Heart of Darkness MWDS
Title
Heart of Darkness

Author
Joseph Conrad

Date of Publication
1902

Genre
novel/novella

Historical information about the period of publication
•time of transition from Victorian to modern era
•British possessions all across world - "Sun never sets..."
•flaws of aforementioned empire beginning to show, dissolution thereof beginning (American Revolution notable exception, having occurred ~120 years prior)

Biographical information about the author
•born 1857 in Polish Ukraine
•learned English in 1878 when became part of crew of English ship
•took command of Belgian Congo steamship in 1890
•began writing in 1889
•wrote most major works after 1900
•died 1924

Characteristics of the genre
It's a novella... duh. I left it blank.

Central questions and answers
•Is it possible to judge madness in an entire world gone mad?
•Is it possible to judge good and evil in a world gone one or the other?
•Is blatant wrong really less horrible than wrong veiled and diminished behind the veil of hypocrisy?
•What is the nature of the human heart/mind/soul?
•How, if at all, is imperialism justifiable? What makes it unjustifiable?
•What is the nature of absolute humanitarianism and compassion? Are there such things?

Describe the author's style
•one enormous, compound, polyhedral, amazingly convoluted metaphor
•use of irony, cynicism, contrast, and paradox
•heavy on style; author very aware of style

An example that demonstrates the style
•passage concerning physical examination
•Marlow's climactic confrontation with Kurtz
•bit about shack burning down
•Eldorado Expedition bit

Memorable Quotes

Quotation	Significance
"I was within a hair's-breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say. This is the reason why I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say. He said it.... He had summed up - he had judged. 'The horror!' He was a remarkable man."	shows the reader both much of the significance of Kurtz as well as both compares and contrasts Kurtz to Marlow, provides some conception of man's redemption of self
"The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtz's life was running swiftly, too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time.... I saw the time approaching when I would be left alone of the party of 'unsound method.'"	•shows river as allowing way into "heart of darkness" •as Africa is symbolic of man's heart/soul/mind, symbolic of "the horror" of facing those of oneself in hast to flee from them •internalizes "heart of darkness" as something more than African continent in suggesting Kurtz's recession from a personal/mental "heart of darkness" •shows establishment of lasting connection between Kurtz & Marlow, & therein a sort of immortality for Kurtz, fulfilling the requests he made during the return trip which show some degree of the return to traditional European civlization and thought •shows how few men are brave, much less strong, enought to face their own evils

Characters

Name	Role in the story	Significance	Adjectives
Marlow	protagonist, narrator of interior story	symbolizes both traditional European and a more open, reflective, honest, frank outlook than thereby presented	skeptical, cynical, complex, introspective, questioning, surface-occuipied
Kurtz	both antagonist and, in a way, protagonist	•symbolizes both greatest evil and only reality in Africa, a core of the "heart of darkness" that is, itself, a hollow shell •a largely paradoxical entitiy of all extremes which is a foil for itself and gives reader great opportunity for examination of themes	enigmatic, charismatic, eloquent, corrupted, evil, honest/frank, real, independent of world & social contexts, ambitious
general manager	chief agent of Company in Africa	the alternative nightmare to Kurtz, the embodiment of lesser evil shrouded in hypocrisy - in light of Kurtz's success, almost as a death shroud	ambitious, hardy, hypocritical, ungifted, petty
brickmaker	same at central station, sort of corporate spy and favorite of manager's	" ; pointlessness, absurdity, and waste of imperialism	"
Kurtz's Intended	Kurtz's fiancée in Brussels	symbolic of Europe as whole, shows Kurtz as nothing and everything simultaneously	loyal, naïve, suffering
Marlow's aunt	aunt of Marlow, secures Marlow's job with Company	symbolic of Europe as whole	loyal, enthusiastic, ironically altruistic, naïve, influential
Russian trader	same at inner station, disciple of Kurtz	parallel to and yet contrast to Marlow, helps to elevate Kurtz to new level of isolation form society (not geographically but morally, etc.)	naïve, enthusiastic, loyal, boyish
African mistress of Kurtz	see left	same independence of Kurtz displayed by trader, universality of humanity (and all its aspects)	sorrowing, influential, beautiful, mysterious
corporate accountant	same in Africa	I should have done him.	See left.

