It also shows Conrad's feelings toward the treatment of Africans which aren’t easily understood. An anonymous writer writes, “Conrad’s excellence in style is very controversial; some believe that he is a literary genius", while others “criticize him for being limited, pretentious, and vague." In my opinion he is a great man who seeks social change and improvement. He is often considered racist by other readers but he is simply writing down his observations such as people’s actual actions and thoughts. That in turn scares people because of the fact that someone might reveal that Caucasians believed that they were the superior race and the belief in "White Supremacy, African inferiority."
Jefferson also believed slavery to be an atrocious blot on the face of America. Their strong opinions of equality resonate in today’s world but were not considered the correct morals in their time. 2. a.) The conspiracy between Jefferson and his affair with Sally Hemings, his slave, first surfaced in a publication written by James Callender.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, first and foremost, a literary exploration of the human soul. The primary focus of the novel is undisputedly the ethics and the morality of the characters. Although Twain concentrates mostly on the flaws of mankind, he also introduces a few kind and selfless characters, who are certainly the minority. A secondary theme is the state of Southern society in that time period, but that theme ties back into the general idea of integrity versus malevolence. Mark Twain, although a humanitarian, greatly emphasizes the extent to which prejudice and racism was ingrained in Southern culture, almost irreversibly.
Treachery and Virtue in “Oroonoko or The Royal Slave” Treachery and Virtue are two things that often times do not go together. They in fact contradict one another completely. However, in Oroonoko these two themes play a very important role in the development of the story as a whole. They are the basis for this paper and they teach the reader that if a man’s word is not his bond and he allows himself to be consumed with only self gratification, then that man will abandon his virtues and often become a treacherous person. Because this novel was written during a period in history that dealt with the injustices of slavery, this paper will take on the aspect of a sociological criticism.
Although all of the previously stated authors make strong arguments in their essays, some of their larger interpretations are flawed. An excessive emphasis on individualism in a society serves merely to bring detrimental effects to the society as a whole; while at the same time, a lack of stress on individualism can have equally damaging effects. Foremost, in order to contextualize individualism in the realm of society, it is pertinent to appositely define individualism. The term ‘individualism’ refers to the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence, in addition to the ability to rely on one’s inner beliefs to discriminate between right and wrong. The genuine definition of individualism, however, is not the issue of debate.
Racism within Heart of Darkness What is racism? How can someone be classified as a racist? According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, racism is classified as the poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race, or the belief that some races of people are better than others. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness has been considered a major turning point for authors and other works because his style of writing was different than most other pieces of literature in his time. Conrad’s use of ambiguity fascinated critics and readers as he used obscurity to dramatize Marlow’s perceptions of the horrors he encounters.
Within the meaning of ethical relativism we can derive two theses: cultural relativism and the dependency thesis. Ethical relativism is a problematic theory because there are so many differences within cultures, and individual choices might not always be morally right choices. Because of this, what is culturally acceptable is not always morally right. Ethical relativism also has some objections towards the more specific theories of subjectivism and conventionalism. Ethical relativism is supported due to the narrowing view of ethnocentrism, which is causing great “prejudice tantamount to racism and sexism” (Pojman, 25).
This is contrast to the Western belief that Africa is a violent, intolerant place abundant in polytheism and witchcraft. Most give credit to the Middle East as having been a major contributing factor if not the birthplace of Monotheism, but many would be surprised to find that not the Middle Eastbut Africa as having strong influences on this belief form. With Africa considered to be the birthplace of civilization, it should come to no surprise that it may also be the origins of the most practiced form of religions. Examples of this can be seen throughout Africa, from the biblical stories of ancient Egypt, to the monotheistic beliefs found in African religions in Congo, Zimbabwe, South Africa and others. Throughout civilizations around the world, faith and society go hand in hand.
While there are undoubtedly subversive, or corrupt elements in the novel, arguments for censoring it generally misrepresent its more nobler intentions and greatly exaggerate its subversive designs. Putting aside the overinflated claims of the novel's most extreme critics and supporters, the diversity and intensity of readers' reactions to The Catcher in the Rye suggest that the issues it raises are significant ones. Consequently, it seems likely that readers will continue to have heated discussions about this "minor" classic for a long time to come. One of the issues that has been debated ever since the novel's initial publication is whether or not it qualifies as a significant work of literature. Does it offer significant insights into the complexities of human existence and the development of American culture, or does it simply appeal to vulgar adolescent minds with its obscene language, complaining about everything without developing any positive insights of its own?
Yet from the perspective of the minorities, "racism" is defined not only in terms of individual prejudice, but also in terms of a power structure which protects the only the interests of the dominant culture and actively discriminates against the ethnic minorities. According to this perspective, they claim that while members of ethnic minorities may be prejudiced against members of the dominant culture, they lack the political and economic power to actively oppress them, and they are therefore incapable of "racism". The precise usage of this term is still in the process of defining, but this sure has become an objective existence in this