Read the following passage from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

It was paddled by black fellows. You could see from afar

the white of their eyeballs glistening. They shouted, sang:

their bodies streamed with perspiration; they had faces like

grotesque masks-these chaps; but they had bone,

muscle, a wild vitality, an intense energy of movement, that

was as natural and true as the surf along their coast.

Which words most clearly show an imperialist attitude?

A. the white of their eyeballs

B. an intense energy of movement

c. faces like grotesque masks

D. natural and true as the surf

Correct answer: C. faces like grotesque masks.

Explanations:

An imperialist attitude is an attitude which places the British Empire as superior to any other civilizations. It encourages colonialism (making other countries submit to their rule and taking slaves - e. g. the African continent) and racism.

To imperialists, there are superior and inferior civilizations. People of color are among the inferior civilizations. Because Joseph Conrad held this view, he wrote that the faces of those "black fellows" were like grotesque masks. He thought this because of their color.

Nowadays, imperialist and racist views are condemned. Values such as respect for human rights, freedom and democracy are widely spread and promoted by scholars.