Achebe Doesn't Like Conrad

Achebe is arguing against the racism of Conrad that he sees in HOD. Conrad wrote the book in the 19th century and his prejudice against Africans is prevalent. Achebe objects to Conrads condescending tone. Achebe points out that Conrad does not even give the Africans language, but instead limits there communication to snorts and grunts. The only two instances of them speaking is when talking about cannibalism or saying "Mista Kurtz...he dead". Conrad certainly comes from and older and different era then when Achebe is writing his critique (1974), but Achebe is also questioning the western view of Africa in this period. He says that the west uses African to dump their old habits and things they do not want. They try to look at Africa as the past and leave there unwanted civilization back with the Africans. This is very similar to Apocalypse Now in which Vietnam is interchangeable with Africa. The west remains the same, except the focus shifts from England to America. The Vietnamese people are viewed the same as the Africans, primitive and inferior to the westerners. There is one part of Achebe's writing that is blatant nitpicking. In his critique against HOD he references the Christian Science Monitor where it was written: "In London there is an enormous immigration of children who speak Indian or Nigerian dialects, or some other native language". Achebe then proceeds to attack this stating: "Language is too grand for these chaps; lets give them dialects". This is garbage to me. The writer of the Christian Science Monitor says language four words after he calls them dialects. The fact the Achebe is attacking this and considering it an insult is silly. He is trying to find an insult where there is none. Apart from that I think most of his points are very well thought out and his response to HOD is extremely thought out and well put together.