May92012

The Times They Are A-Changin     -Bob Dylan

This is a great song and I feel like it’s pretty relevant to what we’ve been reading in Things Fall Apart. I think the song is mainly talking about the changes going on in society in the sixties. That whole atmosphere of change -and acceptance (or lack thereof) of ‘the new’- is prominent in Things Fall Apart. We have begun reading about the effects of the white imperialists invading the Ibo tribes and the different reactions to it amongst the natives. There are the people like Nwoye and the efulefu (outcasts) who embrace these new ideals. However, those who want to maintain the traditional lifestyle of their tribe -like Okonkwo- are vehemently opposed to theses changes.
While Dylan offers the sense that these new ‘changes’ are actually beneficial to the bigger picture (but to the readers of Things Fall Apart, the invasion of the entitled white people seems like something that should not be accepted), we see that attitudes differ in the eye of the beholder.

Also, the line “And don’t criticize what you can’t understand” is a fitting lesson that can be learned from this book. Things Fall Apart (and Heart of Darkness) is filled with beliefs being forced on others and a lack of understanding of different cultures. This rings true with the line “what is good among one people is an abomination with others” (pg 141). People believe there must be a “right” and “wrong” culture and religion, when in reality, people should accept change while holding onto their own values in order to exist harmoniously.

Thoughts :)?

-Annsley

Bob Dylan times they are a-changin things fall apart Chinua Achebe Heart of Darkness sixties change acceptance coexist 

May82012

Dehumanization

In Chinua Achebe’s essay, “An image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness,”Achebe believes that Conrad dehumanizes Africa and Africans. Achebe provides textual evidence, such as when Conrad describes the natives’ languages as “a violent babble of uncouth sounds” and “exchanged short grunting phrases.” Conrad also occasionally compared the natives to animals. For example, when describing some of the first natives he sees Marlow says, “black rags were wound round their loins and the short ends behind waggled to and fro like tails” (15). 

Although Achebe accuses Conrad of dehumanizing the natives, isn’t Achebe guilty of dehumanizing by focusing on a character who has a disconnect from human emotions and willing to kill to show strength in his book Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo, the main character, believes that showing any emotion is showing weakness. He beats his wives without showing any emotions, except anger. Okonkwo also kills Ikemefuna, whom he considers his own son, in order to prove that he is strong enough to do so.  By creating a character with no emotions and willing to kill to prove himself, is Achebe also guilty of dehumanization?

-Gabby 

dehumanization conrad things fall apart Heart of Darkness achebe 

May22012

Slow and Steady Wins the Race?

In Things Fall Apart, Ekwefi tells a poignant proverb of a turtle who cunningly misleads the birds into allowing him to attend their feast and then tricks them out of their meal.  Usually, such deceitful behavior would be punishable by death, such treason would surely yield horrible punishments in Europe.  Yet, in this “savage” society the turtle does not die, rather he carries a mark for his actions, his jagged shell.   This reminds me of the way that Hester, from The Scarlet Letter, was treated.  She defied the very principles that the Puritan society was founded upon: purity and fidelity, and even though she was outcasted her life was spared.  Therefore, I’m just curious to what you guys think of these two questions. 

In your opinion, is it more civilized to kill a person for their wrongdoings or to allow them to live but to distinguish them from the rest of the general population?  What does this say about the two different societies?

AMY

heart of darkness things fall apart turtles proverbs 

April242012

Animal Symbolism

In both Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart, there is the the motif of comparing African natives to animals.  Many people believe that Conrad’s perception of the natives as, ants, savages and crouching creatures, is extremely racist; Conrad’s way of dehumanizing an entire race.  But within the first paragraph ofThings Fall Apartthe same comparison is being made yet the tone is praising the strength and agility of a cat, as a way to compliment a human.  Amalinze the Cat, a fierce competitor, remained unbeaten for seven years was given the nickname “the Cat” because his back never touched the ground (3).  The cat is renowned for its agility and speed, all favorable qualities, that can only be intended as a compliment for Amalinze.  Even though both authors compare Africans to animals, their intentions could not be more opposite.

AMY 

heart of darkness things fall apart animals 

April222012

In his critical essay on Heart of Darkness, the author Chinua Achebe mentions how artists like Picasso and Matisse were fascinated by the masks of the Fang people. These artists, well on their way to introducing the European art scene to cubism, were of the same era as Joseph Conrad, but unlike the latter, they channeled their fascination with African art to a wholly positive and original cause; while African influence is stylistically present in cubist works, the artists themselves did not obviously depict any of their opinions on African culture.

