Colonialism and Imperialism - The White Male and the Other in Heart of Darkness
analytical Essay
1050 words
The European, White Male vs. the Other in Heart of Darkness The novella Heart of Darkness has, since it's publication in 1899, caused much controversy and invited much criticism. While some have hailed it's author, Joseph Conrad as producing a work ahead of it's time in it's treatment and criticism of colonialist practices in the Congo, others, most notably Chinua Achebe, have criticized it for it's racist and sexist construction of cultural identity. Heart of Darkness can therefore be described as a text of it's time, as the cultural identity of the dominant society, that is, the European male is constructed in opposition to "the other", "the other" in Heart of Darkness being defined as black and/or female. Notions of cultural identity are largely constructed through language and setting and are essential to the reader's understanding of the text. While many characters are critiqued or criticized by Conrad for their exploitation of Africa and it's inhabitants, they remain the dominant and superior race, both according to Conrad, and his primary narrator Charlie Marlow. The African characters are not only constructed as "other", but also as inferior and to an extent subhuman. This is evident through their lack of language or voice throughout the text. Africans are denied language, and are instead granted "grunting" noises and a "violent babble of mouth sounds" relegating them to an inferior status. Only on two occasions are the natives given language and expression by the author. Firstly, when cannibalism is seen to overcome them, and one of then when asked what they will do with the body of one of the dead crew, replies "Eat 'im". The second occasion is when the enigmatic figure of Kurtz... ... middle of paper ... ...constructing women as the "other", not being able to cope with the truth and facts of life, Conrad asserts the superiority and dominance of the white male. In Heart of Darkness, cultural identity and the dominance of the European, white male is constructed and asserted through the constructions of the "other", that is the African natives and females, largely through language and setting. Thus, while claims of Conrad's forwardness in producing a text that critiques colonialism may be valid, Heart of Darkness is ultimately a product of it's time and therefore confirms the contextual notions of difference. Bibliography Conrad, J. Heart of Darkness. London: Penguin Group. 1995. Achebe, C. An image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness 1975. Sarvan, C.F. Racism and Heart of Darkness 1982.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the novella heart of darkness has been criticized for its racist and sexist construction of cultural identity. the european male is constructed in opposition to "the other".
- Analyzes how conrad and his primary narrator, charlie marlow, critique african characters for their exploitation of africa and its inhabitants, but they remain the dominant and superior race.
- Analyzes how conrad constructs africans as inferior to europeans through his refusal to grant them the power of language and speech.
- Analyzes how conrad marginalizes and degrades african characters and race through the denial of language and human form.
- Analyzes how the patriarchal representation of women in heart of darkness confirms the superiority of the white male.
- Analyzes how marlow, and conrad, depict the madonna as living in a dream world. the aunt and the intended represent the other half of the polarization of women.
- Analyzes how conrad's "heart of darkness" is a product of its time and confirms the contextual notions of difference.
Related
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- European Imperialism In Joseph Conrad's The Heart Of Darknessanalytical essayThe Heart of Darkness, a complex text was written by Joseph Conrad around the 19th century, when Europeans were colonizing Africa for wealth and power and were attempting to spread their culture and religion in Africa. It was also a period in which women were not allowed to participate in worldly affairs. Therefore, the text deals with issues such as racism, European imperialism, and misogyny. This essay will look at the different themes in the novel and argue whether or not The Heart of Darkness is a work of art.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes joseph conrad's the heart of darkness, a complex text that deals with racism, european imperialism, and misogyny.
- Explains that art is an expression of human creative skills that are appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. achebe and pelikan have argued that the heart of darkness is not a commendable piece of writing.
- Analyzes how conrad uses images of lightness and darkness to convey the message that light symbolizes intelligence and competence while darkness is associated with crudeness.
- Analyzes conrad's portrayal of africa as a blank space in "the heart of darkness." the eldorado exploring expedition exploits africa out of its resources, mostly ivory, and inflicts atrocities on natives.
- Analyzes how joseph conrad depicts women as naive, innocent creatures who cannot face reality or the truth, hence they remain delusional.
- Opines that joseph conrad's "the heart of darkness" is a commendable work of art despite the criticism he received.
1101 wordsRead More - Heart Of Darknessanalytical essayJoseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness uses character development and character analysis to really tell the story of European colonization. Within Conrad's characters one can find both racist and colonialist views, and it is the opinion, and the interpretation of the reader which decides what Conrad is really trying to say in his work.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how joseph conrad's novel heart of darkness uses character development and character analysis to tell the story of european colonization.
