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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page essay that attempts to evaluate Conrad's attitude towards Africa and Africans in his masterpiece Heart of Darkness. The writer argues that rather than concentrate on abuses faced by Africans or the rape of the environment perpetuated by Europeans who were there to exploit the natural resources of the continent, Conrad emphasizes the detrimental effect that Africa has on the Europeans in the story. His argument, therefore, it that imperialism is wrong, not so much because of what is done to Africa and Africans, but rather because it turns sensible, sane, lawabiding Europeans into power-mad megalomaniacs who are capable of the grossest atrocities. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khconaf.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
nineteenth century. However, while this is true, it is still problematic to characterize the feelings of the principal protagonist, Marlow, towards Africans, as well as those of the author.
This is because Conrad was writing for a nineteenth century British audience at the height of the imperialistic power of the British Empire, a time when, quite literally, the "sun
never set" on British colonies, which spanned the globe and were a great source of pride to the British people. Therefore, in order be "political correct" for his day and
age, Conrad had to be subtle in presenting a story that was clearly anti-imperialist. Therefore, while Marlow (and one assumes Conrad as well) is clearly sympathetic towards the brutality of
Europeans towards black natives, he never states overtly that he considers this to be wrong. Rather, through Marlow, Conrad paints a picture of the oppression, but often, this portrayal is
more as if Marlow were camera recording a scene, rather than concentrating on the morality of the situation. An examination of Heart of Darkness demonstrates that rather than concentrate
on abuses faced by Africans or the rape of the environment perpetuated by Europeans who were there to exploit the natural resources of the continent, Conrad emphasizes the detrimental effect
that Africa has on the Europeans in the story. His argument, therefore, it that imperialism is wrong, not so much because of what is done to Africa and Africans, but
rather because it turns sensible, sane, lawabiding Europeans into power-mad megalomaniacs who are capable of the grossest atrocities. This is not to say that Conrad excuses Europeans, such as Kurtz,
of their atrocities, but rather that Conrad argues that primitive man lurks within every male psyche. Therefore, Heart of Darkness can be seen as a cautionary tale against the prevailing
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