Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad, Essay - 1014 Words

Joseph Conrad’s progressive ideas about colonialism are instilled into his novella, Heart of Darkness, (1902) through which the philanthropic pretence of the European Colonisers towards African natives is unveiled. Whilst Conrad’s post colonial writings were ahead of his own time and context, they are accompanied and contrasted with views founded through a colonial mindset, where colonisation is seen to perhaps bear a burden upon the Europeans rather than the natives. As a result of this, Conrad creates a narrator; Marlow, who vacillates between opinion of his company’s motives – to colonise and to exploit for economic gain. Through this indecisiveness and in the style of a framed narrative, Conrad acts as a story teller to create a†¦show more content†¦Through the economical paradigms that are created by Conrad we see the real demeanour of the colonisers unveiled. The language a of Conrad throughout his novella forces the reader to question every thought upon which colonisation is built, forcing them to question the aims behind colonisation. â€Å"they were conquerors and for that you only need brute force – nothing to boast of when you have it, since you’re strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others† in which Conrad successfully peels away the philanthropic facade under which the colonisers appear. We see Conrad question the altruistic pretence under which the colonisers appear to be hiding under describing the colonisers as greedy and animalistic, completely reversing the thought of the time through the use of post-colonialism. Throughout the novella Conrad eludes to the idea that the colonisation process is just a facade for their need for wealth and powerful control held over the Africans through the exploitation of their resources, religion and wealth. â€Å"i’ve seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire; but by all the stars these were strong, lusty, red eyed devils that swayed and drove men – men I tell you† eludes to the idea that the black people are the devils, further masking the deception of the Europeans through an assumption. The ideas referred to allude the reader to theShow MoreRelated Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay639 Words   |  3 PagesHeart of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Theme:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The classic theme of good versus evil is found in the novel. . It is represented by the idea of conflict between the civilize world and the savage world as well as the contrast of light and darkness. A minor theme is that everyone has their own ?heart of darkness? ? the belief that within each individual there is an element of evil Plot: Exposition:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The exposition serves to introduce the protagonist Complications:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though they occurRead MoreHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay736 Words   |  3 Pagesprofound description of the colonialist ideal of the 19th century, than how it is illustrated in Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness. The story revolves around Marlowe, a steamboat captain in Belgian Congo, who is assigned to find Kurtz, an ivory trader, who has distanced himself from the rest of the trading company and gone into the deeper parts of Africa. In spite of the fact that Joseph Conrad is not a native English-speaker, his the book has an very sophisticated and complex plot and textRead MoreHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essays463 Words   |  2 Pages Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness presents two main themes, which are relevant to the story. The first of which is imperialism and the second is racism. This novel takes place in the late 1800s on the Congo River in Africa, which Conrad uses to help illustrate these two themes. Charlie Marlow, the main character, is a sea captain whose exploration leads him to Africa on a freshwater navigation. Marlows journey from the continent of Europe to the continent of Africa was quite a differenceRead More The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay1171 Words   |  5 PagesThe Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Marlow, an ordinary sailor with idealistic dreams, goes on a dark yet fascinating journey as a newly hired riverboat captain, traveling up the Congo River, seeking out the legendary chief of the Belgium trading company. When describing typical sites and events situated in the Congo, Joseph Conrad wrote The Heart of Darkness in a first persons view, with Marlow as the highlight character. As he writes on about Marlows experiences, he portrays typicalRead More Analysis of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay4372 Words   |  18 PagesAnalysis of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad When Joseph Conrad composed Heart of Darkness he created a literary masterpiece which embodied the essence of light contrasting with darkness. Throughout the novel Conrad constantly utilizes the images of light and dark and uses them to mold a vision, which the reader is then able to use to decipher the literal and metaphorical meanings of the novel. As Conrad said, â€Å" my task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word to makeRead More The Mind of Man in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay898 Words   |  4 PagesThe Mind of Man in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad The changes take place inside you know the doctor warns Marlow in Heart of Darkness (9). Joseph Conrad, the author of Heart of Darkness, uses the words of the doctor to warn the readers of the changes Marlow faces on his journey. This journey was a physical journey to the heart of the Congo River, but it was also a journey into the depths of his own mind. As Marlow encounters three stations along the Congo River, he encounters three stationsRead MoreLimited Restraint in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay576 Words   |  3 Pagescan either save their lives or put them at great risk of dying. A person’s ability to restrain themself plays an important role when exploring the unknown. In the novel, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, restraint plays a major role throughout the novel. Restraint threads its way through the three parts of Heart of Darkness; people who have been in chaos learn restraint, whereas people who have been in civilization cannot control themselves. Fresleven, the cannibals, the helmsman, and Kurtz allRead More Cultural Ignorance in Heart of Darkness, By Joseph Conrad Essay2125 Words   |  9 Pagescannot attempt to do.   In Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, the attempt to define the cultural line leads to the corruption, greed, and evil of the white man.   Even when knowledge would seem to counteract lines of hatred, the enlightenment only provides a striking reminder of the inescapable darkness that can still reside in the hearts of man.   Throughout the novel, the white man is plagued by his comprised definition of culture.   In the Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad sheds light on how ignoranceRead MoreEssay about Feminist Imagery in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness1220 Words   |  5 PagesImagery in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Many feminist critics have used Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness to show how Marolw constructs parallels and personification between women and the inanimate jungle that he speaks of. The jungle that houses the savages and the remarkable Kurtz has many feminine characteristics. By the end of the novel, it is the same feminized wilderness and darkness that Marlow identifies as being the cause of Kurtzs mental and physical collapse. In Heart of DarknessRead MoreRacial Comments in Joseph Conrad ´s Heart of Darkness Essay606 Words   |  3 PagesJoseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness has been the cause of racial arguments debating whether it should be read nowadays. The way Conrad describes African Americans troubles several critics, Achebe in particular. Achebe disagrees with Conrad’s novel so much because in it Conrad dehumanizes African and Achebe won’t let anyone lower his humanity. Within the first few pages of his article Achebe compares Conrad as being, â€Å"no more a great artist than another who may be called a priest who reads the

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - 1265 Words

Brother and Sister; Boy and Girl In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, they were both kids. They were both immature children, they both taunted Boo Radley, they both interpreted things similarly and they both eventually came of age. Yet they were both different; one was innocent and one was narcissistic and more. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout are two very similar and different characters throughout the entire novel. They show both common and differentiating traits that determine their character. The traits that these characters had in common were they both thought similarly when a situation arose especially when they were at a younger age, they both started out as immature kids and obsessed over childish things like Boo Radley, and they both eventually came of age. The traits they differed in were that Scout throughout the whole novel was an innocent character even in her coming of age while Jem was a narcissistic one, Scout went against what her family/town wanted her to be (a lady ) while Jem tried more and more to be like Atticus and lastly Scout never understood racism while Jem showed he somewhat did understand it. These two main characters are similar like brother and sister and different like boy and girl. Jem and Scout, being brother and sister, share many common characteristics in To Kill A Mockingbird; one of the large comparisons being that they both commonly but not always interpreted a situation similarly.Show MoreRelatedKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1049 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: How a Story could be based on True Events in Everyday LifeDaisy GaskinsCoastal Pines Technical Collegeâ€Æ'Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father was a former newspaper editor and proprietor, who had served as a state senator and practiced as a lawyer in Monroeville. Also Finch was known as the maiden name of Lee’s mother. With that being said Harper Lee became a writer like her father, but she became a American writer, famo us for her race relations novel â€Å"ToRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee1000 Words   |  4 Pagesworld-wide recognition to the many faces of prejudice is an accomplishment of its own. Author Harper Lee has had the honor to accomplish just that through her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a moving and inspirational story about a young girl learning the difference between the good and the bad of the world. In the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Growing up, Harper Lee had three siblings: two sisters and an older brother. She and her siblings grew up modestlyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee873 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates that â€Å"it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird† throughout the novel by writing innocent characters that have been harmed by evil. Tom Robinson’s persecution is a symbol for the death of a mockingbird. The hunters shooting the bird would in this case be the Maycomb County folk. Lee sets the time in the story in the early 1950s, when the