- Analyzes how chinua achebe, a well-known writer, once lectured at the university of massachusetts about joseph conrad's heart of darkness, entitled "an image of africa"
- Analyzes how achebe cites specific examples from the text, while also pointing out that there is a lack of certain characteristics among the characters.
- Analyzes how saravan refuted achebe's proposed difference between the two women, stating that both views are interpretations on what conrad may have intended.
- Analyzes achebe's argument that conrad deprived the africans of human qualities in heart of darkness.
- Opines that conrad's novel has a canonistic point of view, and singh believes that the natives appeared better humans than the europeans in heart of darkness.
- Analyzes how singh describes african natives as'shapes,' and conrad describes the dehumanizing effect of colonialist rule on the ruled.
- Opines that joseph conrad lived in a society where africans were not considered equal, to man, and they were even considered sub-human. chinua achebe wrote what he felt.
- Opines that interpretation is the key word in achebe's convincing essay regarding conrad being a racist.
- Analyzes how chinua achebe and c.p. saravan made the individual decide for himself and only himself.
1436 wordsRead More - Conrad: Blatant Racist Or Political Satirist?analytical essayThere have been many critics, predominantly Chinua Achebe, that have cast a cloak of racism upon the back of Joseph Conrad. Those authors base these allegations upon the novel Heart of Darkness, calling it a vile and most ungodly novel that only seeks to set the black race as a footstool of the white race. However, one must realize that there is a much deeper meaning to the novel than that of blatant racism. It is, in fact, a connection with the past that shows both the mindset, as well as the ignorance, of those who colonized Africa in the late nineteenth century.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how chinua achebe has cast a cloak of racism upon joseph conrad's back, calling it vile and ungodly. however, the connection with the past shows both the mindset, and the ignorance, of those who colonized africa in the late nineteenth century.
- Analyzes how charlie marlow retells his story of how he encountered a force that could only be described as "the horror, the horror." the reader must understand that these words are not only of the protagonist, but also of conrad.
- Analyzes how conrad shows his satirical capabilities by showing the hypocritical mindset of europe that existed through the span of 400 years.
- Analyzes how the conrad captures the feelings of the natives whom the europeans suppress.
- Analyzes how marlow respects the accountant who keeps an impressive appearance in contrast to the "great demoralization of the land."
- Analyzes how conrad plays double-duty by associating all of europe to both the company and the woman.
- Analyzes how conrad insinuates that the white race is above the natives of the african jungle, but kurtz becomes an example of such behavior later in the novel.
- Analyzes how kurtz is the most recognized symbol of european imperialism in the novel. he is a top agent, skilled collector, master of rhetoric, and god to anyone he meets.
- Analyzes how conrad shares golding's belief that all men, if left without proper restraints, will eventually become corrupt and give themselves over to the whims of their desires.
- Analyzes how conrad's writing of heart of darkness was to show the potential of what man could become, and what he already was.
1367 wordsRead More - The Blacks and Whites of Heart of Darknessanalytical essayAchebe, Chinua. “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness.” Massachusetts Review. W.M. Norton and Co. n.d. Web. 9 Dec.2010. .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the whites in marlow's novella ignore torture and disregard the africans. the ship contained pilgrims and natives alike, who were ideal to running the steam boat.
- Analyzes how the natives, by force, are the hands and feet of the white man. they are beneficial to the intruders who seam but utterly helpless on their own in many situations.
- Analyzes how racism in this novella does not affect the light side and dark sides. kurtz mistreats the africans, becomes selfish about the ivory, and entrusts himself with ity to do what he may.
- Analyzes how conrad's book is a racist comparison of the evil in africans to the great amount of good in the whites.
- Opines that everyone is born into a certain type of life, and the life styles around them greatly influence them. however, their destinies and roles in life don't have to be based on cultural trends.
- Analyzes achebe, chinua's "an image of africa: racism in conrad’s ‘heart of darkness.
- Analyzes how conrad introduces the natives, who are overshadowed and overlooked as they are not the center of attention for the reader.
- Analyzes how conrad does not hide the faults of the white race, and by revealing them ity of their rights to africa is in question.
