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Chinua Achebe Dies at 82

Picture by Craig Ruttle/Associated Press To those that have read my paper on Things Fall Apart . The author of the great book about the change one faces when other forces invades your world, passed away on Thursday, March 28th, 2013 in Boston. Chinua Achebe was 82. This man with his works gave African literature a voice here in America. After publishing Things Fall Apart Achebe gain the world's attention. His book went on to sell 10 million copies in 45 languages today. It is still used in many classrooms and has since  become an instant classic. His agent in London said that Mr. Achebe died after battling a brief illness. This literary titan will be missed, but his work will live on to tell his story. If you haven't read Things Fall Apart you should give it a go. It is both insightful and thought provoking.

RACISM AND "THE HEART OF DARKNESS"

Racism and "The Heart of Darkness" This essay was my own personal look at essays that explored racism in particular works and what accomplished authors had to say on the matter. Chinua Achebe’s essay “An Image if Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness”, was written about the apparent racist undertone of Joseph Conrad’s novel “Heart of Darkness”. The book takes us on a journey into the Congo’s and how Africans are described and treated in the time of European expansion and its thrust for ivory. Achebe’s attempts to explain to his readers why he thought the “Heart of Darkness” and its author were both racist. Achebe proves his point by quoting parts of the novel that emphasized color over everything and the language that the author uses to describe the African natives was racist and unnecessary. As an example Achebe uses is Conrad’s description of the African mistress in the novel and her European counterpart. “She was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnific...