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The Literary Response to Racism in Heart of Darkness, A Grain of Wheat, and A small place
Racism and prejudice can be regarded as both societal and individual phenomena, developed and manifested at all levels of society; from government policy through organizational structures, inter-group and interpersonal interactions to intra-personal attitudes and feelings. Media and literature react to these perceptions and have taken part in shaping the attitudes and feelings of society. The novels "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, "A Grain of Wheat" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Jamaica Kincaid's essay "A small place" represent a literary response to the insidious tool of racism in colonial and postcolonial history.
Racism has typically been reflected by structural inequalities rooted in history and been perpetuated over time. The belief that one group was inferior to another was essential in order to justify the process of dispossessing indigenous groups of their land during colonization. The colonial powers instituted and maintained differentials between different ethnic and cultural groups by parceling out admission to education or employment, and by restricting access to law and medical care. These inequalities consequently served to emphasize difference rather than similarity among the colonized and the colonizer, thus reinforcing stereotypes of superiority or inferiority. The policies and practices were aimed to reflect a belief that the dominant culture is the "normal" one, which served as a standard by which all else could be judged.
Ngugi wa Thiong'o is an African post-colonialist writer who portrays his experience of colonial racism from a native's view. In his novel A Grain of Wheat, he picture...
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The Post Colonial Studies Reader: Editors Bill Ashcroft; Gareth Griffiths, Helen Tiffin. Publisher: Routledge New York, 1999
DiBeta, Karen: A Grain of Wheat: Dispelling the Great Myth
http://www.tcnj.edu~lmccaule/emposit.htm Accessed June 29, 2001
Human Rights Watch: Leave No One to Tell the Story. Genocide in Ruanda.Doc.# 171-1
http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/rwanda/Geno1 Accessed June 19, 2001
Eurofic: European Forum for International Cooperation. Platform of the European Commission on Development and Cooperation, 115 Rue Stepin, Brussels, Belgium
http://www.oneworld.org/eurostep Accessed June 21, 2001
Omoregie, F.K: Rodney, Cabral and Ngugi as Guides to African Postcolonial Literature English Department, University of Botswana
http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/africa/omoregie11.html#mungoshi1 Accessed June 28, 2001
Californians surprisingly lead the way in migration to Colorado averaging one in every seven residents moving to Colorado. Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Illinois were the following states after California in migration to Colorado in 1997. Although people are migrating to Colorado in large numbers recently, the population growth has taken its toll on the state affecting traffic, schools with overcrowding, and real estate prices. So what are people doing when they migrate to Colorado? Obviously people are becoming attracted to the state for various reasons including most importantly the family type setting in a small city lifestyle. The family setting that has lured people to migrate to Colorado contributes greatly to birthrates that have sky rocketed resulting in a tremendous increase in the state's population .
A. The Heart of Darkness. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1950. Print. The. "Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness."
Often in human history, suppression of a deemed inferior group leads to a convoluted struggle with perspective playing a central part. In Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man, the unnamed character is a black man living in Jim Crow South. He has graduated from high school, but events transpire more and more chaotically as he is ignored and treated unfairly on his journey. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad incorporates a European narrator called Marlow who ventures deeper into the Congo River in Africa with a Belgian ivory-trading firm at the peak of imperialism. Marlow searches for a venerable man named Kurtz who is the face of the company, and discovers more and more about the nature of European colonialism along his way. Both Invisible Man
This play, Antigone, was titled after one of the play’s main characters; however, the title could have been “Creon”, due to Creon’s influence throughout the play. Creon was a major influence to the play’s plot as it involves Creon within a majority of the scenes, from beginning to end. Throughout the play Creon’s tragic countdown is expressed, beginning with him as king of Thebes to the death of his beloved family. Antigone is merely portrayed as a rebellious nephew, as she consistently defies Creon. Antigone is expressed within the play consistently; however, the play portrays decisions proclaimed by Creon, which displays Creon’s tragic flow. Being titled “Antigone”, does not accurately express the play’s content as Creon’s tragic fate is actually being described and represented.
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: Norton, 2001. 1783-1794.
In recent years, the debate over the merits versus the racial shortcomings of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness has raged hot. Many, notably David Denby and Chinua Achebe, have come down on one side or another of the issue. I contend, with the help of the written opinions of Denby and Achebe, that Heart of Darkness, while racist in its views, is nonetheless a valuable and commendable work of art.
In conclusion, Creon is the tragic character of Antigone because of his pride which caused him never ending agony by the end of this tragedy. Although Antigone’s stubbornness concerning the divine law and her brother’s burial lead her to her misfortune, her suffering was cut short by her death. On the other hand, Creon had to live through having his own son and the citizens of Thebes against his decision. Also, Haimon and Eurydices died as a result of his actions, leaving Creon without a family. Hence, Creon is the tragic character of the tragedy due to eternal distress caused by his judgment.
Achebe, Chinua. An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. New York: Wylie Agency, 2006. Print.
In recent years, genetic testing has become a popular topic in the media. Usually involving cheek swabs, blood samples, or amniotic fluid samples, the procedure is relatively simple and can help diagnose genetic disorders, determine ideal medication types, or simply determine the patient’s heritage. It has saved many lives from cancer and other afflictions, but to say that genetic testing is always the correct choice is false. There are many issues with the tests, considering that they are new to the medical world. Genetic testing is mostly harmful because of privacy concerns, how underdeveloped it is, and the risk of it pushing a mother to abort her child.
Federal authorities are investigating a harmful situation at the at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall after at least eleven individuals said they felt ill after opening an envelope.
The finer details of the book are what can really be looked at in terms of post-colonial theory. The fact that a native Zulu, Stephen Kumalo, is a priest of Christianity and speaks English, communicates how the colonized are living. Neither of these practices are native to his land, but they are treated by all as if they were. Small sentences are woven into the plot to further this point, such as the reoccurring European greetings.
Racism in Joseph Conrad’s Literary Work. In the article "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness," Chinua Achebe criticizes Joseph Conrad for his racist stereotypes towards the people of Africa. He claims that Conrad broadcasted the "dominant image of Africa in the Western imagination" rather than portraying the continent in its true form (Achebe 13). Africans were portrayed in Conrad's novel as inhuman savages with no language other than sound and with no "other occupations besides merging into the evil forest or materializing out of it simply to plague Marlow" (Achebe 7).
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad has been depicted as “among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language.” [pg.1] Chinua Achebe believes otherwise. In Chinua Achebe’s An Image of Africa: Racism is Conrad’s Heart of Darkness he simply states that, “Joseph Conrad was a thoroughgoing racist” [pg.5]
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 for devaluation of people’s color as savages. This use of language disturbs many readers who read this book.