In An Image of Africa, Chinua Achebe calls out Joseph Conrad for his racist attitudes in Heart of Darkness. Achebe contents that despite the fact that Conrad's novel is a blistering attack on Colonialism in the Congo, his characters are mere stereotypes. Introduce viewers to the key ideas in Achebe's lecture with a short video.

Concepts

racism, heart of darkness, chinua achebe, joseph conrad, book analysis, critical thinking, literary analysis

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Include the video in a unit study of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness
• Have groups apply Achebe's criticisms of Conrad's one-dimensional characters to his own Things Fall Apart
  
  

Classroom Considerations

• A protocol must in place for the the safe, mature discussion of controversial issues like racism and white privilege

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• The narrator's explanation of Achebe's criticism is specific and direct

Cons

• The video compares Achebe's ideas to the advertising on a cereal bar