Achebe’s Article
Heart of Darkness is a complex piece of writing that has been considered a powerful piece of work for centuries that addresses individual responsibility and social issues. However, despite Conrad's high-quality story telling, he has drawn much controversial attention as being a racist. Many critics like Chinua Achebe have claimed that Heart of Darkness should be totally removed from the shelves of classic literature because it conceals the ideas from a chauvinistic person. Strangely, the story itself brings about an unusual tone to racism compared to other classical works. Heart of Darkness doesn’t have the qualities to be considered a classical work of art for it dehumanizes a population, brings about insensitivity to the topic of racism, and the narrator cannot be trusted, however it is a piece of writing that should be studied in literature.
According to Achebe, Conrad’s story is an “offensive and deplorable book.” The story takes African Americans and deprives them of any human qualities; transforming them into mere savage beasts. Conrad uses the word “nigger” loosely portrays his insensitivity to the subject of racism also adds to the sense of repugnance. The implication of something being classic is that it is something of high standards. Regardless of Conrad’s excellent writing skills, the fact is that the story portrays an offensive sensitivity. In addition, Marlow’s character is unreliable due to the story’s limited insight of the journey. Marlow is portrayed as a “spinner of yarn” that exaggerates or twists the reality. Marlow’s intricate character makes him appear like a hypocrite. Through the journey Marlow sees the hidden atrocities of imperialism in Africa and begins to feel a sense of sympathy towards them. He begins to realize the truth, but his arrogant personality refuses to accept the fact that Africans are equal to Europeans. For Marlow, imperialism was something that he felt was right.
Though many people...
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