Heart of Darkness

Wed. October 17, 2007
#1. Page 3
A. Words that stood out:
The Director of Companies, our Captain, our host, so nautical, seaman is trustworthiness personified, holding our hearts.

I. Right now an unknown narrator is narrorating the story. So the Director of Companies is his captain and his host. They are on a ship sailing somewhere for some reason that the reader is unsure about for the time being.

#2. Page 6
A. Words that stood out:
And this also, said Marlow suddenly, has been one of the dark places of the earth, followed the sea, he did not represent his class, He was a seaman, so is their country--the sea.

I. Marlow is not the narrator now, but the reader discovers that he is dedicated to the sea. He seems to be a loyal sailor, maybe he is loyal to the cause. His country is the sea probably because he is alwaysout on the sea it is like his home. He comfortable on the sea.

Thursday Oct. 18, 2007
#1. Page 10
A. Words that stood out:
Indian Ocean, Pacific, China Seas, hindering you fellows in your work and invading your homes, I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you, began to look for a ship, hardest work on earth, a passion for maps, glories of exploration.

I. His tone seems to be sorry about what he had done. In trying to civilize the people to his standards of the Europeans. While Marlow is telling his stroies, he seems to be somewhat remorsfull although it is never clearly stated. Marlow is now narrarating as he is telling his stories.

#2. Page 12
A. Word that stood out:
One of their captains had been killed in a scuffle with the natives, it made me more anxious to go, was left out of my body, original quarrel arose from misunderstanding about some hens, two black hens.

I. Marlow's friend got into a foght about hens. I thought that maybe the two black hens would e somewhat significant because Conrad sometimes uses the traditional symbolic black as evil and white as good oppositely. The hens seem to be insignificant though, only to the death of the friend of Marlow.


Friday October 19, 2007
#1. Page 16
A. Words that stood out:
She wore a starched white affair on her head, had a wart on one cheek, and silver-rimmed spectacles hung in the tip of her nose, unconcerned wisdom.

I. In this section, when Conrad talks about the woman with the white on her head, should traditionally symbolize good but in this case seems to symbolize evil. Because her wart and her, "holier than thou" attitude Conrad seems to be portraying her as not kind, almost evil.

#2. Page 23
A. Words that stood out:
An undersized railway truck lying there on its back with its wheels in the air, looking as dead as the carcass of some animal pieces of decaying machinary, rusty rails, dark things seemed to stir feebly, I saw the black people run.

I. Even here the writer uses dark, and black illusions to add to the evilness of the story. He uses it to make the story scarrier and even more frightening for the people lisening. Marlow describes his experiences as being dark, possibly meaning that the place is dark because of the influence of the Europeans, or simply due to the native people.


Saturday October 20, 2007
#1 Page 24
A. Words that stood out:
A slight clinking behind me made me turn my head, six black men advanced in a file, walked erect and slow, baskets full of earth on their heads, black rags were wound round their loins, see every rib, each had an iron collar on his head on his neck, ship of war, firing into a continent, no stretch of imagination be called enemies, unhappy savages.

I. The difference between the way the natives are viewed in this novel, and in the novel Things Fall Apart, is so different. In this novel, they explain the people and make it seem as though they were crazy and so strange/different. In the novel Things Fall Apart, the people are viewed as normal and the white man is diferent.

#2. Page 30
A. Words that stood out:
Growing murmur of voices, great tramping of feet, violent babble of uncouth sounds, all speaking together, come to hate those savages, hate them to death.

I. The European white people hated the savage natives so much even to death. They only hate them because they are different. They do not even have any reason or excuses as to why they hate them, only because they are not what they are used to. It is so crazy that so much hate can go on for so many years for such small reasons.


Monday October 22, 2007
#1. Page 32
A. words that stood out:
It would be interesting for science to watch the mental changes of individuals, on the spot, I felt I was becoming scientifically interesting.

I. It amazes me how these people even had doctors that would study the native people. They made up theories almost as though something went wrong in their genetic makeup or development. What is even crazier is the fact that everyone listens to and agrees with the doctors about the condition of the people.

#2. Page 35
A. Words that stood out:
Unalterable conviction, neither civil nor uncivil, he was quiet, he allowed his boy an overfed young negro from the coast--to treat the white men, under his very eyes, with provoking insolence.

I. These people feel that even though this man allows the young African boy to act like his own son, he is wrong for doing so. Just because his skin color he is not given the right to do what they already do. This makes the man not civil, but uncivil in their eyes, because he associates with a boy whi they think is uncivil.


Tuesday October 23, 2007
#1. Page 38-39
A. Words that stood out:
Not only had a silver-mounted dressing-case but also a whole candle, Native mats covered the clay walls, spears, assigals, shields, knives.

I. Everything that an African native owns or holds valuable is nothing to these men. It seems as though they make a joke out of everything they have. Even here, the speaker is upset because one of the men had a candle all to himself.

#2. Page 41
A. Words that stood out:
He blew the candle out suddenly, black figures strolled about listlessly, the beaten nigger, groaned somewhere.

I. The language that Conrad uses is so harsh and ruff. Almost as though he himself is convinced that these people are nothing and mean nothing. All of the language adds to the overall extremely racist theme of the novel.


Wednesday October 24, 2007
#1. Page 46
A. Words that stood out:
confidential now, unresponsive attitude, to inform me how he feared neither God nor devil, let alone mere man.

I. These people wanted to be feared by the native people because they felt they were superior. If one of the African people expressed that they did not fear a white man, they made them fear him. The white men felt all were superior over the black men, even young boys over men.

#2. Page 50
A. Words that stood out:
Their talk, was less of sordid buccaneers it was reckless without hardihood, greedy without audacity, and cruel without courage, to tear treasures out of the bowles of land was their desire.

I. They think those men are so terrible for what they do, but they do not even stop and tink about the stuff they theselves partake in. They are so quick to judge others but never examine themselves. They too are taking treasure out of land, even if it is not the same treasure that they think is wrong.