Sheet of the Week 2/28

Well, it's almost red carpet time... hope all your Hamlet reading is finished so you can start commenting on the really important stuff, like who's wearing what at the Oscars this evening....

Just a few quick notes about the upcoming week:

For Monday, please make sure you've read to the end of scene 3.  We'll have lots to discuss and probably a bit of acting to do, so get ready to do your best soliloquy.  Not quite "to be or not to be" yet -- but some other juicy speeches are coming right up.

For Wednesday, read scenes 4 and 5.

For Thursday, finish Heart of Darkness commentaries/ close readings.

Also -- we'll finally be viewing Apocalypse Now together on Friday, March 11.  Please mark your calendars and pop some popcorn.  It's going to be a dark and dirty ride...

Till tomorrow --

1st rr excerpt

            Once Marlow starts telling his story, the first scene with the men on the Nellie, and the narrator’s role seem irrelevant or to have lost importance. At least for the rest of the first part because the novel isn’t telling their story but Marlow’s story. I think that this way of setting the story in motion is interesting even though the reason for it isn’t evident. I think that the author may have wanted to start by telling us about the Nellie and giving us a narrator that is not Marlow so that we can have an outside view of the character. Considering the rest of the story is told through Marlow’s words, the original narrator’s perception of the explorer is the only one we have besides the idea we would get of him through his own words.

            Also, the author may have wanted to start the novel on the Thames so as to create a more impactful contrast with the setting of Marlow’s story. It could even serve as a general introduction to an explorer or sailor’s world, as the narrators’ observations do mostly concern life as an explorer and as a sailor. These observations will then be important throughout the rest of the part.

RR post

I felt that the company didn’t perceive Kurtz as an equal human being given his “transformations” from living on the African continent. They feel he is some sort of hybrid between the indigenous “savages” and them, no longer a concrete human being. This image is redoubled when we meet Kurtz and he is dehumanized by his sickness, forced to crawl around on 4 legs and can barely speak. Marlow treats him as an infirm, inferior to him. However, despite the fact that Marlow seems to hate Kurtz and feels betrayed by his past conception and by Kurtz’s “unsound” methods of educating and imposing colonization upon the natives, he takes his side when Kurtz is finally confronted by the company’s manager, who finds Kurtz unfit for his duty, based on his “unique” way of governing. Marlow feels disgust and has to choose between two wrongs: supporting the brutal, heartless Kurtz or supporting the hypocritical manager.

In my opinion, Marlow chose to stay with Kurtz because he believed it was the managers fault that Kurtz became the way he became. The managers naïveté, and his unwillingness to see the ineffectiveness or cruelty of his colonizing methods was far worse than Kurtz simply trying to complete the mission he set out to complete by any means. Kurtz is more enlightened than the manager, and has some of conception of Africa, since he has been so changed by it. It is evident that he realizes the stupidity and madness of any attempt to colonize Africa when he claims “the horror! The horror!” right before he dies. For me, this means that Kurtz understands to what point it is impossible to continue to hope that one day Europeans will manage to tame the “wild” Africa. Perhaps it’s the horror at his own futility, or the horror at the naivete of his commanders in Europe, I don’t know for sure.

Reader Response 3; resume

As this is possibly and regrettably the last reader response we are going to write on “Heart of Darkness”, I feel it is necessary to try and respond, through it, to a question I brought up in my first reader response of this book. The question was about the title of the book; what is the “Heart of Darkness”? [...]

Having now travelled the distance through the rest of the book, I feel that I am not only capable of supporting my initial hypothesis but also capable of bringing a new notion to this definition of darkness. The new notion introduced at the end of the third book is Kurtz’s “horror”; I believe this “horror” is the very darkness I had previously searched for.[...]Marlow has thus both the chance and the misfortune to hear Kurtz’s last word; “The horror! The horror!” I had stopped myself at defining the darkness as the re-grouping of the forest, the natives and their treatment, the old woman’s wool and Marlow’s passivity, in other words, as the setting both physically, historically and mentally of the characters in Marlow’s narrative.