Setting
exterior:
English ship on Thames at dusk
interior:
•Belgium
•Africa, Congo river & its basin
•some time in the latter half of the 19th century

Significance of the opening scene
exterior:
•helps Conrad in popular English opinion by distancing him from criticism of imperialism
•gives interior story a less absolute and more real quality
•symbolic of setting of sun on not only British empire, but imperialism in general
interior:
•provides insight into Marlow's unique motivations for going to Africa

Significance of the ending/closing scene
exterior:
see above
interior:
•ties Europe to Africa in human constancy
•presents nothingness and everythingness of Kurtz
•another symbolic criticism of imperialism
•makes Marlow wonder about Kurtz & therefore about self

Old AP Questions
none available

Symbols
•sunset - impending end of imperialism
•Kurtz's 2 women - duality in Kurtz's identity, link of two societies and universality of humanity
•Africa - human heart/mind/soul
•ivory - Europeans, imperial ambitions
•women - European society
•Buddha pose - Marlow's "enlightened" (although such is debateable) view of imperialism and religious mission

Possible Themes -- Topics of Discussion
•imperialism
•good vs. evil, good and evil independently
•light vs. dark/black vs. white
•darkness, unopposed
•human nature
•the human heart/mind/soul
•madness vs. sanity
•context (esp. social context)
•surface vs. depth



There's plenty more, especially in the "characters," "memorable quotes," and "symbols" sections, but I ran out of space. Just write really tiny.

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R&G MWDS

Historical info:
*Written at the height of Vietnam and Cold War conflicts.
*Period ending power of Britain in remaining insular territories.
*Time of civil change worldwide.
*Rise of modern liberalism (LBJ era in USA)

Biographical info:
Stoppard was British and a major figure in the Theatre of the Absurd movement. He wrote famous works such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and The Real Inspector Hound. He later went on to direct the film version of Rosencrantz... in 1990.

Genre characteristics:
*Often exaggerated characters.
*Typically involve symbolic displays of social criticism.
*Popular during 60s and 70s.
*Stoppard, Ionesco, and S. Beckett were the biggest figures.

Central Questions:
*What were the roles of R&G?
*Could R&G have said "no" to Claudius?
*Was R&G... a social criticism?
*How does Guildenstern view Rosencrantz?
*What changes occur throughout the play?
*What does death mean in the play?
*Differentiate R&G.

Author's Style:
Extreme symbolism in addition to humor and irony.

Example: Coing flipping scene in Act I - Foreshadows their untimely end humorously and symbolically.

Quotes:

"It was urgent--a matter of extreme urgency, a royal summons, his very words: official business and no questions asked." Rosencrantz
----This shows the blind allegiance not only as a theme but as the modus operandi of Rosencrantz.

"I feel like a spectator--an appalling business." Rosencrantz
----Rosencrants conveys his sense of powerlessness.

"Life is a gamble, at terrible odds--if it was a bet, you wouldn't take it." The Player
----Conveys the chronic incertainty of life.

Characters:

Name	Role in the story	Significance	Adjectives
Rosencrantz	Protagonist	Symbolic of blind faith and the archetypal subject.	Stupid, Bumbling, Ridiculous, Ignorant
Guildenstern	Protagonist	Slightly more intelligent than Rosencrantz; more inquisitive, but lacks capacity to discern truth.	Insightful, Sarcastic, Cynical, Confused
The Player	Cynic	Casts doubt on societal behavior.	Cynical, dishonest
Hamlet	*	Causes actions of R&G	Mysterious, Annoying
Claudius	*	*	Authoritarian
Ophelia	*	*	Confused, Indecisive
Polonius	*	*	Arrogant, Stubborn

*The roles of the final four characters establish a correlation to the original plot of Hamlet.

Setting:
Same as in Hamlet. However, the setting is given little description by Stoppard, which reflects the inability of R&G to change themselves, much less anything else.

Signigicance of the opening scene:
Coin flipping (heads) is symbolic and foreshadows R&G's untimely ends (decapitation).

Closing scene:
The closing scene conveys R&G's inability to realize their own worths and conveys their self-views of insignificance.

Symbols:
Coin Tossing - Heads symbolized their eventual decapitations; tails referred to the prostitution of preteen boys.

Forgetting names - Lack of individualism; duality of R&G.

Alfred = Ophelia.

Themes:
Helplessness
Stupidity
Confusion
Blind Faith/Allegiance

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Hamlet
I think it would be appropriate for us to begin a relatively in-depth discussion about Hamlet in order to have a jump on the other students, in addition to the fact that a discussion will provide us with more ammunition for the inevitable inundation of essayage. Yays? Nays?

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Oedipus Rex, Essay #7
Introduction
I. Analysis of the Illusions
A. Oedipus vs. Creon
B. Oedipus vs. Teiresieas
C. Oedipus vs. Jocasta/Herdsman's Tale
II.Peace with Apollo
III.Is he a better man?
A. Physically
B. Mentally
C. Overall
Conclusion


