fails to show the African’s perspective. Throughout the novella many examples of bias occurred. For example, he uses inflammatory language when he compared the Africans to “dark things” and “red eyed devil” (Conrad 11). Furthermore, there are claims that elevate what the Europeans were doing is good and justified. “I was a part of the great cause of these high and just proceedings” (Conrad 11). Let alone, there are also demeaning words to the Africans that call them creatures and unearthly with no differentiating characteristics. “Black shapes…
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Throughout Heart of Darkness, the reader receives Joseph Conrad’s portrayal of Africa and its people under a remarkably demeaning light. When the author was born in 1857, racial tensions were at a heightened point in history and Conrad used the novel as a vehicle to advance his innately racist views. During the late nineteenth century, Imperialism struck Africa, leaving harmful effects on many of the native people and marking a dark moment in human history. The colonization of Africa, which had significant economic incentives behind it, ultimately led to intensely strained relationships between white Europeans and black natives, especially in Central Africa. Charles Marlow, the protagonist, is regularly confronted with the racism that stained…
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Conrad explores the element of not belonging to a great extent through the presence of cultural barriers dictated by the European exploitation of the natives. Contextually, Africa was seen to be the ‘antithesis to Europe’, hence the natives were seen to be ‘less civilised’ and inferior, hence were unable to express their own personal opinions due to their oppression in the hierarchical structure, hindering societal and cultural belonging. Throughout the novella, they are referred to as ‘negros, savages and rudimentary souls’ who work for the Europeans, yet get nothing in return except mistreatment. The list of ruthless descriptions creates a detached tone that conjures a sense of isolation. The horrific sensory imagery of the natives with ‘iron collars around their neck tied together with a chain’ symbolically represents the subjugation…
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In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, the Ibo society has a strict system of behavioral customs that are assigned by gender. These customs restrict the freedom of Ibo woman and help to reinforce generation after generation the notion that Ibo men are superior to women. In Achebe's essay An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, he claims that Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, despite it's insights, ought to be eradicated from literature as an appropriate piece of work on the argument that it is racist. Achebe focuses on gender roles and avoiding stereotypes to dismiss the racist attitude towards Africans in his novel by bringing the reader down to the level of his unbiased narration of a historical fiction novel.…
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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.…
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Hawkins argues that Conrad implements the evolutionary trope in Heart of Darkness, but also exposes the downfall of Europeans by showing their desire for merciless control and inhumane actions to control the African colonies. An evolutionary trope is a developmental logic that white civilization is more advanced than African civilizations (Lecture 2/16/17). Kurtz himself is a representation of Europe because he is a civilized man who becomes barbaric and savage after living in Africa. In addition, Hawkins noted that in Heart of Darkness, racism explicitly occurred as “Conrad likely didn’t show more of the Africans because he wanted to focus on the Europeans” (370). Much like Kurtz himself, Conrad and Marlow conceal a lot in their use of sophisticated words and diction. In addition, their high-strung eloquence is very underrated; people will do anything that the voice asks them to do, including the African people. Ultimately, by denying the humanity of Africa, Europeans are destroying their own humanity, and therefore, Europe is destroying…
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Heart of Darkness is a captivating adventure tale of a journey into the Belgian Congo designed to give us a thrill. The main character, Marlow, is intrigued by the mystery of Africa as represented on the map and travels up the Congo to seek the unknowns in Africa. We’re told Marlow’s journey into the jungles of Africa, getting a glimpse of the provoked attacks on other Europeans for ivory. Joseph Conrad creates a symbolic journey into Africa, digging deep into the darkness of human conscience.…
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Similarities between Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness.Much literary criticism find similarities between two books, merely because they have similar settings or address superficially similar issues. Such is the case with Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Achebe's Things Fall Apart.Although these two books do have much incommon, and focus on similar topics, they still have fundamentally different purposes. ThingsFall Apart tries to show that Africanculture was valuable, not primitive, while Heart of Darkness strives to ridicule European activityin Africa, not because it was badfor the Africans, but because in many ways it was bad for the Europeans. These differences canbe found by examining the various themesthat the two books propose, and also are particularly clear after a discussion of the two books'treatment of race. I will address thetwo books separately before comparing them side-by-side. Things Fall Apart tries to show that African culture, despite its weaknesses, was worthwhile. Thestrongest evidence of this is merenumbers - over three quarters of the book is dedicated to character development, plot, anddescription of village life, before thewhite men even enter the story. When the narrator refers to the Europeans as ``strange men,'' itis clear that he does so from thepoint of view of an African. But the rub is in the narrator's treatment of the Africans. The entirebook is filled with quotes such as``among these people, a man is judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father,'' which serve to tell aboutthe Umuofia people. Certainly the village is not a safe place to live, as is shown by Ezeudu'sson's death. Still, Okwonkwo's resultingexile allows Achebe to describe another African village, as well as the principle of ``Mother issupreme.'' In this way is Okwonkwo'sexile consistent with the purpose of the book - to show that Umuofian, and, by extension,African, culture was worthwhile. Another, similar, facet is the fashion in…
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