Achebe and Racism
In the late 1970s, Chinua Achebe wrote a criticism of Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness entitled An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness. Throughout his essay, Achebe notes how Conrad sets Africa up as a foil to Europe by projecting Africa as the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization. Achebe’s main argument in this essay is that Joseph Conrad is a "thoroughgoing racist" and his novel is a reflection of that. Achebe cites many passages that clearly demean Africans and Africa itself. However, many arguments that Achebe uses are exaggerated or taken out of context (not reflective of whole passages but of specific words and ‘cut out’ quotes) and his essay seems to be more of a personal attack on Conrad than on his interpretation and view on the novel. Nonetheless, Achebe cites many clearly racist and demeaning passages pointing out some of the racist elements of the novel. First, Achebe describes how Conrad’s novel portrays Africa as another world completely opposite of the European world. ... Achebe states that Africa’s importance as an individual continent is diminished by the western want to reassure European superiority.