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Assignment Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

Submitted by,
Syed Alam.

Submitted to,
Prof, Mr Zia Ullah. Date: -09-2011

Name: Subject: Genre: Semester: Exam: Roll No: Chance: University: Submitted to:

Syed Alam English Novel M.A 3rd. Prelim. 3372 Repeater National University of Modern Languages Peshawar Campus. (NUML) Prof, Mr Zia Ullah/

3 Full title Heart of Darkness Author Joseph Conrad Type of work Novella (between a novel and a short story in length and scope) Time and place written England, 18981899; inspired by Conrads journey to the Congo in 1890 Date of first publication Serialized in Blackwoods magazine in 1899; published in 1902 in the volume Youth: A Narrative; and Two Other Stories Narrator there are two narrators: an anonymous passenger on a pleasure ship, who listens to Marlows story, and Marlow himself, a middle-aged ships captain. Point of view the first narrator speaks in the first-person plural, on behalf of four other passengers who listen to Marlows tale. Marlow narrates his story in the first person, describing only what he witnessed and experienced, and providing his own commentary on the story.. Setting (time) Latter part of the nineteenth century, probably sometime between 1876 and 1892 Setting (place) Opens on the Thames River outside London, where Marlow is telling the story that makes up Heart of Darkness. Events of the story take place in Brussels, at Major conflict Both Marlow and Kurtz confront a conflict between their images of themselves as civilized Europeans and the temptation to abandon morality completely once they leave the context of European society. Climax Marlows discovery, upon reaching the Inner Station, that Kurtz has completely abandoned European morals and norms of behavior Falling action Marlows acceptance of responsibility for Kurtzs legacy, Marlows encounters with Company officials and Kurtzs family and friends, Marlows visit to Kurtzs Intended Themes the hypocrisy of imperialism, madness as a result of imperialism, the absurdity of evil symbols Rivers, fog, women (Kurtzs Intended, his African mistress), French warship shelling forested coast, grove of death, severed heads on fence posts, Kurtzs Report, dead helmsman, maps, white sepulcher of Brussels, knitting women in Company offices, man trying to fill bucket with hole in it

Imagery in Heart of Darkness is its representative theme.

Imagery involves one or more of your five senses hearing, taste, touch, smell, sight. Imagery in Heart of Darkness is its representative theme because of what I could see and I studied from text. I found the elements of imagery in the novel which was the elements of theme of the novel. As Evil, Darkness, Barbarism and so on. The setting of the frame story in Heart of Darkness just may be the most important setting to discuss in all of great twentieth century literature. Marlow tells the story of his travels up the Congo River. That makes the settingthe Congo. And more generally, Africa. We get the whole picture from his descriptions In the very opening of the novel as Evil has a tangible reality in Heart of Darkness. Evil here manifests itself in several ways. At the very outset Marlow refers to the ancient Roman conquest of Britain Secondly barbarism. The way who cut off from civilized society and who is forced to live among savages fore a long time in Africa. In the "Character Analysis" for both Marlow and Kurtz we talked about how Conrad compares both men to gods. But, as you might have come to expect by now, Marlow is like a Buddha Kurtz, on the other hand, is described as a lightning and fire Jupiter figure. But it doesnt end there. Interestingly, Marlow calls the white men on the ship "pilgrims." that "pilgrim" is a word for people embarking on a religious journey for spiritual reasons. This may just be motives for Englands imperialistic forays into Africa. Marlows discussions of darkness and light. Take your pick the jungle, the trees, the fog, the scary darkness, and the whole nine yards. Marlow is telling us this storyon the Thames in England. Which, much like the Congo, is also a river its almost as if the Thames River is made parallel to the Congo River. And what would that mean? If the Thames is like the Congo, then Europe is like Africa, the white men in England are like the black men encountered in Africa, and Marlow is like Kurtz. We already have evidence of Marlow being like Kurtz We already decided that Marlow sees himself as similar to the native Africans. And, based on Marlows first words we have got a rather solid argument for Europe being like Africa. England, too, was a place of "primitive darkness" until men from Rome rode up and conquered it. Not to mention, if you somehow were unsure by the end of the text, the last line states that the Thames River leads into "the heart of an immense darkness." If you thought the heart of darkness was the interior of Africa, think again. If Conrad makes this point and successfully draws these parallels, the entire story is imbued with a deeper and more profound meaning. Marlows journey into darkness becomes about defining darkness itself; the term evolves into a subjective and relative one, a shifting label. Africa is only dark and primitive for the Europeans trying to conquer it. And what about the darkness in Europe? Marlow even makes the ominous comment that the light they live in now is a "flicker" that darkness may return to the land soon. Not to mention we havent asked just what is darkness, anyway. How "dark" are the native Africans when we consider that Kurtz is the one putting heads on sticks. What if we look for the darkness inside mens hearts, instead of the literal darkness at the geographical heart of a country? Once we establish with the setting that the Thames is

