...LITR211 16 February 2014 Heart of Darkness Criticism Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novella that despite its short length constructs a tale that is as dense and complex as the undergrowth of the jungle through which the main character travels. The tale, which begins as a frame narrative on the Thames in London, chronicles Charlie Marlow’s descent from Belgium into the heart of Africa in search of Kurtz, the infamous chief of the inner station. As Marlow travels through Africa, we are treated to a wildly different view of Africa then we typically see in popular culture, with the book portraying the harsh realities of Colonialism while also creating an atmosphere of dread and horror. This atmosphere is incredibly critical to the way in which we view the story, which has been criticized both as a racist text and as the first truly critical account of Imperialism. The journey culminates at the inner station where Marlow meets the legendary Kurtz, a character so complex that critics are still analyzing his purpose in the story. Heart of Darkness, is certainly one of the most polarizing novels of the last few centuries, with critical essays singing its praises and damning its aesthetics being almost equal in sheer volume. The watershed of criticisms towards Conrad’s visionary novella burst with Chinua Achebe’s scathing write up of the story, with its famous defaming of Conrad as a “bloody racist” (Achebe 343), that ends with the suggestion that it be banned from student...
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...1 Discuss the relation between narrative style and mo ral judgement in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The relation between narrative style and moral judg ement in literature is an issue in aesthetic philosophy that stretches back to Plato. ‘Narrative style’, I define as those formal literary aspects employed by the writer, in order to construct a narrative that is unique. By ‘moral judgement’, I refer to the messag e conveyed by a given text when referring to objects beyond itself. The above quest ion presupposes a relation between narrative style and moral judgement, and as such, part of my analysis will be to determine whether such a presupposition is wa rranted. Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness has been celebrated for its detailed examination o f European values and conduct. Ian Watt argues that ‘ Heart of Darkness embodies more thoroughly than any previous fiction the postu re of uncertainty and doubt.’ 1 But is this reading accurate? And if so, what stylistic devices does Conrad use in order to convey this position of ‘uncertainty’? Heart of Darkness uses an oblique narrative style, that is to say, t hat an unnamed narrator relates the narrative as it is in turn rel ated to him by Marlow, Conrad’s main protagonist in the novella. It is thus we can be to ld that for Marlow: ‘the meaning of an episode was not inside like a ke rnel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as...
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...The “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, takes a look into imperialism through the eyes of its main character Marlow. Conrad used this story to condemn King Leopold II’s exploitation of the Congo and imperialistic views. Unlike capital rich imperialism, which seeks long term sustainment, King Leopold’s capital poor imperialism allowed for hasty exploitation of easily obtained resources through forced labor. The story takes a powerful look at the cruel and inefficient exploitation of natives by the “civilized societies”. This essay will discuss Conrad’s distain for imperialistic societies as seen in “Heart of Darkness”, and how these criticisms are relevant in contemporary societies. The story “Heart of Darkness” explores the issues and hypocrisy...
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...The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, considered one of the best novels for the English Language, and this is Conrad personal experiences. The Heart of Darkness published way back, in my opinion, this was one of the best price of writing from Conrad which I have read so far, and also Conrad was one of the best writers for his high regard work which Conrad has done. The Heart of Darkness, is basically a experiences when he traveled in Africa. Also, it’s one of the best examples how respected piece of literature can be, along with history and etc. Basically Conrad’s images of the Marlow in the African, and also, it’s a journey of person. Conrad’s didn’t learn until the age of 20’s, but latter Conrad have wrote some of the best stories such...
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...Heart of Darkness Essay Light and dark imagery is one element most commonly used in literature, and has held specific symbolic meanings for hundreds of years. Simply stated, light generally symbolizes good, while darkness symbolizes the complete opposite, evil. More specifically, Conrad uses detailed imagery of light and dark to show that white men can in fact be more savage than the natives. While the contrast of light and dark, white and black, and good and evil is a common theme in his novel, Conrad reverses the meanings of the two. In his story often the light is viewed as more menacing and evil than the darkness, and the white characters more spiteful than the black. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses light and dark imagery and the reversing of their regular meanings as a main focal point throughout the novel. Conrad establishes throughout this the theme that not everything is as it seems. Conrad uses light imagery as a symbol of civilization. Darkness is defined as the absence of light just like the black jungle is defined as the absence of white man’s civilization, a civilization full of corruption and evil. Conrad’s first description of Brussels is an example of this. “In a very few hours I arrived at a city that always made me think of a white sepulcher.” It is significant that Conrad describes the building as a white coffin, because the job there is sending men out to retrieve ivory, ultimately resulting in their death. This cycle of evil begins and ends in...
