Achebe essays

Achebe essays After reading these two essays on racism in this novel, I did realize that racism was very present. However it is present only in strong under tones and is rarely blatantly exposed to the reader. Throughout his essay, Achebe talks of how Conrad used Africa as a background or setting only, and how he "set Africa up as a foil to Europe,"(Achebe, p.251). I interpreted this idea of Africa and Africans as more of an opportunity and less of a place or people when, Achebe says "The African as a human factor," (Achebe, p.257) Achebe does a wonderful job of revealing all the hidden racist characteristics of the novel, some that people might have never picked up during a casual read. He finds specific examples from the text, and points out that there is a lack of certain characteristics among the characters. Achebe then compares the descriptions of the "Intended" and the native woman. Explaining that the native mistress "fulfills a structural requirement of the story: a savage counterpart to the refined European woman,"(Achebe, p.255). This lack of human characteristics is what Achebe says contributes to the large amount of racism within Conrad's book. If we look at it like this, I learnt in religion that human expression is one of few things that make us different from animals, along with such things as communication and reason. If these characteristics are not given to a character in a book, what is an educated reader to think about that character? Especially in this case because this book takes place du ring a time when the Europeans believed it was their right to dominate and civilize all lesser cultures. C.P. Sarvan attempts to comabt Achebe's opinion of the differences between the two women. C.P. Sarvan said that Conrad viewed the native woman as a "gorgeous, proud, superb, magnificent, terrific, and fierce."(Sarvan, p. 284) This to me is where it gets very confusing, because now these to essay writers have made me believe that the mi...