About The Controversy

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There are always controversial books that are constantly being debated if they should be taught to high school students. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad is an excellent example of this. His novel explicitly represents racism and sexism during the late 19th century. It is a phenomenal example that transports individuals of this era into a different time when social norms were drastically atypical. Achebe strongly argues that Conrad’s work supports racism, is full of literature tricks and therefore should not be read. However, Conrad’s book is a literature gold mine. It offers a unique experience to learn about racism and social norms of the time period, while discovering layers upon layers of metaphors, irony, and similes in Conrad’s book. Though there are many reasons why it should not be read, it is for those reasons why it should.

Achebe, along with many other individuals and high schools, agree that Heart of Darkness is filled with racism, false information, and tricks meant to deceive the reader. For example, he quotes, “Catch ‘im, “he napped with a bloodshot widening of his eyes and a flash of sharp teeth-- “catch ‘im. Give ‘im to us.” “To you, eh?” I asked; “what would you do with them?” Eat ‘im!” he said curtly…” Achebe argues this is deception because at a quick glance, it appears to be written generously, when it’s the opposite. He degrades anyone who is not European, and in another example, he writes a godly description of a European explorer. “In passing he cast a glance of kindly curiosity and a friendly gleam of big, sound, shiny teeth… his white calves twinkled sturdily.”

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Being sexy is not unusual

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We controls all of our movements, even the ones we do not know about. The brain sends electric and chemical signals to all parts of our body so we can function. But from a psychological point of view, the two halves of the brain, left and right, are responsible for specific characteristics an individual might exhibit. Is it possible that Saramago was dabbling in the complexity of personality and individual characteristics to synthesize an even more surrealist effect?

The power in Saramago’s question is the connection he makes between our brain(s) and the Earth. “… between the three millimeters of cortex which allow us to think and the few kilometers of the atmosphere which permit us to breathe, each and every one of them insignificant in their turn, not just when compared with the size of the galaxy, but event the simpler diameter of the earth.” (Saramago 24). How is it possible that Saramago makes something so vital and significant to our subsistence seemed unimportant and miniscule at the same time? That was his interpretation, but this could have sparked many more concepts. For example, the brain controls the body’s functions, emotions, cognitive activities, perceptions, understanding, and memory. The list could go on, but the route Saramago chose is what makes it surreal. 

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Issue with girls

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I have always had an issue with the fact that one test is supposed to measure the cognitive capacity of certain material for an individual, simply because we’re all different. Is it fair to give a single exam to a group of people who have different learning styles? How can one exam capture the knowledge of individuals who have various ways of expressing it? The issue I have with this is the message it’s subconsciously giving us- think like everyone else. When we’re handed an exam, the entire purpose is to fill in the bubble that is the correct answer, but is also the one that everyone else is going to fill in. We aren’t taught to think differently or challenge ideas that are accepted by everyone else. It’s happening throughout Eastern Asia every day. Students study for countless hours, and their exam results reflect it, I am not denying that. It’s clear that they know how to take an exam, but when it comes to open ended answers, they don’t know how to approach it. They can’t approach it. Test taking is grinded into their system so deep to where they can’t even make conclusions for themselves. I am a firm believer that certain concepts need to be challenged, because it is those individuals who change everything.

All of history’s greatest leaders were ones who challenged social norms and beliefs, they were the ones making scientific breakthroughs and they were the ones who pushed the limits of society. 

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The system is flawed

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Our education system is flawed.

The entire purpose of school is to gain the educational background we need to prepare us for the field in which we want to pursue. That can range from making a scientific breakthrough about a cure for Alzheimer's disease to building the worlds greatest architectural achievement. But how are we supposed to get there?  We don’t simply wake up and have all the information we need. Does sitting behind desks, taking notes, and filling in bubbles of a standardized test prepare us? No, it does not. Those skills may help us now, because they get us by with good grades that will get us into the top Universities and Colleges around the world, but it won’t last. Ten to fifteen years from now, when we are experiencing a mechanical malfunction in artificial intelligence, our answers will not be conveniently laid out in a multiple-choice exam. When we are doctors, will a patient’s condition be based off an exam? Will the newest topic of a New York Times article be given to us though a test? Will any of our occupations exam based? No. My point is tests work now, but in ten years, they won’t serve us the same way. I’d like to see if your job pays you to take standardized tests, because chances are, that wouldn’t happen. The truth is, tests have never worked for me. I have never seen how it can prepare us for the future we’re building. 

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