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...Heart of Darkness Criticism Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novella that despite its short length constructs a tale that is as dense and complex as the undergrowth of the jungle through which the main character travels. The tale, which begins as a frame narrative on the Thames in London, chronicles Charlie Marlow’s descent from Belgium into the heart of Africa in search of Kurtz, the infamous chief of the inner station. As Marlow travels through Africa, we are treated to a wildly different view of Africa then we typically see in popular culture, with the book portraying the harsh realities of Colonialism while also creating an atmosphere of dread and horror. This atmosphere is incredibly critical to the way in which we view the story, which has been criticized both as a racist text and as the first truly critical account of Imperialism. The journey culminates at the inner station where Marlow meets the legendary Kurtz, a character so complex that critics are still analyzing his purpose in the story. Heart of Darkness, is certainly one of the most polarizing novels of the last few centuries, with critical essays singing its praises and damning its aesthetics being almost equal in sheer volume. The watershed of criticisms towards Conrad’s visionary novella burst with Chinua Achebe’s scathing write up of the story, with its famous defaming of Conrad as a “bloody racist” (Achebe 343), that ends with the suggestion that it be banned from student book lists. Achebe’s essay...
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...Although the content within Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is universally commended for its deep thematic concepts and skillful literary techniques, there has been a spirited argument over whether the novel is itself a discriminatory work. Due to the many contradicting aspects of racism during the 17th century and the limited information known about the personality of Conrad, the question of racism versus realism is too complex to give a definitive answer. One of the passages that appears to be intuitively racist is included in Part I: “All their meager breasts panted together, the violently dilated nostrils quivered, the eyes stared stonily up-hill. They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference...
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...Mein Kampf to learn about Germans’ anti Semitic views in the 20th Century, or to learn about how the Jews “bastardized the white race” (Hitler 56). Surprisingly, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is still taught in high schools in 2016 even though the likes of Wilson Follett in 1915 have noted that the novel “Contained an implicit moral injunction to the white man: keep racial purity” (Adelman). Students would learn about the state of colonialist Europe at the end of the 19th Century equally from history books as they do from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Until racism is completely eradicated from our society today, it is not acceptable to propagate any form of literature or art which supports it. Similar to sexism, racism is...
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...Writing in any form is for the sake of deliverance, and In much of literature, including Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Natasha Trethewey’s Native Guard, printed words convey moral beliefs and values. (Book of symbols) In Trethewey's Native Guard poem, titled “Southern History,” she illustrates a clear expression of how the written word can easily mutate our beliefs to better suit one’s moral compass and agenda. Trethewey’s poem conveys this even in its first stanza, as a teacher quotes that “before the war; they were happy,” in reference to American slavery. The textbook he reads from describes slaves being “under a master’s care,” which blatantly neglects the human rights’ violations experienced by those same “clothed” and “fed” slaves (Trethewey 38). Moreover, it neglects the history of slavery and thus the very moral lessons American society has learned from it afterward....
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...Final Essay Alexander Zelenov ZELAD1403 Dr. Annette Stenning Engl101W – Heart of Darkness & May Day July 10, 2015 Comparisons and Contrasts between Heart of Darkness and May Day Heart of Darkness and May Day are stories, that showing to reader dark and light side of human being. Both stories have different themes, plots, Characters, endings, but one thing make connection between these stories – Dark and Light. Both stories have very deep and touchable themes that we faced every day. Joseph Conrad and F. Scott Fitzgerald are the best authors, who showed the light and dark in their stories through characters and actions… First of all, I would like to start from Light side of Heart of Darkness. Love is representing the good side of the story. Reader may observe this positive thing about Marlow’s “evil” mentor – Kurtz. The relationship between him and his fiancée is showing to readers that he is not “animal” and “rough dictator”. “ Thus I was left at last with a slim packet of letters and the girl’s portrait. She struck me as beautiful – I mean she had a beautiful expression. I know that the sunlight can be made to lie too, yet one felt no manipulation of light and pose could have conveyed the delicate shade of truthfulness upon those features.”(84) As my point of understanding Kurtz present to readers as the guy, who is pathetic and obsessed by his fiancée. It’s shows why he doing these “things”. It’s question about money and happiness after hard working. Unfortunately...
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...Deciphering Achebe’s essay The first time I read Chinua Achebe’s “An Image of Africa” I became infuriated with what he had to say about one of my favorite texts. This happened because by way of his approach by simply stating that Western Culture is wired to see certain aspects differently than that of African or Eastern culture. After reading Achebe’s academic essay for the first time my immediate reaction, in his own words, is that “western psychoanalysts must regard the kind of racism displayed by Conrad as absolutely normal” (Achebe 11). I did not want that to be my initial reaction, but why should I argue my side of it if Achebe only believes that I see things this way because of where I was born? According to Chinua Achebe, before I even picked up “An Image Of Africa,” we were never going to see eye to eye on any level of his dissection of the novella Heart of Darkness. My first thought was to not even touch what Achebe had spoke about. To leave it as it was, an unchangeable belief that I would never be able to argue because of his demeanor. A demeanor that shouts, “I’ve felt this way for some time now, and I am finally getting this off my chest.” Someone writing with such conviction is quite hard to argue against. Anyone with a history in debate would know this. I felt as if my conviction was not as high as his over this topic matter, and the only way to argue with someone such as himself is to match his demeanor. Although I felt he was dead wrong with every topic he...
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...This article was downloaded by: [University of Central Florida] On: 27 January 2014, At: 06:42 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cgpc20 'A Choice of Nightmares': Narration and desire in Heart of Darkness CLIVE BARNETT Published online: 14 Jul 2010. To cite this article: CLIVE BARNETT (1996) 'A Choice of Nightmares': Narration and desire in Heart of Darkness, Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography, 3:3, 277-292 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09663699625568 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable...
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...How is the abuse of power shown in two works that you have studied? The works I have studied and will be exploring in this essay are Mary Shelly’s ‘Frankenstein’ and Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’. In ‘Frankenstein’ the abuse of power is most clearly exhibited by the protagonist of the story Frankenstein himself, his abuse of power results in his isolation and could serve as a warning to people, telling them not to play with forces that they can not control. In ‘Heart of Darkness’, Conrad abuses his power as the author to distance himself from the novella and in a sense absolve himself from any racist criticism the book may induce. The abuse of power is also a key theme in the novella itself. Firstly there is a sense of hypocrisy in the novella where the abuse of power is concerned, Marlow seems to have a slight reluctance to abuse his power over the natives, however he abuses his power before he even gets to the Congo, when he attains the job unfairly through the position held by his aunt in the company. Secondly the idea that the white western men have a superior culture and feel the need to impose their civility on the outrageous and almost in-human savages inhabiting the Congo is the most obvious abuse of power implicated in the short story. Overall the abuse of power in both novels is shown to end badly for the party involved. Marlow sees the abuse of power leave people without their minds, and Shelly’s novel also demonstrates this to some degree, but highlights...
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...Journal of Postcolonial Writing ISSN: 1744-9855 (Print) 1744-9863 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjpw20 “He does not understand our customs”: Narrating orality and empire in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Jarica Linn Watts To cite this article: Jarica Linn Watts (2010) “He does not understand our customs”: Narrating orality and empire in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart , Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 46:1, 65-75, DOI: 10.1080/17449850903478189 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17449850903478189 Published online: 27 Jan 2010. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 501 View related articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rjpw20 Download by: [Indiana University Libraries] Date: 24 February 2016, At: 16:43 Journal of Postcolonial Writing Vol. 46, No. 1, February 2010, 65–75 “He does not understand our customs”: Narrating orality and empire in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Jarica Linn Watts* University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA Downloaded by [Indiana University Libraries] at 16:43 24 February 2016 jarica.watts@utah.edu Jarica 0 100000February 46 2010 &Article OriginalofFrancis 1744-9855 (print)/1744-9863 JournalandPostcolonial 10.1080/17449850903478189(online) RJPW_A_448194.sgm TaylorLinnWatts 2010 Writing Francis This article delineates different strains of...
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...SECOND DRAFT Contents Preamble Chapter 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Background Rationale Aims Interface with the Junior Secondary Curriculum Principles of Curriculum Design Chapter 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 1 Introduction Literature in English Curriculum Framework Strands and Learning Targets Learning Objectives Generic Skills Values and Attitudes Broad Learning Outcomes Chapter 3 5 7 9 10 11 11 13 Curriculum Planning 3.1 Planning a Balanced and Flexible Curriculum 3.2 Central Curriculum and School-based Curriculum Development 3.2.1 Integrating Classroom Learning and Independent Learning 3.2.2 Maximizing Learning Opportunities 3.2.3 Cross-curricular Planning 3.2.4 Building a Learning Community through Flexible Class Organization 3.3 Collaboration within the English Language Education KLA and Cross KLA Links 3.4 Time Allocation 3.5 Progression of Studies 3.6 Managing the Curriculum – Role of Curriculum Leaders Chapter 4 1 2 2 3 3 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 21 Learning and Teaching 4.1 Approaches to Learning and Teaching 4.1.1 Introductory Comments 4.1.2 Prose Fiction 4.1.3 Poetry i 21 21 23 32 SECOND DRAFT 4.1.4 Drama 4.1.5 Films 4.1.6 Literary Appreciation 4.1.7 Schools of Literary Criticism 4.2 Catering for Learner Diversity 4.3 Meaningful Homework 4.4 Role of Learners Chapter 5 41 45 52 69 71 72 73 74 Assessment 5.1 Guiding Principles 5.2 Internal Assessment 5.2.1 Formative Assessment 5.2.2 Summative Assessment 5.3 Public Assessment 5.3.1 Standards-referenced...
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