Chinua Achebe sparks an important and serious discussion in “An Image of Africa.” In this passage Achebe talks about the mostly infamous Joseph Conrad, who has written about his traveling experience to Africa. Racism during Conrad’s time was heavy, which becomes evident in his writing. At first glance, it appears that Conrad is focusing his insults mainly on Africa and the punitive differences in culture.  A different perspective becomes apparent by close reading, and Conrad’s true message becomes clear. According to Conrad, not only does Africa have issues but societies of all kinds and all over the world are not perfect. By interpreting repetition, word choice, and context readers realize Conrad thinks all societies should be one and that segregation is unjust.

To start off, when “ugly” is used for the first time in the passage it has its very own sentence which draws readers’ attention. Conrad describes his encounter with people and the environment they are living in. There are “motionless foliage” and “peaked grass roofs” which conveys a spooky and dark image (54,55). People are described as “phantoms” with “rolling eyes” and “monstrous” (54,55). After the detailed description, “ugly” is used to sum up what Conrad saw. He forces his thoughts into the reader’s head giving no room for one to make their own opinion. He is telling people how to view a place that they have never seen themselves and ending with calling it hideous. This is how racism became so heavy during Conrad’s time: people did not make their own assumptions; they just listened to the others around them and continued to act in an unjust way because that was what they were told and that is what they were willing to believe. Then, Achebe made it a point to emphasize the sentence from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness “What thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity-like yours…Ugly” (55). The word is used again but this time not just to describe the African culture and people but other cultures such as the European’s as well. By the different ways Conrad refers to the word “ugly” readers may be surprised to realize Conrad may not be a racist at heart. He knew his work would not thrive if he abruptly wrote about his real opinions, so he was clever as how to show his thoughts in his work. By emphasizing and interpreting a repeated word, readers find out Conrad’s underlying message that not just one but all societies have ugly qualities.

Next, Achebe picks out excerpts from Conrad’s writing to talk about in the passage and by focusing on the word choice used the overall message can be put into focus. First, in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, he talks about two different rivers which are symbolically parallel to two different races. Two rivers can be completely different in many ways but one undeniable truth is that they are both bodies of water that either come from or empty out into the same area. There is a “lurking hint of kinship, of common ancestry” between bodies of water and human races as well (53). Conrad acknowledges this fact that there is a connection by using this metaphor. If one body of water is polluted there is a chance the other is has problems with it too since they come from the same source. Also, in the midst of what can be perceived as a racist comment Conrad sneaks in a compliment showing his appeal and connection to another race. Conrad describes a working man as “full of improving knowledge” and a woman he drew attention to as “magnificent” (53). These phrases and words are snuck in the paragraphs so that he would not be criticized for outwardly admiring another race and culture. Word choice plays an important role when trying to uncover the truth behind writing.

Last, Achebe talks about the area of writing Conrad frequently brings up of “epitomize the ambivalence” (57).  In such a racist time the thoughts that run through Conrad’s head go against the social norm; this is hard to deal with when Conrad sees the other side of things. In the writing, there is an obsession over the African people and their differences. Obsession means attraction and he is fascinated by finding similarities for people who are supposed to be so different. During this time everyone thought whites and blacks were not meant to be mixed at all but all it takes is one person to voice their thoughts for change to begin. Conrad’s publications were the start of mixing the cultures. Slowly, the idea began to show up in society. Achebe even talks about how dialects of languages began to develop which is step in the right direction. Conrad saw how segregation did not make sense and secretly, maybe even without knowing, was a part of the transition towards blending and accepting cultures. Interpreting the context of Conrad’s sly writing brought evidence and clues to the real meaning of the whole human race being one.

All in all, three different ways to interpret a text leads to finding the underlying message the author is trying to convey. First repetition of the word “ugly” played an important role in focusing of what Conrad was trying to emphasize. Then, by reading and translating hidden phrases and words the authors true opinion becomes present. Finally, interpreting the context and where the writing is coming from, puts together a clear picture.  Without in-depth analyzing readers skip over the truth that Joseph Conrad views all societies as one. It takes courage to fight against what the rest of the world thinks but Conrad was able to show his true feelings by hiding it in his writing but not making it easy to see. Achebe captures Conrad’s writing in a way that propels this idea. Even to this day our society is still working on the idea of equality but it just had to start with one person to begin to develop the idea for a revolution to begin.
