Annular Solar Eclipse

For Thursday's creative blog I'll be talking about this weekends solar eclipse. This weeekned between 5:14pm and 7:25pm on Sunday, there will be a solar eclipse, which means the moon will pass over the sun. The passing will first create a "c" shape and then change into an "o" shape, visible for most of the western coast of America. For us, we'll have to drive a couple of hours north to see its full effects. 

The Cannes Film Festival

For today's creative blog, I'll be showing 2 of my favorite dresses from the Cannes Film Festival that's currently happening.
My favorite would 100% have to be Eva Longoria. For starters, the open back is so beautiful with her hair up, along with all the details on the front. The train is also beautifully detailed.

 Similarly, Diane Kruger also brought her best soft colors out through this mint colored dress that matched well with her blonde hair and skin tone.

Creative Blog 2

My new obsession:
http://trendland.com/iphone-photography-accessories/

This new camera is hooked up to your iPhone, you can basically replace your digital screen with your iPhone.

Creative Blog- The Costume Institute Ball

For my creative blog, I want to talk about The Costume Institute Ball (The Met Ball) fashion this year. For those who don't know, the Met Ball is the grand opening of the fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC filled with hundreds of celebrities. If you aren't invited, scoring a ticket could be 25,000 dollars. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour oversees the whole event, spending millions of dollars for this special night. But the most important part of the evening for me, as a viewer, would definitely be the fashion; celebrities come in their A game, or they're supposed to... This year I was definitely disappointed. Surprisingly, for a non A-lister, Camilla Belle was best dressed in my book.

This Ralph Lauren dress matched beautifully with her dark lips and dark skin tone, a definite jaw-dropper. 

Another one of my favorites (as always) was Kate Bosworth. No matter what she wears, for some reason, she's always my favorite. She manages to turn any outfit into the most amazing look of the night. Although her dress isn't long, her dark lips, similar to Camilla's, made her outfit as they matched her dress. 

Unfortunately, Carry Mulligan disappointed. I also look forward to her outfits. This custom made Prada dress didn't do much for her, especially the high neck line. I'm also not a big fan of the two-toned sequins. 

Consequences of Plagiarism

According to the NYU Website: 

" A faculty member who suspects a student of plagiarism, cheating, or another academic integrity violation must report the incident to the Associate Dean of Students, who will determine whether a previous complaint against that student exists. If there is no prior report, the Associate Dean may counsel the faculty member to resolve the matter independently with the student to advise her on the conventions and expectations of academic integrity, as pertinent, to come to a mutual agreement on the facts and, if warranted, on a penalty (e.g., failure for an exam, paper, or assignment, failure for the course). The faculty member may also present the evidence of suspected cheating, plagiarism, or other violation to the Associate Dean of Students for consultation. If the matter is resolved between the faculty member and the student, the faculty member will submit a report on the incident to the Associate Dean of Students, who will place it in the student’s file. The Associate Dean of Students will notify the student within fifteen days of initial notice that a record has been included in her file, and a that a second charge will trigger a formal disciplinary review. The Associate Dean of Students will keep a record of reported instances of academic integrity violations.The Committee decision may include any one or more of the following disciplinary sanctions:

a) Warning: notice to the student, orally or in writing, that continuation or repetition of  the conduct found wrongful, or participation in similar conduct, shall be a cause for further disciplinary action. 

b) Censure: written reprimand for violation of a specified regulation, including the  possibility of more severe disciplinary sanction in the event of conviction for another violation of a University regulation within a period of time stated in the reprimand;

c) Disciplinary Probation: exclusion from participation in privileges or extracurricular University activities as set forth in the notice of disciplinary probation for a specified period of time; notification that a more severe disciplinary sanction may be imposed if the student commits a second disciplinary offense while on disciplinary probation; 

d) Restitution: reimbursement for damage to or misappropriation of property; reimbursement may take the form of appropriate service to repair or otherwise compensate for damages; 

e) Suspension: exclusion from classes and other privileges or extracurricular activities as set forth in the notice of suspension for a definite period of time;

f) Dismissal: termination of student status for an indefinite period; the conditions for readmission, if any are permitted, shall be stated by the Committee in the order of dismissal; 

g) Expulsion: permanent termination of a student's status.

