Heart Of Darkness Vs Jumping Monkey Hill Essay
Heart of Darkness vs. Jumping Monkey Hill
Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad is a novel about an English man’s journey to Congo during the Belgian invasion. The novel has been considered by the critics “among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language” However, the book has been subject to criticism for its brutal depiction of Africans. Similarly, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Jumping Monkey Hill is set in Africa, portraying a writers’ workshop which takes place in South Africa. In contrast to Conrad’s obvious racist language, Adichie uses a subtle satire to challenge the idea of Westerners being more superior to Africans. Despite the different genre used by both authors, the language in both novels reveals and reflects the Western racist and imperial approaches towards Africans who are considered in inferior to Westerners and are …show more content…
treated as objects without basic freedom.
In both novels, there are very few lines where the natives speak; this lack of expression suggests that Africans don’t have freedom of speech and right to their opinion. “Catch ‘im, he snapped with a bloodshot widened of his eyes and a flash of sharp teeth- “catch ‘im. Give ‘im to us.” “To you, eh? I asked “what would you do with them? “Eat ‘im” he said curtly...” (58). In Heart of Darkness, the natives speak rarely throughout the novel, which supports their image as animals that are not capable of human language. Furthermore, when they do speak, they use simple expressions, encouraging the usual representation of Africans as savages.
Similarly, Edward, the leader of the workshop in the Jumping Monkey Hill, overpowers the African participants to the extent they fail to share their true opinion. “Why do we always say nothing?” (8). Edward Holds great power in the workshop and some even look up to him. For instance, the Ugandan sees him as “God”. Also, some participants argue that after the workshop he can create opportunities for the writers. This implies the stereotypical thought of Africans who are always in need of white men’s help. Furthermore, when discussing about one of the participant’s work Edward spoke “the writing was certainly ambitious but the story itself begged the question so what? There was something passé about this...what did he mean, by passé...but she did not say anything and Kenyan did not ask and Ugandan did not ask...” (6) Even though all of the participants disagreed with him they still were scared to share their opinion. Anew, Adichie portrays the overpowering of white men, the hesitation of natives to change the situation and their quietness and intellectual inferiority vis-a-vis white men’s capacities.
Both Conrad and Adichie explore the theme of Western superiority, their royal and noble origins and the concept of perfect world the white people live in. Kurtz the main character in Heart of Darkness entranced the natives by making them think of him as a “God”. “They would not stir till Mr Kurtz gave the word” (83). Kurtz is very charismatic and well spoken. The natives do not realise that Kurtz has them all under his finger, anything he says they will eagerly do. “Now, if he does not say the right thing to them we are all done for,” (85). The natives are so charmed by Mr Kurtz that they even will kill another person just to please his commands.
Adichie uses her typical satire to show that the Africans are in need of guidance by Westerners to see what is right in the world. “Just because Edward thought wine was proper and breakfast at eight was too early said it was the ‘right time’” ().Whether it’s eating or drinking everything has to be done a certain way. The Africans have to be guided by white men to understand the “proper” way of leaving. Also, the choice of the hotel for the participants is ironic as it is actually for the tourists and the food is very unusual for the members. “Ostrich medallions. Smoked salmon. Chicken in orange sauce” the participants did not have the choice of choosing what they would like to eat. The “posh” food Edward chooses is strange for the participants as they are not used to eating such rich food.
In the Heart of Darkness Conrad’s use of strong diction highlights the obvious depiction of Africans treated as objects. “...Black shadows of disease and starvation...black bones...two more bundles of acute angles sat with their legs drawn up...moribund shapes...” () In the novel it is apparent that Africans are inhuman and just gears. From Conrad’s perspective the natives are machines they only live to work. In addition to that, throughout the novel Conrad characterises the Africans as savage creatures. “...one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees...there you could look at a thing monstrous and free...they howled and leaped and spun and made horrid faces;” () The Africans are not just objects but they are also savage creatures. Conrad personifies Africans as animals by using the words such as “howled” “leaped” and spun” this suggests that Africans are from the first ages and are not civilised.
Meanwhile, in the Jumping Monkey Hill the representation of Africans through white people’s point of view is hidden behind the author’s sarcasm.
“White South African woman was from Durban...the black men came from Johannesburg. The Tanzanian man...from Dar es Salaam the Ugandan man from Kampala the Zimbabwean from Harare the Kenyan man from Nairobi and the Senegalese woman...From Paris” (2). When introducing the characters in the story Adichie only used names for two white characters. However, the rest of the participants in the story are represented as the country they came from. This is ironic as the author is being indirectly sarcastic towards the Westerners, who don’t perceive Africans as individual human beings but more like a crowd without distinct identity. Moreover, when the main character. Edward’s wife sat next to Ujunwa she “said that surely with that exquisite bone structure, Ujunwa had to come from the royal stock” (3). The word “stock” stands out as it is usually meant for animals not people. In this way, Adichie implicitly approaches Conrad’s perspective, portraying Africans as creatures and
animals.
In conclusion, despite the different genres both authors use the language reveals Western racist and imperial approaches towards Africans who are considered in inferior to Westerners; who are treated as objects without basic freedoms have no right to speak and have to be guided by the Westerners to understand the concept of the “perfect world”. Conrad’s strong used of diction highlights the obvious depiction and brutal approach towards the natives. Yet many critics argue that Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is rich in the use of language, it is not read for its representation of Africans. Conversely, Adichie uses subtle sarcasm to challenges Conrad’s idea of Westerners being more superior to Africans. Whether taking writer’s workshop in South Africa or taking the journey through Heart of Darkness the stereotypical thought of Africans will never stop and it is a “Horror” “Horror” (100).
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1994. Print.
