Heart of Darkness - Free Response #1 - AP English Literature & Composition

Heart of Darkness - Free Response #1

3/31/2012

Hi everyone! Here, you should:

1. Post your extended paragraph as a comment in this thread. You will respond to the prompt you were given on Thursday with an elaboration on "how Conrad manages to convey both a sense of distaste and yet an uncomfortable awareness of a bond with the natives" based upon the passage from Chapter 2. Response must be submitted by Sunday evening at 9 PM.

2. THEN, read through the responses from your peers and post an insightful response comment to someone else's post. This means you will highlight points that they noted and comment on them (I agree, I disagree, I would like to take this further, If you were to analyze this deeper, etc.). These are to be formally written. Feedback is due by Monday night at 11:59 PM.

3. In light of some students expressing disappointment with these having to be "formally written", we're going to include an informal aspect of this as well. You are welcome to copy and paste the linked images below as comments to each other's responses; you can do this for as many posts as you would like.
Concise thesis: http://aplitsia.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11106673/4643134_orig.jpg
Impressed: http://aplitsia.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11106673/3320339.jpg?351
Needs deeper analysis: http://aplitsia.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11106673/6325072_orig.jpg
Literary devices: http://aplitsia.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11106673/5846955_orig.jpg
Diction: http://aplitsia.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11106673/4220038_orig.jpg
Evidence: http://aplitsia.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11106673/9963479_orig.jpg

21 Comments

Zana Al-S

3/31/2012 05:06:20 am

Sometimes, manipulating certain literary aspects of a passage can greatly contribute to the main idea or goal of the passage. In chapter two of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the main character's sense of distaste and uncomfortable awareness of a bond with the natives is effectively conveyed though the manipulation of diction and syntax. This is evident as early as the first sentence of the passage, where Conrad manipulates diction and syntax as he describes the main character's initial encounter with the natives. At first glance, this description seems quite lengthy and wordy. However, it later appears that it has broken up into several clauses, each separated by a pair of commas, and each containing a different description of the scene. Therefore, the usage of commas not only emphasizes the differences between the miniature scenes provided, but it also emphasizes their importance to the overall image of the sentence. In fact, it is through this imagery-- that is created through the varying diction and syntax present within the passage-- that Conrad achieves the sense of distaste and uncomfortable awareness (of the main character). However, in this specific sentence, the separateness present within it, automatically contributes to a sense of chaos, confusion, frenzy, and distaste-- that the main character may be going through as he approaches the scene. Throughout this sentence, diction also plays a very important role in conveying the main character's attitudes towards the natives. Within this sentence, Conrad uses a variety of unrelated action verbs-- like "burst", "whirl, "clapping", "stomping", "swaying", and "rolling"-- to emphasize the confusion and uncomfortableness present during his description of the natives (Conrad #). These constant jumps from one strong description to anther are the heart of his uncomfortable awareness of his bond with the natives. He is so uncomfortable and confused that the frenzy within him could be seen in his unrelated descriptions of the natives. In fact, the main character tells the reader about the "incomprehensible frenzy" of the scene (Conrad #). This is exactly what he says:

We were cut off from the *comprehension of our surroundings*; we glided past like *phantoms*, wondering and *secretly appalled, as sane men were before an enthusiastic outbreak in a madhouse*. *We could not understand because* we were too far and *could not remember*...

The uses of the words, that are *starred* in the response given, add to his feeling of distaste with the trip to Congo, and his uncomfortableness with all aspects of it.

In fact, this sense of distaste continues through the rest of the passage, where the main character even proposes his uncertainty about the natives being human.

The earth seemed unearthly...It was unearthly, and the men were--No, they were not inhuman...that was the worst of it--this suspicion of their not being inhuman...but what *thrilled* you was the thought of their humanity.

