I have to admit I was skeptical about this book at first and not only due to the none too cheery title. The fact that one of the smarter people in our class expressed his dislike for this book left little hope for me. However I was surprised in many ways by the novel. Contrary to my expectations it did not drudge along lingering on every little detail and talking about all of the narrators feelings and thoughts. That isn't to say that Conrad doesn't delve into many of the more interesting aspects of the human soul and mind. The title "Heart of Darkness" refers not only to the heart of darkness in the Congo that Marlow and his crew are venturing deeper and deeper into but also the figurative hearts of darkness in the characters of the novel. It is foreshadowed that one of the characters is going to resort to some kind of brutal savagery at some point in the novel. In a place like this it would be surprising if someone didn't. Everything seems decayed and dying from the old railway car that looked, " as dead as the carcass of some animal" to the people that are hiding underneath the trees that are in all forms of pain and look like they could drop dead at any second.
In class we are doing an activity called the envelope activity. The Motif that i am supposed to be researching is Savagery or primitive behavior. This novel is full of both of these especially since it is based in the primitive Congo where all of the people are primitive in the European view of the word. One prime example i found of primitive behavior is when Marlow and the steamboat float by the village of natives. These people all start to jump around and yell n languages nobody understands and in other words act like primitive people and in the eyes of the Europeans of the day, including the people on the steamboat, like savages. Not only are the black natives in the Congo viewed as savages but they are treated savagely by the Europeans. They are put in chains and driven like animals to do the will of the Europeans at the trading post. They are often not even doing work that really needs to be done an example of this is the huge, pointless, artificial pit that the white people made them build just to keep them busy. Even when the slaves have been worked to the point that they can no longer work they do not get any respite. They are thrown aside to the sweltering heat of the trees where they are left to die of starvation or by one of the many wounds that they endure during their labor.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Guest featuring an extended metaphor
The Guest by Camu is a prime example of existentialism. It presents many of the ideals of existentialists as well as many of the delimas that they face in their lives such as the decisions that they are going to make. The decision that they ultimately choose is extremely important to the existentialists because they believe that you are essentially defined by the decisions that you make. In The Guest Daru is faced with the decision of whether to allow the prisoner to escape or to do his duty to the Revolution and turn him over to the authorities. Without a higher power or moral beleif system to help him make this decision he is basically just doing what feels right and going with the flow. He isnt writing these lyrics down ahead of time, hes freestyling it up, straight up going with the flow. Hes no traditional singer that has the traditional systems to follow and the lyrics written down ahead of time by some other person. He makes this decision by himself and it therefore shapes him and he is responsible for the consequences of this decision whatever it may be. He decided to give the prisoner the chance to walk away and go free because this is what he feels is morally right in his mind, he would have had to face the consequences and take responsibilty for his actions to the other members of the french force but the prisoner follows this very existentialist rule and takes responsibility for his choice to kill his comrade and decides to go to prison.
Daru rejected the mens rule of law because the existentialists have their own morals which they decide themselves. The actions that he took towards the prisoner, feeding him, unbinding him, and eventually letting him go free, define Daru as a morally honarable person in his mind and therefore he is honorable.
Daru rejected the mens rule of law because the existentialists have their own morals which they decide themselves. The actions that he took towards the prisoner, feeding him, unbinding him, and eventually letting him go free, define Daru as a morally honarable person in his mind and therefore he is honorable.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Extistentialism
In class this past week we learned about existentialism while at the same time reading The Stranger by Albert Camus outside of class. One of the basic elements of existentialism is that you are created by the actions that you take or that the human essence is determined by your life choices. This is shown in many ways in The Stranger as Meursalt's being and personality are essentially created by the ways that he acts. How he acts is also very extistentialist. He does things not because they are morally acceptable or expected by society but because they are something that he wants to do or something that he believes is right or honorable. When he is attending his mothers funeral he goes against all of the common or expected social responses by not showing external grief and large amounts of respect for his deceased parent. He smokes at her dead bodies side, drinks coffee with the caretaker, and doesn't cry or show any typical external signs of grief.
In class we also read The Guest which is by Camu as well and is an exceptional example of the existentialist values. At the end of the story when he gives the prisoner a choice it may seem as if he is dodging the main belief of the existentialists and in their eyes becoming a coward by not making a decisive choice and just passing it along to the prisoner so that he can make the choice, but I believe that he did in fact make a choice. By Giving the prisoner the option of either walking by himself all the way to prison or going free with money and supplies he did make a decision. Anyone would believe that if given the choice of going free or going to prison one would choose going free. This is a reasonable assumption that i believe the teacher made, he gave him the choice simply to make it so he partially followed his part of the bargain and to make it right in his mind which, to an an existentialist, is all that matters. The fact that The prisoner decided to go to prison instead of taking the easy way out and going to freedom is a very existentialist idea as well. The believe that as you are defined by your actions you should also take responsibility for them as well. This man killed another man and in an existentialists mind the only thing that can be done is for him to take full responsibility for his actions.
In class we also read The Guest which is by Camu as well and is an exceptional example of the existentialist values. At the end of the story when he gives the prisoner a choice it may seem as if he is dodging the main belief of the existentialists and in their eyes becoming a coward by not making a decisive choice and just passing it along to the prisoner so that he can make the choice, but I believe that he did in fact make a choice. By Giving the prisoner the option of either walking by himself all the way to prison or going free with money and supplies he did make a decision. Anyone would believe that if given the choice of going free or going to prison one would choose going free. This is a reasonable assumption that i believe the teacher made, he gave him the choice simply to make it so he partially followed his part of the bargain and to make it right in his mind which, to an an existentialist, is all that matters. The fact that The prisoner decided to go to prison instead of taking the easy way out and going to freedom is a very existentialist idea as well. The believe that as you are defined by your actions you should also take responsibility for them as well. This man killed another man and in an existentialists mind the only thing that can be done is for him to take full responsibility for his actions.
Monday, January 31, 2011
King Lear and Tragedy
A tragedy has many components almost all of which are present in King Lear. There is a protagonist, Lear, that you can relate to on some level, since all he wants is the love of his daughters and to be able to retire to a life of peace. Lear has a tragic flaw however in that he is too trusting of his daughters and that he at one point goes quite insane. His doling out of his empire to his three daughters is a horrible idea but he could not have foreseen the consequences. How was he supposed to know that two of his daughters would turn on him and conspire to kill him and that he would end up banishing the only daughter that truly loved him? This did however occur and it led to his tragic downfall. from the moment that he split up his kingdom to his two daughters they began to plot against him and therefore he indirectly, by giving the kingdom to Regan and Goneril, led to the loss of his sanity and eventually, his own death.
There was another parallel tragedy inside of this already tragic story. The story of Gloucester and his two sons, Edgar the legitimate one and Edmund the illegitimate one was a tragedy in itself. The fact that Gloucester and the rest of the noble class believed that it was Edgar that wanted to kill his father instead of Edmund who actually wished the demise of his half-father was as tragic as it was ironic. Gloucester Banished Edgar and sent out a warrant for his arrest even though it was Edmund that wanted to kill him. Edgar, the son whose head Gloucester had put put a warrant for ended up saving his life more than once, caring for him after his eyes were gouged out by Cornwall as well as keeping him from committing suicide by jumping off the cliff. Gloucester's story was tragic to the bitter end when his heart finally broke from being overwhelmed by the fact that it was in fact Edgar who was taking care of him and that Edmund actually wanted him dead.
This play was also tragic just in the fact that such a vast majority of the characters died at the end of the play. Not only did they die but many of them died from things such as broken hearts or by committing suicide, or even attempting to commit suicide and then later dying from a heart that couldn't handle all the grief of life in the case of Gloucester. It was a prime example of a tragedy and there really isn't any way it could have been more tragic unless the few main characters that remained at the end of the play had also died.
There was another parallel tragedy inside of this already tragic story. The story of Gloucester and his two sons, Edgar the legitimate one and Edmund the illegitimate one was a tragedy in itself. The fact that Gloucester and the rest of the noble class believed that it was Edgar that wanted to kill his father instead of Edmund who actually wished the demise of his half-father was as tragic as it was ironic. Gloucester Banished Edgar and sent out a warrant for his arrest even though it was Edmund that wanted to kill him. Edgar, the son whose head Gloucester had put put a warrant for ended up saving his life more than once, caring for him after his eyes were gouged out by Cornwall as well as keeping him from committing suicide by jumping off the cliff. Gloucester's story was tragic to the bitter end when his heart finally broke from being overwhelmed by the fact that it was in fact Edgar who was taking care of him and that Edmund actually wanted him dead.
This play was also tragic just in the fact that such a vast majority of the characters died at the end of the play. Not only did they die but many of them died from things such as broken hearts or by committing suicide, or even attempting to commit suicide and then later dying from a heart that couldn't handle all the grief of life in the case of Gloucester. It was a prime example of a tragedy and there really isn't any way it could have been more tragic unless the few main characters that remained at the end of the play had also died.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Grendel
This weekend i began Grendel, by John Gardner, a novel in which Beowulf is told from the point of view of the monster Grendel. Gardner is a very eccentric man who is rather morbid since the accidental death of his younger brother in his childhood. You can see much of this influence in many of Gardner's works including Grendel, which has a very dark tone and plot as it is following the life and struggles of a hideous monster, as well as a very gloomy and depressed character; Grendel himself.
As Gardner has this huge weight on his back, since it was he who dealt the death blow to his brother when they were only kids, it seems only right that he would have thoughts of suicide and self-pity. This is portrayed into the character Grendel when he calls himself, "Pointless, ridiculous monster."(2) and when he is yelling at the black chasms to swallow him up. He yells, "seize me. Seize me into your foul black bowls and crush my bones"(5). This is one of the most obviously suicidal things he could have said. He is yelling at the chasm to crush his bones and kill him because he is so miserable with his life and what the world has done to him which is literally nothing.
The entire universe seems to be indifferent to Grendel. It doesn't matter how much he shakes his fists at it, flips it off, or even just bellows at, it in never seems to give him the respect he thinks he deserves. At the beginning of the novel he is yelling at a stupid ram to get away from him and cursing its very existence but it just looks at him and goes on standing there. This pisses him off so much that he unleashes a scream that turns the water he is standing in to ice and even scares himself a little but the ram still does nothing. It is like he can belong to nothing, he is completely isolated. Man refuses to allow him into their culture obviously and even nature, where he lives and the animals cant even think, wont accept him. This just emphasizes the deep feeling of isolation that Ggrendel feels and shows us how he can have all of these suicidal thoughts.
As Gardner has this huge weight on his back, since it was he who dealt the death blow to his brother when they were only kids, it seems only right that he would have thoughts of suicide and self-pity. This is portrayed into the character Grendel when he calls himself, "Pointless, ridiculous monster."(2) and when he is yelling at the black chasms to swallow him up. He yells, "seize me. Seize me into your foul black bowls and crush my bones"(5). This is one of the most obviously suicidal things he could have said. He is yelling at the chasm to crush his bones and kill him because he is so miserable with his life and what the world has done to him which is literally nothing.
The entire universe seems to be indifferent to Grendel. It doesn't matter how much he shakes his fists at it, flips it off, or even just bellows at, it in never seems to give him the respect he thinks he deserves. At the beginning of the novel he is yelling at a stupid ram to get away from him and cursing its very existence but it just looks at him and goes on standing there. This pisses him off so much that he unleashes a scream that turns the water he is standing in to ice and even scares himself a little but the ram still does nothing. It is like he can belong to nothing, he is completely isolated. Man refuses to allow him into their culture obviously and even nature, where he lives and the animals cant even think, wont accept him. This just emphasizes the deep feeling of isolation that Ggrendel feels and shows us how he can have all of these suicidal thoughts.
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Hero
This week in AP Lit we started a new unit, the hero unit. The first book we are reading in this unit is Beowulf, in preparation for Grendel. Beowulf is the perfect example of a hero's journey. Some of the elements of a heroic myth that we learned were to find glory and to slay a monster and shape the world, which is a characteristic a early hero myths. This myth follows the universal pattern where the hero has departure, fullfilment, and return.
Beowulf leaves his homeland of geatland to go face the horrible monster, Grendel, who is terrorizing the Danes. He leaves the safety of his home and goes into uncertainty to fight a monster that has never been defeated and may not come back with his life, But he still goes. He then faces the monster, is successful and finds fullfillment. He not only is fulfilled in that he defeats the monsters physically but he also is fulfilled psycologically as much of this mission is pride based in that he has to defeat Grendel, and later Grendel's mother, in order to sate his desire to raise his level of prestige and elevate his status over its already godly state.
He then returns from his adventures victorious and much better off then he was before he embarked on this mission. He comes back to the Geats and rules them for many years after he successfully defeats Grendel and his mother. This shows how this epic follows the universal pattern of hero myths because this was really one of the first recorded hero myths in history, at least in the english language. Beowulf Departs, Fulfills, and returns.
