A Look Into Another Culture

"'A slight clinking behind me made me turn my head. Six black men advanced in a file, toiling up the path. They walked erect and slow, balancing small baskets full of earth on their heads, and the clink kept time with their footsteps. Black rags were wound round their loins, and the short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails. I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking.'" (page 80) 

This passage is extremely eye opening and important. Marlow is in Africa, on their homeland and this is what he sees. He is the one who traveled to another culture. It tugs at heart strings, but more than that, it gives context to what Marlow and the others see on their travels. This highlights the cruelty that the whites put the Africans through. By using vivid imagery, diction, and similes, this passage gives the story a whole different meaning.

The vivid imagery with specific diction illustrates the hardship. By using the word "toiling", it provides an image of extreme difficulty walking. It's backed up by the words describing their walking, "erect and slow".  The word "waggled" is a specific and it's plausible to picture the rag moving like a dogs tail. This means Marlow is observing them as inhumane, which show his true feelings. "Small baskets full of earth on their heads" emit a picture of a small woven basket of dirt or water, which is what many people picture when they imagine the African culture. That observation is very unemotional, not looking down on them for doing that, or revering them for being able to balance. That impassiveness is a good clue to how this passage is just the environment Marlow is in when he sees a village. "Rhythmically clinking" provides an auditory image, somewhat disturbing, as it's the chains around humans causing the sound. The chains are concrete, and show physical enslavement, but are also metaphorical. The clinking is just another reminder to the Africans that they are not free.

The similes used add to the depth of this passage. "Waggled to and fro like tails" strips the people of their humanity and shows how the sailors view the people of other cultures. By giving these people inhumane qualities, it seems to strip them of their dignity. The joints on these people are described "like knots in a rope". It shows the emaciation, but also metaphorically shows enslavement again. Knots on a rope are bound together, just as the Africans are. The similes further accentuate how badly this other culture was being treated.

The passage shows a postcolonial view of a culture that they pass by. It is is simply observation, not opinion, and that means it's accurate. It also means that the imperialist perspective sees and recognizes what was happening to another race. Finally, it highlights the divide. The Africans are home, but they are enslaved. The imperialists are 'guests', as that is what people are called who visit others homes, but they are in charge. Marlow clearly seest the divide and thus this passage becomes important to the novel because it shows what he sees and what is happening.