...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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...depictions of women. These depictions are the naive woman, the mysterious woman, and the wealthy and influential woman. The sparse mentionings of women reveal the way the writer views their significance. They are never given names and are briefly mentioned throughout his work. In Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, women are hardly mentioned but play a significant role in revealing the different aspects of imperialistic Europe. One of the women that are mentioned by Conrad is the naive woman, who is called The Intended. The Intended is Kurtz’s fiancee and only appears for a brief moment. She is symbolic for what the Europeans believed imperialism to be. The Europeans saw imperialism to be the colonization and civilization of Africa. In reality, the imperialists were in Africa raping it of ivory and working the natives to death. Furthermore, the Intended only saw the good in Kurtz. “And all this, she went on mournfully, of all his promise and all his greatness, of his generous mind, of his noble heart, nothing remains nothing but a memory”(94-95). The Intended seemed to worship the ground Kurtz walked on, for she says “‘I would have treasured...
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...Synopsis of Review The Great Gatsby is such a well shaped book, every point is balanced perfectly to have a highly unified ending. It doesn’t get old, always grabbing your attention. If fits every generation, making it a classic. The theme has had no real answer, having the possibility to be anything that you make it. It also ties up the American dream: being wealthy, having perfect love, and fulfillment in life. Some see the book as a spiritual failure. The background to Gatsby’s life isn’t certain even though there are many theories. The book’s narrator is compared to Joseph Conrad Marlow’s narrator in Heart of Darkness, they both dominate the novel. Marlow isn’t as involved in the storyline as much as Carraway is, but they are both used as “devices [to distance] the novelist from his fictive narrator.” Carraway differs from the other characters, one of his “ultimate strengths,” drawing us to Gatsby emphasizing the hero of the American experience. We picture Gatsby as rich, having the opportunity to experience so much more and be able to fall in love easier. Gatsby has a “Platonic conception of himself,” causing him to think he can go back to the past and get Daisy back. Gatsby works hard to fulfill his dream; he doesn’t want to face reality. “Edith Wharton told Fitzgerald that ‘to make Gatsby really great, you ought to have given us his early career.’” But having little background gives Gatsby that mysterious feel. Fitzgerald wrote a short story...
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...on their heads, and the clink kept time with their footsteps.” (Conrad, page 70) What links does man go to achieve the riches they desire? The human urge to dominate those weaker and foreign is unnerving. Colonialism of the 19th century did just that and Africa was the front runner of being colonized. Some would argue that inside every human soul, lays a savage, evil side that remains hidden and repressed by society. During times of seclusion from culture, or when cultures collide, this evil side emerges. History is full of examples of heinous acts that have occurred when cultures collide; from the Holocaust to slavery. During these times, a person may discover more about their true self. In grade school, we learned about the Pilgrims colonizing the new lands of the Americans. We are told how wonderful it was and we now have a special holiday to give thanks. As we dig deeper into the history books, we learn about the horrific atrocities committed on the Native American Indians, the so-called Savages of these new lands. The white man was the destruction of these natives in the New World. We colonized these savages, “helped them,” in other words, forced them to forget their own identity and beliefs and become like “us.” This is the same thing the Europeans did to the Africans of the Congo. In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness there are many references to race and the Africans as a “savage” people. Conrad, by telling a story of conquest through the character of a white...
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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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...Summative Assessment The Secret Sharer and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Rationale For my English course we studied two texts, The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I decided to write on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time because I think the book has an interesting and unique plot. I have chosen to write three diary entries. This text type is appropriate because diaries are personal and reveal feelings that contribute to the furthering of the plot. The purpose of my characters diary entries is to reveal their inner emotions and feelings. The intended audience for the diary entries are the characters themselves, as only they will read their diary. I will write three diary entries in the characters of Christopher, Father and Mother. I have deliberately used swear words in Father’s diary entry as he swears a lot throughout the book, and it reflects his personality. As Mother misspells many words in her letters to Christopher, I use clumsy spelling in her diary entry, to present her the way the reader knows her from the book. Father’s Diary Hello Dairy, I can’t believe Christopher is still poking around in other people’s business after I told him several bloody times to mind his own f*&%ing business. I have to think of something fast. He’s a clever boy. He could find out, he could find out about everything. I can’t let that happen. Maybe if I hadn’t killed...