If, as a result of any disciplinary action, the withdrawal of a student is required before the end of the term for which tuition has been paid, a refund will be made according to the standard refund schedule." 

Academic Integrity

From the NYU website, 

"As a Gallatin student you belong to an interdisciplinary community of artists and scholars who value honest and open intellectual inquiry. This relationship depends on mutual respect, responsibility, and integrity. Failure to uphold these values will be subject to severe sanction in accordance with theStudent Discipline Rules of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

The following are examples of behaviors that compromise the academic integrity of the Gallatin School.  The list is not exhaustive.

• Plagiarism – using a phrase, sentence, passage, image, graph, table, sound recording, art work, or any other type of creative or intellectual material from another work without proper citation; paraphrasing words or ideas from another work without attribution; reporting as your own research or knowledge any data or idea gathered, reported, or developed by another person; submitting as your own work anything produced by another. Plagiarism does not only apply to written or recorded work, but also to intellectual property such as computer programs, oral presentations, and artistic work including choreography, stage blocking, and music.
• Illicit Collaboration – submitting work done in collaboration with others without the express permission of the instructor or without acknowledging such collaboration.
• Doubling or Recycling – submitting the same or substantially similar work in multiple courses, either in the same semester or in a different semester, without the express approval of all instructors.
• Cheating – bringing or accessing unauthorized materials during an examination (e.g., notes, books, or other information accessed via cell phones, computers, or any other means); submitting answers on an exam that were obtained from the work of another person or providing answers or assistance to others during an exam when not explicitly permitted by the instructor; when submitting evaluations of group members’ work for an assigned group project, misrepresenting the work that was performed by another group member; altering or forging academic documents, including but not limited to admissions materials, academic records, grade reports, add/drop forms, course registration forms, etc.

Note that plagiarism and other violations of academic integrity are matters of fact and not intention, and apply to all material submitted as a Gallatin student.  In other words, regardless of whether they are deliberate or accidental, all violations are subject to potential disciplinary action.  In all cases and when in doubt, students should consult with their instructor regarding acceptable forms of documentation and citation, collaboration, and exam preparation.

In accordance with the University Policy on Student Conduct, Gallatin reserves the right to review and act upon violations of rules of conduct or non-academic policies of the University and/or to refer such matters to NYU’s Office of Community Standards. Where a student’s conduct on campus constitutes violations of both University rules and public law, he may be subject to both University discipline and public sanctions." 

After two full classes of trying to figure out NYU Gallatin's course requirements, it all came together. For my first year, I need to complete 32 units. 4 of the units will come from my First-Year Interdisciplinary Seminar, 4 will come from my First- Year Writing Seminar, and 4 will come from my First- Year Research Seminar. After that, I have 16 credits (4 classes) to choose from in this catergory http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/courses.html?year=2012&term=FA&type=Interdisciplinary+Seminars&level=U&query=&instructor=&netid=&go=GO

Then, I'll have 4 credits left to chose from any elective class or can begin to fulfill my liberal arts requirement (32 credits) in humanities (8 credits) , social sciences (8 credits) , and mathematics or sciences (4 credits). Even though I'm dreading that math/science class, the only other option is a history requirement... which is all history. Nope.

Thinking About Seeing
http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/courses/detail.FA2012.IDSEM-UG1388.001.html
Media and Fashion
http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/courses/detail.FA2012.IDSEM-UG1618.001.html
Doing Things With Words
http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/courses/detail.FA2012.IDSEM-UG1216.001.html
Social Construciton of Reality
http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/courses/detail.FA2012.FIRST-UG32.001.html
Psychoanalysis and the Visual
http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/courses/detail.FA2012.IDSEM-UG1468.001.html

some classes that look interesting..

http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/undergraduate/interdisciplinary.html
This is a list of the interdiscplinary seminars I can chose from my first year.


http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/undergraduate/requirements/liberal-arts-foundation.html
this is the foundation course i have chosen

First- Year College

As a first year Gallatin student, I will take 3 classes that foster my ability to work as an independent study student: first year interdisciplinary seminar, first year writing seminar, and first year research seminar. My classes mainly focus on improving my writing skills and are relatively small. At home, I have a course catalogue I will bring into class. Through my classes, I will build a thesis closely with my advisor that will eventually lead up to my senior project: a presentation to the board of Gallatin that presents 20 books revolving around my thesis. 

