Blog # 2

It has been may years since Joseph Conrad wrote the novella Heart of Darkness, and even now writers are still writing critical responses to this piece of work. In these critical analysis’s the writers voice their opinions on how they feel about the book. Two well known writers that have critiqued this piece of work is J. Hill Miller and Chinua Achebe. With every critique comes different opinions some are positive and some are negative but we are all entitled to our own opinions.
    J. Hill Miller wrote a critical response titled “Should We Read ‘Heart of Darkness’?”. The main point of this critical response is clearly stated in the title: should we or shouldn’t we read the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The main point is the reiterated at the end of the article when he says “I return to my beginning. Should we, ought to read “Heart of Darkness”? each reader must decide for himself or herself” (Miller 474). Miller expresses his opinion on the book but still leaves it up to the reader to make their own opinion. He writes “ no one bears witness for the witness, and no one can read for you” (Miller 465). Miller isn’t telling us what to believe, he wants the readers   to read for themselves and make there own decisions.
    A strength that I particularly really liked in Miller’s article is Miller’s ability to argue that “Heart of Darkness” is a work of literature. He says: “‘Heart of Darkness’ is a literary work, not history, autobiography, travel writing, journalism, or any other genre” (Miller 465). Clearly he is saying that we cant look at this as if this is the feeling of what the author or that it is true but we need to look at it as a work of literature.  He says “A second way ‘Heart of Darkness’ presents itself as literature in the elaborate tissue of figures and other rhetorical devices that make up, so to speak, the texture of the text” (Miller 465). He then goes on to talk how about Conrad uses similes, irony, metaphors, and personification to write and make it a piece of literature not just a story.
    In Chinua Achebe’s article “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness”, Achebe took a completely different view. His main point was that of racism throughout the book. He flat out says “The point of my observation should be quite clear by now, namely that Joseph Conrad was a thoroughgoing racist” (Achebe 343). This leads to the major problem with this article that unlike Miller, Achebe does not just look at that book he takes the book and start to blame the author when in fact this is a work of nonfiction and there is no need to take it out on the author. He says “whatever Conrad’s problem were, you might say he is safely dead…Unfortunately his heart of darkness plagues us still” (Achebe 345). This is completely unnecessary to say. As a fellow author it is not right to say this type of thing and that though Achebe is African it does not give him the right to bash another authors writing to this extent and harshly come out accusing Conrad as being a racist and that fact that Achebe does this really turns off readers.

Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness”. Armstrong 336-349.
Armstrong, Paul B. ed. Heart of Darkness. New York: W.W Norton & Company, 2006.
Miller, J. Hillis. “Should We Read ‘Heart of Darkness’?” Armstrong 463-474.

“The Truth Behind Marlow’s interest in Mr. Kurtz”

