Heart of Darkness
Jessica Johnson English Coursework "Heart of darkness" by Joseph Conrad "Write an analysis of the extract (pages 96 - 97) from Heart of Darkness considering: * How the setting contributes to the main themes of the novel * What the narrative Suggests about the characters of Kurtz and Marlow * How the extract embodies Conrad's purpose for writing the novella * The effect of language and how this shapes the reader's response" This is an extract from the Novella, "Heart of darkness", written in the early 1800s by Joseph Conrad. The book's focal point is the main character Marlow an introspective sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz. The setting of this scene contributes to the main themes of the novel as it ties in with the unusual, uncivilised settings that the protagonist Marlow has described through the majority of this novella. This novel was seen as a modern piece of literature in the time it was written as it possesses certain characteristics not often seen in novels of the period. It has a non-linear style of narration, the narrator switching back and forth as it explores the darker depths of the human psyche through the lens of colonialism. The novel is a 'frame tale' in that it is a story within a story and as it explores not only the effects of colonialism on the countries that were taken over, but also on the individuals that worked on behalf
The novel "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad centers on both a political and a personal theme. The major themes explored in the extract taken from "Heart of Darkness" are the controversy of imperialism, colonisation
Arisara 12J What themes are explored in this extract and what literacy devices are used? The novel "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad centers on both a political and a personal theme. The major themes explored in the extract taken from "Heart of Darkness" are the controversy of imperialism, colonisation, civilization and savagery, uncertainty, darkness, the self and the unconscious. The themes explored in the extract are often linked. The title "Heart of Darkness" itself presents controversy and irony within the subtext. To begin with, "Heart" is associated with love, suggesting perhaps, the love for darkness or "Heart" as in the centre of the darkness or evil. This could be interpreted as the darkness within Africa or perhaps, the darkness and evil of human's heart. "All that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men" is foreshadowing the inevitability of savagery that men will face once they arrive in Africa. One of the main themes that Conrad explored was journey. It is obvious that the text is largely about the journey or an adventure of Marlow to Africa in the search of Kurtz. However, multiple interpretations of the text suggest that the novel is based on the journey of Marlow's subconscious as he begins the journey into his mind. Arguably, Conrad, the author may have used Marlow as a device to invite the
I am now going to talk about: "How Evil is presented in the Novel" in particular I am going to focus on Imagery, Symbolism and finally metaphors.
I am now going to talk about: "How Evil is presented in the Novel" in particular I am going to focus on Imagery, Symbolism and finally metaphors. Imagery Firstly I will start with the imagery. This in particular is based around whenever there is there is good there is light and whenever there is bad there is dark. Darkness gives the images of: - Dull and, gloomy, it creates a mysterious atmosphere and gives the impression of tension The best example of this is the dark snake Marlow sees on the map, the snake is dark and also represents evil. There is how ever some irony in that the ivory that is white a light colour, brings so much evil. The reason Kurtz has killed is for his greed of the ivory. From the start of the novel there are many signs of what is to come for Marlow the colour of the objects around Marlow can help see what is in store for him later. The images in the final chapter are maybe the most distinguishing of the light and dark. When Marlow arrives at Kurtz he finds black severed heads on the fence posts and a black hole in the roof of Kurtz home. These two images instantly bring the knowledge of evil especially the heads. Any one who can have heads on there fence posts must be some sort of evil savage. Just like the Europeans thought the natives were. Marlow knows he has entered and uncivilised area. "Those heads on the stakes, if their faces
Heart of Darkness - summary of first three chapters
Chapter 1 Heart of Darkness opens on a boat called "Nellie." Marlow and his shipmates, including the narrator whose descriptions of the scene fill the few breaks in Marlow's stories, loll on the deck waiting for the tides of the Thames River to change. To entertain his compatriots, Marlow begins to talk about his philosophies on colonization, his personal history, and his voyage up the Congo River into the heart of Africa. Like many storytellers, Marlow speaks in a stream of consciousness, skipping forward and backward in time without warning. The reader is left to infer from symbolism the specifics of Marlow's narrative. Marlow abhors colonization. He believes that when Europeans colonize other countries to exploit rather than to civilize, white men commit robbery and murder on "a great scale." His urgent feelings regarding colonization trigger Marlow to remember his trip into Africa. However, before he begins that specific story he tells his audience about his fascination with maps and "empty spaces." Since he was a child, Marlow dreamed of venturing into the dark places on maps. He gets a great chance, he explains, when his aunt helps him secure a position working for a European-based ivory company as a steamboat captain. Marlow's journey from London to the mouth of the Congo River quickly begins and as the steamboat chugs down the impenetrable coastline, briefly
Comparing "The Darkness Out There" by Penelope Lively, with "The Black Veil" by Charles Dickens - In what ways do they reflect the times in which they were written and the tastes of the particular audience?
