Achebe’s “An Image of Africa : Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” Essay

Achebes An epitome of Africa racialism in Conrads content of dark (The Massachusetts Re realise, 18 (1977) 782 94) expresses a passionate objection to Conrads point of nonion and portrait of Africa and Afri gouges in his novel shopping center of sin. Achebes novel, Things take root A unwrap, crowd out be considered the direct opposition to Conrads smell of apparition and is seen to as a challenge on Conrads western spatial relations. I shall explore the stiffness in Achebes An Image of Africa Racism in Conrads midriff of phantasm with regards to language, characterisation, organized morality and cultivation. Other opinions from critical readings will excessively be included and referenced to the two novels ( Things ruination Apart & Heart of injustice ).Achebe felt that Conrads Heart of wickedness differents Africa and Africans, when he says others he substance that it represents the Africans as a colonised commonwealth who defy little general reek an d no authority.Furthermore it fork ups them as a bring out tend or species to further illustrate how they were treated as animals and savages. The term parking bea sense utilise earlier in like manner illustrates how Achebe took offence to the horse opera ideologies in that common sense is a term invented by Westerners. Common sense is the general term peer slight uses for Western beliefs and values entirely when other finishings (especially African cultures) get hold of not been included as a part of this terminology. African cultures argon, in fact, criticized by the term common sense, which at a beat again Achebe took offence to. Achebe felt that Heart of fantasm was alike a way of writing back to the centre in that it represented the Western the great unwashed or Colonists as the predominate and superior force, to Achebe it was an alienation of the Africans and Africa. Heart of Darkness, thitherfore displaced the Africans in the novel instead of them seeming s ecure and known, they were distanced from the reader. Hence, one can see how Achebe was a strong believer in the Postcolonial hypothesis whereby he mostly challenged unless also reflected upon modern European colonisation.Brantlingers paper discusses the different views on colonisation by explaining five differents stances taken. agree to Brantlinger the abolitionist stance ( scorn its good intentions) pitied the Africans and tried to fight for the Africans, however at the same time it did not occur to them that Africans were also intelligent population who could fight their own battles. It was and so seen that the abolitionists too, were treating theAfricans as inferior. His discussion of the explorers stance illustrates how the explorers victimized Africa and destroyed its people because the explorers saw the Africans as a sub-race of savages who had little to no importance. Brantlinger also shows how scientists saw the Africans as a separate species to hu servicemans and that Africans were thought to be animals. Scientists theorised, by Social Darwinism, that the Africans would either have to survive of sucumb. To them the Africans were expendable.To Brantlinger the missionaries considered the Africans as a race of pagans and heathens who needed to be transformed to the Good Faith, Christianity, and they did not consider that the Africans whitethorn rattling advantageously have had their own religion and set of beliefs. Furthermore, Brantlinger illustrated how the Western writers portrayed Africans as a sub-race of savages (or as an inferior group of people) who needed pity and a push in the discipline direction towards their Western ways. His statements, The constant standoff of Africa with the in military man violence of the slave trade did much to darken its grace still during the romantic period. and By mid-century, the success of the anti-slavery movement, the impact of the great explorers, and the nuclear fusion reaction of racist a nd evolutionary doctrines in the social sciences had combined to give the British public a widely sh bed view of Africa that demanded imperialisation on moral, spiritual and scientific grounds.It is this view that I have inflicted the myth of the Dark clean atomic number 18 prime contrive models of how he see people to have erroneous notions nearly Africa and Africans. His views be highly suited to Achebes An Image of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness in that they show how a white, westernised person sees the same racism eminent in todays literature as Achebe it sees in Conrads Heart of Darkness, only Brantlinger does not directly plan of attack any one specific book or person. Instead Brantlinger presents his view in a factual and onlyified manner which further helps encourage Achebe because he makes it easier to believe and understand him when he uses factual information quite an than exclusively his opinions.Brookes wrote a paper on how sealed stereotyp es of Africa have been created and how they atomic number 18 perpetuated in newspapers today. Headlines such as, Why give life sentence-blood to this heart of darkness? were analysed and agree to Brookes this headline and others like it result in the foregrounding ofAfrica as violent, repressing and helpless They set up opposites where Africa is on the one side and is held up against a standard which it apparently does not meet. Brookes analysis and opinions are highly relevant in that she illustrates how certain stereotypes and ideas on Africa have gravel second nature and are even printed in chronicles which are alleged(a) to be factual recollections of events.Brookes does so by discussing certain gramatical, wording and representation trends associated with Africa and this shows that these ideals are wrong and racist, one should not be allowed to perpetuate such incorrect stereotype of Africans. At the same time Brookes paper can also discredit Achebe, because it shows that perhaps Conrads reason for Heart of Darkness being a racist novel is because certain stereotypes are printed in the press each day and he entirely did not drive in any