Heart of Darkness: The Evil of Man In the novel Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad, Marlow finds himself in a position in which he is forced to accept the fact that the man he has admired and looked up to is a madman. He realizes that Kurtzs methods are not only unethical, but inhumane as well. Marlow comes to realize that Kurtz is evil, and that he himself is also evil. Therefore, Marlows disillusion makes his identification with Kurtz horrifying. As Marlow travels up the river, he is constantly preoccupied with Kurtz. Marlow says, I seemed to see Kurtz for the first time...the lone white man turning his back suddenly on the headquarters, on relief, on thoughts of home...towards his empty and desolate station(32). From the beginning of his trip, he is compared to Kurtz by all of the people that he comes into contact with, and a great deal of his thoughts are centered upon Kurtz. He wonders how he will measure up to the standards that the company sets for him, what Kurtzs personality is like, and what Kurtz would think of him. The more obsessed he becomes with Kurtz, the more he sets himself up for the horrible reality of what his new idol is truly made of. Upon reaching Kurtz's station, Marlows disillusion begins to set in. He is greeted by an English-speaking Russian whom he takes for a man. On the surface, he is a decent, level-headed person, but after short conversation it is apparent to Marlow that he is talking with a disturbed individual. That, however, was not what bothered Marlow. Hearing of, and seeing the acts committed by Kurtz made Marlow uneasy and even afraid. It is at this point that Marlow begins his denial of any affinity he feels with Kurtz. He says in regard to the Russian, I suppose that it had not occurred to him that Mr. Kurtz was no idol of mine(59). Marlow sees all of the atrocities committed by Kurtz, and is appalled, but when he looks deep inside himself, he sees what he could easily become, and he desperately wants to suppress it. Once Kurtz is on the boat, and is heading with Marlow back to civilization, things take a strange turn. Though Marlow and Kurtz have little to talk about, they develop a distinct respect for each other. As Kurtz dies, Marlow accepts this death easily and remains loyal to his dying requests. It troubles Marlow a great deal that there is so much of himself in the things Kurtz does. There is a point where Marlow finds the evil that lurks in the hearts of all men, and he simply accepts it. This is most clearly demonstrated at the end of the story when he claims to be thinking Dont you understand I loved him-I loved him-I loved him(79). In this quote Marlow lets it all out. On the surface he hated Kurtzs actions, but he loved his power to fight the standards of society and to live as a true man. Marlow finds out that there is a savage beast in himself, and in all the men in his mind. There are a lot of problems that Marlow faces and he maintains his composure. It Kurtzs lack of composure that Marlow privately admires. In this story Marlow is forced to accept his disillusion with Kurtz, and is terrified of the identification that comes along with this acceptance. It is only then that Marlow realizes the true nature of man.
Yes, there are terms to agree with that an item’s secondary qualities can be removed, as these qualities are defined by Locke, to not be attached to the actual item and its existence. Take an apple for example; the apple will always stay the spherical shape it maintains. However my experience of it being green can be removed, especially if I see it to be different to someone else. To argue whether a primary quality can be wholly removed is another matter as it is difficult to distinguish whether it can be done so as these qualities live in the object itself. To deliberate if a quality can be completely removed, we must look at what we define each quality to entai...
Captain Willard and Charlie Marlow are both in search of a man named Kurtz. For both Willard and Marlow their intentions to find the two Kurtz’ are different. Yet in both stories finding the Kurtz’ evolve into pivotal obligations for both men and they even begin to idolize and obsess over them. In “Heart of Darkness” Marlow is given the task to go and see Mr. Kurtz who is the chief of the Inner Station by the chief of the Outer Station who informs Marlow that when he sees Mr. Kurtz, Marlow’s task is to not...
The voice of Kurtz is heard and realized not in the familiar words of others, but in the journey down the river into the unknown. People’s inability to pronounce Kurtz’s name suggests the authenticity of Kurtz’s own voice and the weakness of the words used to describe him. When describing Kurtz, familiar vocabulary fails altogether; Kurtz remains a word with little meaning. Marlow first hears of Kurtz from the Company’s chief accountant at Outer Station. When asked who Kurtz is, the accountant responds, “He is a very remarkable person” (37).* The accountant does not mention his name without adding t...
The story is written as seen through Marlow's eyes. Marlow is a follower of the sea. His voyage up the Congo is his first experience in freshwater navigation. He longs to see Kurtz, in the hope of appreciating all that Kurtz finds endearing in the African jungle. Marlow does not get the opportunity to see Kurtz until he is so disease-stricken he looks more like death than a person. There are no good looks or health. In the story Marlow remarks that Kurtz resembles “an animated image of death carved out of old ivory” (Conrad page #).
Kurtz once was considered an honorable man, but living in the Congo separated from his own culture he changed greatly. In the jungle he discovers his evil side, secluded from the rest of his own society he becomes corrupted by power. "My Ivory. My people, my ivory, my station, my river," everything was under Kurtz's reign. While at Kurtz's camp Marlow encounters the broken roof on Kurtz's house, the "black hole," this is a sign of the uncivilized. The black hole represents the unknown and unconquered, and therefore represents the uncivilized. Also, Marlow notices the "black heads" on Kurt...
In conclusion, Kodak is a prime example of how a company should not handle change. Their denial of reality caused them to have a deep fall from grace that could eventually spell the end of their brand if they do not make the necessary course corrections. The bankruptcy may be the thing to save their company if they use it wisely. Fujifilm is the complete opposite in that they realized what the reality of their market was becoming and embraced a strategic decision that would allow them to capitalize on their strengths overall. They are a great example for how a company should be continuing looking ahead to the future.
One night Marlow talks with one of the agents at the station, who speaks of Kurtz with great esteem and admiration but also with resentment at the talents that make him a likely candidate for a job promotion. He says that Kurtz is one of those types of men that have come to Africa not only to gain wealth, but with the notion of spreading enlightenment to the uneducated people. On another occasion, while na...
...ters and foils of each other. Marlow could symbolize an innocent child corrupted by the world it lives in and Kurtz, the bully who took it upon himself to pick on the innocent kid. Marlow even aspires to be like Kurtz, had his perception not been distorted he may have found a different path leading to his fate. Mr. Kurtz tapered off into insanity, driven by the wilderness. Marlow, on the other hand, found himself, with his back to the jungle, looking over the edge of a cliff that would fall to insanity. Instead of doing as Mr. Kurtz had done and falling he turned around and left. Had Marlow lived in the Congo any longer he may have found himself the same place as Kurtz. Marlow saved himself from a trip aboard, in the words of Ozzy Osbourne, the crazy train
When Marlow finally reaches Kurtz he is in declining health. This same jungle which he loved, embraced and consumed with every ounce of his flesh had also taken its toll on him. Marlow finally meets the man whose name has haunted him on his river journey. Could this frail human be the ever so powerful Kurtz? The man who has journeyed into uncharted territories and has come back with scores of ivory and the respect of the native tribe. Yes, this was the very man and though he is weak and on his way to death his power still exudes from him.
The coral reefs on our planet are sorted into three categories; the fringing reefs, the barrier reefs and the atolls. A fringing reef is a reef that grows directly from the shore and towards the sea with no water between the sand and the reef at all. These reefs create borders around islands and shores, and boats often destroy them because they are in the shore’s way. Barrier reefs border shorelines a...
Loft insulation is when the loft, or attic is padded with a foam like insulating material, which traps heat from escaping through the loft. 25% of the heat loss comes from the loft, and with loft insulation it minimizes the amount of heat loss. Walls lose 10% more heat than lofts do but to insulate the walls, so it would be better to insulate, but it costs a lot more than triple glazing and cavity wall insulation, so it wouldn't be as suitable for Graham and Alicia according to the conversation that they had.
In conclusion, with the new composite materials the risk of corrosion and fatigue will greatly decrease. Composite repair techniques described earlier and the new electronic systems monitoring will allow maintenance costs and time out of service to be reduced while airline profit maximizes. As Boeing brings the 787 Dreamliner to the market, the company has made a significant profit which has continued to increase each year. The above average fuel economy allows passengers to save money and take longer direct flights with higher levels of comfort. This aircraft is showing it is more technologically advanced than its competition which is why this aircraft will be the revolutionary to the aircraft industry.
This whole story consists of a large paradox, the darkness can be represented as Kurtz yet Kurtz can be perceived as a dark inner side of Marlow’s character, while the Congo can represent pure evil, and the Congo could also represent the test in which Marlow goes through to emerge as the changed man the reader sees at the end of the story. Yet as Marlow rides on the boat back with Kurtz he realizes that everybody has that lil’ bit of evil inside of them it all depends how you control it or let it control you. For Marlow he learned from seeing a man who was so much like him, Kurtz end up ruined by the temptation of the jungle.
Marlow starts out as just as everyman, trying to put some bread on the table. His original plans were setting out to make money, but his journey turns into so much more. His expedition turns into a quest to find and save Kurtz, and to understand the people so many were prejudice against.
By the time Marlow and Kurtz meet, Marlow is already well aware of the similarities they share. Both are imperialists, and while Marlow detests the treatment of the natives by his employers (Belgian colonists), he also makes apparent his abhorrence toward the Africans. On the other hand, Kurtz abandons the pretense of helping the natives achieve civilization, as displayed by the Europeans. Instead, he adopts their customs and becomes their leader in the never-ending quest for ivory. "He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, 'must necessarily appear to them [savages] in the nature of the supernatural beings- we approach them with the might as of a deity' (Longman, 2000, p. 2226). Marlow also admired Kurtz' resourcefulness and survival skills, especially his perseverence through jungle fever. "The wilderness had patted him on the head....it had taken him, loved him, embraced him, got into his veins, consumed his flesh, and sealed his soul to its own by the inconceivable ceremonies of some devilish initiation. He was its spoiled and pampered favorite." (Longman, 2000, p. 2225).