Chinua Achebes Heart of Darkness and Racism Essay

Chinua Achebes Heart of Darkness and Racism The Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe made claims in the 1970s that Heart of Darkness was a racist novella. My initial thoughts on this are yet to be decided during the course of this essay. While my thoughts are yet to have any significance, I do believe that Chinua Achebes remarks hold some truth. Achebes theory assumes that Marlow and Conrad are the same voice. This could be a reasonable assumption as research into Conrads life has given us knowledge of Conrads early years. In the heart of darkness the main character, Marlow has since childhood, had a desire to go there (Africa), whilst exploring maps of the world. Conrad, in the†¦show more content†¦The grandeur and excellence in which the Thames is depicted cannot bare any comparison to the two sentenced description of the Congo. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a mighty big riverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ resembling and immense snake uncoiled. And as I looked at a map of it in a shop window, it fascinated me as a snake would a bird a - a silly little bird. In contrast to the Congo, the river Thames can be seen as a highly favourable portrayal of such a populous and commended European symbol. With a nine paragraphed description of it and only a two sentenced observation of the Congo, it is easy to see why Achebe would fall to such a conclusion as the Heart of Darkness being a racist novella. The two sentences alone says quite a lot to enrage a true African patriot. The snake being the Congo and the silly little bird being Marlow, are two creatures of the wild that have not been known to have any reverence for each other. While one preys on the other, Marlow suggest to his audience that he was a victim of the never escaping charm of mans old foe - the snake. Certainly some of the language used about Africans in the Heart of darkness sounds to our modern ears outrageously racist. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a savage who was no more account than a grain of sand in a black Sahara. A fellow human being has just died here, yet Marlow feels the need to justify his remorse for theShow MoreRelated Misleading Interpretations of Conrads Heart of Darkness Essays1186 Words   |  5 PagesMisleading Interpretations of Conrads Heart of Darkness Chinua Achebe, a well-known writer, once gave a lecture at the University of Massachusetts about Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, entitled An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness. 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