1834 wordsRead More - Heart of Darkness, a novella written by Joseph Conrad, explores the growth of colonialism in Africa, narrated by a man, named Marlow, telling his life experiences to his crewmates. Over the course of Heart of Darkness, certain aspects of colonialism and those involved are revealed in a darker form than usual. Conrad provides an anti-colonialism novel rich with hidden explanations as to why. Heart of Darkness is an anti-colonialism novel, because
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how heart of darkness, a novella written by joseph conrad, explores the growth of colonialism in africa.
- Analyzes how the europeans saw the people they colonized as lower life forms. in heart of darkness, marlow sees six africans in chains being put to work.
- Analyzes how rudyard kipling's white man’s burden supports european views on those colonized.
- Analyzes how david livingstone differs from the other sources in that he truly wants to help the natives.
- Analyzes how livingstone's flaw exposes a more typical european view. he insists that he has to find the sea to avoid sinking to the level of the natives.
- Analyzes how the colonizers often left the country with a form of mind alteration. marlow feels like he's part of an experiment instead of just going to work.
- Analyzes how kurtz, himself, serves as the ultimate symbol of what can happen to a man who becomes too entangled in colonial africa.
- Explains that the exportation of ivory was one of the main factors behind kurtz's fall. the company went to africa to find an export ivory.
624 wordsRead More - Colonialism and the Heart of Darknessanalytical essayColonialism and the Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, is a work that strongly attacks colonialism and its affects not only upon the native population but also upon the colonizers invading the land. Conrad experienced being colonized as a young boy in a Poland under Russian occupation. He also witnessed the affects of colonialism upon a colonizer while he commanded a river steamer in the Dutch Congo. He relays these experiences through the eyes of his character Marlow who is a riverboat captain as well. The attacks upon colonialism come in three classes: directly, ironically, and metaphorically.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how conrad's heart of darkness attacks colonialism and its affects not only upon the native population but also upon colonizers invading the land.
- Analyzes how conrad attacks colonialism directly throughout the book, including marlow's description of the roman colonization of ancient britain.
- Opines that the conquest of the earth is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.
- Analyzes how conrad attacks the vicious and selfish nature that colonialism infests upon colonizers. marlow's description of the natives gives a dark picture of their plight.
- Analyzes the terrible and inhuman picture that colonialism brings to reality. the utter incompassion and brutal nature of colonizers are the results a horrible practice that brought men to their most basic and low state.
- Analyzes how conrad uses irony to attack colonialism in many instances. marlow's description of the eldorado exploring expedition was reckless without hardihood.
- Analyzes how conrad metaphorically attacks colonialism in many instances throughout heart of darkness. the title itself is a metaphor that can be analyzed on numerous levels.
695 wordsRead More - Heart of Darknessanalytical essayHeart of Darkness. That title rings with agony, loneliness, and the sense of evil. The words produce an image of a black heart entangled with unbreakable vines. To have a heart that is figuratively black and bounded to the ties of evil is a bitter and deathly symbol. Who could possibly have that heart? Joseph Conrad, for example, was a man with a heart of darkness. His life reeked with self deception and inner conflicts. Conrad’s book, Heart of Darkness is based upon imperialism and racism. Racism is cleverly hidden within the text, but imperialism is innocently depicted as the civilization of the Congolese people. Conrad’s writing can be interpreted two different ways. One approach is the reader might interpret his writing as an attack on the Europeans as the imperialists trying to help the Congolese, but the African people refuse their help. In contrast, the other approach might be that they feel sympathetic to the Congolese people. They see the Europeans has cruel and heartless. If we seek to understand the racism and the imperialism of that day and age, we can see racism in between the lines. I agree with many of Conrad’s critics when they say that he is completely racist, however I tend to see that no matter what race we are we all have a seed of darkness inside our hearts. Why are we infected with his powerful bug of a race overpowering any minority that is inferior to us due to any significant difference? In the case of Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness, it seems like Congolese people are nothing more than disposable and insignificant.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how conrad's book, heart of darkness, is based on imperialism and racism.
- Explains that racism is the native differences among the various human races that determine cultural or individual achievement. imperialism was the root of where racism grew.
- Analyzes how conrad shapes his character marlow into a narrator in heart of darkness.
- Analyzes charles darwin's article, on the races of man, which discusses humans on a biological and anatomical level.
- Opines that man's mind is capable of anything because everything is in it, all the past as well as the future.
- Analyzes how conrad realizes that the congolese people aren't that much different compared to the other races. marlow lies to himself and is fooled into believing the great plans that kurtz, the "evil genius," has in store for them.