When Kurtz pronounces his last words, he does so as one would make a general statement; “the horror” is not re-attached to anything in particular, it is Kurtz’s last report on the Congo, on humanity. To fit my purpose, I like to consider that these words are used by the dying man to make a final resume of what he has seen, smelled, tasted, felt and lived throughout his Congolese experience. It is this horror, that regroups the dark forest, the unspoken rituals, the heads on sticks, the ivory, the “devils”; the darkness. Following this logic, we can infer that “The Heart of Darkness” is a heart of horrors; where all of the world’s horrors go to be swept under the carpet of the earth, in Kurtz’s Congo.

For this reason, if this hint is not invalid, these words are quite possibly the book’s most important words. Indeed they sum up not only the setting the characters evolve in, but also the state of mind of the characters and to some extent, the historical state of the narrative.

Sheet of the Week 2/22

Hi all,
Hope you've had a great break.  It's hard to believe we're back tomorrow... unless, of course, there's another snow day (she said hopefully)...

Here's the plan for the week:
Wednesday: Heart of Darkness and Poisonwood Bible --together at last!  *Don't forget: PB questions are due in class.*  I hope preparing them will have helped you do a bit of review, since it's been a long time since the first read.  I think it will be interesting to talk about the two books together, though, and will start us off with some passages that seems particularly potent.

Thursday-which-is-Monday:
First Hour: Chinua Achebe's essay on Heart of Darkness.  I'll give you copies of this on Wednesday and ask you to read it for the next day.  We'll talk about it, then listen to Adiche's "A Single Story" which I think will give us additional perspective.

Second Hour:  We'll begin Hamlet.  Wahoo! Please, please, please bring your texts to class. 

For Monday, you'll be reading scenes 2-3 in Act I.  Because we need to get going on this reading, you get a little more time on your commentaries -- they'll now be due Thursday, 3/3.   (Thank you, Ms. Hollow!)

Till tomorrow --

I choose passage 10!

RR Part 3 Excerpt

This last part is also full of action. As the steamer departs after the jungle experience with Kurtz, it seems that Kurtz may still reach the end of the river and maybe come back to Europe to see his “intended”. But, the boat breaks down once again which takes a lot of time to repair. This has both and effect on Kurtz who dies before they repair the ship but also on Marlow who almost dies. Marlow is now in a bad state both physically and mentally. We can see that the expedition as a whole has weakened him physically. He has done many repairs and natives have attacked him. Mentally, his state is even worse as he has seen two people die before him and he has seen the horrors that are taking place in the Congo. This has a really great effect on him as he is not totally sane. At the beginning of the novel, we knew that his trip would be hazardous and tragic but not really in this way: even if he returns home he will never be the same as he is traumatized by what has happened here.

What I also liked is the end of the book because it returns to the image of the “heart of darkness”; here it is seen through the color of the sky. As we look at the book as a whole we see that there were numerous hearts of darkness and not only a single one. The Company and Kurtz could seem as hearts of darkness as their philosophy was to destroy a civilization. Moreover, we can feel that Marlow, who was in the beginning a good sailor, has now become a terrible man. He doesn’t want to follow in Kurtz’s steps but it seems his vision of the world has turned all gray: he cannot really be happy anymore after what has happened to him.

HofD Part 3 RR Excerpt

I think that Marlow came a little too late to see the real Kurtz, the one who was showered with praise coming from other agents such as the chief accountant, the Russian trader who worked with him and was close to him. At the same time, Marlow was maybe expecting too much out of Kurtz after what he had heard; he thought he was going to meet a God-like figure. Since his hopes were very high, he was disappointed after seeing Kurtz but also showed some admiration towards him. Marlow also stated the “incredible degradation” of Kurtz, who had been sick and was dying. The latter was “not much heavier than a child” something Marlow stated as he was carrying him at a point in Part III. Kurtz was not the same as before; the wildlife clearly had taken over him as it had done with many other pilgrims. He was mad but still his conscience and intelligence. Maybe Kurtz was overrated and did not actually deserve all of this praise but I mostly think that he was a great man but had been transformed and became “scientifically interesting” after years passed in Congo. Other pilgrims who had seen Marlow with Kurtz were not impressed as they would have been had this been some time before. Marlow states that the “pilgrims looked upon me with disfavor”, something they firstly felt about Kurtz and now about Marlow because he was with Kurtz.

Kurtz was leading a double life at this point in my opinion as he was liked by some natives who did not want him to leave. They obeyed him; like for example when he ordered some to attack the steamship Marlow and the manager were on. He himself did not want to leave. His mistress was a native as well. On the other hand, Kurtz was still performing his duty towards the Company as the amount of ivory he had collected was still good.

