Humanity has developed formal education as a means to distribute information and knowledge of the world around us, often by utilizing hands-on experiences, art, music, and literature as both subjects and supplemental materials. However, with an endless amount of topics to be taught, choices must be made to determine which subjects bring the greatest value to the classroom. The definition of “value” varies from class to class, but a common thread often runs through; high value placed on material that actively exposes students to multiple perspectives and challenges them to think critically of the material presented to them and their own opinions. In my experiences as a student, material that ascribes with this definition of value may not always be easy to understand and often forces us to see possibly unsettling parts of humanity and history. Though reading both Native American and Andrew Jackson’s accounts of the Trail of Tears during history class brought feelings of despair and distress to my mind due to the blatant dehumanization and violence inflicted on Native Americans, this exposure allowed me to see the dangers of dehumanization while understanding the power that political officials hold over minorities. Without the recognition given and time spent to understand this important, yet horrifying topic, my understanding of human history and nature would have been much more shallow. Even though this information was a tough pill to swallow, this lesson is extremely vivid in my mind for the impact it had on my worldview.
One area of study where many similar choices must be made is literature. With literary traditions thousands of years old and new pieces being created with every passing minute, educators are faced with the tough decision of which small handful of pieces they should pull to teach. In addition, they must consider what effects these select few literary works bring to the reader’s education and knowledge. Furthermore, educators must consider the discussion that can arise from the texts presented. Often times, the more controversial a piece is, whether for its content, embedded biases, or author, the richer and more complex these debates are.
This is no different for Heart of Darkness by Polish-British author Joseph Conrad which has been both praised and criticized from its publication in 1899. Detailing the journey of a British seaman named Marlow up the Congo River in a quest to discover truths about both the unknown territory and the colonialism presently taking place, this novella addresses a difficult and complex era of human history. Through Marlow’s interactions with the environment, the natives, and other colonists, Conrad details the convoluted mental journey Marlow takes as he attempts to find “truth” that matches the physically convoluted journey Marlow takes through the Congo. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad takes an overall negative stance towards colonialism depicting its futility, albeit, with colonialist and eurocentric undercurrents. Critics take the stance that this book should not be taught in schools because it promotes the dehumanization of African people and cultures with racist language, depiction, and point of view. However, proponents believe that this book should be taught because of the high quality of writing and the base idea that only those who have read the book may pass judgement on the novel. Even though Conrad’s Heart of Darkness may bring uncomfortable topics and have roots in unsavory viewpoints, this book should still be taught in schools as the the purpose of teaching literature is not what specific ideas are taught. Rather the purpose is how ideas and universal truths are expressed through choices in literary style and language, which Heart of Darkness provides ample material for. However, I would also encourage educators to teach literature from the perspective of the colonized while reading Heart of Darkness in order to expose students to how authors express different viewpoints on the same topics and to prevent the danger of a single story.
When considering the value of teaching a piece of literature, the first questions to be asked are: Why are we teaching literature in the first place? What is the end goal of bringing this piece into people’s minds? In this regard, I would argue that the purpose of teaching literature is neither the facts nor lessons contained in the pieces. Rather, the purpose is to show how language is used to convey ideas and how commentary on universal truths form and change over time. Many education researchers have agreed with this viewpoint such as Louise M. Rosenblatt who states in her famed book Literature as Exploration “The Victorians, the argument runs, demonstrated the sterility of seeing in literature only social or moral lessons; those who see literature in such terms reveal their blindness to the special nature and primary value of literature,” (Rosenblatt 2). Here, Rosenblatt strongly condemns the teaching of literature as a way to infuse purely social and moral lessons even calling it “sterile”. This sterility is further emphasized when we remember that social and moral lessons are subject to change as society changes. If the viewpoint that literature should only be taught through lenses of social and moral lenses was enacted, then any literature from outside of a recent time period would be considered outdated and even worse useless. We would be quickly losing thousands of years of literary tradition and understanding of humanity in the name of “educating” the next generation. As that is clearly detrimental, I believe that we cannot ban the teaching of pieces of literature if they do not have “positive” social and moral lessons. Without addressing these issues, students are funneled into a one-sided understanding of literature: what is literally communicated on the paper. With expanding to include ethical issues into the discussion, students are able to possess a deeper understanding of both literature, the world around them, and their lives. Therefore, I believe that Heart of Darkness should still be taught under this view of education as qualms about its immoral viewpoints and colonial point of view do not change its educational value.