- Analyzes how orwell felt the connection with the elephant he shot. he would have never done it if the people weren't around him.
1058 wordsRead More - In Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, the interpretation of pre-colonial times is interesting in a way that supersedes other books I’ve read because it’s very honest with how the world worked it that era. The central aim which the shipmates in Heart of Darkness are pursuing is the expansion of their home countries’ empires. Yet many people are hurt in this enterprise, and it’s not only the colonized territories that are impacted negatively by imperialist Europe. Europe’s explorers that go to the Congo are constantly dying of sickness. Compare the ways in which the consequences of imperialism affect the different groups of people in the book, the more one can understand about characters’ actions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how heart of darkness's interpretation of pre-colonial times is honest with how the world worked in that era.
- Analyzes how conrad presents his personal opinions through his central character, marlow, who learns about imperialism while on a journey to the african congo, in search of the famous kurtz.
- Analyzes how marlow, who saw firsthand the horrors of imperialism as a ship captain, sought to change public opinion and call attention to the atrocities committed.
- Analyzes how marlow compares his subsequent tale of colonialism with that of the roman colonization of northern europe and the fascination associated with such a voyage.
- Opines that marlow's and conrad’s feelings on imperialism are backwards in the sense that the european empire is evil.
560 wordsRead More - An Analysis Of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darknessanalytical essayIn Europe, where people follow rules and regulations, these men are nothing, but in the jungle they are able to shine.However in the article, “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness,” Chinua Achebe describes the novella, “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, as being racist.He supports this idea with examples from the text and with criticisms of the imagery used throughout the work. Achebe claims that by portraying Africa as “the other world and the antithesis of Europe,” Conrad is seeking to project Africa as the opposite of Europe and therefore,
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how contrasting places are used by certain authors to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. chinua achebe and karin hannson believe that joseph conrad's heart of darkness is racist.
- Analyzes how chinua achebe describes the novella "heart of darkness" by joseph conrad as being racist.
- Analyzes how conrad makes africa mysterious to symbolize the uncivilized and barbaric nature of man.
- Compares the darkness in africa and the darkness in london, stating that marlow frowned upon civilization and how society civilized new nations. conrad displayed the negative effects of imperialism in europe.
- Analyzes how joseph conrad illustrated the immoral difference in africa and europe due to the imperialism treating the african native with abuse and violence.
1241 wordsRead More - Heart of Darknessanalytical essayKing Leopold II of Belgium is known for being one of the most brutal racists in history. His inhumane treatment of Africans in the Congo was revealed in photographs that surfaced and that were taken to emphasize his cruel behavior over the Africans in the Congo. His motive for this inhumanity was pure greed. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, although does not embody the vicious behavior of King Leopold II, contributes to the racism of that period in other ways. Because of this, the novel can be interpreted in different ways from a racism standpoint. In my opinion, I both agree and disagree with Chinua Achebe’s statements concerning Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and feel that it can be viewed in some ways as both racist or not racist.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that joseph conrad's heart of darkness contributes to the racism of that period in other ways.
- Analyzes how conrad shows racism against africans in many ways throughout his novel. the use of the word "nigger" is viewed as negative and demeaning.
- Analyzes how marlow, the main character of the novel, comes across africans along his journey, his racism shows through his reflections on what he observes.
- Analyzes how conrad uses animalistic traits to describe the actions and characteristics of the black man. this shows his lack of respect for the african people.
- Analyzes conrad's quote of racism in heart of darkness. it was unearthly, and the men were—no, they were not inhuman.
- Analyzes how conrad's detestation of being related to africans uncovers his derogatory outlook and sheer racism towards the black community.
- Analyzes how conrad's insensitivity towards africans shows his lack of respect and humanity for them.
- Analyzes how conrad's quote uncovers some of the real brutal opinions he has formed about blacks, and it shows through his lack of emotion or sympathy towards them.
- Opines that conrad's heart of darkness could be viewed as the opposite. many people judge a novel as racist because of simple and obvious cues.
- Disagrees with achebe's statements regarding the severity of the racism in the novel. conrad does not go completely out of his way in his writing to make his racist view of blacks apparent.
- Analyzes how conrad's work is mildly and not strongly racist because he omits serious mistreatment of blacks.
- Opines that heart of darkness is a work of its time and will always be in history.
- Opines that achebe's view of heart of darkness is true through his inhumane depiction of blacks throughout his novel. while conrad certainly was a racist, he did not take that racism to the extreme.
2028 wordsRead More