Great Depression was going on and there was poverty everywhere. The mindset of people back then was that blackRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1290 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird during a rough period in American history, also known as the Civil Rights Movement. This plot dives into the social issues faced by African-Americans in the south, like Tom Robinson. Lee felt that the unfair treatment towards blacks were persistent, not coming to an end any time in the foreseeable future. This dark movement drove her to publish this novel hopeful that it would encourage the society to realize that the harsh racism must stop. Lee effectivelyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee963 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing up, when older characters give advice to children or siblings.Growing up is used frequently in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Ha rper Lee. Harper Lee uses the theme growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird to change characters opinion, develop characters through their world, and utilizes prejudice to reveal growing up. One major cause growing up is used in To Kill a Mockingbird is to represent a change of opinion. One part growing up was shown in is through the trial in part two of the novelRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1052 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 30s early 40s , after the great depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread throughout the United States. Why is the preconception of racism, discrimination, and antagonism so highly related to some of the characters in this book? People often have a preconceived idea or are biased about one’s decision to live, dress, or talk. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the preconceptionRead MoreHarper Lee and to Kill a Mockingbird931 Words   |  4 PagesHarper Lee and her Works Harper Lee knew first hand about the life in the south in the 1930s. She was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926 (Castleman 2). Harper Lee was described by one of her friends as Queen of the Tomboys (Castleman 3). Scout Finch, the main character of Lees Novel, To Kill a Mockinbird, was also a tomboy. Many aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird are autobiographical (Castleman 3). Harper Lees parents were Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. She was the youngestRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1695 Words   |  7 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee presents as a ‘tired old town’ where the inhabitants have ‘nowhere to go’ it is set in the 1930s when prejudices and racism were at a peak. Lee uses Maycomb town to highlight prejudices, racism, poverty and social inequality. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of Walter Cunningham. When it is discovered he has no lunch on the first day of school, Scout tries to explain the situation to MissRead MoreKill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee1197 Words   |  5 Pagessuch as crops, houses, and land, and money was awfully limited. These conflicts construct Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lee establishes the concurrence of good and evil, meaning whether people are naturally good or naturally evil. Lee uses symbolism, characterization, and plot to portray the instinctive of good and evil. To Kill a Mocking Bird, a novel by Harper Lee takes place during the 1930s in the Southern United States. The protagonist, Scout Finch,Read MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1876 Words   |  8 PagesThough Harper Lee only published two novels, her accomplishments are abundant. Throughout her career Lee claimed: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fiction, and Quill Award for Audio Book. Lee was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This honor society is a huge accomplishment and is considered the highest recognition for artistic talent and accomplishment in the United States. Along with these accomplishments, her

Odysseus free essay sample

Will Rodgers, an American humorist and social commentator, once remarked that Being a hero is about the shortest lived profession on earth (atd. in carnival of wit 222). While this may be literally true, most heroes live on figuratively in the recorded stories of their exploits, and in many cases they model characteristics that can inspire readers to emulate theyre behavior. One obvious example is Homers Odysseus the fictional king of Ithaca whose courage, strength, and quest for immortality define him as the prototypical epic hero. His encounters with the Trojan war, the Cyclopes, the land of Aeolia with the bag of winds, a witch that accidentally turned his men to pigs and more. Odysseus manages to maintain the delicate balance between hubris and humbleness all throughout his ten year journey home from the Trojan War. This shows that he has potential in being a hero. Homer established the fact that Odysseus was willing to take help in addition to friendship from Athena when he wrote, For I never knew the gods to show such open friendship and Pallas Athene standing by Odysseus. We will write a custom essay sample on Odysseus or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The meaning of courage is a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear, and thats where Odysseus comes in. Odysseus has been through so much just to get back home to his family. From being in the arms of his loving wife to risking his life at war and the sea adventures with his men. Odysseus is faithful to those whom he loves and is determined to return to his home of Ithaca. As he was on the island with Calypso and she asked him to stay with her, he responded to Calypso by stating, Every day I long to travel home and see my day of coming.

