You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Joseph Conrad 's Heart of Darkness is both a dramatic tale of an arduous trek into the Belgian Congo at the turn of the twentieth century and a symbolic journey into the deepest recesses of human nature. On a literal level, through Marlow 's narration, Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. By employing several allegoric symbols this account depicts the futility of the European presence in Africa.…
- 1032 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
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…
- 994 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is regarded as one of the most superlative novels of English literature written in the twentieth century. However, the ideas and notions presented by Conrad in this story has generated quite a bit of controversy among academic scholars and literature experts who believe the novel creates a sense of racial animosity towards the African continent and its people. With further analyzation it can be inferred that this novel does indeed show signs of racial enmity and presents a rather deplorable situation in which one must evaluate if Conrad himself is a racist. Some would argue that his novel was…
- 997 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
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…
- 1471 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
In Neil Bissoondath’s “I’m Not Racist But…” the narrator intends to bring awareness to his readers on the connection between stereotyping and racism and condemns such acts against one another, while in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness, the protagonist informs his audience on the consequences of African colonization. Bissoondath’s work is oriented to educate the reader in the different types of racial acts leading to hatred, abuse or enforcement of power toward any given group of people. He condemns their use whether ignorantly or intentionally. Conrad’s work however, informs the reader of how the goals of the European settlers in Africa, such as ….., led them to exploit the Africans and their raw materials for the purpose of earning profits.…
- 830 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Chinua Achebe helps prove my claim that Conrad is putting a view into reader’s minds that racism is not a bad thing but people of color “deserve” and should be shackled without any freedom. On page 4 Achebe elaborates on the way Conrad uses a prehistoric earth and shows how he uses it as the place where people of color are free. Prehistoric, meaning those people should not be free how they once were. However, a website that had a blog written by Selby Evans disagrees with Achebe by stating, “Quite early in his argument, Achebe writes, “Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as “the other world”, the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where a man’s vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality”(Achebe 783). One must ask, however, whose bestiality is triumphant. In my opinion, it is not the image of…
- 650 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
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.…
- 808 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
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…
- 403 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
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.…
- 977 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
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.…
- 733 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
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…
- 642 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The overall theme of Achebe’s critique is that there was an emphasis on Western society looking to put down the entire African continent. He wrote, “Quite simply it is the desire -- one might indeed say the need -- in Western psychology to set Africa up as a foil to Europe.” Conrad is guilty of Achebe’s allegation when taking the title of the book into consideration. On a literal level, Conrad is calling the Africa jungle the “heart of darkness,” a place at the core of desolation. This is an explicit effort on behalf of Conrad to put down Africa and its people. Achebe asserts that Conrad is a “thoroughgoing racist” who used the novel to comment on the white racism towards Africa that has grown so common that its “manifestations go completely unremarked.” In the early stages of his critique, Achebe provides a commentary on the division between the two worlds by focusing on the pair of rivers featured in the…
- 1756 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays -
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.…
- 510 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
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…
- 426 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
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…
- 1593 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays