Final answer:
Joseph Conrad's biases in 'Heart of Darkness' are reflected in the Eurocentric portrayal of Africa, as critiqued by Chinua Achebe. Africans are dehumanized and used as symbols to reflect on European issues, perpetuating racism and reducing African characters to mere stereotypes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, he reveals his own biases through the portrayal of Africa and its people. The novella highlights how Conrad, as well as many Europeans of his time, viewed Africa as the 'other world,' a place opposite to Europe and lacking civilization.
Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe critiques Conrad for dehumanizing Africans and using Africa merely as a backdrop to explore European problems. The narrative reduces African characters to the status of non-speaking entities or, on the rare occasions they do speak, confines them to reinforce stereotypes, such as cannibalism. Conrad thus disregards the humanity and complexity of African people, perpetuating Eurocentric perspectives and racism.
Despite the critique of Belgian colonialism, the text's treatment of African characters subordinates their humanity to the thematic exploration of European descent into savagery. Conflicting views on Conrad's work continue to generate important discussions about the representation of other cultures in literature, the responsibility of artists in their depiction of different peoples, and the legacy of colonialism.