More than an accessory and an obsession

Achebe's objection to Heart of Darkness was the best assignment piece I have read in what seems like my college experience academically. Every analysis and point made really stood out to me and I found my self praising this man aloud. I have always personally HATED Heart of Darkness and the fact that I was made to read such an "amazing piece of literature" in high school has never settled well with me. I've always found the way that Conrad goes to illustrate the Africans as incompetent animals disgusting and he further goes on to dehumanize the people and culture of Africa. Being a woman of African descent and reading the objections that Achebe makes to Conrad's writing was honestly a sigh of relief. Achebe makes the connection that though Conrad is a brilliant writer when he first describes the scene of the Congo River and the "black frenzy" being incomprehensible, the relevant point is made that Conrad is making all the effort in the world to NOT understand the Africans and their culture. Rather Conrad writes on preconceived notions and his own personal disdain. The African people are simply a back drop in his exploration and exploitation of Africa. This parallels to Apocalypse Now because the same can be said of the American soldiers that basically have no regard for Vietnam, the People of Vietnam, and the culture. Many people forget that we fought along side many Vietnam soldiers and the Vietcong were the enemies. So when war becomes a "game" of who can kill how many Vietnamese, the humanity of a person is overlooked and overshadowed by a number. Why? Because these people seen as "natives" "uncivilized" "savages" the same thing is being applied to the Vietnamese people as was and still is applied to African or Black people today.