The following link shows all the credits I need to graduate: 

http://gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/undergraduate/requirements.html

Safe Sex

Between Safe Sex and Sex Without Love, I feel that Safe Sex is much more detached than Sex Without Love. In Sex Without Love, Olds presents the lovers in a romantic way, calling htme "dancing gliding over each other like ice skaters." Contrastingly, Donald Hall talks about the lovers in terms of their reactions to their love, as one grows "insensible skin." Lastly, Hall ends his poem with "apparition of a body floating face-down at the pond's edge." As the person is face down, there is no emotional attachment between the two people as they can't look at each other in the eyes, back turned to the emotional possibilities.

Blog

For my blog, I would do a fashion blog. As my inspiration I would use www.refinery29.com, except I would have everything on one page so that my viewers wouldn't have to skip through pages. Each post could be a solid box with looks, how to shop that look, and maybe some information on the bottom. There would also be posts of just looks or new designs out by designers. Hopefully I could post some of my outfits on there as well. Since I am an avid www.nastygal.com follower and their new clothes come out every Tuesday, I would ideally post every Wednesday with updated looks from their website. It's also a perfect time to start setting up outfits for the weekend. I don't have a high patience level, but fashion is something I love so I think I could do it as a hobby and also to keep track of styles.

Essay Idea

For my Camus essay, I really want to explore the idea of how one's college begins to define them as a person. Growing up at Buckley since the age of 3, I've let it shape who I am today, who I'm friends with, and the way I act. Once we all leave Buckley, I'm curious to see how people change and lose that identity while trying to adapt to different surroundings.

Lauren's Photo

This is one of my favorites of Lauren's photographs. The tonality throughout the photo is incredibly diverse. Between the washed out whites along the window paired with his dark silhouette, the photo leave its meaning to the viewers interpretation by questioning the man's true purpose. I also love the camera set. The actual photo itself contrasts greatly with the storm as one has many whites and the photograph is mostly darks. Lastly, I love the positioning of the an. If he was dead on center, the photo would have lost its artisitc elements. But the angles against the window panes create sharp tangents that reflect his dark and confused body language of mixed feelings.

Romania 1975

This photograph is absolutely beautiful. As a person who lives for black and white "moment shots", this photo really captures a random yet significant moment of these youth throughout their travels. Although their destination is unclear, this photo illuminates their struggle and exhaustion, but also represents the strength of their relationship as they remain close and cudddled through this struggle. Technically, I love the tonality between their skin tones, along with the angles of the arms that surround their facial expressions. The couple is definitely married as signified by the ring on the mans finger as they are closely cuddled through their exhaustion. Possibly an exhausted relationship? The man is completely asleep while the woman appears stressed and uncomfortable.

Blogs I'm Following

www.refinery29.com

www.trendland.net

http://adventureblog.nationalgeographic.com/

I'm going to follow these three blogs because they're each about things I love. Refinery29 is a blog I read every day to keep me updated with local events and trends, also, they have great deals on shopping! Trendland is also a great blog because its all about upcoming artists and fashion designers that display their work. Lastly, the national geographic blog is great because I love to travel. Seeing where people get to go around the world really inspires me to go experience these places of the world as well

The Stranger #2

"Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. I twas like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness."

At the end of Chapter 6, Mersault has killed the Arab man with a gun once encountering him on the beach. This last quote of the chapter really shows Mersault's numb state of mind, as he strays from the idea that he has just killed a man and now sees the body as a portal to his unhappiness. I feel this quote shows his current state as he has tried to make himself happy in his life through these "bullets," but they continue to cause no change, "without leaving a trace." Mersault is now also unable to distinguish what is good for himself, as he knocks "four times on the door of unhappiness" through killing a man, essentially doing anything to bring feeling and emotion back into his life.

The Stranger

"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday."


