Eric Chang

Sept 19, 09

IB ENG SL

Heart of Darkness Essay -Jungle Imagery

        Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a novel about a  journey into the core of the African Congo of a man called Marlow. Marlow is in pursuit of an ivory trader named Kurtz. Though Marlow's physical journey seems rather simple, it takes him further into his soul than into the Congo and transformed into a whole different person after the journey. Imagery is very vivid in the this novel and insightful, particularly the jungle imagery. Conrad's  use of jungle imagery and the detailed literary techniques in Heart of Darkness shapes the structure of the book by providing irony and drawing parallels  for they contribute to the themes of light vs. dark, human vs. nature, and exterior vs. interior.

         Conrads describes the forest becomes more primitive as Marlow moves closer to the heart of darkness. His tone in the illustration of the forest suggests the nature to be foul and sinister while dominating this region and that human beings could only give in to it. Also, a few examples of literary devices such as parallelisms and irony. Conrad's description of the forest and the river serves as an implication in which the nature is chaotic yet at the same time is more superior than human beings and that humans could only succumb to it before its overwhelming power. The phrase “earliest beginning of the world ” provides insights of chaos, darkness and disorder which are things beyond the control of a civilized a man and that one could only surrender before it. In addition, Conrad's use of pathetic fallacy and personification such as “vegetation rioted” and “big trees were kings” further strengthens the idea of nature being alive and that it dominates this region. Rules and regulations of civilized society is powerless under the nature's reign of savagery and disorder.

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        An example of irony can be seen from this passage because the descriptions and implications of the almighty nature contradicts to what is really happening. In fact, in reality it is the humans (European colonists) that are  breaking down mentally and physically in the environment of Africa by exploiting the natural resources and the abusing the indigenous people. And the irony is  here in this passage suggests that nature is more superior than human beings. Yet on the other hand, events from previous chapter foreshadows that nature might fight back against human. The vegetation growing through the skeletons of Fresleven ...

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