"Page 1 | Jumping Monkey Hill | Granta 95: Loved Ones | Archive." Granta Magazine. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. .
Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad is a novel about an English man’s journey to Congo during the Belgian invasion. The novel has been considered by the critics “among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language” However, the book has been subject to criticism for its brutal depiction of Africans. Similarly, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Jumping Monkey Hill is set in Africa, portraying a writers’ workshop which takes place in South Africa. In contrast to Conrad’s obvious racist language, Adichie uses a subtle satire to challenge the idea of Westerners being more superior to Africans. Despite the different genre used by both authors, the language in both novels reveals and reflects the Western racist and imperial approaches towards Africans who are considered in inferior to Westerners and are …show more content…
treated as objects without basic freedom.
In both novels, there are very few lines where the natives speak; this lack of expression suggests that Africans don’t have freedom of speech and right to their opinion. “Catch ‘im, he snapped with a bloodshot widened of his eyes and a flash of sharp teeth- “catch ‘im. Give ‘im to us.” “To you, eh? I asked “what would you do with them? “Eat ‘im” he said curtly...” (58). In Heart of Darkness, the natives speak rarely throughout the novel, which supports their image as animals that are not capable of human language. Furthermore, when they do speak, they use simple expressions, encouraging the usual representation of Africans as savages.
Similarly, Edward, the leader of the workshop in the Jumping Monkey Hill, overpowers the African participants to the extent they fail to share their true opinion. “Why do we always say nothing?” (8). Edward Holds great power in the workshop and some even look up to him. For instance, the Ugandan sees him as “God”. Also, some participants argue that after the workshop he can create opportunities for the writers. This implies the stereotypical thought of Africans who are always in need of white men’s help. Furthermore, when discussing about one of the participant’s work Edward spoke “the writing was certainly ambitious but the story itself begged the question so what? There was something passé about this...what did he mean, by passé...but she did not say anything and Kenyan did not ask and Ugandan did not ask...” (6) Even though all of the participants disagreed with him they still were scared to share their opinion. Anew, Adichie portrays the overpowering of white men, the hesitation of natives to change the situation and their quietness and intellectual inferiority vis-a-vis white men’s capacities.
Both Conrad and Adichie explore the theme of Western superiority, their royal and noble origins and the concept of perfect world the white people live in. Kurtz the main character in Heart of Darkness entranced the natives by making them think of him as a “God”. “They would not stir till Mr Kurtz gave the word” (83). Kurtz is very charismatic and well spoken. The natives do not realise that Kurtz has them all under his finger, anything he says they will eagerly do. “Now, if he does not say the right thing to them we are all done for,” (85). The natives are so charmed by Mr Kurtz that they even will kill another person just to please his commands.
Adichie uses her typical satire to show that the Africans are in need of guidance by Westerners to see what is right in the world. “Just because Edward thought wine was proper and breakfast at eight was too early said it was the ‘right time’” ().Whether it’s eating or drinking everything has to be done a certain way. The Africans have to be guided by white men to understand the “proper” way of leaving. Also, the choice of the hotel for the participants is ironic as it is actually for the tourists and the food is very unusual for the members. “Ostrich medallions. Smoked salmon. Chicken in orange sauce” the participants did not have the choice of choosing what they would like to eat. The “posh” food Edward chooses is strange for the participants as they are not used to eating such rich food.
In the Heart of Darkness Conrad’s use of strong diction highlights the obvious depiction of Africans treated as objects. “...Black shadows of disease and starvation...black bones...two more bundles of acute angles sat with their legs drawn up...moribund shapes...” () In the novel it is apparent that Africans are inhuman and just gears. From Conrad’s perspective the natives are machines they only live to work. In addition to that, throughout the novel Conrad characterises the Africans as savage creatures. “...one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees...there you could look at a thing monstrous and free...they howled and leaped and spun and made horrid faces;” () The Africans are not just objects but they are also savage creatures. Conrad personifies Africans as animals by using the words such as “howled” “leaped” and spun” this suggests that Africans are from the first ages and are not civilised.
Meanwhile, in the Jumping Monkey Hill the representation of Africans through white people’s point of view is hidden behind the author’s sarcasm.
“White South African woman was from Durban...the black men came from Johannesburg. The Tanzanian man...from Dar es Salaam the Ugandan man from Kampala the Zimbabwean from Harare the Kenyan man from Nairobi and the Senegalese woman...From Paris” (2). When introducing the characters in the story Adichie only used names for two white characters. However, the rest of the participants in the story are represented as the country they came from. This is ironic as the author is being indirectly sarcastic towards the Westerners, who don’t perceive Africans as individual human beings but more like a crowd without distinct identity. Moreover, when the main character. Edward’s wife sat next to Ujunwa she “said that surely with that exquisite bone structure, Ujunwa had to come from the royal stock” (3). The word “stock” stands out as it is usually meant for animals not people. In this way, Adichie implicitly approaches Conrad’s perspective, portraying Africans as creatures and
animals.
In conclusion, despite the different genres both authors use the language reveals Western racist and imperial approaches towards Africans who are considered in inferior to Westerners; who are treated as objects without basic freedoms have no right to speak and have to be guided by the Westerners to understand the concept of the “perfect world”. Conrad’s strong used of diction highlights the obvious depiction and brutal approach towards the natives. Yet many critics argue that Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is rich in the use of language, it is not read for its representation of Africans. Conversely, Adichie uses subtle sarcasm to challenges Conrad’s idea of Westerners being more superior to Africans. Whether taking writer’s workshop in South Africa or taking the journey through Heart of Darkness the stereotypical thought of Africans will never stop and it is a “Horror” “Horror” (100).
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1994. Print.
"Page 1 | Jumping Monkey Hill | Granta 95: Loved Ones | Archive." Granta Magazine. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. .