Comparing "The Darkness Out There" by Penelope Lively, with "The Black Veil" by Charles Dickens In what ways do they reflect the times in which they were written and the tastes of the particular audience? Throughout this coursework I will be comparing the texts, "The Darkness Out There" and "The Black Veil". I will look at the similarities and differences both texts have in comparison and comment on the way they affected the audience of their particular times. "The Darkness Out There" is a typical fairy story written in the mid fourties by Penelope Lively. The story doesn't tell us this but we can assume the date with the mentioning of such items as an "Aero Bar" and a "Blue Escort". The story begins with Sandra a young, pretty girl on her way to Old Mrs Rutters house to help her for the day, on her way she meets "slitty eyed" Kerry Stevens a fellow member of the Good Neighbours Club sent to help Mrs Rutter aswell. Kerry doesn't "go much for her" and can see that she isn't all that she seems while Sandra thinks she's just a normal, old lady. Mrs Rutter tells Kerry and Sandra about how her and her sister left a German pilot to die. Both are disgusted and shocked, Sandra realises a lot about herself and how she has experienced "an inescapable darkness". In contrast, "The Black Veil" was written by Charles Dickens in the year 1800, we can tell the date this text was written
Representation of Women In Heart of Darkness.
*ENGLISH LITERATURE ESSAY* REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN HEART OF DARKNESS By: Shoshanah Wall DJP "They- the women I mean- are out of it- should be out of it. We (men) must help them to stay in that beautiful world of their own, lest ours gets worse." The representation of gender in the text Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a very patriarchal one, seen through the eyes of the main character, a male, Charlie Marlow. Women are significantly omitted from the narrative and when they are present or talked about, they are not given names and are known as the `aunt', the `knitting women' and the `mistress'. Regardless of this, when they are included in the story, they all convey power that is not typical to what the men believed woman should have. Marlow's aunt, who had a small part at the very beginning of the novel, was a vital character in Marlow's story. If it was not for her he would have, quite possibly, never had the chance to become a skipper on the river steamboat Thames and travel to the Congo in Africa. Receiving a job from a woman in Marlow's time was not very common and Marlow considered this shameful: "Then- would you believe it? I tried the woman. I Charlie Marlow, set the woman to work- to get a job. Heavens!" What he didn't realise, was that his power was given to him by her- therefore making her powerful. Furthermore, the aunt obtained some
The Gathering Darkness
The Gathering Darkness Jaxom stood upon the pinnacle of mount Imrik as the sun rose. Its golden splendour washed over the lands of Pern, the view lifted yet saddened him at the same time, all he could see now stood in the balance. He turned his gaze west and to the cause of his sadness. Darkness was consuming the land, it was a darkness he knew all too well. It spread like a cancer, and had been spreading across the known world. Today the fate of the world and his home was at stake. A horn called from below the misty peak, Jaxom climbed onto Draak's back, the mighty beasts muscles flexed and it dived from the summit. The ground rushed towards them, at the last moment Draak extended his wings, using the speed gathered from the spectacular dive to catapult him through the blackening clouds. The ice-cold wind whipped at Jaxom's hair, which flowed out in a contorting golden wave behind him. Through gaps in the clouds beneath, he could see the movement of the armies below, tiny figures arrayed on the blighted earth, obscured slightly by the rain that had just started to lash the plains below him. The shinning ranks of his comrades could be seen, their bright armour contrasting with the dark landscape. Moving against them were the black armoured forms of the hated Pravus the plague of the world and the dark kin of the Elves. Jaxom thought that from his vantage point they looked
Comment on the representation of colonialism in this section of 'Heart of Darkness' that you have read so far.