Rosenblatt even goes further to argue that “The teacher will do neither literature nor students a service if he tries to evade ethical issues,” (13).Furthermore, it is rich with topics that fall under ethical gray areas leading educators to have the opportunity to greatly open the student’s minds to multiple perspectives and understandings: the essential purpose of literature.
Another aspect of Heart of Darkness that increases its educational value is the high quality of writing. At the end of the day, Literature is still the study of how words are used effectively to convey ideas and tell stories. Without a doubt, Heart of Darkness demonstrates its merit by concisely providing rich uses of the English language that would be worthy to examine, such as cyclical structuring in addition to extended comparisons. Conrad sets up this nonlinear framed narration within the first few pages of the book where an unnamed narrator tells the story of Marlow telling his story of his journey up the Congo, “‘Mind,” he began again, lifting one arm from the elbow, the palm of the hand outwards…” (7). By setting up the telling of a story within the telling of a story, Conrad uses this nonlinear narration to emphasize his message that humanity goes through cycles and repeats the same behaviors, whether good or bad, over time. This is even further emphasized by the cyclical settings of the stories. When in the Congo, Marlow describes his travels as if “We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness,” (Conrad 36). Similarly, at the end of the book, the river on which Marlow is telling his story is described as seeming “…to lead into the heart of an immense darkness, “ (Conrad 77). Even though both are describing immensely different places, the first in Africa and the second in England, the stories end and start in the same way: leading into a heart of darkness. This again emphasizes the cyclical nature of humanity that Conrad describes. Powerful uses of the English language by Conrad such as the examples shown above provide a concrete example to how Heart of Darkness can enrich a classroom by demonstrating to students how stylistic choices can affect meaning.
Another example of the important literary lessons that Heart of Darkness can demonstrate to students is the extended use of comparisons throughout the book. These similes and metaphors serve as a way for Conrad to provide an accurate picture of what Marlow sees while still providing room for the reader’s interpretation. As author J. Hillis Miller points out, “These similes…form a system, a powerful undertext beneath the first level descriptive language,” (466). This lack of direct descriptions emphasizes the ambiguity and lack of clarity ever present in the book beginning with describing Marlow’s stories enveloped with a “haze, in the likeness of one of these misty halos that sometimes are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine,” (Conrad 6). Everything that Marlow says is shrouded in a haze, a tangible form of ambiguity. J. Hillis Miller words this well by saying “though when each veil is lifted it uncovers only another veil behind it,” (466). To demonstrate the ambiguity that is central to his message, Conrad mirrors his writing style to match this ambiguity. Again, this is just another valuable example contained in Heart of Darkness to show students of literature how to manipulate language to conveying specific ideas. Even Conrad’s critics such as fellow author Chinua Achebe have stated, “Conrad, on the other hand, is undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern fiction and a good storyteller into the bargain,” (Achebe 2). Though Achebe may disagree with Conrad’s views and the propagation of these views in academica, he cannot deny that on a base level, Conrad’s writing has literary merit in terms of its construction. I believe that understanding the construction of language to create literature is an essential part of literary education. Therefore, I further emphasize that Heart of Darkness should continue to be taught.
In addition, Heart of Darkness provides grounds for valuable interdisciplinary learning at the intersection of history and literature. Through reading books such as Heart of Darkness, we are able to bridge the two subjects together to better understand the events that took place in history and the perspectives displayed in the literature. When both are able to be discussed, the discussion can exist outside of the text and apply to the world around us: a goal of literature. However, I recognize that history has multiple perspectives and that literature must be included into the discussion to truly enrich the discussion in a well-rounded way. In teaching Heart of Darkness, we must include literature from multiple aspects to truly benefit from this interdisciplinary learning. In doing this, we can prevent an incorrect image of history and the erasure and dehumanization of Africans from being formed by relying solely on what Chinua Achebe calls, “the dominant image of Africa in the Western imagination,” (9). Growing up as an Asian-American, I often felt the erasure of my identity in academic spaces. From being only mentioned in a quick second during the railroad period of U.S. history to reading a book with an East Asian protagonist for the first time in my thirteen years of public education, I understood the negative repercussions of only being portrayed one way and being reduced to a stereotype. However, with the inclusion of literature that told my side of the story, I saw both my own understanding and my classmates’ understandings of Asian-American history develop and expand when they heard from both sides of the story. Therefore, I believe that literature that includes the perspective of colonized Africans should be taught in tandem with Heart of Darkness to prevent the danger of a single story.