In other words, the main character speaks of how horrible it is to think of these natives as humans-- which are one of the greatest reasons as to why he is uncomfortable and distasteful towards the natives. He describes them as animals that "howled...leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces [that] thrilled" you when you thought of their humanity (Conrad #). They were the possessors of the "pretty *rags*", not clothes (Conrad #). In fact, he calls their questionable "remote kinship" as "ugly...ugly enough" (Conrad #). This, along with his angry questioning and sudden breaks in his thoughts-- throughout the rest of the passage-- his distaste reaches its height. In fact, through these breaks in thoughts, the main character incorporates the use of the word "you"-- constantly making the reader connect to his experiences and feelings of distress and uncomfortable awareness with his remote kinship with the natives.

Souhad El-achkar

4/1/2012 09:12:28 am

In chapter two of Heart of Darkness Joseph Conard managed to structure his passage in a way were he was able to convey both distaste and an uncomfortable awareness with the natives. Conard was able to achieve this through two literary devices being diction and imagery. Also Conrad’s structure of the passage contributed to the over all meaning. Diction and imagery were continuously used to bring these completely different feelings together along with the structure of the passage.
In the second paragraph there was many instances were the reader can tell that there was an obvious distaste and torturing awareness towards the natives. He says, “They howled, and leaped, and spun, and made horrid noises.” His diction and use of those specific descriptive words made the natives come across as animalistic. The diction used also created imagery. Using words like howled and leaped create an image of something “inhumane.” Later on Conrad says , “ The thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly.” This sentence alone showed the distaste and disgust he had toward the natives. His use of the words wild ,passionate and ugly contributed to the inhumane description that he has put on the natives.
The passage structure also played a role when it came to Conrad’s feelings towards the natives. The passage was structured in a way were the majority of the sentences were quite long. These long sentences were either separated by commas or question marks. This created an almost unorganized, chaotic and confusing feeling through out the passage, similar to the way he felt towards the natives. The commas were able to bring all the different ideas and events together as one. The question marks are also found through out the passage and in a way they reiterate his feelings towards the natives. An example would be with him asking. “Principles?” or “Who’s that grunting?” His questions through out the two paragraphs were answered in ways that related to the distaste he had for the natives and what he has already known and thinks about them. After each question he asks he answers with many different thoughts. This all relates back to how he feels about the natives the chaotic structure is similar to them and their chaotic and inhuman life. He describes them as such when he says , “We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster.” Unorganized natives and structure .
Overall Conrad looks down on these natives and this was seen through the diction, imagery, and structure of the passage. His diction created imagery for these natives who came of as inhuman. Also the structure of the passage was very similar to the natives, unorganized and chaotic. However by the end of the passage regardless of what he may have thought about the natives he still saw similarities between them.

J23 link

4/1/2012 10:01:19 am

In many cases within the vast realm of literature, an author will use multiple methods in order to convey certain messages. More specifically, in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses a distinct structure in which he uses to express both a sense of distaste and an uncomfortable awareness of a bond with the natives. Before going into the explicit details and analyzing what he writes, it is required to have knowledge of what the story is entailing at this point. Primarily Conrad is discussing the natives in Congo and from there he is noticing somewhat of a bond, although he is distasteful of their culture, between his humanity and theirs. For example, in the passage, Conrad writes, “…but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there was in you the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you—you so remote from night of first ages—could comprehend.” This is basically saying that although there is much difference between the natives’ behaviors and the English, there is still a common ground they can both be traced back to. Nonetheless, Conrad finds the natives very repulsive as he uses phrases like, “Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough,” or “…there you could look at a thing monstrous and free,” to describe what he saw of the natives and thus not pleased. This is how Conrad structures his writing in a way in which he can send a double message of distaste along with that uncomfortable sense of having a bond with the natives. More of such messages can be seen in Heart of Darkness as Conrad further compares and contrasts the natives and the English.

Thanks for reading,
-J23

Zana Al-S

4/2/2012 06:07:59 am

Dear J23,
Although I absolutely loved your writing and word choice, I believe that there is some more work to be done on this analysis. In your analysis, you did a great job at introducing the topic-- and I applaud you for that. I also love that you provided the reader with a background of what is going on in the text in the specific passage. However, your argument had so little evidence-- although the ones you chose were very strong. Therefore, I ask from you to take another look at your paragraph and include a deeper analysis that utilizes multiple pieces of evidence. You are almost there. Keep up the great and wonderful work.
Your fellow classmate,
Zana Al-S

Emonie Carter-Hale

4/2/2012 07:23:32 am

Dear J23,

I agree with the concept you have about his eventually finding these comparisons between the cultures even though he wouldnt want to have similarities to these " savages". Also, i like how you incorporated how he still depicts them as an Ugly race even though he found similarities with them so i have a question for you.. If he finds this race as Savagery and ugly wouldnt that mean that he also found his European culture close to alike due to the fact they turn out to have similiar characteristics?

Dragon_Slayer_Of_The_Twelfth_Dimension (Fanharawi)

4/1/2012 10:03:42 am

In chapter two of Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness we come across a passage of the protagonist (Marlow) and his crewmates first encounter with the natives of the land he has journeyed to on his exploration. As we read through the passage we begin to feel the darkness and twisted vision of what the natives are. Joseph Conrad elaborately combines imagery, syntax, and diction in such a way where you actually feel as if you are on the ship and are watching the natives as the ship passes through the area.
“They were not inhumane. Well, you know, that was the worst of it- this suspicion of their not being inhumane.” In this line we take a glimpse through Marlow’s eyes, the see that he is scared because of these creatures, these dark entities are in fact human. The imagery in this passage puts a picture in your mind of darkness, chaos, as if beats are strutting about and dancing. “They howled, and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces.” As you read through the passage the syntax of the paragraph begins to draw you in, and consumes you. You find yourself reading faster and faster, your heart beings to beat at an exponential rate, your eyes dart back and forth between the lines. Joseph Conrad elaborately combines many different aspects such as comas, hyphens, semi-colons, and much more in order to create this effect of hurriedness and panic.
The diction used in this passage is designed to send a chill down your spine, “Joy, fear, sorrow, devotion, valor, rage” This mix of many different emotions and feelings force your mind to dart back and forth between your emotions and makes you feel what Marlow feels. “The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster” With this line we feel as if chained up beasts are what we are faced with, as if a raging hulk is chained up trying to break loose from his prison.
Joseph Conrad designed this passage to make your heart race and your mind shake. To give you chills and make you afraid. He strategically combined many literary aspects such as imagery, syntax, and diction for this effect to take place as we read the book.

Hina Haider

4/1/2012 11:07:48 am

Dear Dragon_Slayer_Of_The_Twelfth_Dimension (Fanharawi),

I really enjoyed reading your analysis paragraph. You did a very good job of utilizing literary elements in your analysis and expressing how they enhance the writing itself. I agree with your statement about diction and how Conrad's use of the word "inhumane" to describe the natives is just an exaggerated way to describe their uncivilized ways and that the natives are in fact human. I also liked how you connected that to Marlow's perspective and how the particular use of that word, or diction, made Marlow feel and react. Your illustration of syntax was also very unique, something that I had never considered. The fact that Conrad's sentence structure instills a sense of hurry and panic in the reader is very clever.

However, there are also some areas in which you can improve. You did not really focus your paragraph around the topic itself. You provided literary elements and devices but you did not tie everything together with the prompt. Your analysis would be much stronger if you elaborated on the evidence and literary devices and then showed how that conveyed both a sense of distaste and yet an uncomfortable awareness of a bond with the natives. With a little more deeper analysis, this paragraph will be very strong. You focused a lot of your essay on how the use of literary devices made the reader feel; instead, shift gears a little and show how the literary devices relate to the prompt itself. You already have all of the ideas, all you need to do is bring them all together in a clear and concise way.

Overall, you did a very good job with this paragraph and I really enjoyed reading it. You had very unique ideas and made some really strong points. All you need is a little focus and deeper analysis to really enhance what you already have in this paragraph.

Sincerely,

Hina Haider

Zahra Almajidi

4/1/2012 10:16:26 am

Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, is a frame narrative that allows a certain amount of secrecy to be present. It tells the tale of a man named Charles Marlow that is currently returning to Africa on a second voyage with the intention of civilizing the savages that inhabit Africa. Despite the fact that there are several narrators, Marlow is ultimately the main protagonist. A vividly detailed tale is told by Marlow of his adventures in Africa. He begins by telling the readers of how he had come across the chance to go to Africa, and how he had felt once he had arrived. Once he is in Africa, he hears of an influential man named Kurtz multiple times, and despite the fact that he knows nothing of this mysterious man he is quite intrigued. He develops a strong desire to meet Kurtz and in chapter 2 he embarks on a voyage down a river to see Kurtz.

Although Marlow is in a strange and chilling country he had never felt as terrified and aware as when he was travelling to meet Kurtz. He and the other men had never really had any reason to be afraid until they begin to “[struggle] around a bend.’ however, once they get to a bend Marlow begins to notice absolute chaos. He glimpses “peaked grass-roofs, a burst of yells, a whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping, of bodies swaying, of eyes rolling…” He claims that “the prehistoric man was watching [them]” The savages were praising them, cursing them, welcoming them, doing something that was hard to distinguish. Marlow and his men could not tell. They were like lifeless being drifting on the sea, curious yet shocked, on the verge of insanity. The two month trip upriver made them feel as if they were travelling back in time, to a forgotten land. The land seemed indistinguishable.

To Marlow the earth seemed “unearthly.” They were used to land being limited by manmade structures, a “conquered monster.” It was unnerving to him and the men had no longer seemed inhuman to him. He was finally able to recognize them as men, and that fact seemed to be the worst part of the whole situation. Marlow said “they howled, and leaped and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity―like yours―the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar.” It thrilled Marlow to think of the humanity he shared with these savage beasts, these prehistoric people. He said that they may have been ugly, there was no denying it, but he could not help but admit that a primitive part of him was responding to the noise, the shouts. He claimed that man must accept the truth, and the truth of the matter was that he was somehow bonded to these beasts. The “cloak of time” was stripped and the connections between the civilized European men and those savage African beasts were more evident. Despite these feeling that Marlow had, he resisted the urge to join the savages. He said that it had nothing to do with principles, because to him principles won’t do. If given the chance “acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags,” would fly off revealing the true nature of man. No, for him it was much more than principle. He had the chance to go mad, to live a simple life, to dance on the shore with the savages, but he chose not to. He attributed that decision to the fact that he still had a voice that could not be silenced. He did not have time to have fine sentiments about the fearful realization of his bond with the natives. He had to worry about other things; he had to worry about his ship, about keeping it upright. Staying busy with these things and not worrying about anything else was able to keep him sane. He said, “There was surface-truth enough in these things to save a wiser man.” He felt that if he stayed near things that seemed familiar to him he would not go mad to his internal urges. He may have felt a bond with the savages, but he did not want to become one of them. He was still distasteful of them despite all of the feelings he had about being close to them, about understanding what they met. He felt that he would never give in to his urges. He could not. He was too vocal, too opinionated. He had not completely lost his self to give up everything that he had worked for.

Therefore, although Conrad had made Marlow feel as if he had an intrinsic bond to the natives, he had still allowed Marlow to have a voice and express distaste at the idea of being anything like the natives.

