Comparing the Presentation of Cultures in Literary Texts — Quiz
Question 10 • 26-27 ERWC A/B 9800E 9801E
Read the excerpt from "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. ” Achebe directly quotes Conrad’s descriptions of a Congolese woman and a European woman, respectively. Towards the end of the story Conrad lavishes a whole page quite unexpectedly on an African woman who has obviously been some kind of mistress to Mr. Kurtz and now presides (if I may be permitted a little liberty) like a formidable mystery over the inexorable imminence of his departure: She was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent. . . . She stood looking at us without a stir and like the wilderness itself, with an air of brooding over an inscrutable purpose. . . . She came forward all in black with a pale head, floating toward me in the dusk. She was in mourning . . . She took both my hands in hers and murmured, "I had heard you were coming.". . . She had a mature capacity for fidelity, for belief, for suffering. How does Achebe support his claim that Heart of Darkness contains racist elements?
Answer
A
He offers a personal opinion before the passages.
B
He points out that Conrad uses a simile only in the first section.
C
He focuses on Conrad’s use of the word black .
D
He highlights Conrad’s contrasting descriptions.
Explanation
Achebe supports his claim by drawing attention to how Conrad describes the African woman as “savage,” “wild,” and mysterious, then contrasts her with the European woman, who is described as being in mourning and capable of fidelity and suffering. The contrast presents the women in sharply different ways, supporting Achebe’s argument about racist elements in the story. The word “black” appears in the excerpt, but Achebe’s point is the broader contrast in description.
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