Heart Of Darkness Rhetorical Analysis

One of the most reoccuring themes in the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, is the theme of race, more specifically, racism by the European and American characters towards the African characters. Critics of the book condemn Conrad as being racist, while others claim that it is just representative of the time period and that how Conrad depicted certain characters and groups within the novel was not uncommon during the time period that the book was written. Published in 1899, at that time it was not unusual for white people to have racist views towards people of other races. Whether or not Conrad was aware that some of the statements made in the book were racist and whether or not he actually intended for race to play as such a large

Throughout the novella, it seems as if the narrator is describing the Africans as being almost human, but not quite. There seems to be a line drawn between African and European that is much thicker than country borders. In a description of a sick boy, the narrator says, “the man seemed young—almost a boy—but you know with them it’s hard to tell” (17 Norton). This statement may seem harmless, but it is completely unnecessary. It reveals how few interactions Marlow had with the Africans, and his use of the word “them” creates a ethnical barrier. Along with negative descriptions of Africans, Marlow also uses a great amount of racial slurs when speaking

After days of fixing his steamboat while traveling up the Congo River, Marlow allows himself to interpret the environment that is surrounding him. He heard the sound of chants, drums, and howls in which he identified as a “kinship” with the native and view them as “inhuman.” As he heard the sound of the natural environment, Marlow described his trip in viewing the native’s village as he and his crew traveled towards the Inner Station. His viewed his journey upriver to been consisted of disturbing and strange sceneries. He took glances towards the native Africans and their lives in which distorted him due to his “kinship” with them, however has only the chance to see them as “inhuman.” Marlow reflected his own perception of being narrow minded where he is classifying the native Africans to be considered as a historical versions of his own self and to not be potentially equal. Joseph

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Conrad has a very pessimistic and passive aggressive tone on human nature and the lightness versus the darkness that humans contain.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad has been depicted as “among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language.” [pg.1] Chinua Achebe believes otherwise. In Chinua Achebe’s An Image of Africa: Racism is Conrad’s Heart of Darkness he simply states that, “Joseph Conrad was a thoroughgoing racist” [pg.5]

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a highly debated book over whether or not it should be read in schools. Many people see Heart of Darkness as a racist book that is blatantly offensive to African Americans, but others view Heart of Darkness as an important book that explores many complex ideas, such as the internal conflict between a man’s sanity and insanity, and Conrad’s opposition to Imperialism, which was very prevalent during the time the book was written. While the opponents of Heart of Darkness say that this book should not be read in schools, I believe the book can be utilized in an academic environment. The opposers to this book do make a reasonable and correct point that this book uses very strong language and seems to be racist, Conrad did not intend to convey racist perspectives, rather, taking on that role to further his point towards Imperialism. Although it uses strong language in the book, that was used to show how Europeans viewed Africans during the time period.

The African natives in the novella are represented as “nigger”, “cannibals”, “criminals”, and “savages”. European colonizers see the black men as subordinate species, and murder them without fear of admonishment. The novel presents an account of imperialism as it illustrates the white men’s belief that they can arrive into an inhabited country and pillage to its heart content. Kurtz, after many years in the jungle, is presented as a man who has gone mad with power and greed. Conrad used the cruelty acts to extend his criticism of colonialism all the way back to its corrupt

Joseph Conrad often mocked the African peoples. In his novel, Heart of Darkness, he referred to the African people as “savages” and used strong language that looked down upon them. Conrad describes a passing native, “They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages.” Conrad depicts the Africans in very vivid descriptions and uses negative language with an almost disgusted tone. He sees the Africans as inhuman, feels they are not civilized, and believes himself to be far more superior than them. Conrad does not bother to try and understand their culture or language. He insults their language and believes it is merely just incomprehensible grunts. Conrad remarks that looking at an African “was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind legs.” The comparison he uses is very insulting to the African people and so degrading that Conrad found an African working as so surprising. He was taken away that an African could be civilized and Conrad was just mocking the natives. By using such cynical language, Conrad changes what the readers think of Africans to become negative. This view of African peoples from Conrad contrasts Achebe’s perspective of African peoples and their lives which was more influenced by his own race, culture, and beliefs just as Conrad’s novel was.

Achebe believes that Conrad insults and questions the humanity of Africans. Despite of Africa’s long history of the agonies and atrocities that Africans have suffered through, Conrad continues to add darkness to the African history as if Africans have not suffered enough already. Achebe displays his rationales on why Conrad was extremely racist in his novella by saying that Conrad was blind. His xenophobia and his strong intention of condemning the darkness of imperial exploitations led him to be unaware of the extent of racism in the book. The level of thought and insight in Achebe’s article proves useful in evaluating the topic of racism in Joseph Conrad’s book.

  Conrad has been accused of racism because of the way he portrays the natives in his novel, Heart of Darkness. It has been argued that the natives cannot be an essential part of Heart of Darkness due to the manner in which they are depicted.  However, a careful reading reveals that the story would be incomplete without the natives. Marlow develops a relationship with one of the natives - perhaps the first time in his life that Marlow creates a bond with someone outside of his own race.

Conrad's novella a illustrates how race and race hatred corrupt human virtue and complicate our search for goodness in the world and in ourselves. In this sense, Achebe is right: Conrad's writing in Heart of Darkness is a form of racism.

Joseph Conrad’s usage of racism throughout Heart of Darkness appears to be an anti-transcendentalists commentary on the harsh reality of the human race -- the notion that there is evil in everyone.

While others have argued that Conrad was not a racist, but rather a product of his time, the novella Heart of Darkness expresses Conrad’s clearly racists views, as his writing is full of degrading and dehumanizing opinions of Africans. There are several different ways that the author makes it clear that he is a racist. First, there are multiple instances where Conrad criticizes the looks and actions of African American people. When he writes, “They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity-like yours- ...ugly” (32). His bigotry is plainly displayed throughout the pages in black and white text.

In the article "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness," Chinua Achebe criticizes Joseph Conrad for his racist views toward the natives of Africa. After one reads Achebe’s critique, it is clear that Conrad wanted the novella to be perceived as a racist text. Conrad depicts the uncivilized treatment of nonwhites during the period of colonization without condemning such actions. After analyzing Achebe’s famous work and Conrad’s novella I have come to agree with Achebe; Conrad “was a thoroughgoing racist.” (Achebe) Heart of Darkness portrays this position clearly. Throughout the novella, Conrad describes and represents the Africans and Africa itself in a racist way. According to Chinua Achebe, the harsh behavior of English people towards the natives, the lack of equality felt by the English towards the Africans, and the word choices of the English to and about the savages reveal Conrad's racist position in the work.

Africans are also misrepresented by examples given in the novel about the way they act based upon how Conrad viewed their actions. Therefore [Fresleven] whacked the old nigger mercilessly, while a big crowd of his people watched him, thunderstruck, till some man, I was told the chief's son, in desperation at hearing the old chap yell, made a tentative jab with a spear at the white man—and of course it went quite easy between the shoulder-blades. (pp. 10) It is clear that this depiction of African brutality is portrayed as a merely racist way.