Heart of Darkness Imperialism, Hegemony, and Othering

Imperialism is defined as extending a country's power by taking over other countries. Many works discuss the aspects of imperialism, one such work is “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell. This work was first published in 1936, many years after the Philippine-American War began. “Shooting an Elephant” takes place in a town in Lower Burma, where the tension between natives and Europeans is manifest.

Many people have their ideas and opinions on the topic of imperialism of the different continents like Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Imperialism had different effects that came from the and different reasons for which it was done. There have been poems, essays, and short stories about the good and bad of imperialism. Those who read some of these works interpret them in different ways that can change the message the author originally had planned. Imperialism shed light upon that not everything is how it seems.

: George Orwell explains in his essay “Shooting an Elephant” that imperialism influences the people within its system, even if they are aware of its flaws, to leave behind their morals despite their intents.

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, closely examines the direct effects of British Imperialism on the natives of Africa. The novel sheds light onto what was common in exploration and colonization at the time. The civilizations that were directly affected were seen as inferior. Europeans and other powerful countries exploited the natives solely for their resources and to expand territory. They justified this by bringing “savage” people religion, culture, and new way of life.

British Imperialism is the idea that it is the white man’s duty to civilize other, more primitive, people (Cody). Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, is a story about a man named Marlow who travels up the Congo River with a European trading company. In the story Marlow see’s many horrifying things, and slowly he becomes desensitized to what is really going on. In the beginning he is highly critical of the trading company, but by the end he has become so used to the things he has seen that they no longer shock him. Heart of Darkness is not only a criticism of Imperialism, but it is an explanation of how a man can go from inherently knowing something is wrong, to viewing it as normal.

Whilst "Heart of Darkness" is at times very critical of European imperialism, that criticism for the most part is directed at the false idealistic claims made

Imperialism is shown in the most unexpected places. Rudyard Kipling shows this in the multiple stories in his book The Jungle. Mowgli’s Brother is a story that tells how a boy named Mowgli became a member of a wolf pack. The characters in the Jungle Book show British for British rule, British for Indian rule, Indian for Indian rule, and Indian for British rule. Imperialism is shown with people coming into a group with out any warning, people wanting to rule and do what ever they want, and people voting for someone to be in a group.

Through-out the entire time that Imperialism existed, imperialists have changed their grounds and strategies in imperialistic rules, but the ultimate objective has remained the same; to rule and exploit the natives. Imperialism is a state of mind, fueled by the arrogance of superiority that could be adopted by any nation irrespective of it’s geographical location in the world. “Shooting an Elephant,” is of importance because in it, lies how the incident depicts the different aspects of imperialism. In the essay the elephant and Orwell help to prove that Imperialism is a double edged knife, so to speak. The killing of the elephant is the incident that reveals that Imperialism inflicts damage on both parties in imperialistic relationships.

Situate passage into the plot of the story. Marlow has just come across a part of Thames which he refers to as a part of darkness too. Conrad had just went on to list a lot of English seamen before Marlow does. Marlow refers to the “knights” Conrad speaks of as “no colonists” but as “conquerers” which is nothing to brag about, This is in stark contrast to what the narrator of the book had just finished stating, thus suggesting that the narrator is the average persoective while Marlow expresses Conrad’s true thoughts. Moreover, Marlow describes what he dislikes so much about these “conquerers” and even makes his opinion clear: that we shouldn’t classify people as brutes just because they look different from us.

In Conrad's Heart of Darkness Marlow, the main character, symbolizes the positiveness of Imperialism. Marlow, as a character realizes the evil that negative Imperialism has caused and decides it is truly unnecessary. When Marlow says, "I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you," he is expressing his intentions to assist the Africans in their development and advancement. Marlow recognizes the fact that he is an invader into an unfamiliar land when he says, "I was an impostor," yet he sticks to his moral values.

    In the opening of his novel, Heart of Darkness, Conrad, through Marlow, establishes his thoughts on colonialism. He says that conquerors only use brute force, "nothing to boast of" because it arises, by accident, from another's weakness. Marlow compares his subsequent tale of colonialism with that of the Roman colonization of Northern Europe and the fascination associated with such an endeavor. However, Marlow challenges this viewpoint by painting a heinous picture of the horrors of colonialist ventures as we delve deeper into the recesses of the novel. Here we find that Marlow sees colonization as "robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the imperialism of Africa is described. Conrad tells the story of the cruel treatment of the natives and of the imperialism of the Congo region through the perspective of the main character, Marlow. Throughout the novel, Marlow describes how the Europeans continuously bestow poor treatment to the native people by enslaving them in their own territory. Analyzing the story with the New Criticism lens, it is evident that Conrad incorporates numerous literary devices in Heart of Darkness, including similes, imagery, personification, and antitheses to describe and exemplify the main idea of cruel imperialism in Africa discussed throughout the novella.

In his journey to the inner station, Marlow captains a ship that is crewed by cannibals and carries Pilgrims. Conrad sets up a contrast as Marlow observes with puzzlement that the cannibals act restrained, even though the Pilgrims throw out their food. The colonial people, who in the eyes of most history books would have been portrayed as civilized, along with the cannibals who showed restraint and respected others, it creates a strange feeling of a new perspective on history that was originally thought solid.

  In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, challenges a dominant view by exposing the evil nature and the darkness associated with the colonialist ventures. It is expressed by Marlow as "robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as it is very proper for those who tackle a darkness." The European colonialists are portrayed as blind lightbearers, people having a façade of progress and culture, yet are blind of their actions. They think they are brining a light to a darkness, yet they are the real darkness or evil. Conrad's critique of European colonialism is most apparent through the oppositions of light and darkness, with the

Imperialism and its oppressive processes have affected societies as well as individual lives for centuries. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, oppression through imperialism demonstrates how a certain civilization, the Congolese, is affected negatively by imperialism. By focusing on Africa, it allows for a graphic recount of the many years spent reigned by foreign oppressors and tyrannies. In Heart of Darkness, the Congo is oppressed by the imperialists economically and geographically. As well, the oppressed people are taken advantage of spiritually. Conrad describes how the ruling tyrant is affected by the process of conquering a local people and this draws a parallel to the ruling empire. Conrad, through his novel, attempts to