Articles for the reason of Banning
While reading and researching the novel, “Heart Of darkness,” I came across many aspects of the controversial issues that arose when this story was published and why it had been banned. These issues came about anywhere from the title to the very last chapter of the novel. When I first researched the title I found articles that were extremely against the title, “Heart of Darkness.” Some readers at the time and even more so today feel that the “heart of Darkness” means the heart of dark-skinned people or the “dark side” of Africa. However, it is meant for the white man who’s hearts turn dark due to greed.
Throughout the entire novel, words were used that commonly shock the reading community. Some of these words included savages, cannibalism, and specimens. Savages are explained as people with lack of knowledge; this word was used to describe many of the African people along the Congo River. Cannibalism is something Conrad used to describe the actions of the people around him. Specimen was a word describing people that were human but not treated the same, lower class. No matter the century you read this book in, controversy is sure to follow. Even though this book was written over a century ago and mostly was acceptable, people still take offense to the descriptions and words Conrad chose to use to paint the picture he saw feasible. One hundred years ago, racism, sexism, genocide, and greed were common things; however, they were not talked about and certainly not described in detail. In this generation, our vocabulary is much broader but wrapping our heads around what really used to happen leaves us speechless. In turn, this book has come and gone off the shelves. It is used in classrooms worldwide. “Heart of darkness,” is used to explain the days of our ancestors, the reasons for censorship and banning, and to open the minds of our young readers. #MG |
There are several reasons why "Heart of Darkness" was banned. The most significant two are racism and violence. When the book was written over a century ago, racism against Africans was still common. In "Heart of Darkness," Conrad "dehumanizes" the people along the Congo river by referring to them as "savages" and "specimens." However, by the end of the novel, Conrad showed that the real savagery was within the imperialistic white men. Their greed was the "heart of darkness."
Other underlying themes made "Heart of Darkness" controversial. For example, many feminists have criticized the book for being sexist. Mr. Kurtz had a fiancée waiting at home for him, clueless and unaware of his African mistress. The mistress, despite the fact that Krutz was destroying her country, remained faithful to him until the day he died. "Heart of Darkness" has been a controversial piece of literature since it was published over a century ago. Like many classic novels that are challenged, "Heart of Darkness's" controversies arose from the misunderstandings of Conrad's intentions. From racial slurs, to sexism, to "excessive use of violence", the underlying meanings of this book will always be a controversial debate. #JB |