Hina Haider

4/1/2012 10:23:27 am

In chapter two of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the author manages to convey both a sense of distaste and yet an uncomfortable awareness of a bond with the natives through the use of diction and juxtaposition.
Diction is the speaker’s choice of words used to create meaning. Conrad utilizes this literary device at several instances throughout the specified passage in order to communicate a sense of distaste and aversion towards the natives. For example, when Marlow first catches sight of the natives on the shore from his steamer, he describes them as a “black and incomprehensible frenzy” (Conrad 37). This statement suggests that the indigenous people were uncivilized, chaotic, and crazy. The use of the particular word “black” also expresses the race of the natives as black, African people. Conrad’s choice in depicting the local people as uncultured and frenzied shows the reader that Marlow looks down upon the actions of these people and considers himself superior because of his more sophisticated mannerisms and behaviors. Also, the distinction of the natives as “black” also articulates a sense of distaste towards them because Marlow is a white seaman who inherently views his own race as a cut above all others. Further, Marlow says, “we glided past like phantoms, wondering and secretly appalled, as sane men would be before an enthusiastic outbreak in a madhouse” (Conrad 37). Conrad’s explicit use of the word “appalled” expresses to the reader that the seamen, including Marlow, were horrified and revolted by these indigenous people and were aghast and dismayed at their characteristics, clearly suggesting aversion to the natives. Marlow also stated that he felt as if he were in a “madhouse.” This statement also communicates distaste and aversion towards the natives because it shows how sickened the seamen were by their presence and how they attributed their actions to those of people in a madhouse. In the particular passage, Conrad also questions the humanity of these people and wonders whether they are or aren’t “inhuman.” He also goes on to illustrate them as “unearthly,” painting them as absurd, outrageous, and bizarre people, and also explicitly calls them “ugly.” All of these definite uses of words, or diction, portray a sense of distaste towards the native people. Lastly, Conrad explains the actions of the local people, saying that they “howled, leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces” (Conrad 37). Conrad’s use of diction in this sentence really portrays the actions of the natives as barbaric and animalistic. Through these various characteristics that Conrad attributes to the natives, he illustrates their lack of sophistication and civilization and it is this diction that creates a sense of distaste towards the natives. Overall, Conrad effectually utilizes diction to communicate that sense of aversion and distaste towards the indigenous people.
Juxtaposition is the comparison of two unlike objects, characters, phrases, actions, or words in literature. This valuable literary element can convey deep meaning within the text through contrast and disparity between different things. Conrad employs this literary device in order to illustrate an uncomfortable awareness of a bond between the seamen and the natives. Firstly, Marlow says, “what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity – like yours – the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar” (Conrad 37). In this quote, Conrad juxtaposes the civilized and humane seamen with the wild and frenzied natives. This contrast between the two different people shows that Marlow is aware of a bond or kinship that they may have with the natives. It is a very obscure and uncomfortable realization but nonetheless, the disparity between the two populations is able to communicate the idea of a loose bond or union between the two. Also, Marlow states that “there was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you – you so remote from the night of the first ages – could comprehend” (Conrad 37). In this quote, Conrad again juxtaposes the seamen and the natives. This juxtaposition between the two people is able to express an uncomfortable awareness of a bond with the natives because although it highlights on the differences amid the seamen and the natives, it also suggests an ambiguous union or link that connects the two people.
Overall, Conrad is able to convey both a sense of distaste and yet an uncomfortable awareness of a bond with the natives through the efficient use of diction and juxtaposition.

Dragon_Slayer_Of_The_Twelfth_Dimension (Fanharawi)

4/1/2012 11:08:57 am

I found your response paragraph very well written and detailed. I very much like the fact that you picked up on Marlow's use of the word "black" to show that he not only thought of himself as superior to them, but thought that they were lowly inhumane creatures to begin with. I completely agree with the point of view you have taken with your response, and particularly like the fact that with every example you give or every thought you provide, you give us a quote from the book itself to back it up.