Recap for the Close Reading

Passage 2: Camille
Passage 3: Claire
Passage 5: Laure-Abeille
Passage 12: Veronica
Passage 13: Ann-Sophie
Passage on page 50-51 (which is not one of the passages on the HOD/PB link): Anais


PS: Passage 5 and 17 are the same.

RR Part III

Marlow makes clear that he believes Kurtz to have gone mad. Marlow states that Kurtz was “hollow at the core…”, on page 72. As he hears more and more about Kurtz through the Russian man, Marlow becomes disgusted, he shouts, “I don’t want to know anything of the ceremonies used when approaching Mr Kurtz” […] “Mr Kurtz was no idol of mine”, p.72-73. It is when Marlow sees Kurtz for the first time that we finally see him through criticizing eyes, for what he has truly become: “It was as though an animated image of death carved out of ivory had been shaking its hand with menaces at a motionless crowd of men made of dark and glittering bronze.”, page 74. Although this description is dark and horrible, it is so symbolic with him as death for he can kill who he wants, but he himself has died inside; for ivory is white like him, but also what he has become, what he wants, his reason to live, and because it is “old ivory”, it has lost its worth. Although Kurtz came to the Congo with good intentions, opposing to everybody else’s greed, he has become obsessed with ivory in his quest to prove himself to his fiancé’s parents. Marlow still does respect him, “I think Mr Kurtz is a respectable man”, but the manager answers him coldly, “He was”, page 77. Although Marlow seemed obsessed with Kurtz throughout his journey, I feel that thinking of him was a way of putting aside all the horrors happening around him, having a goal. However, Marlow is still confused about his feelings for Kurtz, sensing disgust as well as respect for him.

RR # 3

[Excerpt]

At this point in the novel, Marlow has reached the Inner station, and it seems as if the reader has reached the inner darkness of the Congo’s heart. Kurtz has become this powerful figure, admired by he natives, and distinguishes himself form the rest of the members of the company, taking Marlow along with him. We discover Kurtz has a lover, and Marlow seems to dive deeper and deeper in the nightmares of his journey.

[...]

Marlow still occupies the same ambiguous position like in the beginning of the novel when he was ironic at times, and not so much at other times. In the end, although he is obviously disturbed by his journey in the African continent, he has acquired something the other men had not been seeking when they decided to board on the Nellie: experience, almost wisdom. It seems as if Marlow has deeply changed, matured during his expedition. However, he still views the events that have occurred during the journey as justifiable, because he has reached a certain status by confronting such hardships. In fact, he feels elevated by his experience, and feels he can judge and excuse the horror and violence of colonialism, because the men that participate in this mission come out of it with something bigger than wealth. This notion is very controversial, and Conrad concludes by leaving us to think about this outrageous issue.

Close Reading- RR #1

Firstly, Marlow describes with great detail the appearance of the “chain-gang”. The choice of words of Marlow paints a frightening and impressive portrait of the natives: “erect”, “criminals”, “outraged”, “violently”, “deathlike” (p.18). This creates a great contrast with Marlow: while they seem tall, strong, and dangerous, Marlow is alone, and seems much weaker; however, Marlow is not chained.

Moreover, the group is led by a white man: “ Behind this raw matter one of the reclaimed, the product of the new forces at work, strolled despondently, carrying a rifle by its middle.” Therefore, on top of the fist sentiment of indifference is added that of fear and incomprehension: Marlow seems unsympathetic of the bond that naturally exists between the white leader of the group and himself simply because of the color of his skin. Marlow emphasizes this with an ironic tone: “ After all, I also was a part of the great cause of these high and just proceedings.” (p.19). It is as if Marlow is automatically considered an ally because he is European, and is therefore expected to fully support the colonizing mission in the African continent.

DIBS ON.....

PASSAGE 12!!!!!

