Movie Analysis: The Wolonization Of Africa

Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian author, found this work particularly racist and wrote a response to it, “An Image of Africa”. Through Achebe’s work, we realize Heart of Darkness contained a single story leaving naive readers with a single image of African natives.

Several people that it is there fault for the way they are. African Americans slaves are not able to study these works due to the circumstances American’s put them in. Jefferson at one point mentions that they should be sent back to their original…… For the American Indians, Jefferson hints that they are inferior to whites too. Jefferson in his writing describes his fascination with the Indians.

In Africa, their culture was scattered and was destroyed to the point where most of it is lost forever. Most no longer have one specific culture they identify with as their own have been pushed around. In India, because of the British rule, in the end, the countries segregated. They were split into multiple different countries. Finally, ways of life and government changed in both Africa and India.

The end of slavery brought the Europeans interests in imperialism and conquering colonies. European countries were interested in Africa for many reasons. Africa was filled with such incredible natural resources such as; copper, ivory, and rubber, the europeans countries competed among themselves

Chenowa Achebe speaks his thoughts on imperialism here by saying that even though the white imperialists thought they were doing good, they didn’t bother to even try to understand the natives’ feelings towards them. Although imperialism brought government stability and education, the long term effects of imperialism in Africa were negative because natives were made slaves, borders were poorly placed, and European religion/education was forced upon them. All in all, British Imperialism hurt Africa much more than it

As Marlow goes deeper into the heart of the continent, Conrad’s depiction of Africa is infused with a sense of fear loathing and abomination coupled with a sense that there is some dire evil at work; a malevolent force that carries out the acts of inhumanity. Illustrations of Joseph Conrad’s don’t only focus on Africa as a continent but also carries on the physical and mental characterization of the natives. The author describes Marlow’s first encounter with an African ceremony as, “a burst of yells, a whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping, of bodies swaying, of eyes rolling” (Joseph 57). Joseph Conrad goes portrays Marlow’s reaction to this somewhat bewildering frenzy of the natives “as sane men would be before an enthusiastic outbreak in a madhouse” (Joseph 58). Conrad’s description of these people shows them as deranged, frenzied, and intense feverish savages, not an image any modern day western writer would dare to warm up to.

“Things Fall Apart”, a novel written by Chinua Achebe about Africa through the character Okonkwo, a man who Achebe uses to illustrate the complexity Igbo culture, contrary to what the Europeans portrayed Africa as. One main focus of the book is to counter the single story, which is the idea that an area is represented by one story, similar to a stereotype. However, differing from a stereotype a single story often completely misrepresents something, and in this case Africa. Europeans had been the only ones writing about Africa, describing all the culture as problematic for being different, rather than looking at what African culture really is. Achebe was one of the first to write about African culture for westerners to read about, making Things Fall Apart a true innovation in writing.

By doing so, indirectly Europeans hindered the development of African societies and caused them to stagnate. Routes like the Triangular Trade were established, which shipped goods to Africa in exchange for slaves, and shipped those slaves to the New World for production of even more goods. When the Europeans had showed up to Africa, major trade hubs that spanned the Sahara to Egypt, existed, trading spices, salt, and other luxuries (Lect. 2, 1/22). However, the outstretched arms of colonization proceeded with a “better” plan, to remove any inkling of progress that could define an advanced African society. Slaves were taken from West Africa, prisoners from inland regions and taken out to the coast to be shipped off the New World and the colonies (Lect. 3, 1/25).

Mr. Kipling also mentioned a quote of “your new caught sullen people half devil and half child”, meaning the slave’s children the whites were disgusted when the first saw the Africans when the travelers brought them back into the world. The Europeans have been brainwashing the African about their religion and to not speak their own language. Although, The white man had burden he the certain man did something good in return. For example: the white man took the Africans products and turned into great materials.

On the other hand, there are many films that have been made which inform us of long ago events in Africa. In these films, you see the difference in Africa's style of dancing that existed in the past and that now. They own music and rhythms were made to dance and express themselves. The films also show women making clothing for their families which is very similar to Equiano's account of

The Reconstruction period, one of the most controversial periods in American history, During the Reconstruction majority of the blacks were defenseless given the new state constitutions were incorporated by different challenges such as prejudiced literacy tests and poll taxes. At the end of the Civil War, the South beaten and there land destroyed, the destruction was tremendous, and the old social and economic order that was established on slavery depleted completely. The Confederate states had to be reformed to their positions in the Union. The free slaves in the south had to be well-defined.

It is unfortunate that the word imperialism has historically had a negative connotation. When most people hear this word, they jump to conclude that a large, power-hungry country is demanding more territory out of greed. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the case, but imperialism is also an opportunity for developed countries to advance weaker, less developed countries. With imperialized countries providing a higher quality of life to others through healthcare, education, and social reforms, imperialism is right for society. There are many different standards by which quality of life can be defined, but generally, quality-of-life relies on a person’s basic needs being met.