Heart of Darkness

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the different themes in Joseph Conrad's book, "Heart of Darkness." Conrad's book is not racist, according to the author, but is a commentary about what causes and perpetuates racism. It looks at abuse of power, feelings of superiority, treatment of minorities and many of the basic tenents that justify racism. The message in this book is that racism is bad and will destroy you and that everything possible should be done to rid the world of this type of behavior.

From the Paper:

"Heart of Darkness rather than being a racist text makes glaring to the readers the follies inherent in feelings of superiority. Racism utilizes superiority as one of its justifying tenets, and Heart of Darkness systemically demonstrates the folly of this. The decline of Kurtz from civility to barbarism exemplifies how superiority is an illusion. The original basis for the missions, which was to spread the light of civilization into areas regarded as being in darkness becomes debunked when the darkness was exposed within those who were supposedly civilized and, thereby, regarded by themselves as superior. Kurtz when removed from the rules of "civilized" society transcended to the depths of darkness and acts of untold barbarism."

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