In looking at how the cubists of the early 1900s graciously borrowed from African art, and comparing this with Conrad’s handling of his own observations of Africa, I am inclined to agree with Achebe - that Conrad seems to not borrow from and therefore admire African culture, but he seems to steal from African culture, and pawn it off as a setting for his novel that  is deep down only a novel about chaos and despair, that happens to use Africa and its people as a background.

_Mikhaila

art Chinua Achebe Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness cubism The Fang People Matisse Picasso 

April212012
Terrifying Brightness When I was 7 years old, I was exposed to the artist Matthew Barney’s haunting video piece, Cremaster 3. Visually, the main character (a man covered in white make-up, clad in a hot pink kilt and a crown of cotton candy fluff), and the scenery (the stark white spiraling walls of the Gugenhiem Museum) are very bright, almost kitschy. Judging by the color scheme alone, this is a palette that embodies the meaning of cheerfulness; there was not a drop of dark imagery in the film. However, the spiraling walls seemed to spiral relentlessly towards some unforeseen hell, and the pastel and neon colors are blinding. During the whole of this film, I began to feel that there was an eerie, brooding gloom hanging over me… Sound familiar?   In Heart of Darkness, Marlow too experiences a sort of “brooding gloom” in the midst brightness - a bank of white fog, which he notes as “more blinding than night” (39). Accordingly, it is within this white fog that matters become more and more disturbing for the colonists - the opposite of what Marlow and his crew expect.       In Western culture, there are established symbols and meanings for those symbols. For the Europeans in Heart of Darkness, darkness connotes ignorance, death, chaos, etc. But especially in this instance of white fog, Conrad pulls the rug out beneath the feet of typical Western philosophy, as he alternatively uses light to evoke an ominous scene.  Today, as certain colors and logos and letters have come to be associated with finite and marketable meanings, our society begins to reach the limits of originality… So, I truly admire how people like Matthew Barney and Joseph Conrad have ventured to question imagery as we know it. _Mikhaila

Terrifying Brightness

When I was 7 years old, I was exposed to the artist Matthew Barney’s haunting video piece, Cremaster 3. Visually, the main character (a man covered in white make-up, clad in a hot pink kilt and a crown of cotton candy fluff), and the scenery (the stark white spiraling walls of the Gugenhiem Museum) are very bright, almost kitschy. Judging by the color scheme alone, this is a palette that embodies the meaning of cheerfulness; there was not a drop of dark imagery in the film. However, the spiraling walls seemed to spiral relentlessly towards some unforeseen hell, and the pastel and neon colors are blinding. During the whole of this film, I began to feel that there was an eerie, brooding gloom hanging over me…

Sound familiar?  

In Heart of Darkness, Marlow too experiences a sort of “brooding gloom” in the midst brightness - a bank of white fog, which he notes as “more blinding than night” (39). Accordingly, it is within this white fog that matters become more and more disturbing for the colonists - the opposite of what Marlow and his crew expect.

      In Western culture, there are established symbols and meanings for those symbols. For the Europeans in Heart of Darkness, darkness connotes ignorance, death, chaos, etc. But especially in this instance of white fog, Conrad pulls the rug out beneath the feet of typical Western philosophy, as he alternatively uses light to evoke an ominous scene.

 Today, as certain colors and logos and letters have come to be associated with finite and marketable meanings, our society begins to reach the limits of originality… So, I truly admire how people like Matthew Barney and Joseph Conrad have ventured to question imagery as we know it.

_Mikhaila

Cremaster 3 Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad Matthew Barney art 

12PM

“…the sound of her low voice seemed to have the accompaniment of all the other sounds full of mystery, desolation, and sorrow I had ever heard - the ripple of the river, the soughing of the trees swayed by the wind, the murmurs of the crowds, the faint ring of incomprehensible words cried from afar, the whisper of a voice speaking from beyond the threshold of an eternal darkness” (75) - Kurtz’s fiance.

Throughout Marlow’s journey, he constantly envisioned Kurtz as a voice personified. In the last few pages of the novel, he travels one year later to visit Kurtz’s Intended to deliver remaining belongings of Kurtz. While he is listening to her reminisce and praise her deceased fiance, he comes to the realization that Kurtz and his fiance were polar opposites who came to balance each other out with their perception of life. In this quote, Marlow listens to her as she speaks of her fallen loved one and her voice reminds him of his journey through the Congo and even of Kurtz, speaking from beyond the eternal darkness of death. This observation only enforces Marlow’s belief and faith in Kurtz, even though he had already been consumed by the darkness of the Congo and his colonizing mission. The words “mystery”, “desolation”, and “sorrow” all emphasize and embody Marlow’s perception of Kurtz. Both Kurtz and his fiance spoke to Marlow with voices that embodied more than themselves, which further influenced Marlow’s understanding that he  himself must continue his journey down the river of life. 