Shadi

4/1/2012 11:40:14 am

Everyone, whether they choose to accept it or not, has some sort of common ground. At the end of the day, we are all humans, despite our cultural, racial, or ethnic background. In Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, a cultural clash can be seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Marlow. Although Marlow constantly expresses his distaste about the natives, he is still very aware that there is some sort of common link between him and the natives. Albeit he is uncomfortable with the bond, it is still there. In the book, Marlow always uses degrading words when talking about the natives; ugly being one of them. Marlow refers to the natives as ugly to express his sheer distaste and lack of respect to the natives. However, at the same time, he cannot deny the fact that there is a bond. In fact, his use of degrading diction when talking about the natives is a way for him to attempt to deny any bond that exists between him and the natives; after all, he is the “civilized” white man and they are the “uncivilized” natives. His syntax expresses his uncomfortable awareness of a common bond between him and the natives. At one point he spoke of the natives as being humane, “They were not inhumane.” From this phrase alone we can derive that Marlow has already made a connection with the natives by classifying them as human beings. He also expresses distaste in what follows that phrase, “Well, you know, that was the worst of it- this suspicion of their not being inhumane.” By saying this, Marlow is stating that he didn’t want to think of the natives as humane, simply because he finds them uncivilized and distasteful. Marlow expresses distaste for the natives in order to avoid making this common link between them, but he is always uncomfortably aware of their bond. Marlow realizes that they are both human beings, despite the fact that he comes from a “civilized” society and they come from an “uncivilized” society.

I know I posted it late, but I just got home about 30 minutes ago..

Mohammad Siddiqui

4/2/2012 12:40:58 pm

http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/clapping/busey_
clapping.gif

Salutations,

My good friend, you have indeed analyzed and identified the root cause of the issue but I do not see much detail to support your statements. Although your statements are very strong and just, I would prefer to see some citations going into them. You have broken down the passage in a very organized manner and I can see your thought process as it moves down the analysis, but you are missing many transitions that could help make your analysis flow more fluidly, I simply hate to see such a well written piece go to such waste because of the lack of transitions. I enjoyed your opening sentence very much, but I do not believe that it was important for you to start your analysis off with this one. Try starting your analysis with the third sentence, “In Joesph Conrad’s. . .” Remember you will not have much time for writing on the AP Exam and every sentence counts! I also liked your view on the syntax but I believe you are coming at it from a very different approach then it would be preferred. Syntax is the sentence structure based on the style of sentences used physically that interrupts the flow, such as in the varying of sentences and others.

But in high hopes, I know you are an excellent student who is willing to take my remarks in good favor and hope you will adapt your writing style to what I have recommend, but remember that these are my own remarks and you are not personally required to make those changes. Keep up the good work and dedication!

Regards,
Mohammad Siddiqui

Zahra Almajidi

4/2/2012 01:16:07 pm

Although I like your analysis of the prompt, I would have liked you to delve deeper into Marlow's feeling about sharing a bond with the natives. I would have liked to see your interpretation of Marlow's mood in this specific prompt. Despite this I like the fact that you cut straight to the point and didn't add any superfluous information. Over all, I think this is a good analysis, though, it could be stronger.

P.S. When writing a formal analysis don't use terms such as I or we.

Rim Tamim

4/1/2012 12:39:19 pm

In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, he conveys a sense of distate and uncomfortable awareness of the bond with the natives through the use of Imagery and diction. Through out the book the main character marlow has used diction to describe the natives, using animalistic characteristics rather than referring to them as human beings. He uses terms such as "barbaric" and "savages" to help provide the reader with the sense of distate that he has towards being compared to the natives themselves. He seems to be seperating idea of man vs. beast, light vs dark, and civilized vs. uncivilized with these words. His diction even plays a role in the themes of the passages. We can infer that by comparing the natives to animals, Marlow does not want to be one with the natives whether he realizes that he connects with them or not.

