Depiction of Africa in Heart of Darkness
Chinua Achebe believes that Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness is
racist based on Conrad's descriptions of Africa and it's people. Achebe,
author of Things Fall Apart, stresses Conrad's depiction of Africa as the
antithesis of Europe and civilization, and the animal imagery present
throughout the novella.
Heart of Darkness, written in 1899 during the period of British
Imperialism, concerns a British trading company and their expedition into
the Congo for ivory. The African natives are treated brutally by the
Europeans, and despite Conrad's casual condescension towards the Africans,
one cannot help feeling resentment at the unnecessary cruelty they must
endure. The novella stands as a document against the imperialist practices
-- Conrad was quite liberal for the time.
The natives are referred to as "savages" several times throughout
the story, but Conrad is not using any particularly strong words for the
time. The European audiences who would be reading would not find anything
racist about it. By today's more sensitive standards, such deference is
more serious, but turn-of-the-century England was sure to expect far
harsher. Educated people reading Conrad's novel should understand the
differences between the past and the present, and be forgiving of his
language.
The deeper the expedition progressed into the center of the
continent, the more isolation was felt by the crew. In a sense, Central
Africa IS the antithesis of Western Europe -- it lacks not only the hectic
urban structures but also the Social Darwinist attitudes of the time. It
is in this remote environment that man must face his true self without any
illusions, and the darkness of the human soul is apparent. The uncivilized
environment may mock western civilization's refinement, but this is not
derogatory towards the jungle, but rather an eye-opener to the European
audience.
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
Americatel is positioned within the small to mid-sized market in the telecommunications sector. However, their primary competitors Movistar and Claro compete within the large-sized market. With only 10% overall market share, Americatel has the potential to capture additional growth as the industry growth rate is growing at 6%. To accomplish this we recommend that Americatel own their position in the small to mid-sized market by capitalizing on their competitive advantage of providing superior customer service as well as leveraging new solutions to further drive customer satisfaction.
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In Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, the issues of Imperialism are discussed. Madness is shown as an outcome of Imperialism through the metaphor of the flabby devil and the band of men known as the Eldorado Exploring Expedition. Chaos is also demonstrated through concepts like the shackled monster and in the attack against the Europeans as well. Corruption is another result of Imperialism and can be seen through the manager's crooked personality and Kurtz's character. Thus, Conrad reveals the madness, chaos and corruption that is the very result of Imperialism.
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As many envision sub Saharan Africa as a densely overgrown jungle with crazy deadly animals out the get you, they could not be any more wrong. Sub Saharan Africa is a diversely population region with many different landscapes, climates, and cultures.
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Heart of Darkness is a modern English novella written by a modern English novelist whose name is Joseph Conrad in 1898. Basically the novella has a true , historical account of European exploration and colonialism. During the end of nineteenth century colonialism was reaching its peak. The center of interest for European colonial powers was Africa, specifically the region of the Congo.
Joseph Conrad's novel, "Heart of Darkness", depicts events in his personal life and how he came to believe that the European invasion of the African Congo needed to end. Joseph Conrad had a boyhood fascination of maps and the blank spaces on the African continent. Therefore, when the opportunity was given to him to become the captain of a small steamship on the Congo River, he jumped at the chance. In addition to Conrad's sense of adventure, he also had a curiosity of King Leopold's actions in the Belgium Congo and had a strong desire to witness firsthand the action taking place. After learning his assigned ship was undergoing repairs, he accompanied another crew on passenger ship assigned to bring back an ailing company agent, George Klein, who later died on the return trip. These events provided the backdrop so to speak of Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness. The character of "Kurtz" was modeled after the company agent, George Klein. Although, Conrad never names the Congo or other significant landmarks, he later admits the book a "snapshot' of his trip in the African Congo. (Longman p2189).
Imagery is using all five senses to help describe details in any type of work. The five senses are seeing, smelling, touching, tasting, and hearing. For example, a story can use a character’s clothes or the colour of them to make a reader paint a picture of the scene. Joseph Conrad’s framed narrative, Heart of Darkness, uses imagery to enhance Marlow’s journey to the Congo where he meets all kinds of people. Conrad specifically used colour to help illustrate the character of the Accountant, the Harlequin and the Intended.
Africa, a continent filled with astonishing geography. It was once a home to many beautiful and strong ancient civilizations. Faced with genocide in Rwanda, invaded in the age of imperialism, its people traded as slaves, and the land wanted for its rich resources.
Achebe argues that the racist observed in the Heart of Darkness is expressed due to the western psychology or as Achebe states “desire,” this being to show Africa as an antithesis to Europe. He first states Conrad as “one of the great stylists of modern fiction.” [pg.1] He praises Conrad’s talents in writing but believes Conrad’s obvious racism has not been addressed. He later describes in more detail that Conrad’s “methods amount to no more than a steady, ponderous, fake-ritualistic repetition of two antithetical sentences.”
I have indeed learned many interesting facts about Africa and its people through this course, especially, the untold. The different books proved that the people of Africa do not all have the same norms and cultures, but that their states, customs, ethnicity, and backgrounds distinguished them all. This class has not only opened my eyes to see the improved picture of Africa, but have also helped me understand and learn some of the cultures of different nations other than Liberia.
Why is there such a misconception about Africa? and how can the role of documentary practice make a difference about stereotypes throughout the African continent ?
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.
Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness portrays an image of Africa that is dark and inhuman. Not only does he describe the actual, physical continent of Africa as "so hopeless and so dark, so impenetrable to human thought, so pitiless to human weakness" (Conrad 94), as though the continent could neither breed nor support any true human life, but he also manages to depict Africans as though they are not worthy of the respect commonly due to the white man. At one point the main character, Marlow, describes one of the paths he follows: "Can't say I saw any road or any upkeep, unless the body of a middle-aged negro, with a bullet-hole in the forehead, upon which I absolutely stumbled three miles farther on, may be considered as a permanent improvement" (48). Conrad's description of Africa and Africans served to misinform the Western world, and went uncontested for many years.