I feel this is the most important quote of the reading thus far. Although its just the beginning, looking back on it now I can see how this quote foreshadowed the personality and obstacles that the protagonist faces during the death of his mother. He shows strong uncertainty in this sentence, similar to that of his relationship with his mother. His uncertainty definitely comes through during his visit to his mothers casket, as he refuses to open up the casket and see her. 

Genesis 1- The Beginning

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 27-30).

In Genesis, an alternative creation to the evolution of mankind is explained. Through God's power, he created the 7 days of the week, each day dedicated to specific aspects of our world- water, animals, land. But this statement above goes against Darwins idea of evolution, stating that God created mankind to his liking and preference, his own "image" of what the world was supposed to look like. I also find the idea of "male and female" interesting. Not only because male comes first, foreshadowing the patriarchal society we live in, but also because before this statement, the only creations God had made were of nature.

Darwin

"If species be only well-marked and permanent varieties, we can at once see why their crossed offspring should follow the same complex laws in their degrees and kinds of resemblance to their parents, -- in being absorbed into each other by successive crosses, and in other such points, -- as do the crossed offspring of acknowledged varieties. On the other hand, these would be strange facts if species have been independently created, and varieties have been produced by secondary laws." (Darwin 73)

I love Darwin's point in this paragraph. Through his "Origin of Species," Darwin speaks about the evolution of our planet, but in this paragraph discusses the influence of generation by parent to offspring. Although we are a very diverse species, offspring resemble their parents through influence in the family life, "absorbed" into the beliefs and customs that their parents have adapted to. Because we have not been "independently created" and are direct results of our parents, we take in the "secondary laws" as they are passed down through our families and then can adjust them to our beliefs, a system of evolution.

Intro Paragraph

Every person on Earth has been conflicted with the issue of conformation to please another’s desires. Whether it is physical, academic, ethical, or even an idea, conformity has changed the population of our world into a society of shared identities, a “melting pot” of conduct and appearance. Not only has conformity put people to a test of strength and character, but has also shined a light on those people that are special or different.  As a child born and raised in Los Angeles, I’ve never felt the conformation struggles that my parents did as foreign individuals. My father was raised in Rabat, Morocco in a poverty-stricken neighborhood; he moved to Montreal at the age of 13 and then to Los Angeles at the age of 30. Unlike my father, my mother was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moved to Los Angeles at the young age of 2. Although she was born in America, she faced the struggle of two immigrant parents while forced to uphold strong Yugoslavian traditions and fit in to the American school system. Today, both of my parents are well adjusted to American life, but have successfully carried on their traditions from their cultures and passed them down to their 5 children. When asked about social conformation, both parents agreed to a pressure to conform, but also both agreed that their changes were for the best and necessary to survive, similar to most Americans in the modern world. America’s society has portrayed this idea of conformation through literature and media, and has given greater insight into why exactly people feel the necessity to change themselves for the betterment of others or for their personal desires. Therefore, although conformity poses a huge risk to society as it takes away from individuality, the conformation of some people for the social and physical betterment of their lives is sometimes necessary in order to survive. 

Survey Questions

1. Do you think everyone conform at some point in their life?

2. If you were ever in an uncomfortable situation, would you conform to change the atmosphere or keep your reputation?

3. Has conformation changed throughout each generation?

4. Do you believe conforming is a positive or negative to society 

My dad

My dad was born in Rabbat, Morocco. One of 6 siblings, my dad was raised with very strong family morals and the idea that each member of the family must contribute. Whether it be Friday night Sabbath or even just setting the table, my dad has carried these family traditions over into our family. But I can't imagine how hard the transition must have been; from living in poverty in Rabbat to living in the crazy city of Los Angeles. Even today, my father sometimes complains to me about the differences and how our family life differs greatly from his, as his family was constantly together and working from the age of 13. I always love hearing his stories, how he would play with slingshots in the streets to break the street lights, or hang out with his friends. But the most important lesson I've taken from my dads story is to appreciate all I have. He moved around his entire life, and always advises me to keep hold of my friends that I have now, as I have lived with them my entire life, something he never had. I wish to talk to him about this change, and how he managed moving cities and friends all the time, and what he had to change in order to "fit in" in every city.

