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.

Semester 1

This semester my favorite thing was definitely the first essay we wrote on Hamlet. That essay was one of the best I've written because I enjoyed the subject and the story itself. I loved being able to analyze the speech of each character and how it related to the story and connected their relationships. Because of this essay, I will read stories much differently because I can analyze the way they speak and how it effects the overall story.

Best Performance Choices

When acting out Act 1, Scene 2, my group chose to use Derek Jacobi's version as our inspiration. Anthony and I, who played the King and Queen, chose to stay close together. This position choice separated us from Hamlet (Marcel) and exaggerated his hatred for us. Anthony also had to ask me where Hamlet goes to school, also representing our separation. Marcel's responses towards us were incredibly sarcastic as I showed no sign of care of comfort for my son and just stayed by my husbands side. I feel these performances choices really helped our scene as we reflected a diverse version of Hamlet.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

"Do I dare 
Disturb the universe? 
In a minute there is time 
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse."

 In T.S Elliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," the narrator speaks of his life experiences and how they have helped him learn. I specifically love the quote above as Elliot speaks of the essence of time and the importance of making good decisions. But at the same time, the narrator debates "disturbing the universe" with his actions and choses to let be a bystander rather than a leader. He also recognizes that the world can change in a minute, but it only takes your decisions to change the next minute. I feel this idea is incredibly profound as the world is constantly changing and that its the people who recognize the importance of time that will succeed in life and make a difference. More importantly, these people will take every opportunity in life and live it to the fullest- similar to the narrator and his experiences.