...Vision and comprehension are constantly obscured throughout the novel, Heart of Darkness, as Marlow journeys through the Congo with an attempt of “penetrating the darkness of the heart of the dark jungle and of the savagery which it nourishes” to find the truth hiding in the dark, only to find this dark fog impervious (Dowden). Through the use of blindness, Conrad displays an inability of man to see the truth. Throughout the novel, Marlow and his crew encounter fog, which obscures their vision more and more, the deeper they get into the jungle. As Brandon Kershner states, Conrad seems to play on “the interest in immediate perception, especially in difficult conditions for visual perception and comprehension…; the interest in smoke, fog, mist, and so forth as an integral part of the subject’s representation” (Kershner). One morning when the sailors get close to the heart of the jungle where Kurtz lies, they wake up to “a white fog, very warm and more blinding than the night.” (35) Just as Marlow and the other sailors cannot see clearly in the jungle, they fail to see...
Words: 937 - Pages: 4
...fact that they are blind to the evil caused by this venture. 3. The Accountant a. The accountant represents the façade of the company; the image they wish to project while undergoing their colonization of Africa. He is an ironic stark contrast to his surroundings, as he appears elegant and sophisticated in his pure white garments, regardless of the fact he is surrounded by death and destruction. 4. The Knitting Women a. These two women are a metaphorical and physical embodiment of theMoirae (The Three Fate of the underworld), who weave and measure the thread of life. Their purpose in front of the doctor’s office is to foreshadow Marlow’s less than optimistic journey into Africa. 5. Flies a. Throughout Heart of Darkness, flies symbolize “The Lord of the Flies;” a title synonymous with death. They appear following the death of the slave in Chapter 1, and more notably after the death of Kurtz in Chapter 3.The flies also suggest inferno and hell imagery. 6. Heads on Sticks a. These barbaric displays emphasize Kurtz’s...
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...Heart of Darkness A Literary Gem or Trash ? Joseph Conrad an active explorer and a prestigious ,author during the late 1800s , wrote one of the most boring books in history , Heart of Darkness. The novel is reflected upon his exploration in the Congo , where he witnessed human corruption and greed. It is centered around the Imperial Era where the Europeans would do anything to attain more power, surpassing humane behavior , which resulted in their savage and vicious attitude: brutes. Heart of Darkness exhibits Conrad’s alter ego , beheld by darkness itself , human corruption , and discrimination . However , when reading it question yourself whether heart Of Darkness is a valuable worth your time! No. It is a piece of nonsense , that’s captivates our confusion rather than our interest , through the eyes of high school students. High school teachers may say “ it is a literary gem that delves deep into the heart of man, and makes the reader reflect on his/her personal values. While intended to highlight the politics of discrimination, this novella holds merit for high school students as well.” (Ms.Herzog).But is it morally right for teachers to assign such a difficult book considering our limited learning capacities? The book was designed for colleagues; incorporating abstract meanings, “rich symbolism”. and literary devices; things that our minds can not keep up with. As a high school student , I find the novel...
Words: 1125 - Pages: 5
...The Destruction of Culture as it Relates to the Heart of Darkness In wartime, a nation destroys itself if not for any other reason that if they did not, guilt would set in and atrocities could be recognized. The destruction of culture is necessary for eventual rebirth after a conflict. With the destruction and reconstruction of these cultures, however, come different sides of every story. Everyone who is engaged in a war believes themselves to be the victim, because otherwise, the conflict cannot be justified. This is another "conscience" related issue warring states have to reconcile themselves with. In the end, the only real issue anyone has to deal with when considering conflict, resolution, and the culture affected by these is the truth. This, however, can be muddled by anything at all. In Marlow’s case, in the Heart of Darkness, the truth is muddled by the mysterious jungle and the even more mysterious Kurtz. Enlightenment is blockaded by the darkness surrounding the entire expedition, which is of course also shrouded by continuous conflict. This, like any other conflict, requires the destruction of culture and personality, which I suppose helps to explain the disintegration of the personalities of any and all persons entering the jungle. The elusiveness of truth is a theme both in Conrad’s novel and in the real history of conflict and resolution in the world. One can easily relate wars of the world to the Heart of Darkness. Both are obvious conflicts. However, while a...