5 like the Congo, anything is up for debate. We dont know about you, but we pretty much think that Conrad is the coolest guy ever for coming up with this. Imagine him here the very end of the world, a sea the color of lead, a sky the color of smoke, a kind of ship about as rigid as a concertinaand going up this river with stores, or orders, or what you like Marlow, the storyteller, talks about great seamen who were forced to take sail upon the sea centuries ago. He compares the sea to the color of lead illustrating the idea that the sea is similar to a dark abyss. The color of lead is very harsh and rigid. For this reason, it is described as a deep place full of mystery and secrecy. He then compares the sky to the color of smoke; this clearly shows that the sky is gloomy and full of pollution and fog. This also creates a mysterious and fearful atmosphere. Marlow describes the ship that the men used as sturdy as a heavyset piano on scrawny legs. These comparisons make it evident that the sea is a scary and mystifying place. The images that Marlow describes give readers a sense of terror and dread. His comparisons convince readers that life on the Congo River would definitely be an intense adventure full of unexplained things, especially when he describes it as the very end of the world. This phrase shows that the sea is a place where there are no inhabitants and people sailing upon the sea would generally be alone. This also creates a scary atmosphere because people do not want to be alone in such a deserted place. Throughout the first few pages, Joseph Conrad has painted a picture and told many stories through the descriptive language he has used. One quote with a lot of imagery states, "The water shone pacifically: the sky, without a speck, was a benign immensity of unstained light; the very mist on the Essex marsh was like a gauzy and radiant fabric, hung from the wooded rises island, and draping the low shores in diaphanous folds" Charlie Marlow describes the atmosphere and environment around him. From this quote, the reader can understand the serenity and tranquility he feels while at sea. It is during times like this when Marlow and his fellow sailors grew closer together. Since the seamen were alone, settings like the one described, allowed them to feel comfortable enough to spend their free time telling their stories. Although the Congo is a mysterious place to be, the imagery used in this quote makes me feel that at certain points during their trip, the seamen came across beautiful expanses and scenes. It is the darkness of night that brings restlessness and anxiety to the seamen because that is the time when they truly lay on the boat in mystery not knowing what will happen next. I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking (19). After reading this sentence the first word that comes to mind is slavery. Marlow is describing the African Americans that were slaves for the white people. He is first emphasizing how skinny and starved they look. This shows how merciless and torturous the white people are towards the African Americans and that they only use them for hard labor. Then, Marlow describes how the African Americans are chained together, symbolizing how they are all the same and work as one. To the Companys eyes they are not individual humans and do not deserve to be treated the same as white people. This description portrays the unfair and difficult life on the Congo River for the African Americans. Also, it is difficult for the many workers who are not expecting to see this kind of behavior and rethink their choice to come here. The edge of the colossal jungle, so dark-green as to be almost black fringed with white surf, ran straight, like a ruled line, far, far away along a blue sea whose glitter and drip with

6 steam. Here and there grayish-whitish specks showed up, clustered inside the white surf, with a flag flying above them perhaps. Settlements some centuries old, and still no bigger than pinheads on the untouched expanse of their background. This quote explains many things about the Congo; it describes its incredible age and how its inhabitants have still preserved it, it describes the enigma of the Congo River waiting, begging, to be discovered. There is also something else that peaks Marlow's taste for adventure; "But there was in it one river especially, a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with it's head in the sea, the body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and it's tail lost in the depths of the land." Not only does this describe its interesting landscape, but the snake like river represents something else: danger. The Congo is a snake ready to strike when Marlow least expects it, take for example the cruel fate of Captain Foreseen, who previously commandeered the ship that Marlow is using to travel down the same path as he once did. These two quotes reveal the aesthetic yet ominous aura that the Congo releases. If somebody reads something about dark, smoky skies, or huge, dark jungles and the dark, blue sea, of course it sounds like somewhere very dangerous, unsafe, and definitely not somewhere one would want to be alone, especially while at night in the dark. It sounds like a place of death, horror, and terrible fate. The reader will be traumatized and of course will wish that they will never be placed in a situation where they will feel or actually be in a place as though they are at the world's end. A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness. The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, and town on earth." This quote in particular, is a perfect example of imagery Conrad has used in the beginning of the book. He is describing his surroundings and observations of which seems to be out at sea or near a dock, approaching "the greatest town on earth" which is London. He creates an overall dark and desolate mood, by describing what he sees, which makes the reader think of London as a place with no hope or happiness. There was a lot he did not know about this area because there is no clear light that can tell him how he may deal with such a situation, but he feels as if he should stay away from such an area, as tempting as it may be. All their meager breasts panted together, the violently dilated nostrils quivered, the eyes stared stonily up-hill. They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages" This quote gives me a detailed image of the situation and lifestyle of an African native enslaved near the Congo River. The widened nostrils and the gloomy, depressed eyes of the enslaved natives tell the entire story. The white men treated and often referred to these natives as "savages." The Africans were treated horribly. It is evident that corruption was present near the Congo River. Slavery existed in this area. The natives were treated inhumanely to a point where they felt indifferent towards everything in life and became unhappy, depressed individuals. The "slave-life" often made them forget their identities and lose their personalities. This quote creates a dangerous, fearful atmosphere for the life on the Congo River. It is not a place a sane person would wish to visit. The Congo River has a mysterious aspect to it and seems to be holding a deep secret one can only find out through exploration.