~Megan

Heart of Darkness Marlow journey river voices 

April202012

This is the trailer for the movie, The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland and directed by Victor Fleming. This movie is so relevant to Heart of Darkness because the protagonist, Dorothy, travels further and further into a new world in order to find the Wizard of Oz. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow travels deeper and deeper on the Congo river in order to find Kurtz. Kurtz promises endless ivory because of his sucess with the natives and the Wizard promises something for each of Dorothy’s companions. The Wizard is supposed to be an all-powerful being who can control their fates just as Kurtz is able to bring prosperity to his buisness. It turns out that the Wizard is actually an old man hiding behind a curtain who uses his voice and an illusion to control those around him. Marlow also says that Kurtz “…was little more than a voice” (48). The praises surrounding Kurtz seemed to outweigh the actual Kurtz because when Marlow finally meets Kurtz, he is a sickly invalid. We came up with the theme of illusions, or having not everything as it seems, and both Kurtz and the Wizard are perfect examples of this idea.

-Amanda

media heart of darkness wizard of oz dorothy judy garland yellow brick road kurtz marlow 

12AM

The power of expression and the importance of one’s voice in the Heart of Darkness…

Alright, so I understand using this speech to blog about ‘voice’ may be a little cliche, but it was the first thing that came to mind when thinking of a powerful and influential speaker. Aaaaand seeing as I’m focusing on Kurtz’s abilities, it seems odd to make a parallel between the power of Kurtz (who in many ways is evil, greedy, and sinful) to the virtuous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - but hopefully it’ll work out :)….
Anyways throughout the book and many times when Kurtz is dying, we see mentions of voice - “the voice”, whispers, cry, forms of speaking. “There was a lamp in there — light, don’t you know — and outside it was so beastly, beastly dark. I went no more near the remarkable man who had pronounced a judgment upon the adventures of his soul on this earth. The voice was gone. What else had been there?” (69). 
I believe that all of Kurtz’s power came from his voice. His “gift of expression” (47), enabled him to mesmerize and draw people in. They learned his ideas and felt that they had to seen a new side to the world. They listened to him.  In the quote above, Marlow questions what is left really once your voice is gone. Especially for Kurtz who had such power behind his words and ideas, -thanks to his incredible abilities to speak, much like MLK’s- his voice made him who he was. Everyone who met him and heard him seemed to be infatuated by his presence and even whispers.  Yes, he had plans and ideas that seemed to be revolutionary and compelling to those who heard of them, but the important component to all of this is that Kurtz was able to articulate them and in an influential manner. In the same way, MLK could rally people behind his cause and ideals partly because of the passion and power he initially spoke them with.
On a broader note, speech/expression and conveying one’s ideas is the book itself. Marlow is telling his story and Joseph Conrad is making people see the truth through a complex and powerful use of words.

-Annsley

Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad Martin Luther King MLK I Have A Dream Voice Expression 

April182012

"The approach to this Kurtz grubbing for ivory in the wretched bush was beset by as many dangers as though he had been an enchanted princess sleeping in a fabulous castle" (pg 42)

Conrad uses this moment to create an epic comparison between Marlow searching for Kutrz and a knight searching for an enchanted princess. Both put the protagonist in a heroic, positive light as he rescues his desired person (even though Marlow doesn’t exactly have the initial intention of saving Kurtz from the insanity and absurdness of the Congo wilderness).

In my eyes, a great representation of this fairy-tale scene is when Shrek and Donkey journey to rescue Princess Fiona in the first Shrek movie. This clip, though riddled with funny dialogue between Donkey and Shrek, has several elements that reproduce the epic atmosphere that I picture when a knight saves his damsel in distress, while still connecting to the dangers of the Congo presented in the novel, like a rickety bridge (similar to the winding and unreliable waters of the river?) crossing over a pit of bubbling lava (if we continue the Dante’s Inferno metaphor, the lava symbolizes Hell?).

Additionally, this quote serves as another moment of uncertainty in the novel. At this moment our image of Kurtz is still rather, well, foggy. Marlow refers to him as “this Kurtz” in order to relay the idea that he is still a rather ambiguous figure, whom no one actually knows for sure. This relates to the Shrek clip because Shrek and Donkey don’t know anything about their journey certainly either, and Donkey even asks where the Princess will be. Also, Shrek and Donkey are clueless with regards to the Dragon—neither know where it is, nor how powerful/ferocious it is. This somewhat relates to the ambiguity of the Congo itself, as Marlow and his crew don’t know where the natives are hiding in the dark forrest, nor do they know how/when/if they will attack. 

Overall, this quote has aspects of both clarity and uncertainty. Both are utilized by Conrad as tools to set the scene, specifically by portraying the uncertainty the characters feel and by clearly mentioning the difficulties Marlow and his crew must face on their journey.