better.Achebes article, An Image of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness, shows that Achebe feels that Conrads Heart of Darkness is racist and it perpetuates a certain incorrect view on Africans. He is offended by Conrads racism and insensitivity towards Africans. Heart of Darkness pojects the image of Africa as the other world, the antithesis of Europe and thitherfore of civilization, a place where mans vaunted perception and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality. Here Achebe shows but how he feels about Heart of Darkness. Achebe sees Marlowe and Conrad as the same person and hence because Marlowe, the narrator in Heart of Darkness, is ignorant and racist Achebe immediatly assumes that Conrad holds the same views. Achebe feels that Conrad represents the colonists as superior close towhat god-like and that the Africans in Heart of Drakness are shown as savages, heathens and infidels and they are seen to be inferior.Not only is this perception of Africans conveyed but Africa is also seen as a dark and mystical place which threatens everything that is foreign. Furthermore Achebe feels that Heart of Darkness creates the impression that Africa infects the Western people and drives them mad, as happened to Kurtz Consequently Africa is something to be avoided just as the picture has to be hidden away to safeguard the mans jeopardous integrity. Keep away from Africa or else Mr Kurtz of Heart of Darkness should have heeded that warning But he foolishly exposed himself to the wild irresistable allureof the jungle and lo the darkness found him out. Achebe also feels that Conrad is also trying to convert people to his racist ways and infect them with his xenophobia (fear of foreigners). Achebe not only sees Conrad as a thoroughgoing racist and is offended by it but he is also offended by the fact that nobody has challenged Heart of Darkness and its racism, but they praise and study this book instead.C.P. Sarvan also wrote a judge on Heart of Darkness and Achebes article. He was, however, far less entire than Achebe. Furthermore, he have a bun in the ovens at the stage from both sides and he weighs up both the Authors strengths and weaknesses. Sarvan discusses how in Heart of Darkness the colonists are actually spoil and rotten to the center of attention and instead of Africa being shown as an entirely terrible and deep dark continent, Sarvan sees some type of of set utilise to bring out how the colonists were deranged and not at all pure, as the African people were. Sarvan quotes a critic who said, Africa per per se is not the theme of Heart of Darkness, but it is used as a locale symbol for the very core of an accursed inheritance.This quote along with Sarvans opinion that the story may be seen as an allegory, the journey ending with th e sombre actualisation of the darkness of mans heart. show how in Heart of Darkness Conrad does not simply want to discredit Africa and show to be a dark black hole which is to be feared, rather that it actually illustrates how the colonists could gip goodness and purity from the Africans. In contrast to Achebe, Sarvan also sees Marlowe and Conrad as entirely separate people and he thinks that Marlowes views are not inevitably the same as Conrads. Sarvan considers all the evidence and he concludes that in some parts of Heart of Darkness Conrad does tend to project racist view points, but by the same token Conrad also knocks the Colonists, their way of life and their lack of ethics and ethics.In both Things lessen Apart and Heart of Darkness there is certain language and diction which is used, the language used conveys a certain opinion and attitude toward what is being said. If one is to look at Brookes paper it can be seen that certain lyric are used to convey certain image s of Africa, and at times even a certain gramatical structure is associated with Africa. If one looks at the language used in Heart of Darkness certain words can bepicked out and seen as racist but also there are words which are not racist towards the Africans and rather they discredit the colonists. For example The Man seemed young almost a boy but you receive with them its hard to tell.( Heart of Darkness, Penguin Classics 2000, pg35, line 21). Here one can consider this to be a racist comment as it creates a distance amidst the Africans and the colonists, but it can also be seen as a perfectly innocent and ignorant comment because its inborn to have trouble understanding that which you do not know.A very similar comment is do in the same novel, however it is made with regard to the white men, its as follows white men being so much alike at a distance that he could not tell who I might be. (Heart of Darkness, Penguin Classics 2000, pg 33, line 27) In Things devolve Apart t here are also times when it can be criticised for the language used Achebe describes the white missionaries as four eyes and here it is further illustrated that the Africans are now driveing that which they are not familiar with troublesome and hard to understand. So when one weighs the two different descriptions from Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness up it can be seen that certain language can be seen as racist even if that is not the intent.Furthermore when Conrad writes, Fine fellows cannibals in their place. (Heart of Darkness, Penguin Classics 2000, pg 61, line 6) you can both criticise and praise this quote. Although it does distance the Africans when he says their place and it could be seen as supercilious to call the Africans cannibals, Conrad also presents the Africans in a friendly manner and he shows some kind of kinship with them when he says Fine fellows. Finally, there are many times when Conrad uses insulting language with regards to the Africans but he als o uses language which praises them, so Achebe is not entirely correct when he says that Conrads book Heart of Darkness parades in the most vulgar fashion prejudices and insultsIn Things Fall Apart one is able to learn about the African religion and at the same time the Western religion is presented to the reader, neither is said to be right nor wrong. The advantages and