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What did chinua achebe believe to be the central theme of the heart of darkness
What did chinua achebe believe to be the central theme of the heart of darkness
A critique of conrad's heart of darkness
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Achebe’s Inability to Understand Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
A fierce Achebe radically condemns Conrad as "a thoroughgoing racist" in his article, arguing that Heart of Darkness is not a piece of great literature, but "an offensive and deplorable book" (Achebe 1791). He structures his argument around a few central ideas, such as the grotesque perception of the Africans by the protagonist, the antinomy between the Thames and Congo River, the lack of historical fact, and the parallel between the African and the European women, among others.
Achebe misinterprets Conrad's work, and exhibits opacity to the narrative's message. He seems to purport, as any reader, a subjective interpretative reading of Conrad's book, with the peculiarity of continuously taking fragments out of their contexts, and creating an entire ideology behind them.
His main argument is that the European Conrad presents Africa as "the other world," "the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where man's vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality" (Achebe 1785). He misreads, and disregards the fact that many other readers see Conrad's Africa as a place where the white man brings and meets his own darkness and bestiality. Having no real emotional availability of exploring this continent whatsoever, Conrad's European responds to it either by exploiting what he can (as the manager, the Company, and its representatives do), destroying what he cannot (e.g. killing the locals and blowing up hills unnecessarily), or displaying occasional prejudice, indifference and confusion (as Marlow does). Everything the reader knows about Africa is through Marlow's subjective perception of what he sees or does not see, ...
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... the English language" (Norton) or just as good as any other book still worth reading hundreds of years after first seen in print. Unless the political-correctness winds of change get the best of it, and of us, too.
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001. 1783-1794.
Coelho, Paulo. Alchimistul. Trad. Gabriela Banu. Bucuresti: Humanitas, 2002. 13-14
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Knopf, 1993. Toronto: Random House, 1993.
Popescu, C. M. Trans. "Satire III". "Discovering Eminescu" Project. Coord. Petru Dumitru. 12
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Wellek, Rene. A History of Modern Criticism. Vol. 3. New York: Vail-Ballou Press, Inc., 1965. 237.
Mikesell, J. L. (2010). Fiscal administration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (8th ed.: 2010 custom edition). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning
In supporting these accusations against Conrad, Achebe cites specific examples from the text, while also, pointing out that there is a lack of certain characteristics among the characters. Achebe then compares the descriptions of the Intended and the native woman. Explaining that the savage "fulfills a structural requirement of the story: a savage counterpart to the refined European woman," and also that the biggest "difference is the one implied in that author's bestowal of human expression to the one and the withholding of it from the other" (Achebe p.255). This lack of human expression and human characteristics is what Achebe says contributes to the overflowing amount of racism within Conrad's novel. Human expression, is one of few thi...
The definition of ‘Negro’ in the Encyclopaedia Britannia just 100 years ago, calls them mentally and intellectually inferior as well as childish and lazy. Any ‘sophisticated’ skills they had must have been taught to them by Westerners. Other sources are even more damning, for instance the forced conversion to Christianity was justified by attitudes such as Georgr Crabb in his Mythology of all Nations (1847) ‘It must be borne in mind that the fictions of mythology were not invented in the ignorance of divine truths, but with a wilful intention to pervert it.’ Based on this any artefacts acquired, mostly by force, could only be of inferior quality and artistic value compared to the sophisticated and civilised West and, if associated with African religion, morally tainted. They were mostly seen as having a purely anthropological value.
...nters many of the degrading stereotypes that colonial literature has placed on Africa. In his lecture, "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness," Achebe documents the ways that Conrad dehumanizes Africans by reducing their religious practices to superstition, saying that they should remain in their place, taking away their ability of speech, and depreciating their complex geography to just a single mass of jungle. Achebe carefully crafts Things Fall Apart to counter these stereotypes and show that Africa is in fact a rich land full of intelligent people who are, in fact, very human.
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and the reality of it, displayed by the domination, torture, exploitation and dehumanization of the African people. Conrad often emphasizes the idea of what is civilized versus what is primitive or savage. While reading the novel, the reader can picture how savage the Europeans seem. They are cruel and devious towards the very people they are supposed to be helping.
