The Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad - 1293 Words

Harsh Kumar Ms. A-GAP Literature 15 March 2017 Senior Thesis #3 Adolescence is a transitional phase of psychological development where one begins to become more aware of themselves and their position in society. This transition is a vital one that changes one’s feelings, decision making, and attitude towards things that they might’ve viewed differently as an adolescent. In the Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad exposes the psychological change that Marlow goes through by coming to Congo for the development of his experience and self through his confrontation with Kurtz, encounter with European imperialism, as well as his newfound awareness of the unknown and unfamiliar.Marlow’s confrontation with Kurtz†¦show more content†¦Overstreet, â€Å"people do bad things because they have bad in them† (Overstreet 1). This contributes with Kurtz character as he has evil in him that leads to his malignant deeds. In the end, Kurtz falls ill and passes away with his last words being  "The Horror† (Conrad 43) which shows that despite his god-like characterization of himself fell short and that the overwhelming power of greed was too much for Kurtz and led to his demise. â€Å"Where there is no maturity of mind, there can be no vision†(Overstreet 2). This statement relates with Kurtz as he was not mature enough to realize the consequences of his actions and was in turn blinded by greed and a lust for power. Marlow and Kurtz’s relationship led to the psychological development of Marlow as the longer he got to know Kurtz the more he became aware of his true character and the evils associated with him and in this process he saw Kurtz in a completely divergent way due to the dialogue exchanged between Marlow and Kurtz throughout the novel. Another way Marlow develops psychologically is through his encounter and realization with the harsh realities of European imperialism through vivid imagery which leads to his juxtaposition of ideas regarding impe rialism. Marlow is shown as a strict imperialist in the beginning of the book when he compares the civilized European man with the savage African man. (Conrad 15). These two conflicting figures and ideas represent theShow MoreRelatedHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1471 Words   |  6 PagesIn the story Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad a sailor decides to travel to Africa on a whim, using family connections he enlists as the captain of a ship travelling up the Congo River. The novella provides many themes, however is the text in itself racist? One of the main concepts portrayed in Heart of Darkness is the treatment of the natives of Africa and their image. This is most commonly shown through the disparity of the image between what is said in the novel and what can be read throughRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Essay1371 Words   |  6 Pagesevery human and everything created by humans has two sides to it: the form and the substance. Joseph Conrad’s novella â€Å"Heart of Darkness† shows precisely how dangerous it is to put our trust in a concept, for example: colonization, without realizing that most of the time one only gets to see the form and not the substance. In this essay, my purpose is to demonstrate that â€Å"Heart of Darkness† by Joseph Conrad is mainly a novella about the discrepancy between substance and form. In order to prove my pointRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1378 Words   |  6 PagesWoytassek AP English 12 Heart of Darkness Reading Log Author: Joseph Conrad Title: Heart of Darkness Original Publication Date: 1899 Kind of Writing: Heart of Darkness is a colonial novella of an expository narrative. Writer’s Purpose and Intended Audience Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness because he wanted to expose human temptation to experiment with darkness when one’s own desires overcome one’s morals. By writing from his own experience of exploring the Congo, Conrad draws conclusions thatRead MoreThe Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad983 Words   |  4 PagesThe Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a story that takes place in the early 1890s and presents us with an odyssey of a traveler known as Marlow who confronts the dangers of the Congo jungle while also witnessing the wicked, inhumane treatment of the African natives. In the story, Marlow represents Joseph Conrad who had actually traveled up the Congo in 1890 and witnessed the European exploitation of the African natives firsthand. In the Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad exposes the inhumanityRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1350 Words   |  6 Pagesyears, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad was a treasured classic, with many honourable themes and messages, as the author reveals the true nature of humanity by following an European sailor’s journey through the dark jungles of Africa and down the river Congo, all while watching as his own humanity changes. As society has evolved, however, Heart of Darkness has come under scrutiny, as the language is quite racist. Chinua Achebe, writer of An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of DarknessRead MoreHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad1329 Words   |  5 Pages Heart of Darkness is a novel written by Joseph Conrad. The setting of the book is in Belgian Congo, which was the most infamous European colony in Africa. This is a story about the protagonist Marlow’s journey to self discovery, and his experiences in Congo. Conrad’s story explores the colonialism period in Africa to demonstrate Marlow’s struggles. Along the way, he faces insanity, death, his fear of failure, and cultural contamination as he makes his was to the inner station. Conrad through theRead MoreThe Heart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad968 Words   |  4 PagesJoseph Conrad’s novella The Heart of Darkness has been under controversy because of racial interpretations. The race factor in this novel has made some scholars and professors question the function the novella has in the classroom. However, Joseph Conrad had another view when writing the novel; to demonstrate how prejudice and dehumanizing the European culture is towards African Americans and their culture during this time period. European’s superior authority over African Americans is portrayedRead MoreHeart Of Darkness, By Joseph Conrad1306 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is the â€Å"horror† in Heart of Darkness, and what particular literary images develop that idea of horror in the novel? In Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, there can be many literary images found within that develop the idea of horror. Heart of Darkness is noted for its horror within the Congo between the Africans and the Europeans. The horror in Heart of Darkness is a contribution of many ideas that are formed and contributed from the European colonists. The purpose of this essay aims to argueRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1076 Words   |  5 PagesWritten in the late 1800’s, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a novella about one man’s travel into the Congo Free State by way of the Congo River. The title â€Å"Heart of Darkness† actually holds two different meanings. Heart of Darkness is both a metaphor for a psychological â€Å"dark side† of man, and an allusion to Africa. The title suggests both a physical and mental reference. During the time the novel takes place, Africa was nick-named the dark continent because of how little the Europeans knewRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Essay1483 Words   |  6 PagesJoseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness, intriguingly uses an unnamed narrator in his novel that clearly becomes of importance right away in the introduction. Conrad’s narrator chooses to speak of the historical period in which Roman colonization took over what we now know as Great Britain. By connecting a Roman colonization story to one almost 2000 years later talking about the Belgians in Africa, Conrad reveals one of his own themes in the novel. He proposes that the Romans and Belgians

