The Essay About Africa The problem with history is that it is written by the victors. Many are entirely unaware of what has been lost through ignorance and discrimination throughout time, and many only know one side of the story. Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, is an insightful presentation of African culture which has been lost to enigma in our history books. On the surface the novel functions as an antithesis to Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, but on a deeper level forms a connection between Conrad’s novel and other literary works. Through these connections, and also through the application of universally relatable themes, Things Fall Apart reveals the universality of all human nature. The biggest, glaring difference
…show more content…
A huge difference between Things Fall Apart and, Heart of Darkness is the syntax and diction with which the story is told. The style in which Things Fall Apart is written has a tone of authenticity which Heart of Darkness fails to capture (Mirmtahari 4), and it captures the mood of African story telling perfectly. African story telling is characterized mostly by folk tales and myths, as is evident by the story told by one character to another which offers an explanation to why mosquitos buzz in our ear. The story goes that the mosquito asked the ear to marry him, but he was rejected. So now “every time he passed her, he told Ear that he was still alive” (Achebe 89). Achebe’s continuum of this folky tone throughout the novel gives the mood of the Igbo culture, but also makes it easy to understand and relatable for readers of different cultures because all cultures have fables, stories, and …show more content…
When characters travel south, “it’s so they can run amok” (Foster 171). Enslavement in particular is used most heinously to fulfill the goals of the company. The Native Africans are forced by the company to build a railroad. The scene is described as such:
“Six black men advanced in a file, toiling up the path. They walked erect and slow, balancing small baskets of earth on their heads, and the clink kept time with their footsteps. . . I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected with a chain who’s bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking” (Conrad 19).
Despite this being one of the first things Marlow sees when he arrives; the public outside of Africa have little idea of the horror which goes on within. Over the course of the narrative, the audience witnesses Kurt’s decent into madness which most of the characters are not privy to. Africa, like Dorian Gray’s portrait, must be hidden away to preserve the sinner’s perceived integrity (Hopes and Impediments
A huge difference between Things Fall Apart and, Heart of Darkness is the syntax and diction with which the story is told. The style in which Things Fall Apart is written has a tone of authenticity which Heart of Darkness fails to capture (Mirmtahari 4), and it captures the mood of African story telling perfectly. African story telling is characterized mostly by folk tales and myths, as is evident by the story told by one character to another which offers an explanation to why mosquitos buzz in our ear. The story goes that the mosquito asked the ear to marry him, but he was rejected. So now “every time he passed her, he told Ear that he was still alive” (Achebe 89). Achebe’s continuum of this folky tone throughout the novel gives the mood of the Igbo culture, but also makes it easy to understand and relatable for readers of different cultures because all cultures have fables, stories, and …show more content…
When characters travel south, “it’s so they can run amok” (Foster 171). Enslavement in particular is used most heinously to fulfill the goals of the company. The Native Africans are forced by the company to build a railroad. The scene is described as such:
“Six black men advanced in a file, toiling up the path. They walked erect and slow, balancing small baskets of earth on their heads, and the clink kept time with their footsteps. . . I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected with a chain who’s bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking” (Conrad 19).
Despite this being one of the first things Marlow sees when he arrives; the public outside of Africa have little idea of the horror which goes on within. Over the course of the narrative, the audience witnesses Kurt’s decent into madness which most of the characters are not privy to. Africa, like Dorian Gray’s portrait, must be hidden away to preserve the sinner’s perceived integrity (Hopes and Impediments