EN204 assignment two: essay title chosen: 1.
Student name: Katie Courtney
Student number: 17320961.
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Joseph Conrad’s ‘heart of darkness’ has long been referred to as permanent literature qualifying as African literature. It is incomprehensible to many that a pole, speaking in English could possibly produce African literature, considering his lack of understanding of the complex cultures within Africa. Conrad fails to do justice to the indigenous people of Africa and as a result they are portrayed as wild, and unable to develop with time.
This unjust portrayal has dominated the imagination of Western society however Chinua Achebe astutely challenges this representation through his novel ‘Things fall apart’. Achebe rewrites all of these misrepresentations and highlights the unique and advanced Africa that has failed to be seen worldwide. Achebe not only destroys Conrad’s description of the people of Africa, but also introduces us to the true Africa, and its unique personality.
Conrad portrays African civilization as being completely opposite to European civilization and goes as far as to argue that Africa is a place where “man’s intelligence and refinement are mocked by triumphant bestiality” (Achebe, p. 3). Conrad ignores the rights of African people to be human, he simply believes that they cannot be standard humans without the training carried out by Europeans; “a few months training had done for that really fine chap”.
He highlights a hideousness of the African people but fails to acknowledge that this hideousness that he believes is what can be seen within his own people. The question of black rights compared to the privileges of white people is brought forward. Conrad shows a lack of respect for the people of Africa; “they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation” (Achebe, pp. 3-5). No remorse is shown, not even for their suffering. Conrad’s perception simply shows that he is a complete racist and this book is coherent evidence, and racism is normalized within. ‘The heart of darkness’.It is simply a bitter ode to racism and white superiority at the expense of the people of Africa.
Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’ provides an image of African society rebuilt and an image of a cogent social structure. Achebe completely reverses Conrad’s representation of the people of Africa through his novel. Achebe argues against Conrad’s misperception of the geography, the language and the customs of the African people. Achebe highlights the bilingual tendencies of the people of African and shows the great depth of understanding towards the religion and customs of the Europeans (Reese,pp. 1-4).
‘Things fall apart’ addresses the problems that are associated with the colonization of Africa and its effect on African culture and society. This novel illustrates how various literary stereotypes can be found within African literature. Achebe masters the English language to make the text more approachable to the Western readers, but at the same time gives the language an African cultural twist (Wilkerson, p.1). The oral culture is extremely important in Achebe’s novel, with particular reference to the Igbo oral tradition.
Oral culture is a cultural component that “distills the essences of human experiences, shaping them into readily retrievable images of broad applicability with an extraordinary potential for eliciting emotional response” (Wilkerson, p.1). Achebe uses proverbs both to infuse English language and to highlight African perceptions. Proverbs are first mentioned in the first chapter of the novel when the tradition of passing the koala nut for fellowship and alliance is addressed; “he who brings kola brings life” is the proverb used and would have been a popular oral saying in the culture (Wilkerson, p.1).
The use of traditional cultural songs give it a much more traditional African feel, and Achebe uses translated songs as well as un- translated songs once again to make it a more approachable novel for all audiences. Achebe uses traditional tales to describe the cultural values of the village and see how they are implanted with their own values and traditions (Wilkerson, pp, 1-2). Oral traditions within the novel help to illustrate its characters as well as describe the culture within the novel.
Achebe powerfully describes a village culture to Western minds that is very advanced. It almost gives a feeling of witnessing Africa before colonization with the vivid culture and complex characters (Wilkerson, p. 3). Achebe uses this oral procedure of implementing songs, proverbs and folk tales in order to contradict Conrad’s portrayal of Africa as being uncivilized and wild. In fact, Achebe shows just how advanced and unique African culture is.
In ‘Things fall apart’ Achebe tells the story of an Ibo man, Okonkwo, and the tragedies he has faced. African’s are represented as individuals capable of speech, not just one massive disarray of words. Their customs are not regarded as wild, but as the norm which function no differently than the variety of Western customs do (Reese, p. 1). The land itself is described as a mix of towns and farms, not a mysterious land which of insanity.
In almost every single way ‘Things fall apart’ contradicts the stereotypes that are presented in Conrad’s ‘Heart of darkness’. Achebe highlights a great depth of understanding on behalf of the native people; the people of Africa don’t dismiss the religion of the Western people but appreciate and understand its power and importance (Reese, p. 1). The first half of the novel shows the normality of Okonkwo’s life, but this all changes in the second part of the novel when disruptions occur with the arrival of the Europeans.
Conrad portrayed the African’s as savages with no language other than grunts and. Achebe contradicts Conrad’s refusal to give African’s the ability to speak. The grunts and random sounds described by Conrad were actually the complexity of the native language. Achebe gives characters long eloquent speeches throughout the novel to highlight their ability to speak for themselves.
The people of Africa quickly learnt English after the arrival of the Europeans and were thus able to converse and understand them clearly (Reese, p.2). The “savages” that Conrad described would never have been able to communicate in such a clear manner. Achebe does the exact opposite of Conrad’s silencing of the people of Africa, instead Achebe provides a platform for their voices to be heard. Achebe also contradicts Conrad’s view of the geography itself of Africa, a vast mass without order. Achebe describes the geography of Africa as a mixture of villages, forests and farms all distinct and defined to a specific purpose.
Achebe criticized Conrad for portraying “Africa as a metaphysical battlefield devoid of all recognizable humanity, into which the wandering European enters at his peril” (Reese, p.3). Achebe clearly states that the large forests were not just wild unorganized masses, they served the purpose of being spaces for burials. Achebe restores the humanity of the African landscape.
Chinua Achebe understood the injustice of Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of darkness’ and his novel ‘Things fall apart’ was his response to this injustice and his personal attempt to correct the wrongs done to the perception of Africa. Achebe completely contradicted Conrad’s view of the people of Africa being wild, uncivilized and without a culture.
Achebe exquisitely brings the unique culture and language of Africa back to life and attempts to redefine the imagination of the Western world and their view of Africa. Achebe makes particular reference to the oral procedure of incorporating the English language while using native folklore, tales and proverbs. Achebe’s novel ‘things fall apart’ is such an important piece of African literature as it breaks away from any stereotypes previously found within ‘African literature’.
Works Cited
- Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Penguin Books, London, England, 2001.
- Tredell, Nicolas. Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness. Icon Books, London;Duxford, Cambridge [England];, 1998.
- Reese, Robert James. “Chinua Achebe’s Response to Conrad.” RobertJamesReese.com, Robert James Reese , 2004, robertjamesreese.com/essays/chinua-achebes-response-to-conrad.
- Wilkinson, Ben D.B. “Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and the African Oral Tradition.” Essays of a Young Philologist, 12 May 2018, wilkersonessayist.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/achebes-things-fall-apart-and-the-african-oral-tradition/.
- Achebe, Chinua. “The African Writer and the English Language.” Morning Yet on Creation Day, by Chinua Achebe, Library of Congress Catalogue, 1975, pp. 91–102.
- Achebe, Chinua. ‘An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness” Massachusetts Review. 18. 1977. Rpt. in Heart of Darkness, An Authoritative Text, background and Sources Criticism. 1961. 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough, London: W. W Norton and Co., 1988, pp.251-261.
