Newspaper “Patrick Brantlinger: Anti-Imperialism, Racism or Impressionism?” Patrick Brantlinger, in his essay “Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism or Impressionism?”, cites the arguments and criticisms that have been directed at Joseph Conrad's story. Brantlinger opens with a critique by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe who attacks Conrad's account as “racist” (Cultural Criticism 277). Brantlinger then comes to Conrad's defense, citing a number of defenses made in favor of Heart of Darkness. The defenses are strong and so are the criticisms that the book might be racist. I found Brantlinger's argument that Heart of Darkness is both anti-imperialist and racist strong and convincing. Brantlinger used defenses for Conrad's tale by Cedric Watts and Benita Parry. Watts argues that Conrad went beyond racism. Brantlinger says Watts believes this because Heart of Darkness attacks imperialism. Brantlinger argues that "Heart of Darkness is specifically about what Conrad saw in King Leopold's African empire in the 1890s..." (278). Brantl...