Heart of Darkness: Reading #3

            Chinua Achebe wrote a very opinionated article about Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. In the article, he outlines every aspect of the book that points to Conrad’s overt racism. A large contributing factor to that racism originates from Conrad’s dehumanization of Africa as a land. Achebe states, “Aftrica as setting and backdrop which eliminates the African as human factor. Africa as a metaphysical battlefield devoid of all recognizable humanity, into which the wandering European enters at his peril.” According to Achebe, Africa is portrayed as a prop for the European mind. He believes that Conrad’s lack of acknowledgment towards Africa’s beautiful land demonstrates his racism. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow describes the African land: “The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there—there you could look at a thing monstrous and free” (105). Although attempting to disguise his own opinions through the views of Marlow, Conrad cannot hide. He clearly admits to seeing the land as “a conquered monster.” Africa is as beautiful a continent as Europe, but because the people living there have different color skin than the Europeans, Conrad does not believe the land is as beautiful. Land is land and its beauty has no relation to the people living on it, but Conrad does not see it like that. The dehumanization of the African land is the gateway to full fledged dehumanization of the African people. This is the origination of Conrad’s racism.

Figurative Language: Chapter 5

Harlem by Langston Hughes

            By utilizing similes, Hughes effectively compares a deferred dream to a raisin in the sun to demonstrate the difficulties of the black community in achieving success in America. Hughes questions, “does [the deferred dream] dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?” (2-3). In this simile, the comparison is expressed with the use of the word “like.” Because there are two different ideas being compared, they each must possess a unique purpose. The first idea, the deferred dream, can have many implications. When trying to decide which type of dream this is, it is imperative to consider the author. Langston Hughes was a black poet during the Harlem Renaissance. Even today, “the American dream” represents every citizen’s hope to find success in this country. For black people in that time period, achieving success was even more difficult. Hughes defers his lofty dream of success and focuses on the frustrating reality of his world. His hope that is slowly disintegrating is represented in this poem. The deferred dream is then compared to the second idea, a raisin in the sun. The ripe and fresh grapes are always chosen first when picked. The grapes that are neglected eventually turn into raisins and are forgotten. Hughes feels neglected by the white society of the country. He knows that as a black man, his hopes and dreams of success are not as realistic as a white man’s hopes and dreams. Hughes thinks that he is forgotten and therefore his dreams are not important. The comparison of these two ideas is quite profound. They are complete opposites, yet complement each other perfectly. The dream could have been compared to any rotten fruit, but the symbolism of the raisin matches the symbolism of the deferred dream. Both the dream and the raisin have been neglected, but that does not mean that they do not have a purpose. The dream can still be achieved and the raisin can still be eaten; it just requires a little extra attention and lots of resiliency to find success.

Heart of Darkness: Reading #2

“There was an air of plotting about that station, but nothing came of it, of course. It was as unreal as everything else- as the philanthropic pretense of the whole concern, as their talk, as their government, as their show of work” (Conrad 91).

            This quote attests to the complex narrative structure of the book. “Past tense” Marlow is in the process of getting sucked in to the corruptness of his employment. From the beginning, Marlow is portrayed as a naïve, innocent character whose sole purpose for taking the job in the Company is to explore unknown land. Upon arriving in the jungle, he sees the horrendous oppression of black men at the hands of his fellow white men. His common sense tells him that something in this situation is wrong, but neglects to do anything about it. In this quote, Marlow accuses his fellow colleagues of faking their virtue. The hypocrisy in this is that Marlow is a part of this faking. Although claiming to treat the natives better, he ultimately works for the Company. By association, Marlow’s intentions are just as fake as his fellow counterparts. Taking a step out of the past tense, “present tense” Marlow expresses a different view on the situation. Because this point of view comes after the time of the story, older, wiser Marlow has a more sophisticated opinion of his previous actions. With the naivety gone, he now realizes that the Company’s claim to help the natives was just a cover for their true aspirations of imperialism. The interjection of “present tense” Marlow in “past tense” Marlow’s story demonstrates “present tense” Marlow’s need to defend himself. He knows that his actions in the past were wrong and misguided, so while retelling his story Marlow inputs his new voice of truth and reason to outweigh the unspeakable actions of his past. The complex narrative structure makes it difficult for the reader to decipher which Marlow is speaking their mind, the one in the story, or the one telling the story. The opaque nature of the narrative structure parallels the opaque nature of the narrative voice.

Poetry Outline: Chapter 3

35/10 by Sharon Olds

Thesis:

Playing with multiple denotations and connotations of words, Sharon Olds expresses one’s struggle to accept the inevitable process of ageing through similes and diction.

I. Denotation and Connotation

            A. “the fold in my neck” (Olds 6-8). “Fold” can literally mean to lay one part over another. Another denotation Olds suggests is to concede defeat by withdrawing, like in poker. The literal denotation of the word “fold” connotes wrinkles in the woman’s skin; however, the second denotation suggests that the woman admits defeat to her fight against ageing, therefore growing wrinkles on her neck.

            B. “just as we begin to go they begin to arrive” (Olds 5-6). “Arrive” can mean to reach a destination, or to achieve success. With both of these denotations comes a different connotation. The mother could mean that her young girl has arrived at a certain age in life, or that she arrived at a certain maturity level. The mother could also mean that her daughter is finally capable of achieving success without her help; she has arrived at a level of independence.

II. Similes

            A. “she opens like a moist precise flower on the tip of a cactus” (Olds 9-10). This is a simile to represent the blossoming of the woman’s daughter both socially and physically. The girl is young and fresh in age, just like this fresh flower experiencing the outside world for the first time.