After reading the book myself and considering perspectives from multiple authors such as Chinua Achebe, J. Hillis Miller, and Louise Rosenblatt, I believe that Heart of Darkness should still be taught for its literary merit and the purpose it serves in a literature classroom. These purposes have nothing to do with the social and moral lessons taught by the book, but rather how these lessons have been conveyed through words. Though there may be concerns about the inclusion of the book into academic spaces, these concerns are not precisely with the book itself, but with concern that this book is the only literary perspective given about a broader topic. To alleviate this issue, Heart of Darkness should not be banned, but should be taught in tandem with literature that details the perspective of the colonized to understand multiple perspectives and provide a platform where students can compare and contrast the pieces of literature in a historical context. With the inclusion of this type of literature, the danger of a single story is avoided and discussion concerning both Heart of Darkness and the other piece of literature are enriched. Overall, Heart of Darkness should continue to be taught in academic spaces because of the sheer amount of literary merit it provides students to be exposed to.
Works Cited
- Achebe, Chinua. “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’” Massachusetts Review, 3rd ed., London: W. W Norton and Co., 1988. 251-261
- Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Blackwood’s Magazine, 1902.
- Miller, J. Hillis. “Should We Read ‘Heart of Darkness’?” Heart of Darkness. Paul B. Armstrong. New York: Norton, 2006. 463-474
- Rosenblatt, Louise M. Literature as Exploration. 5th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2005.
Essay notes/outline
Introduction
What Heart of Darkness Tells
Historical Background
Colonization time period
Conrad’s background
What critics say
What supporters say
Thesis: Even though Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” may bring uncomfortable topics and have roots in unsavory viewpoints, this book should still be taught in schools as the the purpose of teaching literature is not what specific ideas are taught. Rather the purpose is how ideas and universal truths are expressed through choices in literary style and language which “Heart of Darkness” provides ample material for. However, I would also encourage educators to teach literature from the perspective of the colonized while reading “Heart of Darkness” in order to expose students to how authors express different viewpoints on the same topics and to prevent the danger of a single story.
Purpose of Literature
“The Victorians, the argument runs, demonstrated the sterility of seeming in literature only social or moral lessons; those who see literature in such terms reveal their blindness to the special nature and primary value of literature” (Rosenblatt 2).
“Moreover, because the implied moral attitudes and unvoiced systems of social values are reinforced by the persuasiveness of art, the teacher should bring them out into the open for careful scrutiny”
“The teacher will do neither literature nor students a service if he tries to evade ethical issues”
“Part of the problem, as you can see, is that it is impossible to decide authoritatively whether or not we should read “Heart of Darkness” without reading it in that strong sense” (J. Hillis Miller 463)
Literary Merit
Hills miller + Achebe
“Conrad, on the other hand, is undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern fiction and a good storyteller into the bargain” (Achebe 2).
To this end, “Heart of Darkness” demonstrates its merit by concisely provides a wealth of rich uses of the English language that would be worthy to examine such as structure, the symbolism, and use of irony
Interdisciplinary Learning
History and lit are intertwined are intertwined
Book helps bridge the two and understand how literature shapes history and how history shapes literature
Can’t forget and deny history out of disagreement
“Literary works whose theme is love, courtship, and marriage may give the adolescent reader not only an emotional outlet and psychological preparation but also a historical and cultural perspective”
“Even by ignoring them (historical connections to literature), the teacher is affecting, though in a negative way, the student’s ability to understand these problems”
Single Story Stuff
Conclusion
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