The Catholic Church Essay Example Essay Example

The Catholic Church Essay Example Paper The Catholic Church Essay Introduction The Catholic Church was the single most powerful and influential force throughout virtually all of European history. It was the unifying factor of Europe following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Modern civilization exists, in large part, due to the efforts of the Church to civilize Europe after the settling of Europe by barbarian tribes. However significant the efforts of the Church to civilize, the Church eventually lost its purpose, and degenerated into the basest organization within Europe. The goal of the Catholic Church within Europe was to bring about a society that adhered to Christian values and morality. The Church’s initial success in bringing about a more moral society was, however; almost completely negated by its later decline into the very immorality that it had combated earlier.†From the fifth to the eleventh century in western Europe lords and churchmen recognized two main goals: the conversion of pagans to Christianity and the establishment of proper order within the Christian community.† (Peters, 213) The specific morals that the Church hoped to propagate throughout Europe are the basic tenants of every major faith; loyalty, truth, faith, mercy, compassion, the sanctity of life, the sanctity of property and basically being a civilized person. The missionaries roamed the wilds of Europe converting the barbarians wherever they found them teaching morality, and trying to restore the civilization that had existed under the Romans.†The Duty of the rulers of any earthly society, especially Christian rulers, is to curb the baser instincts of fallen human nature and preserve that earthly peace that is necessary for the conduct of the Christian life.† (Peters, 50) The teachers of the Church attempted to reform society by influencing the rulers. By educating the rulers of Europe the Church hoped to bring civilization to a barbarous Europe. In addition many of the lands of Europe came under the direct rule of religious o fficials. â€Å"During the sixth and seventh centuries the clergy assumed more and more of the responsibilities for the civil administration of the cities.† (Peters, 106) By educating rulers and installing Church officials as civil rulers the Church sought to curb the baser instincts of barbarous Europe.Following the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 6th Century Europe was left in shambles. Barbarians roamed the countryside murdering and pillaging. During the 6th and 7th Centuries many of these barbarian tribes began to settle down and adopt some of the methods of the Romans. Christian missionaries saw the opportunity to unite all of Europe under Christianity, and to spread the faith. Missionaries went throughout Europe teaching the Word of God. Often times these missionaries would modify Christianity to make it more compatible with the existing faiths of the barbarian tribes. The dates of many Christian holidays, such as Christmas, stem from the pagan holidays of the day.I n later centuries, while many of the peoples of Europe had officially converted, much of the barbarism of the tribes still remained within the culture. Gregory, the Bishop of Tours, gives an excellent description of the type of sins committed by many of the supposedly Christian peoples of Gaul. â€Å"Lothar seized him, thrust his dagger in his ribs and murdered him just as he had murdered his brother. Then they killed all the attendants and the tutors. When all lay dead Lothar climbed on his horse and rode away, showing no remorse for the slaughter of his two nephews.† (Gregory, 11) The war like and murdering natures of many of these Frankish kings were hard to curb after years of such actions. The Church tried to combat the sinfulness of its converts and gradually progress was made, but it took many centuries.†By the end of the eleventh century, most western European pagans had become converted to Christianity and one of the religious aims of the early Middle Ages had been accomplished.† (Peters, 213) At the same time that conversion was virtually complete, much of the warlike nature of the warrior people were channeled through a unique outlet. The Crusades were used at during the 12th Century to remove the constant fighting within Europe, and instead use it to combat the heathen, and reconquer the Holy Land. Pope Urban II came up with the plan of sending the knights to the Holy Land in an attempt to bring peace to Europe.†Indeed, the first Crusade, which Urban’s plea created, was first and foremost a vehicle for lay warriors to participate in a renewed Christian society in the one capacity for which they were ideally suited, controlled violence in God’s service against non-Christians.† (Peters, 225) Urban realized that war was necessary for these knights, as it was there sole occupation, and they would not be happy without the ability to kill someone, so Urban sent them to kill someone else rather than each other. â€Å"He appealed to a large assembly of laity and clergy to impose peace everywhere in Christian Europe and to turn Christian weapons only against infidels.† (Peters, 225) And so the Crusades were born, and initially they were very successful, both in their stated goals and their underlying purpose of bringing peace to Europe.Even within the Church positive reform was taking place around the time of the Crusades. The Cistercian monks were advocating a new spiritualism that brought the Church back to its roots. â€Å"The care of souls is the art of all arts.