The Intended and Marlow's last lie

The Intended is Kurtz' fiancée who had spent years living away from her husband-to-be. Then when news came of his death, it's of no surprise the poor girl was heartbroken. But to the audience and to Marlow, who have been on this journey through the depths and dangers of the Congo's heart of darkness, listening to the Intended's whining and sobbing seems more obnoxious than sad. She is the perfect representation of Western ignorance towards the horrors of imperialism. I'm sure she admired her fiancé's piece of writing a great deal and probably only saw it from that aspect. Considering what could be interpreted as Kurtz' change of heart towards the African Congo, she still maintains this idea that all there is the Congo is brutes, savages, cannibals, disease, and heretics.
Which brings us to Marlow's last lie. Why did Marlow lie to the Intended about what her husbands last words were? I think several interpretations should be considered here rather than just the obviously clichéd like, he wanted her to keep a good memory of what once was. In the beginning of the story, Marlow describes pretty explicitly his opinions about women who apparently live in a separate kind of fantasy world full of castles and unicorns, and that once sprinkled with fairy dust, even the most horrid of places or things or people becomes (almost) worthy of the Gumdrop Forest. In a way, the lie preserved this supposed female fantasy. Especially since the Intended agreed with him and admitted it's what she expected. Also, in the most simplest of terms, it could be that Marlow decided not to tell her the truth because he would have to go into an elaborate explanation of why "the horror, the horror;" that would also take away from the symbolism of that exclamation. It would ruin the most famous quote of the book and I think Conrad did that on purpose in order to bring more weight and more mystery to Kurtz' last words.

Oh and I pick passage 5!

Reader's Response #3

At Part III of Conrad's Heart of Darkness we have reached the core of the novel, where the buildup of the first parts leads to: it is a revelation of truth sipping from the Congo's wilderness, tragedy, a voice of a Shadow, a lie - truth deeply anchored in the heart of darkness. It is vast and complex, full of chaos and darkness, hard to grasp in its entirety. Therefore, concentrating of certain aspects of this part permits the reader to gradually piece together Conrad's overall message about life, the world. Kurtz is the centerpiece of this passage, around which the whole tale evolves: an better understanding of the character, and his words, is what helps the reader further understand the extent of his demise - and thus start to understand Conrad's conclusion.

(...)
Kurtz is the dark, raw side of humanity. His desires, such as attaining a godlike status where he would be veneered by all, go to the extreme without any proper limits. He is not afraid to go beyond those boundaries, where the "unsound" awaits him- on the contrary, trespassing them is the only way for him to reach the fulfillment of his aspirations. He is the man without the restraints of society. The wilderness along with the 'primitive' culture of the natives have brought this out if him, they have "beguiled his unlawful soul beyond the bounds of permitted aspirations" (p.82). This is why he is so dependent on these people. They have not only given him a sense of power, but they are also what permitted him to 'decivilize' himself, letting loose his most profound desires. It is only through them that he can live with this notion that he can achieve what he wants to achieve: it is through/with them that he can finally live as he wants to live. His ultimate passion is to 'consume' the world: not just gain a dominance over it, but embrace its every aspect, fully grasp its complex integrity, be it.

Close Reading

I pick passage 2 !

"The horror! The horror!"

Here's my response to Kurtz's words, "The horror! The horror!". I didn't write about what I said in class today...I didn't exactly have that opinion or think about that when writing...

“The horror! The horror!”

“The horror! The horror!” is the last phrase uttered by Kurtz before he dies. There can, of course, be several interpretations for why Kurtz says this before he dies. First, it could be that he senses his death approaching quite fast, and he says “The horror! The horror!” because he doesn’t want to die (which would be an obvious reason), or because he thinks of his life, how he went about his business, and he knows he’s being punished for havoc he caused in the Congo and for taking advantage of the natives. He may regret everything he’s done: “Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge?” (86)

Secondly, this phrase could be a way to warn Marlow about what he has yet to experience: life after the Congo. Already, life in the Congo is not so pleasant for Marlow, riddled with horror, disease, and death, but it is life after the Congo to which he may need to readjust to. Indeed, the Congo may change the individuals who explore it, but how do they go back to rational thinking after having experienced such life-changing visions?

close reading

I call passage 3...

RR #3

In the whole of the book, I think Kurtz represents the dark side in our selves that is admiring because our dark side is always in a way thrilling and appealing. There is a certain admiration that people feel for him even when they know he is highly capable of doing dark things. The harlequin is in complete admiration of Kurtz even though he threatened to kill him. Even Marlow who knows what Kurtz is capable of and has no boundaries, still thinks highly of Kurtz. When he talks about the “choice of nightmares” which represents either following the manager and the company or Kurtz, Marlow chooses to follow Kurtz because by choosing Kurtz, Marlow will be able to discover himself in the purpose of his life, just as Kurtz did in the forest since he was shown to be so attached and interdependent of it. Marlow also chooses to keep Kurtz story safe because the story deserves to be told in an honorable way.