Words: 761 - Pages: 4
...Casey Lanier Mrs. Harmon AP English Literature 17th September, 2014 Heart of Darkness is a well-known book, full of irony and violence. But the main part of the book is about Marlow and his surroundings. Joseph Conrad reveals Marlow’s characteristics when he changes Marlow’s environment from civilized to barbaric, through the use of imagery, symbols, and the intensity of his diction. Language and the diction of language is one of the most idealistic topics. Since Marlow is narrating most of the entire story, it’s styled to sound like a drawn out monologue. It’s stop and go with his story, while he remembers different topics and materials of his adventure. The long paragraphs are spoken, and read, without a pause for a breath to be taken. This causes the text itself to feel like its creating a difficult, and even imprisoning scenery. Marlow also throws in a lot of repetition, which causes a dark and frightening atmosphere. “Trees, Trees, millions of trees, massive, immense, running up high; and at their foot, hugging the bank against the stream, crept the little begrimed steamboat, like a sluggish beetle crawling on the floor of a lofty portico. It made you feel very small, very lost...” (12) Makes the jungle feel claustrophobic and overbearing of the humans that are traveling through. The humans are like the beetles since their size variation is so different from the trees. He makes you feel that as you go through the jungle, you’re not in harmony with it. And at any point...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad← Plot Overview→ Heart of Darkness centers around Marlow, an introspective sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz, reputed to be an idealistic man of great abilities. Marlow takes a job as a riverboat captain with the Company, a Belgian concern organized to trade in the Congo. As he travels to Africa and then up the Congo, Marlow encounters widespread inefficiency and brutality in the Company’s stations. The native inhabitants of the region have been forced into the Company’s service, and they suffer terribly from overwork and ill treatment at the hands of the Company’s agents. The cruelty and squalor of imperial enterprise contrasts sharply with the impassive and majestic jungle that surrounds the white man’s settlements, making them appear to be tiny islands amidst a vast darkness. Marlow arrives at the Central Station, run by the general manager, an unwholesome, conspiratorial character. He finds that his steamship has been sunk and spends several months waiting for parts to repair it. His interest in Kurtz grows during this period. The manager and his favorite, the brickmaker, seem to fear Kurtz as a threat to their position. Kurtz is rumored to be ill, making the delays in repairing the ship all the more costly. Marlow eventually gets the parts he needs to repair his ship, and he and the manager set out with a few agents (whom Marlow calls pilgrims because of their strange habit of carrying long, wooden staves wherever...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...In Heart of Darkness , Joseph Conrad uses Marlow’s physical journey through the Congo to show his psychological journey. Before his journey even begins, the doctor examining Marlow foreshadows this journey by taking precise measurements of Marlow’s head and saying that what happens to men in the congo is “psychologically interesting.” From this point forward, when the reader has glimpses into Marlow's mind, there are black to white transformations in his opinions, feelings, and subconscious. Marlow’s physical journey into the darkening jungle illustrates how he is changing psychologically. At the start of his journey, Marlow is mentally sound, emotionally sensitive, and personally humble. By his diction and actions, the reader can see that his mind is clear and that he is prepared for his journey. In his first testing moment, Marlow steps into the shade and is appalled when he sees overworked and abused natives lying moribund on the ground. This scene shows that Marlow feels for humanity and that he is starting to realize the hypocrisy of the company here and questioning his own morals in following them. Additionally, because Marlow knows it is essentially by chance that he received the job, he is humble in his...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...Heart of Darkness The story takes plane in the African interior where Conrad recalls this own experiences as captain of a steam engine. Aboard a British ship called the Nellie, three men listen to a dude named Marlow recount his journey into Africa as an agent for the Company, a Belgian ivory trading firm. Marlow and his crew come across a hut with stacked firewood, together with a note saying that the wood is for them but that they should approach cautiously. Shortly after the steamer has taken on the firewood, it is surrounded by a dense fog. When the fog clears, the ship is attacked by an unseen band of natives, who fire arrows from the safety of the forest. The African helmsman is killed before Marlow frightens the natives away with the ship’s steam whistle. As the story progresses the men encounter brutality and hate from the native people. The conflict causes trouble for the company. Marlow and his men spend months repairing the ship after fishing it out of the river. Once on track the men take two months to actually head down the Congo River. The novel closes with Marlow's guilt-ridden visit to Kurtz's fiancée to return the man's personal letters. Quote: “America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map” Question: Why does he feel the urge to explore the unknown like so many people...