            B. “her full purse of eggs, round and firm as hard-boiled yolks” (Olds 13-14). The “purse” literally represents the daughter’s ovaries that are full of eggs because she hasn’t started puberty yet. The eggs are “round and firm as hard-boiled yolks” because they are fresh and inactive.

III. Diction

            A. “I see the grey gleaming on my head” (Olds 3). Grey is a very bleak color and is not often described as “gleaming,” which holds a positive connotation of happiness and liveliness. Because the woman describes her grey hair as “gleaming,” the fact that lots of attention is paid to one of her unflattering traits really bothers her.

            B. “the silver-haired servant behind her” (Olds 4). The mother refers to herself as a servant, with “servant” carrying a negative connotation. She sees herself negatively because she is ageing. While most mothers find brushing their daughters’ hair a pleasant experience, this woman cannot truly look herself in the mirror. She is not only a servant to her daughter, but also a servant to herself, trapped within the confines of her self-esteem.

Poetry Outline: Chapter 2

Mirror by Sylvia Plath

Thesis:

Plath’s use of personification, syntax, and word choice illustrates the reality of physical and emotional change in one’s life.

I. Personification

            A. “Whatever I see I swallow immediately” (Plath 2). The mirror “swallows” the reflections it sees. The personification of the mirror symbolizes the opinions of humans; what you see is what you get.

            B. “I see her back, and reflect it faithfully” (Plath 13). What the mirror can “see” is representative of what it actually reflects. Unlike humans, mirrors cannot lie and therefore they reflect images “faithfully” back to the user.

II. Syntax

            A. “I am not cruel, only truthful-” (Plath 4). Because this poem is only eighteen lines and this line contains the only change in structure, it brings attention to the reader’s eye. The dash emphasizes the importance of mirrors being “truthful.” Mirrors cannot be mean; they only reflect the image given to them.

            B. “She comes and goes” (Plath 15). This poem is filled with short sentences. This sentence, in particular, demonstrates that the amount of words does not enhance the importance of an idea. “She comes and goes” signifies the every day occurrence of looking at one’s self in a mirror, just like the every day change that comes with age.

III. Word Choice

            A. “Faces and darkness separate us over and over” (Plath 9). “Darkness” is an interesting choice of diction. A mirror usually portrays happiness and light, creating an enjoyable image. Darkness associated with a mirror could stand for the distaste one sees in their own reflection as they age.

            B. “In me she has drowned a young girl” (Plath 17). “Drowned” is indicative of the mirror the lake is acting as, but it is not a delightful adjective to describe this girl’s transformation into adulthood. The word’s negative connotation suggests that her adolescence was not one of ease and comfort, but one of pain and difficulty.

Poetry Outline: Chapter 1

The Whipping by Robert Hayden

Thesis:

The minimalism, detail, and syntax of Hayden’s poem portrays the saddening truth of abuse through an innocent bystander’s point of view.

I. Minimalism

            A.“The old woman across the way is whipping the boy again” (Hayden 1-2). The      straightforwardness of this first sentence paints a simple picture, but it seems odd that such an unusual  situation is described with no emotion. Perhaps the simplicity suggests that this is not an unusual situation, but in fact actually happens often.

            B. “Well, it is over now, it is over, and the boy sobs in his room” (Hayden 19-20). The boy clearly does not just sob in his room. The feelings running through him at this moment are catastrophic and the only word the author uses to express his lonely feelings is “sobs.”

II. Detail

            A. “Wildly he crashed through elephant-ears, pleads in dusty zinnias” (Hayden 5-6). “Wildly” encompasses the urgency in the boy’s movements and his probable fear of what is to come. Zinnias are brightly colored flowers, so the author uses this detail to depict the contrast of bright colors with the darkness of the situation.

            B. “She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling boy till the stick breaks” (Hayden 9-10). The word “shrilly” gives such auditory imagery that it is as if the reader can actually hear the screams. The detail that the stick breaks tells the reader how hard the boy was hit without actually having to say that she beat him terribly.

III. Syntax

            A. “Words could bring, the face that I no longer knew or loved... Well, it is over now, it is over” (Hayden 17-19). The ellipsis points represent a change in time. Since the poem is written chronologically, the ellipsis is the break where the author shifts from explaining the incident to the describing the aftermath.

            B. “And the woman leans muttering against a tree, exhausted, purged- avenged in part for lifelong hidings she has had to bear” (Hayden 21-24). The dash could represent the author’s style of writing, or it could give an explanation to a previous subject. The woman is described after the beating, and after the dash there is a possible explanation for her actions.

Prospero- A Character of Compassion

            Prospero really comes full circle in Act V, scene i. Throughout the play, Prospero is obsessed with getting revenge against his enemies. He is still bitter about his exile and removal of power by his brother that he wants everyone to feel the pain that he went through. Prospero uses his servants, spirits, and magic to complete his elaborate plan, but in this scene, his morale changes ever so slightly. His unbreakable confidence diminishes somewhat as he sympathizes for his enemies. Prospero sees Gonzalo weeping uncontrollably and cannot help but feel pain himself. This human sensation of feelings is Shakespeare’s way of reminding his audience that although Prospero is magical and almighty, he is still human, just like the others. Prospero feels compassion for his enemies that he never thought he would feel: “The rarer action is/ In virtue than in vengeance. They being penitent/ The sole drift of my purpose doth extend/ Not a frown further” (Lines 27-30). Once he sees the remorse that they feel, he decides not to punish them even further and breaks them of his spell. Prospero also lets Ariel free, which shows that he can actually follow through on a promise. It is a way for him to slowly let go of his powers that he holds on to so dearly. Prospero needed this whole experience on the island as a way to let go of this grudge that he was holding on to for years. The breaking of his staff and drowning of his books is sort of a cleansing process for Prospero. It is necessary for him to break away from his past in order to live the rest of his life happy.