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...Heart of Darkness Imperialism has always had certain negative effects. Not only are the victims of imperialism exploited economically but they are often bound to experience racism. The natives are forced to abandon their political and spiritual views to learn the ways of the imperialists. In Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, Conrad describes the negative consequences affiliated with imperialism for not only the indigenous people, but also the imperialists themselves. In the beginning of the novel Heart of Darkness, Conrad shows that the British believed their imperialism had a positive influence on the Congolese by introducing them to civilization and the British way of life. "Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire. What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth! … The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires." (pp. 2-3 ll. 29-2). This is an optimistic statement describing the British mentality. They assume that they are imperializing for helpful reasons when they are truthfully just attempting to obtain Congo's resources. Marlow undermines the good intentions of the explorers. In the quote, "Mind, none of us would feel [...] at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea." (pp. 4-5 ll. 26-5), Marlow...
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...Darkness. It is where monsters hide and evil is all around. Darkness veils its lurking creatures and secrets through its absence of light. People see darkness in black cats and eclipses. Society sees black cats as evil by color and witch association. Eclipses perceived as evil for causing darkness. Elizabethans view darkness as evil, as it blocks out light and destroys hope. We see darkness used by William Shakespeare, one of the great writers of the Elizabethan Era. He uses it as a motif in his plays. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the motif of darkness represents foreshadowing of tragedy and the sinful situations faced by Romeo. A source of evil in the Elizabethan era is darkness. During this time period, there are a lot of superstitions flying around. Many of the superstitions involved items of darkness. A black cat crossing a person's path is bad luck. (Alchin) It is bad luck because black cats have the color of darkness, associated with witches and evil. Cauldrons were also seen as a source for evil to come from, as cauldrons are the color black, again associated as a tool witches used. Another big superstition of the time is that Eclipses are also evil.(Alchin). They are seen as evil because they block out the sun, a major source of light that helped society function. They cause paralyzing darkness that stops all movements. Often times these superstitions are translated into the writing of the time period, and it stays true for the Elizabethan era...
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...After finishing the book, Heart of Darkness, I believe the resolution at the end of the book portrayed the company as the most evil. Although Kurtz used questionable methods to obtain the Ivory from the natives, I still feel as if the company was just as, if not more evil than Kurtz with their intentions. Once Kurtz is introduced we notice that he is a man with questionable means, but the Russian explains to us how he operates. Once this is revealed we can fully understand that he is not who we thought he was. Marlow expresses his disbelief because he believed that Kurtz was an honorable man, when in reality Kurtz had used force to obtain the majority of his Ivory. On the other hand I believed that using violence was the company’s plan the...
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...Humanity is supposed to be marked by kindness and understanding. However as Joseph Conrad suggests throughout his novella, Heart of Darkness, humanity has a darker side as well, which can take over an individual’s nature under the right circumstances. In order to delve into this secret side of human nature, Joseph Conrad uses his inquisitive narrator, Marlow, to seek out the truth of such unearthly creators as the station manager on his journey to individual enlightenment. Particularly by enlisting the help of direct and indirect characterization, Conrad congruently establishes the station manager’s civil ambiguity followed by the Marlow’s judgmental questioning in order to reveal the environment’s incredible power to claw away at the positive...
