Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Heart of Darkness by Josef Conrad illustrate the multiple perceptions of the African continent in literary form. Joseph Conrad’s work depicts Africans ‘natives’ through the lens of the established colonizer, merely equating them to savages and primitive. In his critical response essay “An Image of Africa”, Chinua Achebe blatantly claims Conrad to be a racist, who paints Africa as the Dark Continent.
This essay will argue Conrad lacked the sufficient knowledge of the content as having only stayed 6 months, resulting in the inaccuracies of the African cultural practices, customs and language in the novella Heart of Darkness. Hence Chinua Achebe’s essay “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” …show more content…
Marlow briefly mentions how this “trained dog”, has also the tendencies of a ‘knowledgeable animal,’ similar to the other natives; one that is too crude to be as sophisticated as the European. Enriching the predominant stereotype that natives are nature’s very own barbarian.
Things Fall Apart takes place in the African community Umofia, at the time of colonialism. The novel follows the life and experiences of Okonkwo as he struggles to survive against instructions of the imperialistic power. The novel unfolds in three parts. The first is about Okonkwo’s life and path to success, before his ultimate downfall. This part attempts to describe the cultural practices of the Igbo tribe, according to Achebe. Achebe dives into the many practices that make up the Igbo tribe, from their clothing to food, he always explains that conversations are regarded as art.
Achebe’s incorporation of the Igbo language, traditions, creates a cultural bridge between the missionaries, and the Umuofian people. The use of Igbo words is rich throughout the text, while being difficult to understand without direct translation, the context eases its perceived interpretations, while some are left to the readers own appreciation. Igbo proverbs are pointed out to be the substance of interaction for the community; not only do they clarify a point, they assist in teaching a lesson. Taken together, sentence structure, Umuofian stories, proverbs, and language form a memorable informal narrative
This essay will argue Conrad lacked the sufficient knowledge of the content as having only stayed 6 months, resulting in the inaccuracies of the African cultural practices, customs and language in the novella Heart of Darkness. Hence Chinua Achebe’s essay “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” …show more content…
Marlow briefly mentions how this “trained dog”, has also the tendencies of a ‘knowledgeable animal,’ similar to the other natives; one that is too crude to be as sophisticated as the European. Enriching the predominant stereotype that natives are nature’s very own barbarian.
Things Fall Apart takes place in the African community Umofia, at the time of colonialism. The novel follows the life and experiences of Okonkwo as he struggles to survive against instructions of the imperialistic power. The novel unfolds in three parts. The first is about Okonkwo’s life and path to success, before his ultimate downfall. This part attempts to describe the cultural practices of the Igbo tribe, according to Achebe. Achebe dives into the many practices that make up the Igbo tribe, from their clothing to food, he always explains that conversations are regarded as art.
Achebe’s incorporation of the Igbo language, traditions, creates a cultural bridge between the missionaries, and the Umuofian people. The use of Igbo words is rich throughout the text, while being difficult to understand without direct translation, the context eases its perceived interpretations, while some are left to the readers own appreciation. Igbo proverbs are pointed out to be the substance of interaction for the community; not only do they clarify a point, they assist in teaching a lesson. Taken together, sentence structure, Umuofian stories, proverbs, and language form a memorable informal narrative