Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness and the European’s Claim to Superiority
Incomplete Works Cited
Just beyond the “biggest and greatest town on earth”, four men sit patiently on
their boat, waiting for the serene waters of the Thames to ebb (65). One of the men, a
Buddha, breaks the silence, saying, “and this also…has been one of the dark places of the
earth” (67). This pensive and peaceful idol, Marlow, explains to his apathetic listeners
how a great civilization is blindly made out of a darkness, remarking, “The conquest of
the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different
complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look
into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only” (70). The irony with which Marlow
looks upon colonization suggests that this redeeming feature, “…Europe’s claim to be
civilized, and therefore superior, needs earnest reexamination” (Sarvan). As Sarvan
suggests, Heart of Darkness contrasts the appearance of African “savagery” with
European “civility” to demonstrate the inhumanity of the Europeans, rather than that of
the Africans.
Conrad’s dehumanizing descriptions of the Africans serve to show the inhuman
effects of colonialism, rather than to demean the African people. For example, Sarvan
notes that when an African is “reclaimed” by serving the Europeans, “…it is grim irony
because he has been reclaimed to a worse state of barbarism.” When Marlow reaches the
first station, he notices one of the “reclaimed” in a uniform jacket missing a button and
notes, “…[He] seemed to take me into partnership in his exalted trust…I also was a part
of the great cause of these high and just proceedings” (82). By ironically referrin...
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...rlow’s
“ironic voyage of discovery” could have happened anywhere. Indeed, the appearance of
a fiendish black figure with his “long black legs, waving long black arms” is a mere
illusion created by the fire behind him (148). The possibility that this wild and
mysterious being in the midst of a great darkne ss could represent any man in any place
lends a great sense of significance to Marlow’s “inconclusive experiences” (70). The
irony of this dark portrayal of human nature is that humanity must hide from its own
abomination in order to survive. Just as Marlow tells a detestable lie to hide the horrors
of one man’s corrupted soul, it is ironic that the “taint of death, a flavor of morality”
should protect idealism (96).
Works Cited
Conrad, Joseph. “Heart of Darkness.” An Introduction to Literature. Terry, Joseph. New York, NY: Longman, 2001. 1614-1672.
After suffering the overwhelming ferociousness and inhumanity of being a slave for over two decades , a black man by the name of Fredrick Douglass fled from enslavement and began to make a concerted effort to advance himself as a human being. Combating many obstacles and resisting numerous temptations, Douglass worked assiduously to develop into a knowledgeable gentleman rather than the involuntary alternative of being an unenlightened slave. In doing so, Douglass successfully immerged as one of the Civil War era’s most prominent antislavery orators. From his first major public speech at the age of 23, Douglass became widely renowned as a premier spokesperson for Black slaves and the movement for the abolition of slavery. In one of Douglass’ most distinguished speeches, “The Meaning of July 4th for the Negro,” he uses the intermittent occasion of speaking on behalf of African Americans to a multitude of White Americans to outline arguments against slavery. In that very speech, Douglass made it clear that, like countless African Americans during this time period,
From before the country’s conception to the war that divided it and the fallout that abolished it, slavery has been heavily engrained in the American society. From poor white yeoman farmers, to Northern abolitionist, to Southern gentry, and apathetic northerners slavery transformed the way people viewed both their life and liberty. To truly understand the impact that slavery has had on American society one has to look no further than those who have experienced them firsthand. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave and advocate for the abolitionist, is on such person. Douglass was a living contradiction to American society during his time. He was an African-American man, self-taught, knowledgeable, well-spoken, and a robust writer. Douglass displayed a level of skill that few of his people at the time could acquire. With his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Written by Himself, Douglass captivated the people of his time with his firsthand accounts into the horror and brutality that is the institution of slavery.
Kirsten I. Bos, Verena J. Schuenemann, et al, “A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death,” Nature, 7370, (2011): 506-510
The concept of the Other is dominant in Frederick Douglass’s text “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”, for it determines the main conflict and illuminates the issue of intolerance and even blasphemy regarding the attitude of white Americans towards Negroes. The text was written as a speech to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and delivered at Rochester’s Corinthian Hall on July 5, 1852. It was a remarkable articulation of the Black people voice living in the United States of America at that point of time because Black people were going through too much humiliation on physical and moral levels (Andrews, 1991, p.46).
Neill, Monty. "The No Child Left Behind Act Is Not Improving Education." Education: Opposing Viewpoints. New York: Greenhaven, 2005. 162-68. Print.
Marlow's more noble self - his spiritually attuned nature - tells us early on that, "You know I hate, detest and can't bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appalls me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies - which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world - what I want to forget." (Longman p. 2210). His statement is recognition of the lies (of the world, in general and of the brick-maker, in particular) (Longman p. 2208-2210). He reviles these lies as a betrayal of what is good and...
12. Smith E, Hoffman H, Summersgill S, Kirchner H, Turek L, Haugen T. Human Papillomavirus and risk of oral cancer. Laryngoscope. 1998; 108: 1098-1102.
As soon as this fear arises, a mysterious traveler appears. This traveler is associated with being the devil. The devil is prevalently known as a symbol for evil. Especially when considering this evil spirit from a religious standpoint as Young Goodman Brown does. A black staff accompanies this devilish traveler. The black color signifies evil and the staff was described as a great, black snake. The snake continues as a biblical symbol for the evil one, as a serpent in the Garden of Eden that tempted Eve to commit the original sin. The traveler that carries the black, snake-like staff, happens to be Brown’s guide through the woods. Young Goodman Brown is not in safe hands. The goodness that survives in Brown can sense that he is in possible danger. Trying to refuse to go further into the woods, the evil traveler convinces the protagonist to do otherwise.
Through the performance of physical activity in children there is a continued positive effect on the motor development and further refinement of actions. During this developmental stage, it ...
Adams, Heather P., and Erica L. Carnright. "HPV Infection And Cervical Cancer Prevention." Clinician Reviews 23.9 (2013): 42-50. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Nov. 2013
As Brown talks with this man, Hawthorne offers clues to who he truly is. Though Young Goodman Brown acts as if he knows the man, he or Hawthorne never says the man's name. Hawthorne then describes a staff the man carries with him. It resembles "a great black snake" or "living serpent." The serpent being a popular image of Satan. Hawthorne later refers to the man as " the fiend" and no longer as "friend." Whether his resemblance to Brown is an illusion or not, he either represents the evil within Brown, or he represents the Devil, the evil within us all.
...i, Jamal, and Ron Dietel. "Challenges in the No Child Left Behind Act for English-Language." Weber.edu. Phi Delta Kappan, June 2004. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
· They make a departure, savages show up, Marlow blows whistle and scares them away again.
On the one hand, The Black Death is an important turning point in history due to the terror and consequential effects it had left behind. The Black Death has been one of the most harmful pandemics in the history of humankind, killing an estimated number of around 75 to 200 million people throughout history, whilst peaking in Europe throughout 1348-50 AD. Although people have been debating about what the real cause of the Black Death is, a scientific journal called PLoS Pathogens publish a paper showing that the pathogen responsible for the Black Death in northern and southern Europe is the Yersinia pestis bacterium (Originally called Pasteurella pestis, the organism had been renamed in 1967 to Yersinia pestis), which had most likely caused many plagues.
Physical activity enhances children’s quantitative development within middle childhood, supporting growth toward healthy strong people, physically and psychology. Middle childhood is documented as being between the ages of six to ten years old. A lack of physical activity affects children across all areas of development; it is not restricted within the domain of physical development. Discussed within are the expectations of motor development within middle childhood, the benefits of physical activity and the consequences of prolonged inactivity. Along with how a student’s physical development facilitates or restricts development in other areas and how the learning environment can accommodate and support the physical needs of students.