Month: October 2016

Blog post- Finishing the Heart of Darkness

Heart of darkness is a complex exploration of the beliefs people hold on what constitutes a barbarian versus a civilized society and the stance on colonialism and racism that was part and parcel of European imperialism. Heart of Darkness is a chilling tale of horror set in the Congo during the period of rapid colonial expansion in the 19th century, more than a century after its publication (1899), it remains one of the best Conrad’s finest work.

In chapter 3, Marlow meets with Kurtz becomes one of the most important scenes in this chapter. When they finally, Marlow realizes Kurtz has done evil with threat and violence to the natives and yet so brilliant as to get labor, ivory and even respect from the victims, despite his depravity. He dies with the words “The horror! The horror!”, which is exactly the summary of the darkness of human and the exploitation of the colonists who claimed to explore. Kurtz is the one who wants to bring the European civilization to the African originally. However, he is totally lost because of the unlimited desire of human being. We can see that the cause-and-effect is unavoidable. Kurtz is the best example to explain it. Kurtz was controlled by the darkness side in his heart and this makes him to kill people and do all the bad things. The retribution of Kurtz is dying from some weird diseases. “Kurtz-Kurtz-that means short in German-don’t it? Well he name was as true as everything else in his life- and death.” I like the way to explain Kurtz’s name from the book. The explanation of the name Kurtz shows the life of Kurtz and Kurtz had to bear the consequences if he did some bad things.

While I was reading this book, I keep thinking about why does this book named “Heart of Darkness”. I think the title contains double meanings. The first one is the poor geographical environment in African hinterland, and the second one is referring to the colonists in the dark.

Regard Marlow’s experience as an ivory transporter down the Congo River in Central Africa. The river is “a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land”. In the journey of Marlow, poor geographical environment can be seen anywhere. Poor geographical environment, laggard economy and culture, all will be set to the success of Kurtz, and later Marlow becomes obsessed with Kurtz.

In my opinion, the title of the novel “Heart of darkness”, refers to Mr. Kurtz apparently and to the colonialism of Europe in nature. Throughout his journey, he realized that Heart of Darkness has become a symbol of European colonialism. It’s just what the writer Conrad wants to reveal and criticize. Kurtz’s heart of darkness was presented by Marlow’s gradually changed emotions. At first, Marlow aspire to see the so-called first-class agent and very remarkable person, who oversees a very important trading-post. He could send in as much ivory as all the other agents put together. Finally, Kurtz manages to be the leader of the African natives and plunders ivory at all costs even by annihilating a whole tribe. Losing his health, his beloved finance and even his pure soul, he becomes a devil with heart of darkness.

In conclusion, one of the themes in “Heart of Darkness” is the hypocrisy of imperialism. Through this theme, Joseph Conrad wants to reveal the cruelty which is covered by civilization and the darkness which is hidden under the white skin.

• Why was Kurtz corrupted in the “heart of darkness” though he was recognized as an apostle of civilization?
• Why does Marlow tell lie to the woman in the final part of the book?

F0r our class on Monday, please finish Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Please also read the chapter from Adam Hochschild’s book, King Leopold’s Ghost, called, “Meeting Mr. Kurtz.”

When I read the part of the manager and his uncle’s discussion about Kurtz. I feel a twisted sense of morality.  They feel that Kurtz wants to take over the manager’s position. They are willing to do anything that will get him or his assistant the Russian hanged, so that the trading field might be leveled to their advantage.

For chapter 2, lots of things happen during Marlow is leaving on a two-month trip up the river to Kurtz, along with the manager and several “pilgrims”. The river is dangerous and the trip is difficult. Even though I trying to ignore racism in this book and focus on other things, in this scene, I still feel Africans in this book are mostly objects: Marlow refers to his helmsman as a piece of machinery. As narrator says,

“An athletic black belonging to some coast tribe. He was the most unstable kind of fool I had ever seen. He steered with no end of a swagger while you were by; but if he lost sight of you, he became instantly the prey of an abject funk, and would let that cripple of a steamboat get the upper hand of him in a minute.”

Africans become a mere backdrop for Marlow, against which he can play out his philosophical and existential struggles. It presents a set of issues surrounding race that is ultimately troubling.

I also found a symbol, fog that contributes to this theme. Fog is a sort of corollary to darkness. Fog not only obscures but distorts: it gives one just enough information to begin making decisions but no way to judge the accuracy of that information, which often ends up being wrong. Marlow’s steamer is caught in the fog, meaning that he has no idea where he’s going and no idea whether peril lies ahead. And the further meaning is what seems to be right, just and enlightened now are actually wrong, unjust and guilty.

My question is: What does the title “Heart of Darkness” mean? Is it the darkness which is hidden under the white skin?

 

For our meeting this Wednesday, please read Chapter Two of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.”

Please prepare one discussion question to share with the class. I suggest focusing on a particular passage, as some of you have done already in your posts, and then asking a question that the passage raises for you.

You may write your question anonymously, but I will be checking to make sure everyone has prepared one.