 
    Interest: the feeling of a person whose attention, curiosity, or concern is particularly engaged by something. Everyone has something that holds their interest, whether it be a style of music, a TV series, or a person, we all have one. In Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, Marlow shows great interest in Mr. Kurtz.  Where does that interest come from and what is the truth behind his it?
    When we give someone/something our attention we normally devote our time to that person/something. Marlow does this very thing in the book Heart of Darkness. In the beginning of the story Marlow does not know much about Kurtz. His aunt first gets him a job with a company where he has to go into Congo to find ivory. Ivory is something that is very important to the Europeans and worth a lot of money. The previous captain of the ship he takes over ended up dieing. The captains death was a tragedy where he went into Congo, went crazy and snapped over something  as small as not getting his money worth for the chickens he was getting. So Marlow now heads off to the Congo in search of ivory. Mr. Kurtz was first brought to Marlow’s attention by an agent that is unable to work anymore and is bed ridden. This gentleman was in the bed next to him and one day said “In the interior you will no doubt meet Mr. Kurtz.” (Conrad 19). This simple statement sparked an interest in Marlow’s mind.  How would just entering into the Congo mean that he would meet this Mr. Kurtz. What was so good and amazing about him to make him this popular? The agent then went on to say “he was a first class agent…He is a very remarkable person.”(19). He was saying this about Kurtz so this grabs even more of Marlow’s attention. As Marlow continues to talk to the old agent he finds out that “ Mr. Kurtz was at present in charge of a trading post, a very important one, on the true ivory-country, at ’the very bottom of there. Sends in as much ivory as all the others put together…” (19). This brings to Marlow’s attention that Kurtz runs the biggest ivory trade, which was the business that he was now getting into which made his interest even greater. This brings us to our first question about the truth in Marlow’s interest. Was his interest a mere infatuation of him being the greatest ivory trade person out there or was it a more on a personal level? At this point in the book it appears that it is just because he is this amazing agent that brings in the most ivory. 
    Once the person has the attention brought to them of this interest, the person becomes very curious and wants to know everything they can about that person. Marlow’s way of doing this was to go into the Congo and find Kurtz and learn more about him. So now Marlow is not only going into find ivory but to learn more and find Mr. Kurtz. While at the station he is at and where he talks to the old agent Marlow now talks to the company’s chief accountant. The chief accountant actually wants Marlow to find Kurtz and “tell him from me that everything here…is very satisfactory”(19). He then went on to continue to say “Oh, he will go far, very far,…He will be somebody in the Administration before long. They, above--the Council in Europe, you know--mean him to be.”(19). Now that Marlow knows this, he has become even more curious about this Mr. Kurtz. He now knows that the head people at the company that now works for has planned for him to make it far in the company. That maybe one day will be head of the company. Knowing that from what the accountant and the old agent said, Mr. Kurtz is so amazing and fantastic and Marlow became so curious he now has a new mission; find Kurtz. So now with Marlow’s new found interest and curiosity he set off to the Congo with sixty men. As Marlow takes his trip into the Congo he learns of a rumor that Mr. Kurtz is actually very ill and becomes even more curious as to find out if this fact is even true.
    Marlow then goes on to say “I wasn’t very interested in him”(31). This talking about Mr. Kurtz. But is this really true? How can someone say they are not interested in someone when they actually go out into the Congo to find them and learn more information about them? That definitely follows the definition of interest. After Marlow makes this statement it is then followed by “Still, I was curious to see whether this man who had come out to be equipped with moral ideas of some sort would climb to the top after all and how he would set about his work when there.”(31). This brings out a new truth in Marlow’s interest. In this he actually admits to being curious about Mr. Kurtz, which in turns is also admitting to having an interest in him. Also a truth comes out to a real reason he has an interest in Mr. Kurtz. Going into the Congo Marlow went in knowing that Mr. Kurtz was a top agent and the head of a top ivory trading business and is going to go very far in the company. He then goes into the Congo and finds out that not only is Kurtz sick but also the methods in which he has been using are uncivilized. He tortures and kills and embeds fear into the villagers to get what he wants. The power in which Kurtz gained drove him crazy and made him make decisions that did not followed the morals as to which he started with.  So Marlow was now curious and interested into to see how this change in Mr. Kurtz’s mindset and morals will change how far he will go in the company and how he will go about the work if he makes it there.
    Now the person has the attention and the curiosity it then moves to concern. Interest moves in sections. It starts out with the attention moves to curiosity then moves to concern. When you are so curious about something that you actually feel a concern for them. As Marlow carries on his journey this happens with his feeling towards Mr. Kurtz.
Marlow is now fully in the Congo, he is only eight miles away from where Mr. Kurtz is. When he is there his boat is attacked and he loses the person that actually steered the boat. He also now has this new  fear that Mr. Kurtz is no longer alive. This concern comes about that he will no longer get to have a conversation with Mr. Kurtz. Marlow says “I have traveled all this way for the sole purpose of talking with Mr. Kurtz.”(47).  This shows that talking to Mr. Kurtz was something that is very important to Marlow. He then goes on to say “I didn’t say to my self  `Now I will never see him,` or `Now I will never shake his hand,` but, `now I will never get to hear him.`” (47). This shows not really for the concern of Mr. Kurtz, but the concern for Marlow’s want to talk to Mr. Kurtz. He didn’t really care at all about Mr. Kurtz he only really wanted was to hear his voice. This brings out a new truth in his interest. The truth come out its not just because he was this head of the biggest ivory trade, but was that personal reason, he just wanted to talk to him. Marlow makes it to where Mr. Kurtz is and finds out that he is alive, dieing but alive none the less. Marlow starts to show a real concern for the health of Mr. Kurtz, to the extent that Marlow stays there and is by his side when he dies hearing his dying words. This shows truth behind Marlow’s interest in Mr. Kurtz. That behind it all he cares for Mr. Kurtz and has a quit complex interest in him on many levels.
    Interest may seem like one simple little word, but in reality it is very complex. It works in the three stages attention, curiosity, and concern. We all have interest, maybe not to extreme levels, but there is something out there that we want to know more about. Also there is no set truth behind the meaning of interest. We may think that we have figured out the true meaning of our interest but in fact the reason for wanting to know more changes as we find out more. This holds true for in the novella, Heart of Darkness. Marlow goes into the Congo with an interest in Mr. Kurtz for one reason but as he goes along it changes. So the truth behind Marlow’s interest in Mr. Kurtz is that there is no truth, it’s a never ending circle of change.
                                                          

