Thursday, January 24, 2008

Achebe and Firchow Discussion

Both Achebe and Firchow make very valid points as to the interpretation of Conrad’s narrative style in “Heart of Darkness”. Achebe’s noting of the somewhat degrading and segregation esque thoughts on the Africans in the Congo, as well as his constant use of “The ‘N’ Word” would definitely get me riled up (I really, really hate that word; the only swear I will never say). However, I would have to lean more towards Firchow’s argument in the end. He is right saying that the way Conrad wrote the book was in a style fitting the civilization at the time. The term “racism”, although ever present in it’s own fashion, was never used back in the time Conrad was writing “HoD”. And even though the title of the novel is “Heart of Darkness” it is not directly referring to the Africans, but the journey into any human beings darkest depths of self. Chris Sidebottom and I briefly discussed this and he noted that inside every person’s heart, he believed that there was a tiny bit of darkness in all of us. This novel, pun intended, just got to the heart of the matter in one particular person and his experience of the dark unknown.

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