Words: 261 - Pages: 2
...APOCALYPSE NOW ←Page-to-Screen Adaptation→ John Milius’s original screenplay moved Joseph Conrad’s 1898 novella Heart of Darkness from colonial Africa to the heart of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. Although Milius made drastic changes, he left the basic structure intact: a man travels upriver to face an evil genius and, along the way, must face his fears, his mortality, and the possibility that he will go slowly insane. Director Francis Ford Coppola in turn embellished Milius’s screenplay to make it more closely mirror Conrad’s book, cutting scenes, adding others, and demanding a great deal of improvisation from his actors. Milius and Coppola therefore shared the film’s screenwriting credit. Author Michael Herr, who wrote a notable collection of Vietnam War articles entitled Dispatches, also received a writing credit for penning the film’s narration. In addition to switching the setting, Milius renamed or modified nearly all of Conrad’s characters (aside from Kurtz). Conrad’s protagonist, Marlow, a pensive sailor on a quest to meet the ostensibly great, multitalented thinker Kurtz, becomes Milius’s Army Captain Benjamin Willard, an emotionally scarred Special Forces operative on a classified mission to terminate Kurtz. Milius’s Kurtz was an outstanding military officer who has apparently gone crazy. As the film opens, he leads a small colony in Cambodia, relying on “unsound methods” for imperious control. Moreover, Kurtz as portrayed by actor Marlon Brando is drastically...
Words: 610 - Pages: 3
...since they look equivalent to each other. This represents the motif of mistaken identity and the theme of appearance versus reality. One of the literary devices is dramatic irony, the audiences know that it is Cesario, but Antonio thinks it is Sebastian; the one that he believes is his friend. As a result of this mistaken identity, Antonio’s relationship with Sebastian is going to diminish; this is because Antonio believes that Sebastian betrays him when he needs him the most. While on the other hand, Antonio helps Sebastian when he is suffering, not to mention he is wanted in Illyria and still helps Sebastian. When Duke Orsino becomes conscious of whom Cesario marries, he says “I’ll sacrifice the lamb that I do love, / to spite a ravens heart within a dove” (5.1.126-127). Duke recognizes that Cesario marries the one that he loves, Olivia. However, it is not, Cesario, but Sebastian, since Olivia marries Sebastian, thinking it is Cesario because they look identical. Orsino believes that Cesario betrays him by marring the one he loves, but it is Sebastian. One of the literary devices is dramatic irony, because the audiences know the one that Olivia is marrying is Sebastian, but Duke believes it is Cesario. Another literary device is biblical allusion; it happens when Duke says “I’ll sacrifice the lamb that I do love”. It represents Jesus sacrifices himself to the world that he loves. Also, there is the motif of mistaken identity and the theme of appearance versus reality. Since it...
Words: 1073 - Pages: 5
...From How to Read Literature Like a Professor Thomas C. Foster Notes by Marti Nelson 1. Every Trip is a Quest (except when it’s not): a. A quester b. A place to go c. A stated reason to go there d. Challenges and trials e. The real reason to go—always self-knowledge 2. Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion a. Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion b. Not usually religious c. An act of sharing and peace d. A failed meal carries negative connotations 3. Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires a. Literal Vampirism: Nasty old man, attractive but evil, violates a young woman, leaves his mark, takes her innocence b. Sexual implications—a trait of 19th century literature to address sex indirectly c. Symbolic Vampirism: selfishness, exploitation, refusal to respect the autonomy of other people, using people to get what we want, placing our desires, particularly ugly ones, above the needs of another. 4. If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet 5. Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before? a. There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature—stories grow out of other stories, poems out of other poems. b. There is only one story—of humanity and human nature, endlessly repeated c. “Intertexuality”—recognizing the connections between one story and another deepens our appreciation and experience, brings multiple layers of meaning to the text, which we may not be conscious of. The more consciously...
