It's been a while since we've all been blogging, but now that the Bac Blanc's done, it seems a good time to virtually re-convene...
A few things to look forward to this week:
Monday: Shakespeare Contest! Meet in the auditorium to watch and cheer on your fellow students for the annual Shakespeare contest. From Falstaff to Lady Macbeth, there should be something for everyone.
Wednesday and Thursday we'll continue Heart of Darkness. By Wednesday you should have finished reading section 1, and should complete one of the two options for the readers response. I have high hopes that once you actually get into the novel yourselves, you'll begin to see a difference in your understanding and interest. I know it's not easy, but it's a book for which effort definitely pays off. And since it's one of your oral texts, you NEED to plunge in...
To that end, I'm going to ask that you post 15-20 lines of your readers response on the blog (a paragraph or two, an interesting point or question) by Friday. I'll then ask you to respond by the following Wednesday to at least one of your colleagues on the blog as well. You'll get a grade for both the RR and the response.
On Thursday, I will be away at a conference, but will have you work in pairs to begin developing an oral close reading on an excerpt from the text (with a little help from the sub, who will facilitate). You'll be turning in the outlines at the end of class, just so I can keep track of where you are and provide help on my return.
In the meantime, enjoy your Sunday. It's not the Superbowl yet, is it??
For this Reader's Response on Heart of Darkness I worked on the close reading pages 18 and 19:
ReplyDeleteMarlow then refers to colonization as different devils. Marlow mentions that he had to be able to “resist and to attack sometimes” because of the “sort of life I had blundered into”, showing that he knew that the situation he put himself in was a mistake. He claims that “I am not particularly tender; I’ve had to strike and fend off […] That’s the only way of resisting.” Although it is unclear at first what Marlow is talking about, it then becomes clear that he is portraying colonization as devils. “I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire, […] strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove men—men I tell you.” This metaphor of colonization as devils reveals men’s desire that drove them to colonize, that is to impose themselves in a country, for they believed their culture and knowledge to be superior, when that was just an excuse for the desire of power. This metaphor builds as Marlow reveals that he would “become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyes devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly” in his journey. Marlow now reveals colonization as a lying devil, “pretending”, when it really is predatory, living through the misery of others, with no pity.
Marlow’s overall perception starts out as blank as he takes in his new surroundings. However, his tone can be argued as sarcastic as he describes the irony of the scene. It is debatable whether this sarcasm was felt on the spot, or if comes from Marlow’s present self as he recounts his tale. This passage has a very negative tone to it as colonization, first portrayed as ironical, turns into a “pretending devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.” Marlow is denouncing colonization, preparing his readers for his journey that is at first thought of as great and just. In fact, he has just “stepped into the gloomy circle of some Inferno”.