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) - 1326 Words

Abstract Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) is a medical condition which depends on both the individual psychological and biologic characteristics of a person who has experienced a traumatizing and possibly life-threatening situation. It occurs as a response to extreme conditions in which the patient’s life was in danger, or those around them had been seriously injured or killed under particularly violent circumstances. Sometimes PTSD develops among people who simply learned of a disastrous occurrence in which their loved ones were involved. It is a condition which may be taken for other stress-induced disorders or depression within the first month, possibly resulting in a false diagnosis, especially when confused with acute stress†¦show more content†¦A patient with PTSD will most likely not consult the aid of mental health professionals. Taking this into account, a primary care physician must have the necessary knowledge of the symptoms and treatment of PTSD. Mental he alth specialists are only to be involved if the treatment remains ineffective for a prolonged period of time, in which case the continued prescription of drugs may have a negative impact on the patient’s physical health. In order to properly diagnose PTSD, the physician must carefully and considerately question the client to find out about any traumatic events they were involved in. A calm and unobtrusive approach is necessary as the subject may be unwilling to describe the circumstances that lead them to develop an anxiety disorder. When a doctor has decided the patient should be treated specifically for PTSD, they observe symptoms such as nightmares depicting the event, flashbacks, which make the patient feel as if the event was taking place again and panic when the subject is brought up in conversation. In addition, an avoidance of the experience often occurs in the form of seemingly forgetting the day of the incident, a detachment from other people, despondency, and loss of interest in all activities. The last group of symptoms for PTSD constitutes increased arousal: the client becomes more easily startled, is quicker to be irritated, and exhibits insomnia or other sleep disorders. These three