ALLIE

heart of darkness joseph conrad shrek fairytale media 

9PM

Vibrance in the heart of Darkness

“If she offered to come aboard I really think I would have tried to shoot her” said the man of patches nervously. “ I had been risking my life every day for the last fortnight to keep her out of the house”

-Russian disciple of Kurtz

The powerful woman that we met while in the Heart of Darkness really intrigued me. Throughout Heart of Darkness, we have seen few female characters, and up until this point, none that are in the least bit powerful. But all of a sudden we are introduced to this fearless female character and the overall feeling towards her is fear. We haven’t quite figured out the whole story behind this woman, but we know that she has power, she is fearless to the “authority” of Kurtz and that the people stationed in the heart of darkness don’t receive her well. Another thing to keep in mind is that although this woman stands out as significant in Marlow’s story, she is nonetheless nameless. Why do you think the Russian insists upon keeping this woman out of the house? What is the significance of this one powerful woman thriving and fearless in the middle of the heart of darkness?

COURTNEY

Heart of Darkness joseph conrad congo fierce woman Kurtz 

9PM

“Droll thing life is­–that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself–that comes too late–a crop of undistinguishable regrets. I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid skepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary. If such is the form of ultimate wisdom then life is a greater riddle than some of us think it to be.” (Conrad, 69-70)

I found this passage from our most recent reading particularly striking as it sheds light on Marlow’s, and consequently Joseph Conrad’s view on life, death, and the impalpable moment in between. On the purpose of life Marlow presents a notably cynical viewpoint. I suspect this cynicism comes naturally as a result of Marlow’s experiences in the Congo. He encounters numerous instances in which people are overcome by a greed so intense it results in their complete disregard for the value of human life. Also, in his observation of the moments before Kurtz’s death, Kurtz appeared to have realized both his own faults and those of the world around him. Kurtz thus provides an example for how one realizes his own mistakes when it is far too late to do anything to change oneself. If it takes an entire lifetime to realize ones own regrets then Marlow is saying we cannot truly understand ourselves until the moment before our deaths. Even so, Marlow points out this sort of understanding is only something one can hope for, it’s not guaranteed. Since it’s not guaranteed, there must be plethora of people who die blind of themselves and the surrounding universe. The ivory-lusting men in the Congo provide an example of such people and lead one to wonder whether they too will be able to see their wrong in the moments preceding their death. Calling the purpose of life “futile,” a paradox in itself, Marlow speaks to how purposeless life seems if there is some ultimate knowledge that comes to one only before death. This sort of purposeless of life reminded me of the philosophy of absurdism, which deals with the notion that it’s impossible to find a meaning in life due to the ever-present unknown, thus life is essentially pointless. Although this philosophy developed post-WWII it seemed to embody what Marlow seems to be saying about life as being purposeless impossible to understand entirely until those mysterious moments before death.

-Ashley

Conrad Heart of Darkness Congo Life Death knowledge philosophy 

1PM
“The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse. By Jove! I’ve never seen anything so unreal in my life.”

To the workers of the Central Station, ivory is their reason to function.  They live, breathe, eat and sleep ivory.  Yes, ivory represents wealth and economic prosperity but it also highlights Dante’s inferno.  Ivory is lusted over by the majority of Europeans, and their greed has turned them into nothing more than a corpse (for example, the prosperous ivory trader, Kurtz, is nothing more than an apparition of his former self).  But at this point, ivory is no longer connotated as a physical elephant tusk, rather it percieved as an object of worship.  It’s interesting that Marlow brings up a “corpse” in this quote because the entire practice of extracting precious ivory is centered around the death of an elephat.  Ivory is supposedly a pure substance but how can purity come out of violently murdering an innocent animal?  The lust, greed, and cruelty centered around the ivory trade only further emphasize some key concepts related to the heart of darkness.

AMY

heart of darkness ivory 

March222012

So in class while we are reading Heart of Darkness, we are seeing a lot of parallels with Donte’s Inferno. I was curious so I googled some illustrations inspired by Donte’s Inferno.  When I found the first image it really struck me because there is a part in Heart of Darkness where Marlow sees all these poor natives suffering and dying around him. The first picture depicts Satan (I think) surrounded by dying suffering people. The parallels between this picture and the novel are very interesting to me.  The second picture inspired by Donte’s Inferno also parallels Heart of Darkness more broadly because Marlow travels into the jungles of the Congo, and in this picture you see Donte lost in the first circle of Hell. Please comment about other parallels you have found. :)

Paige

Donte's Inferno Heart of Darkness Satan Hell Congo Marlow 

Page 1 of 1