Essay on Heart of Darkness as Social Protest - 998 Words

Heart of Darkness as Social Protest nbsp; Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, is an intriguing and extremely disturbing portrayal of mans surrender to his carnal nature when all external trappings of civilization are removed.nbsp; This novel excellently portrays the shameful ways in which the Europeans exploited the Africans: physically, socially, economically, and spiritually. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Throughout the nineteenth century, Europeans treated their African counterparts savagely.nbsp; They were beaten, driven from their homes, and enslaved.nbsp; Heart of Darkness is no exception.nbsp; In the first section of the novel, Marlow is disgusted by the condition of the Africans at the†¦show more content†¦nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Europeans were also extremely distrustful of the natives.nbsp; They were often accused of crimes because of the color of their skin.nbsp; At the beginning of the novel, a French ship is firing blindly into the woods because [apparently] the French had one of their wars going on thereabouts.nbsp; Later in the novel, at the Central Station, a native is accused of causing the fire that engulfed the Europeans storage shed.nbsp; He is beaten savagely; later he ran away from the station. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The Europeans, aside from physically exploiting the Africans, also exploited them economically.nbsp; When the Europeans first came to Africa, they found a civilization that was extremely well-developed, albeit in a different way than traditional Western civilization.nbsp; They discovered a continent that was rich in many things, particularly gold, silver, and ivory.nbsp; Far from the external checks of civilization and motivated by their greed, they decided to exploit the riches they had discovered.nbsp; The Africans provided a ready labor force.nbsp; So, the Europeans pressed them into labor by various means, ranging from brute force to manipulation of their religious beliefs.nbsp; For example, at the beginning of the novel, Marlow encounters a chain gang that is forced to [balance] small baskets full of earthShow MoreRelatedComparative Essay1096 Words   |  5 Pagesanalysis: â€Å"Heart of Darkness† â€Å"Apocalypse Now† Student: Mora Vandenbroele Teacher: Azucena Estigarribia Year: 11th â€Å"A† â€Å"Heart of Darkness† vs. â€Å"Apocalypse Now† It is very interesting how humans are so intrigued about the evilness in the world, and the dedication of some men to compare Hell with the Earthly horror. Joseph Conrad, a genius writer, took his time to show this with his masterpiece â€Å"Heart of Darkness† that wasRead MorePersuasive Essay On The Kneeling Movement1437 Words   |  6 Pagesinstilled in almost every citizen in America as the National Anthem. It is ingrained that every person should show respect to the flag and the nation. In almost every classroom, students are told to stand facing the American flag with a hand over their heart and recite the pledge, or during any sporting, event fans are asked to stand to face the flag as a guest performer sings the National Anthem. This is an American tradition that everyone is expected to follow. However, what happens when someone decidesRead MoreHeart of Darkness Paper984 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, is an intriguing and extremely disturbi ng portrayal of mans surrender to his carnal nature when all external trappings of civilization are removed. This novel excellently portrays the shameful ways in which the Europeans exploited the Africans: physically, socially, economically, and spiritually. Throughout the nineteenth century, Europeans treated their African counterparts savagely. They were beaten, driven from their homes, and enslaved. Heart of DarknessRead MoreEssay on Modernism in Literature1532 Words   |  7 PagesThe turn of the 20th century conveyed revolution in psychological, social, and philosophical thought. It was time for something neoteric. It was time to break out of the mundane tradition. This time of revolution conceded men, such as Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud, to rise to fame with their radical and cutting edge theories. Also, women were exasperated of their modeled roles in society. 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