Sunday, September 1, 2019
Heart of varkness Essay
à The second statement, ââ¬Ëbearers of spark from the sacred fireââ¬â¢, however, clearly represents how the British brought Christianity and God from Britain to the people of Africa. Conrad also implements the use of bathos, undermining the rest of the paragraph, which is very jingoistic, all about the greatness of the empire. The bathos of which I am referring to is ââ¬ËThe dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empires. ââ¬Ë The use of the word ââ¬Ëgermsââ¬â¢ is very negative, and, in a way, ââ¬Ëcancels outââ¬â¢ all of the writing before. The next section of the novel that I wish to examine is known as the ââ¬ËGrove of Deathââ¬â¢. It is a description of Marlowââ¬â¢s initial impressions and observations of the Outer Station, and all the slave labour going on. As he sees the land around him, he notices many ââ¬Ëmounds of turned up earthââ¬â¢, and ââ¬Ëwastes of excavationsââ¬â¢, he speaks of the land as if it has been ââ¬Ërapedââ¬â¢ of all its resources, and left as a barren wasteland. His first impressions of the African slave workers seems racist, as he compares there black, naked bodies to ants, however, it is more likely that this is just a reference to the futility and uselessness of the work that is going on. His next observation is a boiler, and an undersized railway-truck. He describes them as ââ¬Ëdeadââ¬â¢ like the ââ¬Ëcarcass of some animalââ¬â¢. There are several interpretations for this scene. One is that he has ââ¬Ëpersonifiedââ¬â¢ the machinery, giving them similar qualities to the slaves, describing the machinery as though it has been allowed to rest, and have its job taken over by slaves. Another interpretation is that the machinery is a symbol for the empire, as the machinery is slowly decaying and rusting, the empire is also declining. Another reference to the futility of this work appears a few lines down. ââ¬ËThe cliff was not in the way or anything; but this objectless blasting was all the work going onââ¬â¢. It is as if the slaves have just been given something to do, to keep them from sitting around. As Marlow walks further on, he sees a guard carrying a gun, and wearing a ââ¬Ëjacket with one button ofââ¬â¢. This is a very deliberate observation, though the empire seems perfect from the outside, it has imperfections. On seeing Marlow, the guard raises his gun, and tries to see who Marlow is; Marlow is sarcastic at this point, joking about how white men all look the same at a distance, referring to how black people all look the same to him from a distance. As the guard recognises Marlow and smiles, there is more sarcasm from Marlow, describing the guards trust as being ââ¬Ëexaltedââ¬â¢, and describing himself as being a ââ¬Ëpart of the great cause of these high and just proceedingsââ¬â¢. Marlow then descends down the hill, towards some trees. At this point, Marlow starts commenting some more on his pity for the slaves, and the pointlessness of the work going on. The first technique used to relay this to us is Conradââ¬â¢s use of short sentences, like we are part of Marlowââ¬â¢s thought process. His first thoughts are about how futile and pointless all the work that is going on is. He describes one of the pits that has been dug, as ââ¬Ëjust a holeââ¬â¢. As he goes towards the trees for shade, he instantly regrets it, making a direct reference to ââ¬ËDanteââ¬â¢s Infernoââ¬â¢. Danteââ¬â¢s Inferno is one perception of what hell would be like. His vision of hell consists of seven rings, each ring containing people who have sinned a particular way, with the rings varying degrees of punishment. He looks around, noticing the slaves, ââ¬Ëobjectifyingââ¬â¢ them as ââ¬Ëblack shapesââ¬â¢. He makes an ironic comment, calling the slaves ââ¬Ëhelpersââ¬â¢ and stating how they have ââ¬Ëwithdrawn to dieââ¬â¢. He talks about how they have been abandoned in a very understating way. There is another reference to Danteââ¬â¢s Inferno here, as he notices the ââ¬Ëblack shadows of disease and starvationââ¬â¢. Marlow then leaves the trees, but looks down to see a black slave, who has a white thread around his neck. He is startled at how strange and out of place it looks on the black skin. This is symbolic of the white men of the empire being out of place in Africa. To conclude, the ââ¬ËHeart of Darknessââ¬â¢ within the play refers to the inner capability to commit evil acts in all men, and the evil of the empire underneath the front of ââ¬Ëspreading civilisation and the light of Christianityââ¬â¢. The two sections of the novel which I have chosen to examine are full of symbolic imagery, referring to the title, and raising questions in the readers mind about the greatness of Britain. Page 1 of 3 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Joseph Conrad section.
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