In a famous lecture in 1975, Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe called Conrad’s novel racist: “The simple truth is glossed over in criticisms of his work” because “white racism against Africa is such a normal way of thinking that its manifestations go completely undetected.” He renewed the attack in 1980 when he stated that Conrad’s work may have had the intent of subverting but ultimately ends up confirming imperialistic ideology.
Discuss Conrad’s attitude toward imperialism and support your argument with examples from the novel
.
Take a stand, either agreeing or disagreeing with Achebe.
In your essay, your primary goal is to explore your research question with depth and sophistication rather than to persuade an audience of a particular viewpoint. While you will need to propose some sort of answer to your question in the final version of your project, that answer may be tentative. It may, for example, point in the direction of further questions and further research. It may identify contradictions in your research that are at this time irresolvable. Again, in writing this paper, focus on exploring, interpreting, and synthesizing ideas rather than on “defending” a point of view.
FINAL DRAFT SPECIFICATIONS:
Length: 500-650 words (not including citation page) Format: Please use MLA citation style
Audience: Address your paper to a general audience. Your classmates have a wide range of backgrounds and academic interests; assume this kind of broad readership when you write your paper. Assume that your readers have read
your selected text(s).
Make sure to include a citation page.