Through his use of diction, the imagery of the book is accentuated and brings back a stronger meaning towards marlows relationship with the savages. just like we inferred the sense of darkness being brought out by Kurtz painting of the blindfolded native, his diction helped the reader imagine and place themselves in Marlows position as he was viewing the natives. "They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom. Brought from all the recesses of the cast in all the legality of time contracts, lost in uncongenial surroundings, fed on unfamiliar food, they sickened, became inefficient, and were then allowed to crawl away and rest. These moribund shapes were free as air - and nearly as thin. (Conrad 14). As he described the natives we notice the idea of the man vs. man as marlow tended to weaken the natives and consistently find a reason to convey a sense of distaste and uncomfortable awareness of the bond with the natives.
Although he knows he and the natives and compare to one another, Marlow denies and finds reasons to differentiate one another. Through his use of diction and imagery we can see how Marlow differentiates.

Souhad El-achkar

4/2/2012 06:22:21 am

Your analysis paragraph was very well written, the thoughts you expressed were very similar to mine. I agree with the fact that Conrad conveyed a sense of distaste and uncomfortable awareness of the bond with the natives through the use of Imagery and diction. I also found it great when you related your paragraph to man vs. man.

However there are also some areas in which you can improve. You did not address the prompt. You never mentioned how structure was used to convey the feelings of disgust and awkward connections with the natives.

Other then that I really enjoyed reading your analysis.

Emonie Carter-Hale

4/2/2012 07:17:05 am

In Chapter 2 Marlow expresses his distaste he has with an understanding and bond with the natives. Marlow isn’t quite so comfortable with viewing the world in black and white, both literally and figuratively.Things get even more complicated when he starts becoming like a "savage" himself. After talking to the manager at the outer station, Marlow is treated like a native African man, not given a seat or any food. His response? "I was getting savage," he says, unable to converse with the man as a normal, cultured European would do. Rather than civilizing the "savages," it seems, Marlow and others begin to become like them.Marlow’s most interesting discourse on the "savages" occurs shortly after his confession that the African cannibals really aren’t so bad after all. He peers from his boat toward the shore and sees the native Africans dancing and howling. But he doesn’t see them as strange creatures – no, instead he says that they are "not inhuman." The type of diction he uses can prove that marlow eventually will seek a comparison between Europeans and Africans- for example when he says they are not "inhuman" his diction there is like a double negative due to the fact he doesnt want to call them "human" so instead he uses a term thats not so degrading to say it more weakly by affirming it opposite. Marlow also call their humanity "thrilling" by how culturaly they are acting and dancing around like savages yet he still finds it intresting and in a sense he understand how they get Joy out of acting like this with eachother. He says, "What thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity-like yours-the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar" When he uses the word " kinship" he is basically saying they have a sharing of characteristics.For Marlow, the "pilgrims" and the "savages" are linked together by the one thing they have in common – their mortality.

Shadi

4/2/2012 11:45:03 am

Dear Miss Emonie,

Your analysis paragraph was very interesting to read. You highlighted and focused on the bond that Marlow discovered existed between him and the natives and you were concise. Aside from being concise, your analysis was deep and thorough as well. I agree with your point that says that Marlow himself was becoming a "savage", and that might be why he began to identify with the natives more and more.
Because of your excellent analysis, I present you with this humble award: http://aplitsia.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11106673/3320339.jpg?351

Mohammad Siddiqui

4/2/2012 10:15:46 am

Conrad’s use of explicit diction and imagery allows for a vivid image of the natives as the reader follows along in the passage. The reader is able to figuratively paint a picture of the scenes occurring and envision the uncomfortable bond that the narrator holds with the natives and sense the distaste in Marlow’s view as it changes throughout the course of the piece. At the start of the passage the reader is thrusted into a frenzy of human beings, “. . .a burst of yells, a whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping of feet stamping, of bodies swaying, of eyes rolling, under the droop of heavy and motionless foliage.” The narrator and the reader are both pushed into an uncomfortable situation where they are alienated from their own culture and exposed to something that is completely different. As Marlow says, “We were cut off from the comprehension of our surroundings;” he is showing his reaction to the environment, the narrator had no idea what to expect as the natives around him either tried to welcome him or ward him off. The structure also plays a key role in this because of the syntax of continuous fast paced statements that are separated by commas. The reader is able to quickly of the natives and familiarize with the scenario because of the influx of information that is being shared by the narrator. It also creates a sense of urgency and confusion, the narrator subconsciously builds up suspense as he frantically relays the information.