Beowulf leaves his homeland of geatland to go face the horrible monster, Grendel, who is terrorizing the Danes. He leaves the safety of his home and goes into uncertainty to fight a monster that has never been defeated and may not come back with his life, But he still goes. He then faces the monster, is successful and finds fullfillment. He not only is fulfilled in that he defeats the monsters physically but he also is fulfilled psycologically as much of this mission is pride based in that he has to defeat Grendel, and later Grendel's mother, in order to sate his desire to raise his level of prestige and elevate his status over its already godly state.
He then returns from his adventures victorious and much better off then he was before he embarked on this mission. He comes back to the Geats and rules them for many years after he successfully defeats Grendel and his mother. This shows how this epic follows the universal pattern of hero myths because this was really one of the first recorded hero myths in history, at least in the english language. Beowulf Departs, Fulfills, and returns.
Monday, November 1, 2010
A Doll's House and Foils
Today in class we wrote a timed writing about foils in A Doll's House and i wrote about the relationship between Kristine Linde and Nora Helmer and how Ibsen uses this relationship to emphasize many of Nora's character traits. There were also many other foils in this play including Krogstad and doctor Rank and Torvald and Nora's father even though you are never introduced to him in the book, as he died when Nora was young. These foils serve to illuminate the major characters they are paired with and help to show their significance to Ibsen's purpose in writing this play.
Krogstad and doctor Rank at first seem like polar opposites however with a closer look you see that they serve as foils for each other accentuating their important traits and showing their importance in the play. Dr. Rank just oozes decay and even though he starts out in the beginning of the play as being rather lively and active in his relationship with the Helmers and Torvald in particular as he visits them every day he eventually fades into no relationship choosing instead to coop himself up in his house to die alone in peace slowly decaying until he is no more. Krogstad on the other hand starts off as a gloomy, deceptive character who is generally disliked by the people in the play even though he shows that he has had a relationship of some kind in the past with Kristine. He was the one who gave Nora the loan and was therefore the root of all of the Helmer family's problems. As the play progresses your opinion of him gradually shifts until you sympathize with him and in the end you are happy for him as he ends up in a happy relationship with Kristine and lets Nora off with out having to pay the debt.
Dr. Rank also functions as a foil briefly to show how insensitive and selfish the Helmers are. At the end of the play Rank leaves a note for Nora saying that he is going to die in his house and that he does not want to be disturbed anymore. He says that this is for Torvalds own good because he thinks that Torvald cant handle seeing him in his decayed form. Torvold however takes this almost unnaturally well seeing as his best friend has just told him that he is going to go die in his house without saying good bye and that he never wants to see him again. He says that it is perfectly dreadful however he is glad to be rid of him and then just goes back talking to Nora and trying to persuade her not to leave him.
Ibsen did an excellent job using foils in this play as almost every major character has a minor character that helps to showcase their traits whether they be good or bad. This use of foils also helps to show each character's significance to the overall purpose and theme of Ibsen's play.
Krogstad and doctor Rank at first seem like polar opposites however with a closer look you see that they serve as foils for each other accentuating their important traits and showing their importance in the play. Dr. Rank just oozes decay and even though he starts out in the beginning of the play as being rather lively and active in his relationship with the Helmers and Torvald in particular as he visits them every day he eventually fades into no relationship choosing instead to coop himself up in his house to die alone in peace slowly decaying until he is no more. Krogstad on the other hand starts off as a gloomy, deceptive character who is generally disliked by the people in the play even though he shows that he has had a relationship of some kind in the past with Kristine. He was the one who gave Nora the loan and was therefore the root of all of the Helmer family's problems. As the play progresses your opinion of him gradually shifts until you sympathize with him and in the end you are happy for him as he ends up in a happy relationship with Kristine and lets Nora off with out having to pay the debt.
Dr. Rank also functions as a foil briefly to show how insensitive and selfish the Helmers are. At the end of the play Rank leaves a note for Nora saying that he is going to die in his house and that he does not want to be disturbed anymore. He says that this is for Torvalds own good because he thinks that Torvald cant handle seeing him in his decayed form. Torvold however takes this almost unnaturally well seeing as his best friend has just told him that he is going to go die in his house without saying good bye and that he never wants to see him again. He says that it is perfectly dreadful however he is glad to be rid of him and then just goes back talking to Nora and trying to persuade her not to leave him.
Ibsen did an excellent job using foils in this play as almost every major character has a minor character that helps to showcase their traits whether they be good or bad. This use of foils also helps to show each character's significance to the overall purpose and theme of Ibsen's play.
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