Argo and Casablanca †Main Characters Comparison Free Essays

Both Tony and Rick are faced with a dilemma throughout Argo and Casablanca, respectively. They catch themselves getting more and more involved with the escape plan, and then their emotional connection leads to altruistic actions. Both Argo and Casablanca have a scene that underscores these characters transitions. We will write a custom essay sample on Argo and Casablanca – Main Characters Comparison or any similar topic only for you Order Now On the first movie Mendez, have a heated up conversation with his boss on the phone, while on the other movie, Blaine points a gun at an official. Up to this part, the characters were very cold, and professional, however, after it they become attached to the people that are being saved. On one side, the scene selected in Argo focuses on: camera proximity and movement, decor and framing. On the other side, the scene selected in Casablanca focuses on: soundtrack, camera movement and positioning, and on and off screen space. The camera proximity and camera movement in Argo, emphasizes the characters reactions, by always showing the character with the strongest reaction. It is noticeable that the camera zooms in Tony as soon as he is alone in the room, and is kept that close to him until the end; his supervisor only has one close-up shot, while the camera spins around him, it is when he is explaining the new changes in CIA’s operation, and for the rest of the scene, the camera captures Jack O’Donnell through medium/close-up shots, finishing with a medium shot of him breaking a cup on his table. The camera is handheld on Mendez’ shots, creating a more personal, and emotional perception of the character, while the zoom highlights his reactions and creates tension to the scene as whole. The steady shots of Jack are calmer, and more impersonal, making him look more professional, and less emotive. The framing plays an important role on this sequence. Both Tony and Jack are placed on the right side of the screen at first, with Tony changing sides on the frame only when he states that he and his boss are responsible for the people they are trying to save. The right side of the screen is reserved for when the characters are more impersonal and professional, while the left side of the screen is used only when Tony explicitly becomes emotionally attached. Decor and lighting differentiate the perception of each space used on the scene. In the house located in Iran, the lighting is darker because the scene is slightly underexposed, which helps create a low-key effect, while warm colors dominate the location. This assists on the creation of a more intimate environment, just like a house should be. On the other side of the world, in CIA’s headquarters, O’Donnell’s office receives natural lighting from its window, which illuminates a blue wall as well as a typewriter of the same color, making this space look like a professional location, analogous to a typical workplace. In Casablanca, the camera positioning and movement play an important part too. However, the positions and movement are broader, ranging from long shots to close-ups and from static positioning to panning around the location; different angles are used as well. Long shots in addition to panning introduce the area that will be used throughout the scene, which are the Cafe’s bar, and its entrance, that is seen from both the inside and outside. Another panning, more noticeable than the others, is the one that shows Renault spying on the other characters from Rick’s office; the camera pans in a diagonal fashion from the upper right, where the officer is hidden, to the lower left, the spot where the three other character are and also the place where the rest of the sequence takes place. Racking focus is used when Major Strasser’s subordinate opens his office’s door; the focus quickly changes between the man and his superior. A low angle is used when the official says that Laszlo is under arrest, which aggrandizes the captain. In this scene, mood and tension is accomplished mainly by soundtrack and sound effects instead of dialogue, in comparison to Argo’s selected scene, which does exactly the opposite. At first, when Rick is talking to Ilsa, the song â€Å"As Time Goes By† plays on the background as a motif, creating intimacy between them, and as Victor joins them, the song transforms for a brief moment, suddenly disappearing when Renault, in the same shot as aforementioned in the last paragraph, surprises the Resistance hero, thus producing tension. To increase tension even further, a sound effect is used when Rick points his gun at Louis, and his voice is heard off-screen, until the camera tilts towards his face. The soundtrack is back before long, and its purpose now is to underscore tension as Renault makes the phone call. In terms of formal elements, Casablanca’s selected sequence relates more to the rest of the movie than does Argo’s, because only the editing and mise-en-scene aspects are kept the same through the picture, the sound and cinematography are an exception to the rule. Casablanca brands its mise-en-scene and cinematography with relatively spacious locations, and the camera helps to manifest it by using wide angled lens on top of long-shots. Lighting is often the standard three-point scheme, and it kept fixed on most reaction shots. Men are always formally dressed, while Ilsa changes between three different outfits and the cinematography is widely characterized by the use of straight-on angles, to maintain neutrality towards characters, with the exception of a few low shots, which raises some characters’ power. Long shots are predominant on the beginning of scenes, and medium shots, showing two or more people in a group, soon substitute it; close-ups are used mostly for reaction shots. Camera movement includes everything, but handheld and aerial shots. Wide-angle lenses are the favorite in this motion picture. The editing and sounds, follows Hollywood’s standards, always consist of an establishing shot on the beginning of each new scene, introduced by a dissolve from the previous scene’s last shot, and a shot/reverse shot when characters are talking. Usually the rhythm happens on a medium speed. The diegetic sounds prevails, and are easily noticed, they include: most of the music heard on Rick’s Cafe, background noises and sound effects of all sorts, and dialogues. The start of both Argo and Casablanca are almost the same, a narration in addition to various dissolves, introduces rapidly where the films will take place and also a point on history, the only difference is that Casablanca uses a globe, while Argo utilizes the sketches of the fake movie. In Argo, only the editing and mise-en-scene relates to the chosen sequence and the rest of the movie. The main locations are six: Los Angeles, the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters, the Iranian house, Iran’s streets, the airport/airplane, and the US embassy on the opening of the movie; and each of them has its own rhythm and amounts of tension, with the ones located in United States having the longest takes with less direct tension and the ones in Iran’s outdoors being the most tense ones and with the shortest takes. The connection between the countries is made with the repetitive use of cross cutting on some sequences. Continuity practically does not exist on the chosen sequence, but does on the rest of the motion picture. Most of the lighting is supposed to be natural. The costumes are typical of each character’s home country. The editing strongly relates to Casablanca by using Hollywood’s standards, like dissolve between scenes, shot/reverse shot during conversations. Cinematography is very different among scenes, and uses all of the possibilities. The scene selected is the only one with a handheld camera with shots focusing on only one character; the other uses for this technique always include groups of people. Aerial shots are also included throughout the movie, in contrast with Casablanca that has none. The camera is always on the eye-level of the shortest character being shown. Close-ups are equally used to show reactions and details, with more camera movement on the last. Sound use is somewhat more complex in Argo, with many off-screen and voice over sounds, like when a conversation is held over the phone or background noises for instance. However, for all the other sections Casablanca and Argo are very similar. Tony and Rick are exclusively professional characters, both of them possess a high social position, and are financially stable, they also enjoy desired political positions among their peers, and neither display signs of emotional attachment to others, until the selected scene on each movie. After it, both characters start to be perceived as warmer people, who are still able to be, in their own ways, part of intimate relationships. As the pictures get closer to their ends, Mendez and Blaine are not seen exclusively as professionals anymore, but as more altruistic persons, the CIA’s agent also boosts his social, and political, position by receiving an award, while the Cafe’s owner earns respect from the couple and the corrupt official. In the end, it is easily acknowledged that both movies are more similar than different, with a special call for their plot, beginning, development of main character, and major formal elements. The differences, if evaluated properly, are almost none, and are all hidden among small details. Coincidentally or not, Michael Curtiz has a quote that applies appropriately to both Tony and Rick when they become emotionally attached to the hostages and the couple, respectively; the quote is â€Å"The only things you regret are the things you don’t do. † How to cite Argo and Casablanca – Main Characters Comparison, Essay examples