Conformity Stories

For this story I'll focus on my mom. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and at the age of 10 moved to Los Angeles and graduated from North Hollywood High School. Both of her parents were Yugoslavian immigrants, my grandpa was a professional soccer player and is now in the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame. Not only do I want to find out how her upbringing was in Milwaukee, but how those traditions carried on to the crazy city of Los Angeles. How did her parents adapt from Yugoslavia, to Wisconsin, the to Los Angeles. I would also like to talk to my grandpa about some of his stories fighting in the war and how they carried onto his children's lives.

Conformity Questions

Here are some questions I plan to ask my parents:

Mom-
1. You were born in the US after your parents moved from Yugoslavia, had they been affected by the war? How did that affect your life at home?
2. As a child, did you experience any differences between the upbringings by your parents and the upbringings of your friends? How did your culture stand out?
3. What was the most difficult part of adapting your parents to US life?
4. Was there any tradition your parents celebrating that came from your culture?
5. Did you ever feel the pressure to leave behind your culture and focus on American culture? Or were you adapted to American cultures already?
6. Were you ever made fun of because of were you were from? Your accent, clothing, foods?

Dad-
1. You were born in Morocco, and have now seen what American childhoods are like. What are the major differences?
2. What was it like growing up in northern Africa?
3. What age were you when you moved? Where have you lived?
4. How was the transformation for your parents? As a young adult it must have been easier to adapt but not for them. What was the hardest part?
5. Did you ever feel the pressure to leave behind your culture and focus on American culture?
6. What traditions did you bring to America?

Conformity Part 2

As mentioned in my first blog, I want to focus on my parents' conformity rather than my grandparents. I feel that because I am closer with my parents, I can further understand they're emotions while growing up in America from another country. Originally, I wanted to just focus on my mom's journey as a first generation American from Czchekoslovakia with immigrant parents, adjusting to american cultures while her parents fell behind. But now, I want to compare the journey's of both my parents. My dad grew up in Morocco and later moved here with his family. He was more affected by the culture shock as my mom was born here in Wisconsin. I think the comparison between the two upbringings will be incredibly interesting, along with the conformity struggles they overcame as non-American families.

Conformity

Conformity is a problem through all likes of society. People conform to please others or to simply just fit in, rejecting the fear of becoming the social outcast. I feel that today, social conformity has lessen more than past history. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her inability to marry for wealth as she wants to marry for love. Although today people are pressured to conform to the a perfect Beverly Hills barbie, or to a Hollywood movie star, the repercussions of not marrying or loosing social standing in the 1800's was more devastating that not have that perfect pair of new shoes. But even today we face a multitude of opportunities to conform through our parents, friends, and social media. All of these opportunities present themselves in a way that others want to conform to ones opinion or way of life so that they don't become the outsider or one left behind. My topic for my essay will be to focus on my mother's up bringing with two foreign parents and how she had to chose between her roots and the American lifestyle.

Intro Paragraph

The human psyche has been one of the most discussed and debated topics throughout scientific history. Although we have a clear understanding of the way the human brain functions, the theory of the role of the subconscious lingers as an unsolved mystery. More importantly, the amount of control the subconscious possesses over our psyche presents even more perplexing. In Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” the idea of a repressed subconscious presents itself in a way that allows readers to dig deeper into their own consciences and discover the true connection between what is conscious and unconscious. By revealing a repressed subconscious, Conrad experiments with the effects of a human hiding his true self, and whether this repression affects the way humans make decisions throughout their lives. Through the works of Murfin, Karl, and Freud, the psyche illuminates as the “decision maker” in the human mind, the leader of what makes us good. Therefore, although the conscience actions can hide behind the subconscious as actions that are not thought out, our subconscious has ultimately nothing to do with our decision making, thus revealing the thought process throughout the conscience and its ability to make man kind good.  

Heart of Darkness Essay

For my Heart of Darkness Essay, I really want to focus on the ideas of Karl, Freud, and Murfin to analysis the idea of human morality. Using the original question as to what extent these analysis help change the way we view Heart of Darkness, I hope to outline the way that the individual ideas surrounding the subconscious and conscience work together to create our human minds. Through this, my essay will give an alternative view into the goodness of mankind while also viewing Marlows actions as he travels through Africa. I hope to find 3 ideas and organize them into three paragraphs, drawing examples from both Heart of Darkness and the three articles.

