This essay will be about a comparative study of the representation of colonialism as a positive or negative force. The texts that are being used are my core text ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad and ‘Collected Poems’ by Rudyard Kipling. The partner text will be ‘Swami and Friends’ by R. K. Narayan.
‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad was written in 1902 at the turn of the century. It is a novella and published in 3 parts in the Blackwood’s Magazine. It is regarded as a significant work of English literature and is part of the Western Cannon. The work was well received by a fairly bewildered Victorian Audience. Joseph Conrad born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski was Polish-born. Conrad had become a naturalized British Citizen although he could not speak fluent English until he was in his twenties. Conrad had served in the British marines for over 10 years had travelled to Africa, which meant that he had experience what he was writing about. Conrad was actually sent up the Congo River to an inner station to rescue an agent as did Marlow in ‘Hear of Darkness’. The novella is somewhat representative of Conrad’s own experiences.
‘Collected Poems of Rudyard Kipling’. Kipling born on 30 December 1865 and died 18 January 1936 was a British author and poet. Born in Bombay, in British India he is well known for his works of fiction The Jungle Book (1894) and his poems, including Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), and If (1910). Kipling came to be recognized by George Orwell as a "prophet of British imperialism."(1) Orwell statement show Kipling as a literature Genious. The poems that will be discussed in this essay are from a Selected Poems by Rudyard Kipling are ‘Mandalay’, ‘This is England’, ‘Gunga Din’ and ‘The White Man’s Bur...
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...he title connotes that other races (in all probability Indians) are a ‘burden’ to the ‘white man’ (probably the British), from the title it is distinguishable that there may be a hint of racism. The speaker in the poem refers to the natives as ‘Half-devil and half-child’ this phrase is derogatory to the natives and shows Kipling as being racist. At the time of Kipling writing racism was not uncommon so it may not be a racist attack but the poem could have been misinterpreted in today’s society. The poem is unlikely to be meant as racist but as anti-imperialism as Kipling wrote many anti-racism poems such as ‘Gunga Din’.
Works Cited
(1) http://www.george-orwell.org/Rudyard_Kipling/0.html
(2) http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-literary-criticism/narayan-r-k
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Man's_Burden
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_Africa
Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness uses character development and character analysis to really tell the story of European colonization. Within Conrad's characters one can find both racist and colonialist views, and it is the opinion, and the interpretation of the reader which decides what Conrad is really trying to say in his work.
Although Kipling supports the objective of imperialism, he identifies several flaws associated with it. Firstly, he refers to the duties of the empire as a “burden,” which portrays the negative aspects of imperialism. Secondly, he warns the reader that if he “take[s] up the White Man’s burden” (Kipling line 34), “the blame of those [he] better[s]” and “the hate of those [he] guard[s]” will haunt him. Even though he will supposedly be helping the uncolonized by imposing British rule upon them, they will blame him and hate him. Kipling tells the reader that the White Man’s burden is in fact a “burden”: it is a hardship that he takes upon himself for the sake and goodness of the uncolonized peoples.
Joseph Conrad is the author of the novel, The Heart of Darkness, along with many other profound works. Compared on any scale, Conrad is nowhere near average. Joseph Conrad is a very interesting character who sees the world through wide eyes. By traveling the world and exploring the many walks of life he is able to discuss common global views and habits that include injustices which are explained in his renowned novel, The Heart of Darkness.
Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden” articulates the imperialism of the English empire into India, Cambodia, China, and Africa. The English thought it their duty to go out and take over these barbaric nations to civilize them. They justified their act of westernizing and destroying others’ cultures as the “burden’ they were born to bear. “And when your goal is nearest the end for others sought, watch sloth and heathen folly bring all your hopes to nought.” They blamed the ineffectiveness of their efforts on the native’s laziness. They are the ones whose whole world is being flipped upside down; being submerged in a new culture with new laws and strange people. Yet, somehow they are the lazy ones and despite the trails for the white man at the end of the day it is beneficial to the savages.