Exotic Pets Pros and Cons free essay sample

The panic and terror experienced by the monkeys, bears, lions and leopards that ran loose in Ohio earlier this week as they were chased and then killed by the police. Imagine the heartbreak of the police officers who were obliged to destroy the rambling menagerie. Officers are not trained to stalk big game and bring them in alive with tranquilizer darts. Related News Police Kill Dozens of Animals Freed on Ohio Reserve (October 20, 2011) Why was there no law regulating the animal collection of Terry Thompson, who freed his animals and then apparently killed himself? I’ve spent the last few years prowling America in search of people who share their lives with great apes, big cats and long snakes. Mr. Thompson is not unique. Monkeys seem particularly ubiquitous; a cursory online search can connect you with a purveyor. Exotic animal auctions are crowded with buyers, and the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition — which opposes the practice — estimates the number of exotic fanciers in the millions. We will write a custom essay sample on Exotic Pets Pros and Cons or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Owners who bond with their pets as cubs or kittens, bottle-feed and cuddle them, often convince themselves that their relationship is special and their full-grown bear or cat will never turn on them. Yet it’s not just about cuteness and beauty; controlling an animal that arouses fear in other people can be appealing. That’s why those with egos that need feeding, from Kublai Khan to William Randolph Hearst to Mexican drug traffickers, are connected by the desire to stock their personal zoos. Most apes, cats, bears and other animals change when they reach adolescence. They become stronger, more aggressive and less predictable. But is their potential to cause trouble enough reason to regulate or prohibit keeping them as household pets? If we allow ourselves to keep dogs (which can be out of control and vicious), why not other animals like chimpanzees, even if they also might exhibit violent behavior? Champions of exotic pet ownership insist that their rights to enjoy the animals outweigh the risks. â€Å"This was not an animal getting out because of a failed cage,† Zuzana Kukol, an exotic-animal owner, told me when I checked in with her after the Ohio massacre. â€Å"The cage was fine. This was a deliberate act of terror. † I visited her and her partner, Scott Shoemaker, on their Nevada desert spread, far removed from their neighbors and home to Bam-Bam, their 500-plus pound lion, and an assortment of other cats. The two lobby against laws restricting animal ownership. Their isolated compound seems a rare example: well fenced, with animals rescued or bred in captivity, apparently healthy. It’s hard to imagine a better alternative for Bam-Bam and their other animals. Yet this week’s events in Ohio and other tragic cases prove that exotic animals present challenges. Nationwide, the laws on keeping wildlife as pets are a confusing patchwork. Enforcement of those that exist is haphazard, and penalties for violations are rarely severe. â€Å"Exotic† is a fluid term for pets, but we ought to be able to agree on a list of animals that historically do not cohabitate with humans and pose such a threat that they must be caged. Then it’s an easy step to come up with federal laws to protect the animals and their neighbors. It’s past time to regulate the wild beasts: us. Peter Laufer, a professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, is the author of the trilogy â€Å"The Dangerous World of Butterflies,† â€Å"Forbidden Creatures† and â€Å"No Animals Were Harmed. †