In the end, when Marlow meets Kurtz fiancée to present her his letters, she equally shows a strong admiration from Kurtz. We also see that Marlow was indeed affected by Kurtz’s death because he was mad at himself for just having sat there eating while Kurtz was dying in the next cabin. I think when she asks Marlow what his last words, Marlow does not want to tell her the truth about his last words being “The horror! The horror!” and says Kurtz’s last word were her name, because he does not to stop the illusion that Kurtz was this amazing and admirable person. In reality Kurtz was not thinking about his fiancée but rather that he was leaving his home forever and that his home no longer resided in Europe.

Excerpt from 3rd RR

The idea that Kurtz wanted to stay in the Congo in the forest with the natives relates to when he crawled into the forest from the steamer to go back to the natives. I think that that really showed that he wanted to stay because it took him so much physical effort since he was crawling on all fours and he doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would do something like that if it weren’t important. During this scene, Marlow talk about how he followed Kurtz into the forest towards the fire made by the natives and that he wanted to beat him up. I think that the relationship between Kurtz and Marlow is complicated and child like on Marlow’s part. First of all, their relationship is very one-sided seeing as Marlow was obsessed with Kurtz before they ever even met and Kurtz had never heard of him. Marlow had great admiration towards him and could not wait to meet him but once he heard about how he conversed and was ‘liked’ by the natives, he became angry that Kurtz did not live up to his standards. It was like a child meeting his idol for the first time and him not living up to his expectations and the perception that they had of the idol. And also in a childish way, Marlow became angry with this and wanted some sort of revenge for Kurtz not being like Marlow had expected so he became violent with him or at least wanted to.

Mystery in the Congo- they're all Colonel Mustard

A wee selection from my Reader Response
The locals treat Kurtz as a source of wisdom, of genius and of knowledge in the Congo, a sort of beacon. I think this is particularly interesting as it really represents Marlow’s descent into the Congo and the madness that takes Europeans there. This helps to paint the Congo even further as an element of Change, as it deeply changes the Europeans who set foot there, of which Marlow and especially Kurtz are the typical examples of this. For me, this definitely is the key element to building the air of mystery of the Congo in Heart. The book is heavily themed on the fact that the Congo is something unknown, dark and mysterious. Kurtz is similarly unknown and shady character and is thus a personalization of the Congo itself. Over the course of this passage, Marlow’s character is seen to begin degrading and getting used to life in the Congo, and as his mind degrades as well we can see him becoming more and more on the level of the natives. I also thought that Marlow’s commentaries on the cannibals were very interesting- he is wary of them and unsure why they haven’t eaten him, this adds to the tone of madness that pervades this part and adds some paranoia to Marlow’s character, which certainly helps to reinforce the tone of his loss of reason. Another important factor is Marlow’s loss of respect for Kurtz when he finds that he has lost his “Europeanness” and has “gone native.”

Exerpt From my RR

What I first realized directly after reading these first two parts was the ambiguity of the character of Marlow. Marlow is a character that has travelled around the world, but I have no idea what his job entails, and I don’t know why he decides to embark on these trips, other than to satisfy his desire to fill out the blank spots on maps. Other than Marlow’s motive to travel, I’m drawn to Marlow’s view on colonization, which remains extremely ambiguous. I’m sure Marlow is a character who is critical of the way the Belgian Congo is run because of his repeated use of irony. Throughout the first part of the novel, Marlow relies heavily on showing the inefficiency of the way the colonies are run. The opposition of the colonizers to the vastness of the African continent is described in order to show the futility of dominating and colonizing efficiently the entire continent. When Marlow encounters the French battleship off the coast of Africa, he is surprised by their inefficiency. They hope to simply eliminate a small “enemy” village (savages) by destroying the entire environment surrounding them, and shooting blindly onto the African continent thought the hope of destroying a small village. The French warship is describe in a semi-humorous way, using the diction of small and insignificance, compared to the immensity of the African landscape stretched in front of it: “Pop, would go one of the eight-inch guns; a small flame would dart and vanish, a little white smoke would disappear, a tiny projectile would give a feeble screech- and nothing happened”. Through this, Marlow provides an indirect criticism of the ways of colonization. Its as if this small French vessel was fighting against the entire continent, hoping to destroy it. Marlow takes a more direct approach quickly after: “There was a touch of insanity in the proceeding, a sense of lugubrious drollery (…)”. Marlow remains critical of the process of colonization throughout this part, and the means by which colonization is carried out.

