The Light and Dark of Colonialism Exposed in Heart of Darkness
In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, challenges a dominant view by exposing the evil nature and the darkness associated with the colonialist ventures. It is expressed by Marlow as "robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as it is very proper for those who tackle a darkness." The European colonialists are portrayed as blind lightbearers, people having a façade of progress and culture, yet are blind of their actions. They think they are brining a light to a darkness, yet they are the real darkness or evil. Conrad's critique of European colonialism is most apparent through the oppositions of light and darkness, with the contrast of good and evil in characters often foregrounding and developing Conrad's theme of the "darkness" in an activity said to "bring light" to a culture void of these elements.
Through the use of characters, Conrad creates an opposition of the light and darkness of colonialism. Marlow and Kurtz have been likened to two sides of one soul. Initially Marlow is disgusted with what he sees during his employment with the ivory company. He is shocked and angered at the horrible treatment of the black workers and by the end of his tale, he has rejected the white "light" in favor of the real truth and reality, the "light" of the black natives. In this way, through his realization of his kinship with the blacks, Marlow emerges as the "light" half: what Kurtz may have been if he had not had to suffer the hardship he did. However, because of extreme hardships placed upon him by the manager, and his lack of focus on his work, Kurtz becomes the "dark" half of the soul, he symbolizes what Marlow may ...
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In Heart of Darkness, cultural identity and the dominance of the European, white male is constructed and asserted through the constructions of the "other", that is the African natives and females, largely through language and setting. Thus, while claims of Conrad's forwardness in producing a text that critiques colonialism may be valid, Heart of Darkness is ultimately a product of it's time and therefore confirms the contextual notions of difference.
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Throughout Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad points to the hypocrisy and horrors associated with colonialism. The half-English, half-French Kurtz is the main vehicle used to convey his theme of European colonialism, as “all [of] Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz” (Conrad 164). It was Kurtz who goes to Africa for the "sake of loot, and thus becomes a great literary symbol for the decadence of colonialism" (Zins 63). With his help, Marlow dissects the reasoning behind colonialism, eventually seeing its evil nature.
On November 22nd, 1963, the thirty-fifth president, John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, was assassinated in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, TX. This event would later become one of the most infamous and discussed conspiracies of the century, sparking controversy across the nation. His shooter was an ex-marine, sharp shooter named Lee Harvey Oswald. Over the years, many government officials have pledged that President JFK’s death was a one-man job. However, researchers and theorists suspect that this was not the case due to sketchy coincidences and fragmented information they struggle to piece together. These have lead the public as well as some experts to believe and hypothesize their own conspiracies like the assassination being a more elaborate scheme or inside job.
During the last 50 years since President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s assassination more than a handful of stories about what may have truly happened have come to light. CNN believes they found one theory that could actually hold the truth to what happened on that fateful day. In the years since the assassination numerous conspiracy theories have been released with countless amounts of books, news articles, T.V. episodes, and movies from many people trying to prove what they believe to be the truth of the assassination. Whether you believe Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman or you believe there is a deeper darker story behind it, one thing is for sure, is the debate is still heavily present even half a decade later. Thanks to JFK Records Act
The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. was a very emotional time in our nation's history. This horrifying incident occurred on November 22, 1963, in a motorcade procession in Dallas, Texas. At 12:30 in the afternoon the procession was going down Elm Street in Dealy Plaza, when shots were fired. One struck President Kennedy in the throat and moments later a bullet tore apart his head. At 1:00 p.m., President JFK was pronounced dead. That same afternoon, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested as a suspect of murder. Oswald however, pleaded his innocence by stating, " I'm just a patsy." This caused many suspicions and questions. Was he a lone assassin? Was he innocent? Was there a conspiracy against the president? These questions called for Lyndon B. Johnson, the new president, to form the Warren Commission specifically to investigate the assassination. It was named for the Chairman, and the Chief Justice of the United States, Earl Warren. This commission, after ten months of investigation, presented their report to President Johnson. The 26 volumes of testimony and exhibits, " overwhelmingly supported the conclusions that the assassination was no conspiracy, but the work of one unhappy man, Lee Harvey Oswald." (New York Times) However many Americans continued to believe there was a conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. The book Cover- Up, by Stewart Galanor, is a great description of the facts and fictions of the investigation.
