Question

Read the excerpt from "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” by Chinua Achebe.

In the fall of 1974 I was walking one day from the English Department at the University of Massachusetts to a parking lot. It was a fine autumn morning such as encouraged friendliness to passing strangers. Brisk youngsters were hurrying in all directions, many of them obviously freshmen in their first flush of enthusiasm. An older man going the same way as I turned and remarked to me how very young they came these days. I agreed. Then he asked me if I was a student too. I said no, I was a teacher. What did I teach? African literature. Now that was funny, he said, because he knew a fellow who taught the same thing, or perhaps it was African history, in a certain community college not far from here. It always surprised him, he went on to say, because he never had thought of Africa as having that kind of stuff, you know. By this time I was walking much faster. "Oh well," I heard him say finally, behind me: "I guess I have to take your course to find out."

A few weeks later I received two very touching letters from high school children in Yonkers, New York, who—bless their teacher—had just read Things Fall Apart. One of them was particularly happy to learn about the customs and superstitions of an African tribe.

How do these two anecdotes help readers understand Achebe’s purpose for writing the essay?

by suggesting that Achebe is excited about people’s interest in Africa and wants to teach people about it
by suggesting that Achebe wants to correct false perceptions about the African continent
by suggesting that Achebe is trying to draw attention to his essay by beginning with two interesting stories
by suggesting that Achebe is upset that older and younger people have conflicting views of Africa

Answer 1

by suggesting that Achebe wants to correct false perceptions about the African continent

The anecdotes show both ignorance (the older man’s surprise that Africa “has that kind of stuff”) and informed interest (the students learning from Things Fall Apart), setting up Achebe’s aim to challenge stereotypes and correct misrepresentations of Africa.