However, if Marlow is actually critical of colonization, he never offers any sort of alternative way of governing, or never puts into question the European presence in Africa in the first place. He talks indirectly about every thing he is critical of, and I’m not sure what side he is on. Personally, I don’t think Marlow is a fervent racist but he doesn’t take into account the effects of colonization on colonized people. For example, when he see’s the group of African prisoners chained together, and being guarded by another African, he feel’s uneasy. He is critical of the treatment of the African workers, when their masters beat for the slightest wrongs. However, Marlow is more concerned by the effects of Africa on the colonizers than the effects of the colonizers on Africa. Marlow hears the story of Freslevin, the man who held his position before him. He was always described as a tender man, yet he was “changed” by Africa, and died in a conflict with local people. In truth, Freslevin died because he killed a local villager over hens, and the local village revolted. Freslevin wasn’t as tender and gentle a person as one could have believed.

Close Reading

I shot the passage on p. 50.

RR #2 pgs 57-59

Marlow doesn’t explicitly show his emotions, but there is a sense that he is concerned and just doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions. He isn’t acting impressed like the other fellow there with him or showing that he is shocked in any way. The way the helmsman died “without uttering a sound, without moving a limb, without twitching a muscle” reveals to be unexpected for the two white men because they are just standing over him. It looks as If they are waiting for the helmsman to act in response. It is not until the helmsman frowns that Marlow reacts. Marlow is affected by this death in a strange way. He eagerly asks the other guy to steer the wheel with no other choice, so that he can take his shoes and socks off that are soaked in blood. In addition, Marlow adds “to tell you the truth”, which shows that he is conscience of affection towards this death. Marlow is trying to get rid of the thought of this death by eagerly trying to take his shoes off, “tugging like mad at the shoe-laces”. This reminded me of Lady Macbeth washing “the blood” off her hands to try to rub off her guilt , and here Marlow is trying very hard to forget what happened and lose all evidence of the death. The noun “mad” reveals how and concerned he was. This can also be a foreshadowing of what the journey is going to do to Marlow and how it will affect him in becoming somewhat “mad”.

Towson's Book R+R 2

Marlow, who refers to himself as "not particularly tender", does quite often show his disgust periodically for his surroundings, yet indeed does not seem particularly emotive or passionate during the length of his trip (of which he doubts the purpose). However, upon finding the "dirty soft" confines of the book within the hut, it is as though he is reborn. He is filled with fierce pride and happiness at the image of the simple book on navigation, feeling as though he has once again come into contact with mankind, with civilization as he knows it. The worn quality of the book and the stains this brutal wilderness has inflicted on it does not remove the spell that has been cast on Marlow.

He even notes what he believes to be a cipher and once again marvels at human ingenuity (this later is revealed to be Russian). This is revelatory of Marlow's deep yearning for his own civilization, his own culture where he can bask in the evident sense of things, in the rewarding realm of logic and literacy. As he mentions before, he feels as though he were living in a dream, out of touch with reality as long as he is in the Congo. Any mark of his own society, whether the accountant's glossed appearance or this withered book, sparks his fervent admiration and nostalgia.

RR : Close Reading

In the first paragraph the first thing that Marlow notices is the heavy machinery at the top of the hill as well as the regular explosions. The contrast between the “grass [and] path leading up the hill” contrasts well with the “pieces of decaying machinery.” This explicit contrast implicitly suggests the contrast between the European industrial footprint with the local natural environment. So already we get the sense that the Company’s presence in the region is not one that benefits, meshes with its environment but one that denies the locality and imposes itself. Meanwhile the adjectives such as “carcass” “dead” “decaying” and “rusty” all serve the same purpose: to show the physical condition of the station but also the psychological. As if stuck in a timeless purgatory, the machinery has become obsolete and is slowly disintegrating with lack of use. Later in the passage he makes a reference to “the devil” as if this were hell and the devil was presiding over all the banished souls. Of course the reproach is on the devil himself: devil of “violence” “greed” “hot desire” all refer to highly appointed generals, business men and politicians in the European sphere. Of course only the devil would be able to condemn such innocent people to work for nothing.

