King 's Ghost By Adam Hochschild Essay

Book Review of King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild      What some have considered to be the first international scandal of the modern era took place in the Congo from 1890 until 1910. King Leopold II of Belgium was at the head of this so-called scandal. Although Europe and the rest of the world seemed to have forgotten the victims of these crimes, there is a considerable amount of material to use when attempting to recreate the horror that took place in Leopold's Congo. This is exactly what Adam Hochschild is attempting to do by writing this book. By using the written words of mostly Europeans and Americans, which creates a distorted view of history, he wants to show that the Holocaust type event

‘Heart of Darkness’ includes four-month of Conrad in Congo, and his command of a Congo River steamboat. Conrad experienced and saw the violence made by the European explorers and traders in Congo. He created the embodiment of European imperialism in his character, Kurtz. The novel tell the story of Marlow, a seamen who undertakes his own journey into the African Jungle to find the European trader, Kurtz.

Joseph Conrad 's Heart of Darkness is both a dramatic tale of an arduous trek into the Belgian Congo at the turn of the twentieth century and a symbolic journey into the deepest recesses of human nature. On a literal level, through Marlow 's narration, Conrad provides a searing indictment of European colonial exploitation inflicted upon African natives. By employing several allegoric symbols this account depicts the futility of the European presence in Africa.

Conrad discusses how the people of the Congo were still viewed as subhuman even though individuals were able to complete tasks that were beyond that of a “Savage” (Conrad 58-59). From the perspective of imperialism, they viewed that they were doing the people of the Congo a favor by trying to “Civilize” the people. They also disregard the damage that is being done to the land and population. Within the passage, it is also perceived that the individual performing the task has a lower comprehension rate, and needs to be trained with the mentality of a “traditional” point of view. This section displays how imperialism views the conquered territories, as well as inhabitants that do not share the same customs as beneath the

Conrad’s novel criticizes the essence of imperialism through its text, yet it additionally criticizes the common perception of the relationship between civilization and savagery. Civilization, often characterized by sophisticated society rife in advanced technology and high class individuals, outshines the savagery of individual and tribal man, who lives in dirt and desolation, trapped by their lack of intellect and potential. Conrad, however, asserts that these concepts do not reflect, but rather invert the reality. Civilization proves to have rather savage qualities and tendencies.

The claim of the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe that Heart of Darkness is “offensive, deplorable”, “sets Africa up as a foil to Europe” and glorifies European colonization is not true. Achebe further claims that the book’s writer Conrad hardly provides any hint at Heart of Darkness being ironic or critical of imperialism, which is absolutely strange because the book has many examples of Conrad being ironic, through the voice of its main protagonist Marlow. In fact, the book should be read as a good criticism of the European imperialism and unjust commercial exploitation of the African lands, through the false pretenses of religion.

   In Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness, the socially constructed differences of African and European cultures are effective in representing the power sites of the time. The alleged `superiority' of the European culture can be recognized by comparing their ideologies to those of the primitive, `inferior' `savages.' Conrad's personal experiences in the Belgian Congo, in the 1890s, influenced the compilation of Heart of Darkness, reflecting the waste and inefficiency of British Colonialism. Conrad referred to the colonization of Africa as, "the vilest scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human conscience and geographical exploration."(Joffe, 78) The cultural

Throughout Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Achebe addresses various criticisms stated in an essay written about Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. In the article, written by Achebe, Achebe mentions Conrad’s ruthless denunciations on African people and their humanity, Africa as being an antithesis to Europe, and further—western desire for things being in their place. Through these affirmations, Achebe argues mercilessly that Conrad is undeniably a racist, and that Heart of Darkness is a toxic novella, which through its poeticism and dense imagery undermines a race with utmost prejudice (“An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.” 1-8). Moreover, as evidence will show, one undoubtedly sees that these arguments transpire elegantly onto the pages within Achebe's Things Fall Apart.

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad chronicles Marlow’s descent into the corrupt and sinful depths of the Congo. In doing so, Conrad describes African culture from the standpoint of a man who has never encountered the African race. Conrad uses harsh comments and blunt descriptions of the African culture which Chinua Achebe interprets as racism in his scholarly article, “An Image of Africa.” As a response to Achebe’s views, Cedric Watts states his opposing viewpoint that the novel is not directly racist and supports this view in “‘A Bloody Racist’: About Achebe’s View of Conrad,” which analyzes Achebe’s argument flaws. through discussing. Lastly, Said explains, contrary to both Achebe and Watts, that imperialism causes racism in the novella. Racism is ambiguously portrayed in Heart of Darkness; however, after the consideration of Watts, Achebe, and Said’s views, the extent to which Heart of Darkness is racist can be determined through analyzing context and isolating key elements.

Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ leaves the reader with a sense that something is not quite right in regards to late nineteenth century society, and the human condition. Throughout the text, Marlow's vast descriptions of the landscape leave a captivating, yet eery sensation on the reader. One must consider that Marlow's distinct lack of adjectival emphasis towards the unnamed characters of the novella is done so to dehumanise members of society, whether they be of western or eastern ethnicity. With only few members of this story being referred to by name, and the rest known only as a title, or “Black figures”, this lays a further emphasis on Conrad’s focus on the barbaric nature of the Congo, and thus, the inner darkness that resides in all of us. Literary critic Edward Said considers Conrad’s dehumanisation of those involved in this novella, and further develops his view that Conrad was demonstrating that there really was not much difference between Imperialist and African society. In comparison, Chinua Achebe evaluates Conrad was a "a thoroughgoing racist", and that he was fully aware of his biased rhetoric.

In the age of New Imperialism, European nations rushed to gain advantage over ruling Africa, most specifically Congo, to expand economic prospects under the guise that they were civilizing the natives of these areas. The negative impacts of Europe in the Congo are supported in the novel, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, who employs his narrative to showcase how the drive for Imperialism stripped away the humane reasoning for colonizing the Congo, as the protagonist is brought face to face with the horrors of this colonization. The novel’s themes are furthered by first-hand account articles that depict the violence that Conrad fictionalized to stress that Europe’s goal for

In an interview with Chinua Achebe, a renowned professor of Language and Literature in African Studies, Caryl Phillips discusses the topic of Joseph Conrad and the claim made by Achebe in his lecture, “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness”, that Conrad was a racist and his novella, Heart of Darkness, was not an attack on imperialism, but rather, a philosophical analysis on the psyche of the European mind as a result of colonization.

Heart of Darkness was written in the era of anxiety and oppression. Some critics said that novel is a moral lesson about human self-indulgence or a sociological commentary upon the morality of colonialism and imperialism. It is said that the novel is about self-discovery, colonialism and imperialism. Heart of Darkness is written from the perspective of colonialism, its effects on the people of Congo. Conrad depicted all the issues of the colonialism from his own point of view which he experienced and gave the overview that how Africans were treated by Europeans and highlighted the concept of othering and stereotyping. Title of the novel refers the darkness of heart which is actually the darkness of African people. Conrad condemns the evil of

In Achebe’s “An Image of Africa,” he discusses aspects of the Heart of Darkness that make it racist, concluding upon Conrad being “a thoroughgoing racist.” Achebe defends his argument based on the white desire to view Africa as “a foil to Europe.” He continues analyzing Conrad’s antithesis between Europe and Africa, the River Thames and the River Congo, as well as Mr. Kurtz’s Mistress and his Intended. Achebe compares each showing how they set apart Europe as civilized and Africa as savage. He elaborates on the comparison referencing the “meaning of Heart of Darkness” and the fascination with the distant relation between the civilized and savage. Achebe challenges Conrad on the grounds of his accuracy, since Conrad speaks as a traveler and was “notoriously inaccurate,” and on the grounds of the vulgarity of Heart of Darkness in its dehumanization of Africans. Achebe interprets these grounds as part of Westerners’ “need for constant reassurance [of superiority and civility] in comparison with Africa.” These reasons defend Achebe’s conclusion of racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (Chinua Achebe).

For this essay I will discuss the story written by Joseph Conrad called ‘ The Heart of Darkness’ and I will focusing on the themes of this story. The story begins in London were the main character, Marlow, is getting onboard a boat to go to the Congo. As the story goes on he, the Protagonist, sees and meets all these people and how they are treated. He sees the horrors of this place but he does not feel sorry for the people who are being mistreated. The themes of this story are the roots and often general ideas explored in a publish. The themes highlight the motifs of the story, as well as getting Conrad’s points across. The author uses these themes like he is telling a scary ghost story. Imperialism and its evil is demonstrated in the story 'The Heart of Darkness', imperialism is action that involved a country that is using it power to influence some other country or gaining resources. Conrad uses the themes of the empty talk of imperialism, madness as a result of imperialism, and the absurdity of evil.