William Conrad

At the turn of the century, the author, Joseph Conrad, was 32 and lived through what he writes about. In a journey through Congo, Conrad uses the novella’s central character Marlowe to represent himself and portray his experiences. Like many other writers and artists throughout history, people of his time did not appreciate his work. Even the true meaning of the novel was not understood until later. In the novella Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses a literal and figurative journey through Congo

thinking that fools people into believing that the two are not mutual in any degree, which would be the root of evil practices, such as dehumanization. Conrad has a keen eye for the particular lengths and punctuations being used throughout the novel, and can be clearly identified within the given paragraph. Through literary techniques-such as syntax-Conrad is able to implore the audience to realize such a mindset, and

breaking the barriers of long distance travel which was then available to the average man via ships and trains (Sussman 14). This, in turn, led to the growth of imperialism that promoted the civilising mission in the ‘many blank spaces on earth’ (Conrad 35). With specific interest in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, I argue that Victorian impressions of the civilising mission were constantly encumbered with racist qualities. Heart of Darkness begins with The Nellie, at rest on the river Thames

earnest at the second figure, seemingly existing solely to be in his presence. Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness deals with many opposing forms of view of life and humanity. As the warring nature of light and darkness are a main focus in the novel, Conrad uses limited detailing and outsiders opinions to illustrate the views of the three main characters: Marlow, Kurtz, and The Intended, to display conflicting ideas about man and nature, and the effect they have on another. An enigma for almost the

primarily influenced by the period in which their respective essays were written. I will also elaborate on the perspectives these critics have taken their discussion from and how they have been influenced by their own time in commencing into a debate on Conrad and how their points, their arguments have changed through time. A short summary on the object of criticism would be a good idea before beginning to explore the critical responses on the text itself. Heart of Darkness tells the story of Marlow's expedition

John Gasts’ American Progress painting is clear to interpret even though the representation of events is not realistic. With Lady Liberty flying east to west, she is seen as a goddess like embodiment of the United Sates. With the changing environment in the painting, Lady Liberty is used to represent this because of the power woman hold. They are associated more to nature than men are, deriving from the word “birth.” There is the birth of a new westward expanded nation that is brought from her

one’s lifetime or decades before. In Heart of Darkness and Native Guard, Joseph Conrad and Natasha Trethewey respectively chronicle their characters’ journeys as they struggle to overcome the demons of their personal histories and of history itself. With persistent reflection, both characters achieve a clearer understanding of their pasts, allowing them to transform according to the truths they have discovered. Conrad and Trethewey use water as a symbol to express the shift in their characters’ identities:

maleficent and the beneficent. Alternatively, in both Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey, light and dark symbolism is used to convey that an outward appearance can conflict with what is lying underneath. Conrad shows that greed can be hidden under seemingly good intentions, and Trethewey shows that physical traits do not tell one’s whole story. In the novella Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses light and dark to represent life and death. Although the Europeans believe

serve as nature’s ultimate display of freedom. Likewise, birds are seen, in Christianity, as a symbol of freedom. On Noah’s ark, it was a dove that brought back an olive branch… the dove gave hope for a new, free world. In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the belittling of the bird functions to highlight how the Europeans feel that the Congolese are inferior and how they effortlessly take away the Congoleses’ freedoms. Similarly, in The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the absence of the bird functions to

Thucydides, who was known as one of the first journalists this world has ever seen and the man who recorded in a very detailed style around 25-30 years of war between Sparta and Athens, had a very unique method of reporting. Thucydides showed a very strong interest in reporting real life human situations to the world. He set tremendous high expectations in the truth and accuracy in his reporting’s. When Rosenstiel notes the “real questions” when confronting reporters, Rosenstiel says “What religion