Final answer:
Marlowe describes the heart of Africa as the 'heart of darkness' because he views it as a place of mystery and evil, reflecting the dark portrayal and dehumanizing attitudes towards Africa and its people found in Joseph Conrad's novella and criticized by Chinua Achebe.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marlowe describes the heart of Africa as the "heart of darkness" because he perceives Africa as a contrasting image to Europe, depicting it as a place of mystery and evil. This description is grounded in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, a novella that reflects the horrors and moral ambiguities of colonial exploitation and racism.
While some regard the novella as a critique of colonialism, notably the Belgian atrocities in the Congo, it has been criticized for perpetuating Eurocentric and racist attitudes, as highlighted in Chinua Achebe's essay An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The portrayal of Africa as 'the other world,' an antithesis to European civilization, suggests an inability or unwillingness to recognize the humanity and complexity of African societies and contributes to a monolithic and dehumanizing narrative.
Marlowe's journey into the Congo becomes a metaphor for the descent into the darkest parts of the human psyche, confronting the brutal reality of colonial exploitation and the consequent corruption of European invaders, who are symbolically tainted. For example, European traders are portrayed with 'tainted' souls, reflecting the moral bankruptcy of their actions in Africa.
The novella's setting during a period of growing doubt regarding the moral legitimacy of colonization highlights the ambivalence felt by Europeans about their 'civilizing mission.' However, this does not excuse the dehumanization of Africans, a point underscored by Achebe and other critics.
The phrase 'heart of darkness' encapsulates both the physical and psychological treachery rampant in the Congo, as well as the pervasive racism and dehumanization that characterize much of the discourse surrounding Africa during the period of European imperialism. Ultimately, the answer to the student's question, based on the portrayal and themes within Conrad's work and the critical responses to it, would be c) Africa is a place of mystery and evil, according to Conrad's metaphorical representation.