Amy Belham English Literature Comment on the representation of colonialism in this section of the heart of darkness that you have read so far. In this essay I will be commenting on the representation of colonialism from Joseph Conrad's 'The Heart of Darkness'. It is about colonialism in Africa by the Europeans and is set in the 1890's. The history of Europe and of the other countries conquered by Europeans between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries were strongly influenced by the expansionism of England as well as by their determination to build empires overseas. There was a colonisation of the Congo, which was part of 'the scramble for Africa'. In 1875 less than one-tenth of Africa had been turned into European colonies. By 1895 only one-tenth of Africa was not under European control. This shows how over only a period of 20 years Europe controlled most of Africa and that Europe owned strong colonialism power. When writing about the concepts and motives of colonialism's Joseph Conrad shows that a reason for them to take that action is to gain wealth. The narrator says 'Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame' so this shows that those men are going to sea to find money and fortune. Also its saying that some men are going out to gain some sort of fame. When saying 'Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame' also the narrator is associating them with the Roman invaders who
Heart of Darkness - The reality of Kurtz is shockingly removed from the expectationscreated of him in the sections of the novella.Discuss.
The reality of Kurtz is shockingly removed from the expectations created of him in the sections of the novella. Discuss. The state of reality of a human being can be described as the truth and authenticity of that person. The image of Kurtz that is presented to Marlow the early stages of the novella is one of a 'real' person; he is something that is neither derivative nor dependent but exists necessarily. However, Marlow soon notices when he meets Kurtz that he is indeed the opposite of what many of his peers believe him to be. In the book "Heart of Darkness" there seems to be two types of people towards Kurtz - the majority are those who admire and look up to him, and there are others who dislike him and the way he does his work. Marlow, I think, does not admire nor dislike Kurtz, but becomes gripped onto the 'expectations' of his personality placed forward by the people that he has met before meeting Kurtz himself. Within the book "Heart of Darkness" there appears to be a low sense of reality as the book starts and continues. I think that the idea of reality is closely linked with the idea of madness and insanity; if someone has a grip on reality they are said to be 'sane', while if someone is proven to be mad then they had no hold onto reality. I believe that when the book was set Africa was responsible for mental disintegration as well as for physical illness and
"The Heart of Darkness" - a short review
Written by Joseph Conrad in the early 20th century, "The Heart of Darkness" is a short and yet fantastic novel, which reveals the darkest sides of human nature. The story takes place in the mystical and savage jungle of Congo, where the European civilization and its devastating imperialism mixes with primitive cultures of our history, creating a disturbing environment like no other. The simple and ignorant minds are filled with fear while all their superior relatives know is conquest, ivory, greed, money and authority. Marlow's journey takes him up the Congo River, which is surrounded by a thick and endless jungle filled with mystery and savage surprises. Africa is currently at the peak of its European conquest as it remains quite uncivilized and yet ruled by the white men. This tension can be felt in the air, as Marlow describes the jungle atmosphere as in "thick, moist, hot, unbearable and heavy." The dense growth in the jungle makes it extremely dark and the river is brown from the dirt that is swirled around. The strange and primitive appearances, actions and screams of the natives in the grip of the "civilized" and developed white men makes the setting that more disturbing. Mixing two opposite mentalities is similar to mixing of two colors like white and black. The white color shines in its brightness and purity until just a few drops of black can poison and darken