The colonization of Africa is rarely spoken about, it is a dark part of the European history that many want to forget. Not only is it rarely spoken about, but there are few literary works that remind us of the horrible events that did take place, especially from the victims’ point of view, the African population. The majority of the authors that have written about the colonization are Europeans and they have in many cases been criticized for their racist depiction of the events. Joseph Conrad, one of the most famous colonization authors, has been wildly criticized for the underlying racism in his novel Heart of Darkness, which was published in 1902, but he has also been praised for his criticizing way of depicting the colonization. In order to interpret the underlying racism in the novel, and other hidden perspectives such as the depiction of women, the symbolism in the novel has to be discussed.
Following the conclusion of Pudd’nhead Wilson, a novel written by Mark Twain in 1894, but taking place in the 1850s, it is obvious that the book was inundated by a myriad of differing themes. However, there is a theme that stands out the most in terms of the most influential message conveyed by Twain. This theme is that deception and foolishness, two themes that go hand in hand, do not have preferable repercussions. In recognizing these themes, I was able to choose one specific scene from the novel that truly represents these two themes. The scene that most symbolizes the backfiring of deception and the disadvantages of foolishness is in the scene where Tom gets sold down the river.
Europe and Africa are depicted as a place of darkness and gloominess. Heart of Darkness takes place in Africa, but a heart full of darkness also takes place in the Europeans hearts who are filled with greed for Ivory and for full maximation of Africa’s resources. The darkness seems to distribute in many different ways throughout its metaphorically, its symbolic meaning and in addition to the hardships of the Africans people. The author utilizes darkness to set up a gloomy vibe and setting despite it being day outside. This effect illustrates how people
The Constant Gardener by John le Carré is an unusual novel in many respects. Combining the suspense and thrill of the espionage novel for which le Carré is justly famous, it exhibits, perhaps for the first time, the author’s deep-rooted humanism especially at the suffering of the less privileged living in the Third World countries among whom Africa ranks first. Though the novel could have easily slipped into some sort of sentimentality, le Carré has supported it with a mass of well-researched details which go to make up, with a great deal of authenticity, this narrative of exploitation and betrayal and blind profiteering from the sufferings of others. It lays bare the machinations and structures of monolithic corporations which manage to penetrate even such edifices like the WHO. The power of these global corporations transcend geographical boundaries and in today’s world of commerce they wield a power greater than that of governments and even policies of governments are made manipulable by the nexus that exists between the politicians, bureaucrats and the businessmen.
There is a complication on British distinctiveness of Joseph Conrad, his work was an extremely big part of British literary history. The novella Heart of Darkness has not only been able to transform the development of British Literature but also allowed the world to start questioning Imperialism. The writing style used by Conrad was able to accomplish a transformation in British Literature History. He contributed to the professional novel writing by creating a winding, repetitive and indirect structure of narrative structures. His location of adjectives made his prose difficult to understand but he applied perseverance and after a short period of time, however people realized that characteristics like the use of awkward language and grammar is not showing that someone struggling to understand the English language, but the
Kareem Mansour IB1 HL English Mr. Key Blindness and Lack of Morality Joseph Conrad’s s novel “Heart of Darkness” portrays an abominable image of Africa that is outlined with darkness, gloominess and inhumanity. At Conrad’s time, the idea of exploration and colonization was flourishing. The phenomenon of exploration and expedition of the unknown has influenced Joseph Conrad’s views as he wrote the “Heart of Darkness”. Colonialism was known to be the norm, and not many people saw anything amiss. From a European point of view, the natural next step of any powerful European nation’s political agenda is embarking on voyages of exploration and colonialism.
Walter Pater’s influence on Oscar Wilde stretched across all of his work including “The Decay of Lying.” Pater was deeply passionate about Romanticism, which are reflected in Oscar Wilde’s works. While Oscar Wilde upset many people with his seemingly out of place writing, Wilde had people who also believed in his literary ideals. These opponents of realism were known as the decadent aesthetes . Writers of this title championed human creativity over logic and the natural world and created somewhat of a literary counter-culture to the modern way of writing. In “The Decay of Lying,” Vivian would identify with this movement based on his opinions of modernism and logic.
Within the decade pursuing his death in 1870, a far more extreme level of philosophically and socially cynical views spent English hype; such styles were to the spiritual belief that eventually kept together also the bleakest of Dickens 's books as opposed. Later Victorian writers for example Thomas Hardy and George Gissing were affected by Dickens but their works show an absence or lack of spiritual opinion and show figures swept up by cultural causes (mainly via lower-class problems) that drive them to sad stops beyond their control. Samuel Butler (1835-1902), especially in the Manner Of Skin (1885; publ. 1903), also asked religious
While most people enjoy King’s unsettling way of writing, some criticize him for the disturbingness he brings into his novels. With all of Stephen King’s success and controversy it is hard for people not to be influenced by what he says and writes. Stephen King has changed the way people view writing and the horror genre in general. Stephen King, one of the most criticized and iconic authors to date, had and still has a lasting impact on American culture. Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine.
According to Stowe “enslaving of the African race is a clear violation of the great law which commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves” (Stowe 623). Later,it gains a wide prop up and recognition from two other American critics Edmund Wilson (1895-1972) and Lionel Trilling (1905-1975) who concede it as an influential book in American history, concluding slavery as evil both in its nature and practice.On the other hand,Uncle Tom’s Cabinalso has its share of brickbatas William Lloyd Garrison thinks that the novel is not an actualportrayal of slavery and,James Baldwindefines it as a “very bad novel, having its self-righteous, virtuous sentimentality, much in common with Little Women” (quoted in Gillespie 198), a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). During the