Netzley, Patricia D. The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. New York: New Discovery, 1994. Print.
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, something is always contrasted against something else. Within the title itself, the contrast of light and dark is made. Throughout the book, the contrast is made between good and evil, between the pilgrims and the cannibals that Marlow encounters. Using the ironic opposition of the pilgrims and the cannibals will present a way into a post-colonial analysis of the book.
“ The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” (Conrad 65) So stated Marlow as though this was his justification for ravaging the Congo in his search for ivory. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and the reality of it as is evidenced by the domination, torture, exploitation and dehumanization of the African population. Heart of Darkness is indicative of the evil and greed in humanity as personified by Kurtz and Marlow.
A masterpiece of twentieth-century writing, Heart of Darkness exposes the tenuous fabric that holds "civilization" together and the brutal horror at the center of European colonialism. Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness, describes a life-altering journey that the protagonist, Marlow, experiences in the African Congo. The story explores the historical period of colonialism in Africa to exemplify Marlow's struggles. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is most often read as an attack upon colonialism. Marlow, like other Europeans of his time, is brought up to believe certain things about colonialism, but his views change as he experiences the effects of colonialism first hand. This essay will look at Marlow's negative view of colonialism, which is shaped through his experiences and from his relation to Kurtz. Marlow's understanding of Kurtz's experiences show him the effects colonialism can have on a man's soul.
Simply speaking, rainforests are basically the foundation of the earth. The most important role that rainforests play is ‘the lungs of the earth’. This is extremely vital to the earth’s survival as the trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide which they use to help grow and let out oxygen which we need to live. This system is known as the carbon-oxygen cycle and with numbers of rainforests declining, it is highly threatened. The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon, alone is known to produce half of the world’s oxygen. A break down in the carbon-oxygen cycle means that we will not only have less oxygen, but an increase in carbon dioxide which eventually leads to global warming. This occurs as carbon dioxide traps heat which actually keeps the earth warm, with the right amount of carbon dioxide that is. This is called the greenhouse effect and occurs naturally however due to decreasing number of trees, there is more carbon dioxide than needed which traps extra heat making the earth hotter than needed, this is known as global warming which also causes a rise in sea level.
In the opening of his novel, Heart of Darkness, Conrad, through Marlow, establishes his thoughts on colonialism. He says that conquerors only use brute force, "nothing to boast of" because it arises, by accident, from another's weakness. Marlow compares his subsequent tale of colonialism with that of the Roman colonization of Northern Europe and the fascination associated with such an endeavor. However, Marlow challenges this viewpoint by painting a heinous picture of the horrors of colonialist ventures as we delve deeper into the recesses of the novel. Here we find that Marlow sees colonization as "robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as it is very proper for those who tackle darkness." Further, he sees such conquests as taking land and materials away from those people who "have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses." As he understands it, colonization is only successful if there lays within it a "devotion to efficiency" and a creation of civilization, not exploitation (Conrad, 4). In the novel, as seen through the eyes of his narrator Marlow, Conrad offers a frank critique of European imperial colonialism be alluding to the poignant differences between black and white and dark and light.
By the time Marlow and Kurtz meet, Marlow is already well aware of the similarities they share. Both are imperialists, and while Marlow detests the treatment of the natives by his employers (Belgian colonists), he also makes apparent his abhorrence toward the Africans. On the other hand, Kurtz abandons the pretense of helping the natives achieve civilization, as displayed by the Europeans. Instead, he adopts their customs and becomes their leader in the never-ending quest for ivory. "He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, 'must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of the supernatural beings- we approach them with the might as of a deity' (Longman, 2000, p. 2226). Marlow also admired Kurtz' resourcefulness and survival skills, especially his perseverence through jungle fever. "The wilderness had patted him on the head....it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation. He was its spoiled and pampered favorite." (Longman, 2000, p. 2225).