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...Joseph Conrad, an English writer, travelled to the Congo and in 1899 wrote a novella based on his journey there; he titled it Heart of Darkness. Heart of Darkness begins on a ship on the Thames River with the protagonist, Charlie Marlow, and a few of his crewmembers. Marlow describes his one trip to Africa and his experiences to the crew. Along the way, Marlow learns of a man named Kurtz who is stationed at an inner station along the Congo River. Kurtz is often described as remarkable and this piques Marlow’s attention. Marlow becomes consumed with the idea of Kurtz and does all that he can to find and talk to this man. Marlow travels by steamboat to the third station, moving deeper and deeper in the dense jungle. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad’s...
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... Throughout the book, Marlow is told many different things about Kurtz. Ranging from really good to terrible. Kurtz is a highly gifted person, but shows it in an interesting way. Marlow is told on multiple occasions that Kurtz is seen as one of the Company’s best people. Mostly because he brings back more ivory than everyone else combined. Marlow doesn’t actually meet Kurtz until the end of the book; which leads to Marlow hearing many things about Kurtz on the way. The first thing that he hears is that Kurtz had traveled to the jungle to collect ivory and he had ideas to try and bring civilization to those there. His ideas failed and it caused him to become savage; just like the natives living there. Kurtz had written a report, assumed to be have written before he became savage, saying that a white male is seen as supernatural to the Africans and thus with this authority he has power over them and believes he can knock some sense of good into them. Since he began to adapt to the ways they already do things, Marlow can only assume that this did not occur. Kurtz is known as one of the best people the Company has. Apparently the higher ups in Europe have bigger plans for Kurtz, but unfortunately those plans never become reality. When Marlow arrives at the first station, him and the manager begin to have a conversation about Kurtz. The manager states that Kurtz is seen as the best because he is excellent at getting ivory for the company. Marlow finds out that one of the reasons...
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...Europeans to become more civilized but his curiosity allured him to know how the Africans became savages and eventually Kurtz became one himself. For example when Marlow spots the harlequins, “ He looked like a harlequin. His clothes had been made of some stuff that was brown Holland.” (Conrad 64) he notices how primitive they are and their interaction with them is unusual but to them it is normal in their society. Marlow knows that going more into his journey he will spot uncivilized human behavior and eventually causes some madness....
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...Although the author Joseph Conrad never met the German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who died more than a century before Conrad’s birth, their distinct philosophies still have numerous points of intersection, suggesting some fundamental truths within the structure of the human reality. Through the novella Heart of Darkness, Conrad details his perspectives on the faults of man and reality as a whole, often coinciding with many of Leibniz’s theories, as found in his numerous philosophical works. Consequently, the two perspectives combine together, like a cyclopean image, enhancing and deepening each other’s philosophies on humanity, to claim that ultimately, man has the inherent capacity for evil. Among Leibniz’s many conceptual principles...
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...Joseph Conrad himself was a sea man. He went to sea and later joined an English merchant ship, becoming master mariner. Later on, in 1894 he began his career as a novelist. He is famous for his “Heart of Darkness”. “Typhoon” is possibly based upon one of his own experiences as a sea man. One of the most highlighting parts of this novella is the use of nautical language. Conrad is really the master of English language. Short Summary The story is about a ship facing the extreme weather along with its victims. Nan Shan is a ship that is carrying the captain his mates and some China men who are going back to their homeland carrying their wages in wooden chests. The story somehow describes how Captain sails the Siamese steamer into a typhoon. Language is very powerful. Conrad has used sea imageries in it. Many of the time the ship is titled as “she”. This shows that the ship has been personified as a human being. There is also biblical reference of Noah’s ark. The encounter with the storm in this story is related to the Noah’s facing of the storm. Title The title of the story is symbolic in nature. The whole story revolves around the Characters 1. Captain Mac Whirr * Captain Mac Whirr is a man utterly without imagination. He is infuriatingly a literal-minded person. He has a well idea about typhoons, cyclones and sea storms, but had no personal experience of any of them; his defect of imagination renders him incapable of comprehending anything so violent, and so...
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