one more thing...

a super smart and helpful lecture on the challenges (and rewards) of reading Heart of Darkness.  If you're feeling lost, give it a try.  It's great!
http://mural.uv.es/rosegar/critica1.htm

RR passage The accountant

First of all, he is one of the first men that Marlow has recognized as an actual human being that is similar to him and on the same level as him because since then, he was just describing the indigenous people and he seemed to strip away all of their human qualities from them until they appeared to be animals. And we see that when he says that he respects the accountant. He respected the fact that this man took the time every day for three years to dress the way he did and to have that appearance. But I don’t think that Marlow really saw why he was doing this.
The accountant does this everyday and has his office all neat to get away from the insanity that affects the people who come to the Congo form Europe. When he keeps his routines, he keeps his sanity. He even goes as far as to try and teach one of the native women how to press the suits. It is like the expression out of sight out of mind. The accountant does not wants to keep his routines alive because if he doesn’t, the Congo and all its insanity will come rushing in and take him over like it has so many other men who have not lasted as long as him. His job of keeping the Congo out of him also comes with being rather heartless when it comes to the natives. For example when the weak dying man comes into him office, he seems indifferent and he only complains about the man’s moaning.

Sheet of the Week 2/7

Happy Superbowl!  I hope you're eating some nachos, kicking up your feet and of course, finishing your reading for tomorrow.  There's nothing like a little Darkness to get you ready for half-time...

Anyway -- just a few reminders for the week:

For Monday, you should have read at least through p. 84, with plans to finish the novel by Wednesday.  Your final RR will be due on Thursday.  By now you should have posted your first response (or part of it) on the blog and responded to at least one of your classmates' posting.  We'll do the same for the 3rd response (don't worry about posting the 2nd; I can only read so much!) 

In the meantime, we'll talk a little more about part 2 tomorrow, then move to part 3 in the second hour and on Wednesday.  We'll also start talking about the commentary and Poisonwood questions which will be due after break.

I'm posting the passages on the Heart of Darkness/Poisonwood page (to the left).  To reserve yours, click on the page, read and put your initials by the one you prefer.  First come, first served!

Finally, follow this link for the Achebe article I've been mentioning in class.  We may not get to it till after the break, but have a look when you have a moment.  I think you'll find it scientifically interesting...

http://kirbyk.net/hod/image.of.africa.html
Till tomorrow!

RR#2 Part II Heart of Darkness

Cannibals

The cannibals are natives who were hired by the whites to work on Marlow’s steamship that had just gotten repaired and which was sailing on a two month trip to get to Kurtz. Marlow was actually impressed by the good work of the natives, called cannibals by the whites, done on the steamer as well as their patience, resistance, their attitude; not till that point showing their animalistic character. What seemed to confuse Marlow about these natives was the fact that they were maybe normal and not inhuman. This should prove to be a further step in Marlow’s detachment from the colonists’ beliefs about the natives. Furthermore, Marlow not being on very good terms with the manager and the other Europeans, he could see, from a different and closer perspective, the work of the natives on the steamer, their alertness, despite being very hungry. Marlow showed some admiration towards them after taking a closer look as well as more respect. Moreover, there seems to be a contradiction, as when the steamship seemed to be attacked, it is actually the pilgrims who acted like savages and started shooting everywhere while, on the other hand, the cannibals remained calm and did not turn against the people on the ship but instead defended them, stood by them and did not resort to violence as the pilgrims did.

Ivory

Here is my short response on the symbol of Ivory in Heart of Darkness:

Ivory may usually be found on elephants, as it is the main component of their tusks. In effect, in Africa there are a lot of elephants and at the time this novel was written, the ivory was quite important. In the passage we have read, Marlow compares the ivory to a religion that the white people are worshiping. He describes the men as: “faithless pilgrims bewitched inside a rotten fence. (…) You would think they were
praying to it [Ivory].” In fact we can say that Ivory represents the white men’s desire to come to Africa and take everything precious they have, everything that has some value in Europe or elsewhere. It somewhat represents the avarice of the white men. I think Ivory is a strong symbol as for Marlow; it represents the God most men are worshipping at the Company. It may have another meaning later in the books as Ivory may have different signification or a stronger one than just the desire of wealth.