Literature Analysis #2

1.The story takes place latter in the nineteenth century and starts of in the Thames River in England and then travels into the Congo. The author uses more than one setting to compare the parallel between England and Africa. To show that white and black men aren’t that different from each other, and Marlow and Kurtz are similar in many ways. To use comparisons between the Thames and Congo River to show that they are connected. The story is told over a year period. The inciting incident is when Marlow sees the horrible circumstances that the company’s employees are under. The good and questionable information he hears about Kurtz which make him suspicious to find out more.
2. The central message is there is evilness in all of us and the universal theme is racial prejudice.
 The authors purpose was not only to portray some of his personal experiences through his story but to make connections between good and evil, and parallels between white and blacks.

3. The title “Heart of Darkness” relates to the content because the whole book has a dark and eerie tone to it and is centered on this idea that the journey the characters go on through the heart of the Congo River, is like going into the darkness. The journey becomes about discovering what the darkness really is and if it’s the characters state of mind or the darkness filled in their hearts.

4. When the author described that there was free wood for Marlow and the crew to   take, that seemed strange to me and felt like it was foreshadowing danger. Something bad was going to happen to the crew or ship. The tone of the book had a weird feeling like something wasn’t right, and somebody was watching them. Conrad’s dark and suspenseful diction allow readers to be prepared for a new twist or discovery that comes along throughout the journey. Through Conrad’s uninformative        story he creates a lot of foreshadowing elements so the reader can try to figure out what is going to happen next. The author uses more description to help the reader try to comprehend and keep up       with understanding the book. It is very easy to misinterpret a part in the book so Conrad drags out the descriptions to make the reader more anxious to find out what is going to happen next. The tone of the book was fearfulness, and it made me feel anxious and worried. When Marlow and the crew were getting deep into the Congo River. I was worried something bad was going to happen to them or to Kurtz. There is some dialogue but mostly narrating by Marlow and he is the one telling his story so I get a sense of how he is feeling and thinking from him being the one describing his journey. The irony in the book is that Marlow is the one who has been anxiously waiting to meet. When he finally does Kurtz is not himself and soon after dies. So it was kind of bittersweet for Marlow.

"…seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.” The journey is sort of almost coming to a full circle again and it is saying that the adventure was only part of the darkness. The person themselves is what was captivated by darkness.“...that was exactly what I had been looking forward to—a talk with Kurtz.” After Marlow thinks Kurtz is dead he realizes that the whole reason he had gone on this journey to find Kurtz was so he can get to know him. He was devastated when he thought he was not going to. “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.” Marlow felt that his life would’ve been worthless because he would’ve died without having something left to say. Kurtz   died saying something so Marlow though Kurtz life was memorable.

Characterization:

1.Marlow is a man who sets out to find a job but really goes on a journey. He is an independent hardworking man who is skeptical of people around him that he doesn’t know. As the story progresses he learns to be a leader and stick up for who and what he believes in. He learns how to persevere through many obstacles that come into his path. He stays strong and fights through devastation and casualties, and grows intellectually through his journey. Indirect Characterization

2.  Kurtz is the chief of the Inner Station who has gone missing. He has many talents and people look up to him and adore him because of his wisdom. He has a powerful influence over all the people that are in his life because he is in a way a teacher who has so much knowledge about life. His intellect is part of why he gets into trouble with the African Americans. He is consumed by umbrage of darkness that is cast upon him and he can’t get out. Direct Characterization.

3.These aren’t people I’d like to know because Marlow and Kurtz resemble each other in many ways and agree on some of the same values. Both of them seem a little bit consumed by this imaginary meaning on life. Kurtz has been influenced by the tribal   group he was surrounded by and Marlow is very interested with what Kurtz has to offer.They both seem to be locked in a dark state of mind with each other.

4. Yes, both characters are realistic and do resemble people in real life. Many people have a role model or somebody they look up to. That is how Marlow thinks of Kurtz; he doesn’t at first because he is skeptical about Kurtz. Then when he finally realizes he wants to meet Kurtz. He finds that Kurtz is a wise and somewhat lost man that he can.