As the author continues, the distaste in his voice is apparent almost immediately through the diction he uses such as, “howled,” “leaped,” and “horrid.” They all play a key role in showing what he believed about the society itself; Marlow even went as far as calling it “wild.” But as he continued in the passage, his attitude changed about the wild, he talked about it as he felt a relationship with it because it spoke the “truth.” As he was confronted by the truth of the natives and his relationship with them, he accepts it and says that even though they are filth and disgust, they are the same as the world around them. The bond that he shares with them is only covered by the “acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags. . .” He also comments that even though the bond exists, man must meet that truth and confront it, accepting the faults of it and be unchanging to the will of it no matter how much it disgusts them.

The bond exists through the uncivilized and the civilized, no matter how much would want to renounce that bond, there is no slipping away from the truth. Humans will always be similar at the core no matter the commodities they have. Just because there is a mental sense of believing that one is higher on the social hierarchy does not necessarily mean they are. One must come to accept the bond and learn to live with it.

Mostafa Choucair

4/2/2012 12:55:24 pm

Conrad, in the second chapter of Heart of Darkness, uses the literary elements Dictions and imagery to create a sense of distaste, but yet a bond between the natives and the protangist.
To begin, diction is used in the second paragraph in such a way that the reader mentally depicts, and understands that the natives are similar to monsters and brutes. Diction such as “burst of yells, whirl of black limbs, mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping, bodies swaying, eyes rolling…”, “black and incomprehensible frenzy.” And “prehistoric. Not only does Conrad use diction that creates a negative picture of the Natives, but he goes on to create an unfriendly and even “unearthly” environment through his use of diction for example “the earth seemed unearthly... shackled form of a conquered monster...”
Conrad uses the literary element imagery to create a bond between the seamen and the natives. Conroad uses statements such as “they howled, and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity.”, or “Acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags –rags that would fly off at the first good shake.”. These statements create a mental picture in the reader’s mind of savages and seamen, however along with the mental picture is an awareness that these two different groups are related by a bond—humanity.

Death #1

4/2/2012 04:32:24 pm

In chapter 2 of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Conrad manages to convey both a sense of distaste, and yet an uncomfortable awareness of a bond between Marlow and the natives through diction, imagery, and juxtaposition. Conrad’s choice of words allows his readers to not only picture the scene and its happenings, but also form a line through the image to compare the two cultures. One half contains Marlow was messing about “white-lead and strips of woolen blanket helping to put bandages on those leaky steam-pipes.” The other half however, would seem like an “enthusiastic outbreak in a madhouse” where the “earth seemed unearthly” and a “shackled form of a conquered monster” roamed freely. Conrad expresses Marlow’s distaste with the diction used to describe the natives. “They howled, and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces” is not exactly how humans would like to be described. Instead, Marlow made them seem as if they were savage, rabid beasts that do not know what they are doing. The picture painted by imagery portrays the juxtaposition of both cultures by comparing “sane men” to a “monster” and making them seem like they come from different worlds.
In the end, an uncomfortable awareness sets on Marlow when he admits that “[he has] a voice too” and that it “cannot be silenced.” Despite all their differences with the natives, they still have on common link holding the portrait together—their voice. However, what they choose to do with it is what sets them apart.

Death

4/9/2012 03:02:06 am

I believe this video is relevant to what we are learning in class now.
Video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ehew_declan-galbraith-tell-me-why_music
Lyrics:
http://www.lyricstime.com/declan-galbraith-tell-me-why-lyrics.html

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Heart of Darkness - Free Response #1

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