Michael Sweikata
AP English
Oedipus Rex Essay #7

Because of illusions, Oedipus moves to dangerous acts, fits of fury, moments of skepticism, and his own certainty that he is right. All are natural products of his state. Such a condition cannot last, and it is broken down by the events which follow the death of Polybus. How does Oedipus make his peace with the gods? Is he a better man for it? Discuss the concept. A rather substantial amount of events occur within one day of existence for King Oedipus Rex.
There are many illusions that occur, one of them being that King Oedipus believing that Creon has bribed, or even forced Teiresias, the blind prophet, to say the wrong information. This is of course, not true, and later revealed in the play, but Oedipus believes that Creon is to benefit from it all. Creon wants the throne, to usurp Oedipus, and to have his kingdom. In all reality, he does not. He wishes to remain the constant that he is, liked by everyone with no power whatsoever. Because of this, Creon leaves, only to return by being summoned by Oedipus after he blinds himself. Another illusion being the mockery of Teiresias by Oedipus. Oedipus insults him for being blind, which is ironic because Teiresias sees the truth better than Oedipus. Then of course, remains the conflict between Jocasta and Oedipus. When Oedipus summons the Herdsman to hear the tale of who had killed the previous King, Jocasta tells him that it was a group of robbers. Robbers, being plural, not one man. This information is crucial to Oedipus, because it will further prove his theory that he killed King Laius. Then the rest of the story unfolds, we learn that yes, it was Oedipus who killed the King, his father. Jocasta kills herself, and Oedipus is banished from the town after blinding himself.
By banishing himself from the town, he pleases Apollo. Apollo demanded that the one who killed the king be banished or killed—banishment being a worse punishment. He even goes further by blinding himself with a pin, stabbing out his eyes.
Physically, he is not a better man. He has been banished from the town that so well liked him, blinded, the cause for his dead mother and father, and without the 'father' that he grew up with. Mentally, being the cause for his parents death is bad enough, but he has also dishonored himself and his children. Insanity is likely to ensue from all of this. But, overall, he retains what made his better parts key. He still kept his promise to the people, of what he would do to the individual who were responsible for Laius' death.
Yes, he did have his problems with illusions, fury with Creon, and skepticism of Teiresias and Jocasta. He still appeases the gods by holding true to their wishes, even still holding true to his promises. He is a good man, because he did his actions in ignorance.



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Not the best, but direct to the point. Direct to the point...direct to the point...isn't that redundant?

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Questions = Insanity
Okay ladies and gentlemen, Michael would like your thoughts on his thoughts, particularly on quesiton 5.

The skepticism of Oedipus concerning prophets and oracles is a symbol, not necessarily of impiety, but of confidence in the self-sufficiency of human power; and in Sophocles view, human power is inadequate armor to protect against suffering. Discuss this concept in relation to Oepidus Rex

Going step by step, my thoughts:

Oedipus (and his father) both believe that knowing the future (knowing their destiny), they can change it. Which is why Laius has 'Oedipus' placed on the hilltop to die, so that he would not kill his father and marry his mother. ('Your son will kill you, and marry your wife'). Oedipus hears the prophecy (or is it Prophesy? Well, according to dicionary.com both can work, just be careful of the context), and attempts to prevent it--hence resulting in it's beginnings.

He encounters Laius and kills him. 1/2 of prophecy complete. Then he continues on to the town, where he meets everyone else, and completes the second half.

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Now, Sophocles believes that human self-sufficiency is inadequate armor to protect you from suffering. What suffering? The suffering that is caused by your actions?

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Help?

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Formatting Tip
To get the outlines to line up perfectly, prefix EVERY line with "III." (including that period). Then, make the characters to be unseen white.

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A thought while I work
Okay, I'm working on my rewrite for the Prometheus Bound paper, the one asking to describe his transition through the story, and if he was a victim of fate or free will. This paper has driven me insane for so long, because I cannot take a stand point. But, finally, I've come to a conclusion. Taking the standpoint of the Greeks and their mythology, I have determined one thing:


There is no such thing as free will.


What? Michael? Explain you ignorant buffoon!

Okay, I will. The fates have everything decided out for you. They know what will happen, when it will happen, why it will happen, and everything that happened before it happened, and everything that happens after it happens. Because of destiny. It's all written out. You cannot change it, because you were destined to do it. Let's even take for example, if a mere mortal encounters the actual Fates.

They come upon them, and say, "Hey, what up? So, you've got my life there. Let's change it!"
"We can't. It's already been written. Everything you say and do, already done."
"Impossible. What am I thinking about?"
"Biscuits."
"Okay, what--"
"Dog food."
"B.."
"No. You can't."

Simple, They know it already, because it's destined to happen. Prometheus was destined to think that, was destined to say what he did, and do what he did. Because you cannot change your destiny. Stacey's example of a movie reel works, to an extent. But, if you take it further, the movie will never change (unless your George Lucas..anyways..), no matter how many times you see it. The movie has already been written out, start to finish. Yelling at the slides won't cause the characters to do something different.

I hate this piece.

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Vocab
List with definitions of Vocab sheet 1, Group 4, Words 61-80.  Definitions were selected from those listed at dictionary.com.  ( Here be the words, bitches.Collapse )</p>

 

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