Conrad Racist?

Hey, guys. I'm back and my class and I just finished reading the infamous Heart of Darkness crafted by Joseph Conrad. Now, I know for a fact that my opinion is the unpopular one-I LOVED this novella! Yes there were times when I wanted to give up and stop reading because it made no sense, but I chugged through it and I am glad that I did! This novella is definitely worth the struggle of reading, and the vocabulary became overwhelming at times. But I really think I am starting to get a hang of the analytical and “deeper meaning” aspects of these fiction works, which makes me really happy (Especially when the AP Exam is in 5 short days)!

As this section of Ap Lit has come to an end, of course My teacher gives some reading, and this time, it happens to be Chinua Achebe and his perspective on Heart of Darkness, which I totally disagree on, which will also be the topic of today's blog post.

The biggest thing that really bothered me was the fact that he used so many different examples. Yes, there were many parts in the novella that support his claim about Conrad being racist, but those parts also illuminated the counter argument, which Achebe really did not refute. Since Achebe decided to quote gigantic paragraphs in the novella (I know he really could not get around that since the examples would not be strong enough), I am just going to point out examples instead of quoting them. The first example that really jumped out at me was at the bottom of page 4, when Achebe starts criticizing the language used when the cannibals and natives were talking. Yes, he used different idiosyncrasies to characterize these people, but does he also realize that these men basically grew up in the jungle? They have resorted to cannibalism, which means they have been there for quite some time. Even Marlow justifies it when he reaches these men on the journey to the Inner Station. Also, this demoting status would not correlate to the next section Achebe quoted on page five of his speech, referencing Marlow’s sympathy towards the men dying. It just really does not add up and contradicts itself very harshly.

Now obviously, this is only on opinion. Do I think Conrad’s work is offensive in one way or another? Yes. Do I believe that he meant it to be like that? No. I really think Conrad was trying to portray these men to the best of his ability, and through the example that I chose from Achebe’s article, it includes the dialect of these men. This also correlates to American literature as well, when authors such as Zora Neale Hurston use the same exact dialect in Their Eyes Were Watching God. So, what's the difference? To me, the only difference is location. But, that's just me.

Well, this might not have been most fun to read, but I hope it opened your eyes a little bit more to see the other perspective. PLEASE try and read Heart of Darkness! Hands down one of my favorite books I have ever read! Catch me reading it in five years!