                                                       Works Cited

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Ed. Paul B. Armstrong. W. W. Norton: New York, 2005

Heart of Darkness blog #1

    Through out the novella The Heart of Darkness by Joseph  Conrad the main character Marlow has this interest with another character Kurtz. Throughout the whole story Marlow is traveling up the Congo to find Kurtz.  Marlow first gets his job from his aunt. Though it was his aunt that got him the job it was because of an unfortunate accident that he got it. The previous captain of his now new ship/boat was killed in the Congo; when he got in a dispute over not getting the amount of chickens he paid for. So Marlow gets the job and is now off to find Kurtz.
    From what Marlow is told Kurtz is suppose to be this amazing fantastic guy. He was that “torch” the main source of light that everyone looked up to as their guidance. “ he was a first class agent” (19). This being said means he was one of the best maybe even THE best agent out there.  It then goes on to say “ He is a remarkable person”(19). This shows that he also was a well respected person that people trusted. The respect and trust went as far as this being said; “ He will be a somebody in the administration before long. They, above - the council in Europe, you know - mean him to be.”(19). This shows the high hopes that every one in Europe has for Kurtz. Hearing all this amazing stuff about Kurtz  this is where Marlow found his fascination.  If it was me I would find fascination as well. Who wouldn’t? if someone got the opportunity to find this first class agent or someone they look up to, there would be that fascination. In this story in the beginning I feel that to Marlow that is what Kurtz is. Kurtz is that person that Marlow may strive to be. 
    Throughout Kurtz’s trip trough the jungle is definitely changes.  He starts out as that “first class agent” that everyone looked up to. He goes out in to the jungle in search of Ivory. So he is out in search of this Ivory and ends up finding it amongst many different villages/tribes. So he takes it. As he is going along he starts to get power hungry. He wants control and all the ivory he can get. Though this is what he wants, it is not what the natives of the land want. So he now turns basically evil. He starts killing innocent people and destroying villages just to get this ivory. The ivory has made him power hungry and the need to want more.
    In the end of the book Marlow does eventually find Kurtz and notices that not only has he become this evil person but also the face that he is dying. Though Marlow knows all the terrible things that Kurtz has done he still seems to have this fascination  in him. Marlow remains there where he found Kurtz and stays there until Kurtz dies. His last dying words were “The Horror! The Horror!”. there are amny ways that one can possibly interpret this phrase. To me its him thinking about all that has become of him and what he has done. The horror of  the greed of ivory and what it can do to a person. He started out as a “first class agent”  then turned into the “horror” in peoples mind.