1. Two Time Periods, Two Influences
The first thing to remember is that reactions to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness from one period to another are not entirely the same, especially concerning the theme of racism in the novella. Indeed, it has generated a long debate. Chinua Achebe who condemned Conrad’s work and Caryl Phillips, who defended it, are the best example in that case. In other words, their conclusions are contradictory. With this in mind, it is important to explore their different time periods to which they belonged and how they influenced their interpretation of the book.
2.1. Achebe; Life under British Rule
Chinua Achebe, who died in March 2013, who has been called the father of African literature, was and is still considered …show more content…
Caryl Phillips; Life as a Migrant, as an Outsider:
Caryl Phillips is a Caribbean born and a British citizen. He was born in 1958 in St. Kitts, in West Indies, and migrated to England with his family when he was only four months old to settle in Leeds. His parents were among many others black Caribbean to be part of the post-war migration movement to Britain since the county needed qualified workers from its former colonies to reconstruct the country after WWII. For the migrants, a new and a better life was waiting for them. They had many expectations and illusions, mainly for their children who would have a brighter future and more opportunities in their life.
Nonetheless, life was not at all easy for them because of discrimination because of their skin color. In fact, the presence of Caryl Phillips in a white working class town was considered as a threat to the homogeneity of the white population in Britain as he explains, point out the fact that “the white British, felt ‘uncomfortable’ with Caribbean blacks because they were so like the British in their language, education and religion tried to differentiate blacks from them by skin color about which blacks couldn’t do anything.” Prejudices against them resulted in anti-immigration policy, restricting the arrival of immigrants into the country. Indeed, for the white Englishmen, all the problems occurring in the country were because of the black
The first thing to remember is that reactions to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness from one period to another are not entirely the same, especially concerning the theme of racism in the novella. Indeed, it has generated a long debate. Chinua Achebe who condemned Conrad’s work and Caryl Phillips, who defended it, are the best example in that case. In other words, their conclusions are contradictory. With this in mind, it is important to explore their different time periods to which they belonged and how they influenced their interpretation of the book.
2.1. Achebe; Life under British Rule
Chinua Achebe, who died in March 2013, who has been called the father of African literature, was and is still considered …show more content…
Caryl Phillips; Life as a Migrant, as an Outsider:
Caryl Phillips is a Caribbean born and a British citizen. He was born in 1958 in St. Kitts, in West Indies, and migrated to England with his family when he was only four months old to settle in Leeds. His parents were among many others black Caribbean to be part of the post-war migration movement to Britain since the county needed qualified workers from its former colonies to reconstruct the country after WWII. For the migrants, a new and a better life was waiting for them. They had many expectations and illusions, mainly for their children who would have a brighter future and more opportunities in their life.
Nonetheless, life was not at all easy for them because of discrimination because of their skin color. In fact, the presence of Caryl Phillips in a white working class town was considered as a threat to the homogeneity of the white population in Britain as he explains, point out the fact that “the white British, felt ‘uncomfortable’ with Caribbean blacks because they were so like the British in their language, education and religion tried to differentiate blacks from them by skin color about which blacks couldn’t do anything.” Prejudices against them resulted in anti-immigration policy, restricting the arrival of immigrants into the country. Indeed, for the white Englishmen, all the problems occurring in the country were because of the black