TY - JOUR
TI - Achebe’s weakest link: an analysis
AU - Records, Aaron
TI - Achebe’s weakest link: an analysis
AB - Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, states in an interview that Joseph Conrad ensconces racism in his adjective-ridden writing style. More than that, Achebe even states that Conrad intentionally tries to confuse his readers so that they do not detect his racism. Arguments of intention are dangerous, especially when the author that is subjected to one is deceased. They cannot defend themselves. In order to see if Achebe’s claim of hidden racism in Heart of Darkness is true or not, I have read two other works by Conrad, The Secret Sharer and The Shadow Line: A Confession, and compared their writing. Using more analyses of Conrad’s works, I discover that Conrad is not too confusing for his readers; most people understand him. However, I notice that Heart of Darkness is written in a more confusing style. Adding Conrad’s philosophy and reviewing it with Nietzsche’s philosophy, we see that Conrad doesn’t seem like someone who would try to be racist and then hide it. The argument of intention would also seem to have an air of arrogance, as it appears Achebe thinks other readers are unable to comprehend Conrad’s text the way he can, or at least without his guidance. In conclusion, I surmise that arguments of intention are dangerous and that no one should make them because they are largely insupportable. If anything, an argument of intention has all the qualities of prejudice and once investigated, seems just as absurd as arguments for racism. 
VL - 2012
IS - Vol. VII
PY - 2013
SN - 1899-3028
C1 - 2084-3941
SP - 159
EP - 165
DO - 10.4467/20843941YC.12.008.0697
UR - https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/yearbook-of-conrad-studies/article/achebes-weakest-link-an-analysis
KW - Chinua Achebe
KW - comparison
KW - Conrad’s style
KW - cryptoracism
KW - Heart of Darkness
KW - intention
KW - Joseph Conrad
KW - Nietzsche
KW - prejudice
KW - racism
KW - syntax
KW - The Secret Sharer
KW - The Shadow Line
KW - Africa
KW - arguments of intention