Heart of Darkness
An English novelist and a short story writer, born on December 3.1857.He became famous for his stories about the sea and about life in Malaya, the Congo and Europe. When he was a child he was influenced by his father's translations of Shakespeare and sea stories. He was orphaned at age 12. Conrad experiences are reflected in his writings. He produced 13 novels and 28 short stories. Conrad was a master to both romance and tragedy. He saw three main aspects to man's life:(1) His relation to the natural universe. Style : Conrad's prose is very descriptive and informative. He portrays terrifying images and conveys horrifying truths in a mystic voice that contrasts effectively with the true horrors of his message. The summary : Heart of darkness is a novella based in Conrad's own experience working on the Congo River. It is about a sailor named Marlow and his ongoing search for the person called Mr. Kurtz. It is a story about a night journey on the boat Nellie. We have Marlow, Kurtz, The manager, the Accountant and the Brickmaker. They go on a discovery trip to Africa searching for Ivory trade. While they are ther
e they go to three stations.,. The central station, where the European culture is present but corroding under the influence of native culture. The outer station, was described as organized, orderly, and under strict control by the Europeans. The inner station where there was no barriers between the natives and the Europeans. This journey is said to represent a journey into one's inner spirit. And while Marlow progresses further up the river in search for Kurtz he learn more about himself, and realizes that he's more in common with the natives. In this novel Conrad deals with the dark heart of mankind. He tells us that man roots is evil and is masked by civilization. And he explains how Europeans change while going into the Congo. At the end of the journey Marlow learns that everyone has a dark side to them, but that some people can control it better than others. In conclusion Heart of darkness warns us that the world is itself an evil thing, and the civilized population refuse to believe it, so they create morals to mask the truth that they don't want to see. „h The Narrator : unidentified man on board the English ship, Nellie. A good part of the story is narrated through his eyes. „h Kurtz : Famous man among the ivory seekers who has lived and hunted on the continent for a while and has exploited the savages becoming much like a savage himself.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Conrad Marlow, Africa Aunt, Accountant Brickmaker, Congo Europe, Manager Marlow's, England Kurtz, Style Conrad's, Vs Savagery, Heart Darkness, Marlow Africa, heart darkness, inner station, „h marlow, merchant navy, marlow kurtz, natives marlow, little effect, dies marlow, sea conrad, dark continent,
Approximate Word count = 1413
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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