A huge part of the book presents stories of men, who decisively make most of the story. Also, the story that is being told by Marlow is directed to the male part of the crew only. Although It might seem like women do not play an important part in the book, I believe that it was them who stand behind every important character in the story and in somewhat inspire them and help taking necessary steps. Why it is then that women are sidelined here, starting with the fact that they do not even have names? Conrad is constantly trying to prove that women do not play a part in the world of the darkness, however female’s characters appear in the most important moments of the narrative.

European women certainly had an influence on the progress of events. The situation where Marlow is interviewing for a job on a ship for a trading company best shows that they were “under covered strategists”. To get that job, Marlow wanted to use his qualifications and experience but he gave up easily, deciding to use family connections. However, it was not the men of his influential family who pulled the strings, it was the success of his aunt. Marlow does not consider women to be his equal, however with a sense of shame and some kind of failure finally admits: “I, Charlie Marlow, set the women to work- to get a job. Heavens!”

The next women reader gets to meet in the story are the employees of company’s offices. “Two women, one fat, and the other slim, sat on straw-bottomed chairs, knitting black wool.” When Marlow came across them in the office he thought it takes them only one look to know everything about a men. The way Marlow seems to contrast them, makes me think of the women being some kind off representation of fate. The author refers to them as “guardians of the door of darkness” which in Marlow sees as an ominous sign, as if they participated in the upcoming evil.

A similar role in the story plays Kurtz’s fiancé. The author suggests that it is because of her that such a talented men decided to go to Africa. Marlow found out from her that their engagement was not happily received by Kurtz’s family, yet she was completely devoted to him “I am proud to know I understood him better than any one on earth”. Marlow portrayed her as naïve and idealistic, just her vision of Kurtz was. The protagonist even says “We must help them to stay in that beautiful world of their own lest ours gets worse”. In other words, Marlow believes that women should not go beyond their idealistic views, and even remain shallow for that matter.

One women who does not fit the description of the women above is Kurtz’s mistress, who was a complete opposite of his fiancé. Instead of mourning and crying after his lover’s death she demonstrated her fury and anger.

During the conversation with his aunt Marlow thought that women live in their own world, which never existed and never will. According him, women’s world was filled with naïve illusions. At the same time, we can consider them as main activists of the colonial expansion and the benefits coming from it.  The truth is that most actions in the book is taken by men, however it was women who inspired them. Yes, women here are viewed a trophies for men, however we are missing the fact the supporting roles that their characters played are actually supporting. Although, Condrad worked very hard or portraying women as insignificant, I do not think he realized that they actually played a bigger role than he thought.

For our class on Monday, please finish part one of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” – about 37 pages, in my edition.

Please also read the introduction of “King Leopold’s Ghost, which you can find here.

You will also find a brief biography of Conrad here.

I wanted to upload a link to the interview we listened to in class with Chinua Achebe, on why he thinks the language of “Heart of Darkness” is, from his perspective, “inappropriate.”

Please keep his perspective in mind as we read on.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113835207

While themes and plots of a story are not totally apparent at the beginning of a book, it is still possible to garner some information about where the author is hoping to take us over the course of the reading. In this regard, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is no different in that the themes that may become central to the story later on are only just being scratched at the surface.

Heart of Darkness begins with a narrator describing his companions and the setting that they are located in. This is interesting as shortly afterwards the narration switches to one of the companions, a man named Marlow, who would appear to be the central character going forward. The original narrator states that “the sea-reach of the Thames stretched out before us” (17), which indicates that they are located in London, but it is when he describes London as “the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth” (17) that we can get an idea that the time period we are set in is at the height of the British Empire circa 19^th century when rapid colonization of the non-developed world was being undertaken by Britain and the rest of the European giants of the time.

The narrator and his companions, a lawyer, an accountant, and a director, are all pleased with the advancement of trade and the possibility of profits that have come from “bearing the sword, and often the torch” (19) to the “darkness” (22) of the new lands discovered. Yet it is Marlow, presumably the only one that has seen what bringing the torch of enlightenment to the “uncivilized world” actually results in that is quick to remind the others that even London itself was once a place to be conquered and civilized by the dominant culture of the time. It is after this moment that Marlow becomes the narrator and we hear of his efforts to get to Africa as a fresh water steam boat captain.

Given the heavy emphasis by Conrad on empires or dominant cultures taking advantage of new lands that they discover, coupled with the fact that the main character will is recounting a story of he himself viewing such things take place, it is a safe assumption that the exploration of the effects on both those doing the exploitation as well as those being exploited will be a main theme throughout the book.

Questions that can arise from a theme such as this are;

1. The original narrator talks of the British carrying the torch to the new world, while Marlow reminds him that it wasn’t so long ago that London itself was shrouded in “darkness” are these patterns that are still taking place today by western culture? And if so, is the manner in which today’s exploitation being done any different to that of the past?
2. Is “the conquest of the earth” (21) ever a good thing for those being conquered? Does the “idea” redeem it as Marlow states?

 

Please begin reading Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Try to read up to the point where Marlow says, “I left in a French steamer” – about 13 pages, depending on your edition. Make sure to read at least to the point where Marlow begins telling his story.

Here is an example of a completed Close Reading worksheet about the poem we read in class by Emily Dickinson, “Pain – has an Element of Blank-” Please review it. We will return to this “Close Reading” exercise soon.