† (Peters, 108) The Cistercian’s saw God as being good and gentle, rather than an angry punishing deity. â€Å"This new sense of God’s affection for humanity and the obligation of interior spiritual development was largely an invention of twelfth century Cistercian writers.† (Peters. 223)The Great Schism that occurred in the Church during the papacy at Avignon caused many to question the Papacy for the first time. Christians throughout Europe found themselves divided in what they believed. Many began to question what it was that made the Pope the leader of God, and also what impact the Pope had on their own souls. â€Å"Individual Christians wondered if their immortal souls were in danger should the sacraments be performed by a false priest ordained by a false bishop loyal to a false pope.† (Zophy, 36) These questions were eventually resolved once the Church was reunited, but the simple act of questioning led down the path of Reformation. Once people begin to question the process can never be reversed, and instead of dealing with the issue the Church simply continued to stagnate.During the Renaissance the Church was in the best shape of its existence politically. All of Europe was united under Christianity, warfare had decreased significantly from previous centuries, and the Church was the looking like it was heading to reform. People were beginning to question doc trine, but it seemed aimed towards reform, such as had taken place in the 11th Century. However, instead of embracing the chance to become a truly Christian religious institution, the Church instead chose to lean on tradition, doctrine and its political might. This is the turning point at which all the early success of the Church becomes negated by its refusal to reform. The issue of conflict between science and religion began to become a major controversy, and the question of the cause of the Black Death still lingered. The Church’s explanation for the cause of the Black Death was unacceptable to many. How could God kill half the population simply to punish humanity? People wanted real answers, and the Church came up lacking.Many of the scientific thinkers of the Renaissance such as Galileo and Copernicus were denounced by the Church. Even though their ideas appealed to reason, and rational thought, the church felt that these new ideas could bring into question the authority of the Church, since the Church has always taught an earth-centered view that was different than these new views of Galileo and Copernicus. Both Copernicus and Galileo were denounced as heretics. â€Å"Denounced by the Roman Inquisition in 1616, Galileo was told to abandon and cease to defend and teach as fact the Copernican notion that the sun is the center of the universe and that the earth moves around it.† (Zophy, 313) The fact that the Church refused to accept the possibility that it might have been wrong shows the stagnation and implacability that leads to its failure to maintain its place as the head of Europe.During the Renaissance many new ideas about faith appeared that conflicted with traditional Catholicism. Many more people were educated, and they questioned the lack of knowledge of many of the priests who were supposed to be their teachers. Printing of the Bible in the vernacular spread knowledge of scripture, that often time conflicted with the teachings of th e Church.A heightened sense of pastoral obligation, a broad awareness of the need for reform, the insistence on self-awareness through confession, the spread of religious fraternities and devotional movements, the growing self-consciousness of the laity, and the rise of vernacular religious literature – all are eloquent testimony to the spiritual condition of Europe on the eve of Reformation. (Peters, 357)The Catholic Church had failed to maintain control over the flow of information, and had refused to address the concerns of its faithful, and had instead simply stated that is was right and always would be no matter what.Indulgences were the straw that broke the camel’s back. Theologians such as Martin Luther refused to accept that simply paying money could forgive one’s sins. People found the tactics of men such as Johann Tetzel to be morally reprehensible. Tetzel used this phrase as his sales slogan: â€Å"As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, another soul from purgatory springs!† (Zophy, 173) The blatant sale of forgiveness was clearly not a step towards a Christian ideal.The Catholic Church had been entrusted with the civilizing and Christianizing of Europe following the collapse of the Roman Empire. From the 6th to the 11th Centuries the Church carried out the mission of converting and civilizing the people. Barbarian tribes turned into civilized nations, murders became peaceful citizens. The Church had achieved its mission as well as could be expected. But in the centuries following the Church’s refusal to adapt and change to the changing environment of Renaissance Europe proved to be fatal.Christianity became a divisive instead of unifying force due to the fracture between Protestants and Catholics. If the Catholic Church had been willing to reform, it may have been able to keep Europe unified, and prevent years of religious wars that claimed thousands of lives. The Catholic Church ultimately failed to maintain its c ontrol, but its initial contribution is certainly the greatest factor in the civilizing of Europe. The Catholic Church Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!