Heart of Darkness Intro

            Marlow’s journey into Africa is not just a journey to find Kurtz but also to find himself. It is evident that Marlow is fascinated with Kurtz; his accomplishments, reputation and demeanor intrigue Marlow because he actually wishes he could be like Kurtz but, as Sigmund Fried would say, his super ego is suppressing his desires because he realizes despite Kurtz’s accomplishments he is a disturbed man. Kurtz has lost his mind because he has lost his mind because his super ego is no longer maintaining his moral values. The lack of checks and balances has corrupted Kurtz and has become the man who Freud describes. Marlow experiences more than most people do in a lifetime; therefore, when he returns he finds his old world dull and boring. Marlow’s journey has helped him realized his subconscious and why he is the person he is.

Worksheet Q#5

When Marlow mistake the shrunken head as decorations it is just emphasizing the how wrong Kurtz's mentality and ideas for the future are. It isn't normal for heads to look like decoration, if someone could possibly mistake these for each other than there is certainly something wrong. Peoples deaths should be recognized but not make fun of. This one picture only further illustrates how corrupted the European mindset is about imperialization.

Essay Ideas

I am thinking of talking about how Marlow changes throughout the journey and how his subconscious becomes more visible as he has to act without preparation. We see he becomes less cohesive and his ideas and thoughts begin to blend. Although he remains intrigued by Kurtz during his journey thats about the only thing that remains constant about Marlow.

The Psychological Journey

We as readers follow Marlow but what he does and thinks is dictated by his subconscious. We can tell from his speech patterns when he is worried or concerned but he may not realize as much as we do. As he moves down the river he beings to encounter past memories and we see how he feels about different symbols. As he faces uncertainty and realizes the lack of civilization his though process becomes scattered and incoherent.

Pg 430 #6

I think the painting represents Marlow and his journey. The torch represents someone lighting the way, like how Marlow is leading the trip into Africa. The Blindfold is a symbol of Marlow not knowing what to expect. The painting is ironic however, because why would someone who is blindfolded need light? But the painting is also a symbol of what the Europeans are doing in African. They think they are leading them towards the light but actually they don't know what they are doing and are actually leading them towards darkness.

Heart of Darkness Pg. 429 #2

Marlow beings his tale with the account of London in "very old times, when the Romans first came here" because he wants to show the relationship between the how savage and uncivilized London was yet they were the ones invading and spreading their culture. Maybe this colonization was what set up certain African countries for failure. Marlow wants to emphasize how ironic it is that people who are not capable of being civilized still believe that they need to expand and spread their culture, values and beliefs.