Joseph Conrad was a fiction novelist who became one of the most well know novelists of his day. One of the pieces he was responsible for was a book called Heart of Darkness. This book was written about a group that was in search of a man named Kurtz down the Congo River. In the writing of this book, Conrad did a very good job of keeping his readers interested because anything could have happened. Conrad used many symbols and made the characters do certain things that kept the readers guessing. Conrad used things like fog, and changing the way that characters are acting, which made the journey in the book more ominous and less obvious. Joseph Conrad’s
Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness Written by Joseph Conrad in the early 20th century, "The Heart of
Joseph Conrad’s own experiences during his trip through the Congo helped him provide a foundation for the writing of Heart of Darkness. In 1890, Conrad took a job as a captain on the river steamer Kinshasa. Before Conrad took this job, he had worked for the French merchant navy as a way to escape Russian military service and also to escape the emotional troubles that had plagued him. Conrad had been in a financial crisis that was resolved with help from his uncle. After this series of events, Conrad joined the British merchant navy at the beckoning of his uncle and took the job as the captain of a steamboat in the Congo River. An important fact to remember is that Conrad was a young and inexperienced man when he was exposed to the harsh and dangerous life of a sailor. His experiences in the West Indies and especially in the Belgium Congo were eye opening and facilitated his strong outlooks that are reflected in the book Heart of Darkness. Conrad’s journey through the Belgian Congo gave him the experiences and knowledge to write about a place that most Europeans would never see in their lives.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, “opens at sunset with Marlow in the company of four friends aboard the yawl Nellie at anchor in the Thames estuary waiting the turn of the tide” (Knowles and Moore 173). Marlow tells the story of his personal experience in the Congo. He, as a sailor of a steamboat, departed from Europe to Africa, where was “one of the dark places of the earth” (Conrad 3). His first assignment was to rescue Kurtz, who was a top agent working of the company in Africa and had fallen ill. Marlow voyaged along the Congo River. On the way up to the Congo, he “passed through several abandoned villages” (Conrad 17). He felt “the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck him as something great and invincible” (Conrad 20). He went through three stations of his company: Outer Station, Central Station, and Inner Station. He saw the despicable behavior of the European traders had done to the Africa natives, only for ivory. Marlow presented with this unseen violence in the cruel suffering of the indigenous Congolese. He saw the corruption of imperialists through his journey. He witnessed scenes of the “horrors” in the Congo. He was shocked by the “horrors.” He described his pilgrimage like nightmares. Conrad uses a frame narrative (Chantler 11) to show his attitude towards imperialism in the depiction of the different stations along Marlow's journey and the people that Marlow encounters.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a novel about a man named Marlow and his journey into the depths of the African Congo. Marlow is in search of a man named Kurtz, an ivory trader. Though Marlow?s physical journey seems rather simple, it takes him further into his own heart and soul than into the Congo. The setting, symbols and characters each contain light and dark images, these images shape the central theme of the novel.
Every story has a plot, but not every story has a deeper meaning. When viewed superficially, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a tragic tale of the white man's journey into the African jungle. When we peel away the layers, however, a different journey is revealed - we venture into the soul of man, complete with the warts as well as the wonderful. Conrad uses this theme of light and darkness to contrast the civilized European world with the savage African world in Heart of Darkness.
al experiences in his novel, Heart of Darkness. Joseph Conrad had always been enthralled with the open oceans, maps, and uncharted territories of the African continent. He was hired by a British Company to operate a small steamship on the African Congo. He went on this trip and while there began keeping journals that would later become the basis for this novel.
* Conrad, Joseph. “Heart of Darkness” in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, M.H. Abrams, general editor. (London: W.W. Norton, 1962, 2000)
Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, was written in the year 1902, a time of modernist literature. Heart of Darkness talks about the problems with alienation and confusion as much as it does about imperialism. In the early 1900’s, the lifestyle in England veered towards the Victorian values. Conrad’s novella makes a bridge to connect the Victorian values with the ideas of modernism. Thus “it belongs to a period of change.”(Sardar) For example, the natives are following in the footsteps of their predecessors, following a life of tradition, and their ideas of life are constantly being attacked by people like Mr. Kurtz who think they are doing what is best, when in reality they are creating more confusion
The "Heart of Darkness," written by Joseph Conrad in 1899 as a short story, is about two men who face their own identities as what they consider to be civilized Europeans and the struggle to not to abandon their themselves and their morality once they venture into the "darkness." The use of "darkness" is in the book's title and in throughout the story and takes on a number of meanings that are not easily understood until the story progresses. As you read the story you realize that the meaning of "darkness" is not something that is constant but changes depending on the context it used.
Heart of Darkness was written during the time of British imperialism and extreme exploitation of Africans in the Congo. The British were exploiting the Africans in an effort to extract ivory from the primitive jungle. Throughout the novel, Conrad expresses his dislike with the 'civilized' white people exploiting the 'savage' black Africans. Conrad also uses several literary devices in his writing to portray and express several messages. The writing style, techniques, structure and themes in Heart of Darkness all combine to create one of the most renowned, respected and mysterious novels of all time. Conrad wrote an ultimate enigma for readers to interpret and critically analyze for years to come.