Words: 3545 - Pages: 15
...and the villain as the one “who is in opposition of the hero.” According to these definitions one may be able to classify characters of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness into a category. Though there is much room for interpretation in accordance to Propp’s characters, Charlie Marlow would fit under the category of the hero as he is seeking to find Kurtz. The company could also be seen as the hero as they are also seeking Kurtz through Marlow. To classify a villain in this novel though becomes hard. Marlow does indeed face many oppositions, but they seem to be by many different people, the landscape of Africa, and an inner turmoil. Though if one is to look closely at the actions of Kurtz they would see that he proves to accurately fit the description of the villain as he opposes Marlow and the company many times. First Kurtz proves to conform to this character as he defies the rules that are set in place by taking advantage of the Africans to harvest his ivory, Kurtz then opposes rescue by ordering the natives to attack Marlow and his steamboat on their way up the river, and lastly Kurtz proves to give the hero difficulty when he flees the boat after being rescued to return to his camp. When looking at these examples Kurtz looks to become moulded around Propp’s characterization of a villain. In the novel Heart of Darkness the main character Charlie Marlow can be classified as the hero character as he is sent to “seek” Kurtz and rescue him. Looking at a broader scale one...
Words: 1319 - Pages: 6
...With close reference to the extract, show how Charles Dickens creates mood and atmosphere ( 10 marks) Dickens creates mood and atmosphere by using a variety of techniques and language devices. His choice of words creates a sense of gloom and dismay that reflects the character of Scrooge. This extract starts with a reference of the setting in Victorian England during the 1800s. Electric lights were rare so the darkness in the streets was enhanced by the fog and the ‘flaring links’ that provided light to people. This could refer to the need for light in Scrooge’s life. His was dark with selfishness. Christianity was practiced by most people during the Victorian times but Scrooge was unaffected by the themes of kindness and love that the religion advocated. This is reflected by Dickens writing ‘‘the ancient tower of a church… became invisible’’ where the use of personification highlights the withdrawal of the old bell from Scrooge’s visibility. Pathetic fallacy makes the extract highly effective in contributing to the coldness of Scrooge’s personality , ‘the cold became intense’ adds an atmosphere of frosty bitterness which is exactly how Scrooge is portrayed. In the midst of this miserable weather there is a change of mood when we read ‘’some labourers… had lighted a great fire ‘ which lightens the dismal atmosphere. This could foreshadow changes in Scrooge’s life by the end of the novel. The ‘ragged men and boys’ could rejoice even when affected by icy weather conditions,...
Words: 428 - Pages: 2
...I get up and place the book in the exact spot I found it. I say goodbye to the librarian and step into the night. I take out my iPod and start listening to one of my favorite songs, Words I Never Said. I stay close to the mural covered walls as I walk through the colorful crowd. The racing cars and laughing teens rise over my music so I let it wash over me and I start mouthing the lyrics. I run a hand through my dark hair as the moonlight swims through it. I pass through a group of cheerleaders from tonight's pep rally and turn into a lonely street with only two streetlamps. I hug the wall closer. I can feel the gravel like ground through my shoes with each footfall. There are tall brick walls on each side. I feel blind staring into the darkness that awaits me on the other end. Almost halfway up the lengthy road, I feel the presence of someone else. I let the music washout and look around me. He's walking towards me. I turn around and speed up. And so does he. I'm running now. I feel my hair blowing behind me. The wind is against me and so I lengthen my strides. The rhythm of my breath and my heartbeat harmonize at the fast pace. I break mid-stride. I can't hear his footfalls. I decide to risk a look back. He's standing with his feet apart, tattooed muscular arms at his sides. A cruel smile decorates his face. Tall dark hair shows under his black hood. I would think him beautiful if for me not being his victim. His behavior tells me something. He's got me trapped...
Words: 1964 - Pages: 8
...21 Inspirational Quotes on EducationSchool may have been – or still be – boring, a killer of creativity or downright awful for you. But education is still important because it opens the mind and expands it. And if your years in school were bad or boring you can still educate yourself now. Anyways, here’s some wisdom and inspiration from the people who have walked before us. It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.Epictetus Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shut you in and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding line, and no way of knowing how near the harbor was. “Light! Give me light!” was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour.Helen Keller If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.Abraham Maslow You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.Clay P. Bedford Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism.David M. Burns A teacher affects eternity;...
Words: 641 - Pages: 3
