Ignorance And Racism In Heart Of Darkness
Joseph Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual
responsibility, and social justice in his book Heart of Darkness. His book
has all the themes that make the book an adventure story- mystery, exotic
setting, escape, suspense, an unexpected attack. Chinua Achebe concluded,
"Conrad, on the other hand, is undoubtedly one of the great stylists of
modern fiction and a good storyteller into the bargain" (Achebe 252). Yet,
despite Conrad's great story telling ability, he has also been viewed as an
ignorant racist by some of his critics. Achebe, Singh, and Sarvan, are
three of his critics who have different opinions about Conrad being a
racist.
Readers usually are good at detecting ...
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understand racism towards
"Blacks". Conrad's critics would have never called Conrad a racist, during
his time, but rather a great story teller who is kind hearted to "Blacks".
Conrad constantly referred to the natives, in his book, as black savages,
niggers, brutes, and "them", displaying what we see as racism toward the
African people. Conrad wrote, "Black figures strolled out listlessly… the
beaten nigger groaned somewhere" (Conrad 28). "They passed me with six
inches, without a glance, with the complete, deathlike indifference of
unhappy savages" (Conrad 19). Achebe, also, detected Conrad's frequent use
of name calling, "Certainly Conrad had a problem with niggers. His in
ordinate love of that word itself should be of interest to psychoanalysts"
(Achebe 258).
Conrad uses Marlow, the main character in the book, as a narrator
so Conrad himself can tell the story without saying it himself. Conrad
used "double speak" throughout his book, so he himself will not be ...
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"Ignorance And Racism In Heart Of Darkness." Essayworld.com. February 29, 2004. Accessed April 18, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ignorance-And-Racism-In-Heart-Darkness/3828.
"Ignorance And Racism In Heart Of Darkness." Essayworld.com. February 29, 2004. Accessed April 18, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ignorance-And-Racism-In-Heart-Darkness/3828.
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