Achebe, Chinua. An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. New York: Wylie Agency, 2006. Print.
"I don't want to bother you much with what happened to me personally,' [Conrad] began, showing in this remark the weakness of many tellers of tales who seem so often unaware of what their audience would most like to hear" (Conrad, 9). Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's best-known work, has been examined on many bases more than I can possibly list here, but including imperialism, colonialism, and racism. I would reason that all bases of analysis are perfectly acceptable through which to critique Conrad's novella, or any piece of writing. I would reason this, were some of these bases mainly, racism not taken to an extreme level. In arguing racism, many critics seem to take Heart of Darkness as Conrad's unwavering view on Africa, Africans, life, or whatever else one may please to take it as. I, therefore, propose that Heart of Darkness be taken for what it truly is: a work of fiction set in late 19th century Europe and Africa.
* Watts, Cedric. “‘A Bloody Racist’: About Achebe’s View of Conrad” in Joseph Conrad; Critical Assessments, Keith Carabine, ed., Volume II: ‘The Critical Response: Almayer’s Folly to The Mirror of the Sea’ (Mountfield: Helm Information Ltd., 1992)
One interpretation of Marlow's relationship to colonialism is that he does not support it. Conrad writes, "They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now,-nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom" (p. 27-28). Marlow says this and is stressing that the so-called "savages", or Africans, are being treated and punished like they are criminals or enemies when in fact they never did anything. He observes the slow torture of these people and is disgusted with it. Marlow feels sympathy for the black people being slaved around by the Europeans but doesn't do anything to change it because that is the way things are. One can see the sympathy by the way that he gives a starving black man one of his biscuits. "To tear treasure out of the bowels of the land was their desire, with no moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe" (p. 54). This statement by Marlow conveys that he doesn't believe that the Europeans have a right to be stripping Africa of its riches. He views the Jungles of Africa as almost it's own living, breathing monster.
In “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness," Achebe takes notes the ways that Conrad degrades Africans by reducing their religious practices to misconception, belittling their complex geography to just a single mass of jungle, telling them to remain in their place, and taking away their capability of speaking. Achebe criticizes Joseph Conrad for his racist stereotypes towards the people of Africa. Achebe also sensibly labels these stereotypes and shows that Africa is in fact a rich land full of intelligent people who are, in fact, very human.
Gay people want to formalize their relationship and gain some of the legal standing and support that is given to heterosexual couples on a daily basis. Sadly, in most of this country, gay people are denied this right and not allowed to participate in what is a natural right for most other Americans. Efforts by NYS legislatures or Executive Orders by Governors to grant gay and lesbian people rights (i.e. non discrimination in hiring, housing or public accommodations) have been challenged by the right using public referendums. Putting the rights of gays and lesbians, or any minority, up to a vote by the majority places any minority at a disadvantage, and gay rights have usually come up short.
By exhibiting the deeds of the Europeans, their portrayal becomes so negative that they become the savages. Conrad clearly is sympathetic to the plight of the Africans, and any racial epithets, if not accepted by progressives of the time, are not meant as attacks directed at the natives. It should be obvious that Conrad is on their side -- or is this "undermined by the mindlessness of its context and the pretty explicit
Allow me to elaborate by stating some of Achebe’s arguments and my critiques. Achebe first points on Conrad’s “adjectival insistence upon inexpressible and incomprehensible mystery.” He states that many of Conrad’s critics simply see this as a stylistic flaw. Achebe believes that Conrad’s choose “the role of purveyor of comforting myths,” this being, according to Achebe, to guarantee him not to be in conflict with the “psychological predisposition of the reader.” [pg.2]
Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness." Heart of Darkness: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Essays in Criticism. 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: W.W. Norton, 1988. 251-262.
Heart of Darkness is a story in which racism presents itself so deliberately that, for many, the dilemma of race must be tackled before anything else in the book may be dealt with. Conrad used derogatory, outdated and offensive terminology to devaluate people’s color as savages. This use of language disturbs many readers who read this book. Although Conrad uses racist language in this book, it doesn’t mean that he is really racist. When we look at the language, we are just looking at the very surface of the story.