disadvantages of both religions are evince to the reader and prejudice is not shown towards either religion. In Heart of Darkness however, only the Western religion is shown and it is not even considered that the African Savages may possiblyhave a perfectly good set of ethical motive and a decent religion. One is exposed to the Western religion and it is seen as the be all and end all.The characters in Heart of Darkness are also portrayed to only believe in one certain religion and that religion (christianity) is the saviour of the primitive, savage Africans. For example this can be seen when Conrad writes, Somethi ng like an emissary of light, somethng like a lower sort of apostle ablactation those ignorant millions from their horrid ways,(Heart of Darkness, Penguin Classics 2000, pg 28, line 17). Brantlingers paper further illustrates this as sound as shows that this was a Victorian ideal. Hence, with regard to religion the only religion really shown in Heart of Darkness is christianity and it is not questioned or compared to an African religion, as the two religions in Things Fall Apart are.Culture in both Achebe and Conrads novels is explored on two fronts an African front and a Western front. In Things Fall Apart the more dominant culture is of course the African culture. One is introduced to the African Umuofia tribe and thereafter they are presented with the many different cultures and beliefs of that tribe and well some of the other African tribes. In Things Fall Apart, one is also shown a brief view of how the Africans saw and came to be part of Western culture, but one is also sho wn how the African culture actually contains alot of sense, morals and ethics. It can be seen that African culture it is not simply a group of people cheering out foreign screeches on shore as they are shown in Heart Of Darkness.Furthermore, in Heart of Darkness the Western culture is the dominant one, and in contrast to Things Fall Apart not only is there very little understanding of the other culture (African Culture) but also there seems to be no effort from the characters in Heart of Darkness to even begin to understand or grasp the African culture In the empty immensity of the earth , sky, and water, there she was (the French man-of-war) uncomprehensible firing into a continent. (Heart of Darkness, Penguin Classics 2000, pg 30, line 33) This quote can also be used to illustrate how the colonists were seen as deranged and their culture fickle.The characterisation in the two novels is very different when speaking abouteither the Africans of the Westerners. In Things Fall Apart t he African is characterised as an intelligent being who has a sense of right and wrong and they contain the makings of Westerners human thread maternal instinct towards ones child, the drive to succeed, the noesis of right and wrong, punishment for those who commit crimes, respect for elders etc. Furthermore, in Things Fall Apart the Westerners are portrayed in a fair light, despite their exloitation of the Umuofia tribe and their ideas are taken into consideration and the benifits are thaught about this shows the Umuofia to be logical and fair people. Whereas in Heart of Darkness the Westerners are the only ones who are considered to be intelligent, despite them also being shown as bastardized and unfair hairdressers dummy (Heart of Darkness, Penguin Classics 2000, pg 36, line31) and I let him puzzle out on, this papier-mache Mephistopheles, and it seemed to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little scant(p) dirt, may be.The Africans in Heart Of Darkness are not portrayed as humans, rather theyre seen as animals, but at the same time they can also be seen as more human than the imhumane colonists because they are compassionate and they arent empty inside (refer to I let him perish on above). The Africans are also seen as the underdogs being destroyed by the white men who only care for money. Overall in Things Fall Apart, the portraiture of the Africans in is that theyre humans with morals and a good steady culture and the portrayal of the Westerners is that theyre also human with morals and their own culture. In Heart of Drakness, the Africans are weak, primitive savages victimised by the strong, impure White man with no moral fibre.The links between the books Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness can be seen as a trend throughout Bookes and Brantlingers Papers. Both find that in our societies there are certain ideas associated with Africa namely darkness, mystery, savagery, unenlightenment, l ack of parole and resourses as well as good solid religion and moral fibre, and finally the idea that Africa infects the rest of the world with all its dark and tremendous qualities. Each day these ideas are passed through our brains and drummed into our heads, to such a item that the majority of us no longer question their being right or wrong. Achebe found that in Heart of Darkness,Conrad discussed and displayed these racist ideals in extreme amounts and Achebe felt the racism Conrad openly showed was unacceptable. Surely society played a role in this uneducated assumption made about Africa and its people when it allowed for such racist ideals to be printed in the everyday press.In finish it can be asid that Achebe did have reason for his opposition to Heart of Drakness and its portrayal of Africa and Africans. It must be considered, however, that perhaps Conrads unintentional racism was simply the product of ignorance. He was incorrect in conveying the Africans as savages, bu t at the time the book was written Conrad was probably blinded by his society and its stereotypes. Furthermore, his true intention in Heart of Darkness was to show the Westerners lack of moral fibre by contrasting them against the Africans and showing how the Westerners exploited the Africans. Achebes description of Conrad as a thoroughgoing racist in An Image of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness was not entirely true. Conrad did include some racism in Heart of Drakness but it was not intentional and it was certainly not extreme enough to call him a thoroughgoing racist.