Karl

In Karls' physcoanalytical criticism of Heart of Darkness, he analyzes the spiritual journey of Conrad and Marlow during their journey through Africa. Stating him as the "modern rendition of Everyman, the flawed representative Of mankind," I really enjoyed this analysis as I feel it represented a different side of the main character and how it related to the readers. My favorite quote would have to be "His great discoveries, like Conrad's, was surely that dreams, despite the various barriers the conscious erects, are wish fulfillments of the hidden self." I strongly agree with this statement as dreams are only in the mind, and the minute they come to life or come true, they are fulfilling the desires of the inner mind that can never be revealed. This directly correlates to Marlows journey with Kurtz as they both learn the difference between dreams and reality and how to live your life without getting caught in a dream.

Murfin.

I really enjoyed reading Murfin's Psychoanalytic Criticism as it truly gave a different perspective into the human mind. I was really moved by the beginning paragraph, stating the idea that novels and dreams are similar and that we live vicariously through them to make them feel more real; " Like dreams, novels are fictions, inventions of the mind that, though based on reality, are by definition not exactly and literally true."
I felt that as I read Conrad's Heart of Darkness, his ability to create an image and draw the reader into the jungle of Africa really allowed me to be lost in Conrad's dream and make the story relatable and real. His analysis of the "ego" "superego" and "id" captured the essence of Marlow and his struggles throughout his journey.

Kurtz's Last Words

In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Kurtz dies on the boat with his final words being "The Horror! The Horror!" Because of his surroundings and hard life, Kurtz yells these final words as he reflects on the sadness and disappointment of the events that have taken place in his life. Kurtz spent his whole life in the ivory business, encountering many obstacles and learning lessons. Unfortunately, Kurtz learns the true meaning of life on his death bed, once its too late. I feel he yells these words for this reason, for the reason that he never got to truly experience life and its importance, a "horrific" way to end life with this epiphany.

Heart of Darkness Analysis 2

On page 406 of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Conrad touches on the idea of society's downfall and disfunction without those who keep people in line, "How could you?- with solid pavement under your feet, surrounded by kind neighbors ready to cheer you or to fall on you, stepping delicately between the butcher and the policeman- by the way of silence- utter silence, where no warning voice of a kind neighbor can be heard whispering of public opinion?"Conrad talks about the inner workings of society, how people live their lives while making a mistake here and there, but avoiding those in charge. Without this idea of "external checks," society would be in a state of complete chaos, with no one in charge and no one to instill morals in citizens. As Marlow travels through Africa and its distinct civilizations, he begins to realize the true differences of power around the world.

Heart of Darkness: Analysis

In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, p. 394 discusses a familiar topic to American literature, "Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth adn the  big trees were king." In class, we discussed how this idea similarly relates to Alice in Wonderlands journey as she falls into the rabbit hole, taking away all things familiar to her and disturbing the natural proccess of life. As Marlow goes up the river, he looses most things familiar to him and goes back in time, watching life in reverse, just like Alice through the looking glass as her life moves backwards. This passage also focuses on nature's roots like the wonderland that Alice enters in as she leaves her proper and perfect life behind. "The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of sunshine." As Marlow enters new territory, this passage reflects the desolate and mysterious atmosphere he as entered into, one so separate from the life he is used to. Through this passage, Marlow has entered his own wonderland, but one that he has no expected.

Heart of Darkness #1

In Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," most characters are referred to by their occupation, denying their true identities and titles. Because of this, the readers can imply Conrad's belief in the importance of identity and how it is mostly decided by your occupation. By calling someone a Farmer or a Lawyer, one can infer their social standings based on their jobs, one of the many characteristics that Conrad strongly tries to get across to the readers by just stating their occupations.

Heart of Darkness #2

In Heart of Darkness, Marlow makes a comparison between the history of Roman civilization and his travels into Africa. While he travels into Africa, he not only brings his physical being, but also brings the ideals and characteristics of London with him, similar to that of the colonization of the Romans in London. This idea of self identity applies to both situations, as both groups of people/ person migrate into a new area and don't change to fit their new surroundings, but keep their roots close to heart in hopes of spreading their ideals and morals to others in the world.