Heart of Darkness #3

Chinua Achebe criticizes Joseph Conrad’s blatant racism in Heart of Darkness, and he further criticizes Western readers for glossing over and excusing it. The question is not whether or not Conrad’s descriptions of Africa and its people in Heart of Darkness are racist; they are undoubtedly so. What must be considered is whether this prevailing racist undertone is deliberate, and if so, what purpose it serves. Marlow describes how “the men were—No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it—this suspicion of their not being inhuman” (108). The convoluted nature of this sentence causes the reader to pause. Marlow uses a double negative in his exploration of the Africans’ potential humanity, referring to the possibility of the Africans “not being inhuman.” He does not call them human; they are simply “not inhuman.” This shows that Marlow, despite his glimpses of remorse for the treatment of the African people, still does not see these people as his equals. Present-day Marlow is making this observation about their humanity, so the reader cannot even excuse this opinion as merely a phase in his journey to understanding human equality. Marlow embodies the racist attitude of those who have begun to recognize the treatment of Africans as inhumane, yet do not recognize their own attitudes as racist. They consider themselves empathetic and enlightened because they recognize the suffering of these ‘lower people.’ From here, the reader must consider Conrad’s own perspective and intent. Achebe believes that the parallels between Conrad and Marlow demonstrate that the author shares the opinions of his protagonist. On the contrary, Conrad has purposely distanced himself from Marlow, inserting multiple layers of narrative insulation between himself and his characters. Marlow is grappling with the concept of equality, and the syntactical breaks seem to represent the cracks in his preconceptions. The passage in which Marlow describes the African people on pages 108-109 is full of dashes in which Marlow inserts thoughts from the present and tries to justify that the Africans are similar to early humans. Marlow chooses to think of the Africans as humans, but inferior humans. Conrad wants the reader to come at least to this realization. During his time period, this idea of African humanity alone may have been difficult for some people to accept. However, he could perhaps also be attempting to get the reader to recognize further equality. By removing himself from Marlow’s struggles with the idea of shared humanity, Conrad almost looks down at Marlow through the eyes of someone who has overcome that particular struggle and continued on. Perhaps Conrad stopped at this point and considered Africans to be an earlier form of humans, or perhaps he understood that these people were his equals. Depending on whether or not later evidence in the book supports a deeper equality, even if it is not recognized by Marlow, the reader may be able to discern Conrad’s own position on racial equality.   

Heart of Darkness #1

            Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a story told from multiple perspectives at multiple points in time, allowing for different interpretations of events that the reader must consider. The novel begins with the narrator describing his present situation and company. He is aboard a ship anchored on the Thames River along with the Director of Companies, the Lawyer, the Accountant, and Marlow. The narrator himself, however, is not identified in any way nor does he describe any interactions he has with his fellow companions. Since the reader does not have any impression of him whatsoever, it is easy to simply take his observations and interpretations of character at face value. Conrad introduces the reader to the protagonist, Marlow, through the presumably unbiased and perhaps unenlightened eyes of the narrator. The narrator explains that, unlike the straightforward thinking of typical seamen, to Marlow “the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze” (Conrad 68). The reader has now been primed with the assumption that Marlow thinks beyond the obvious and has a deeper understanding than the average person; he may be considered an enlightened character. Conrad has facilitated the formation of these assumptions by presenting them through the narrator, yet the reader actually has no evidence that confirms or contradicts the narrator’s reliability. The story shifts into the past as Marlow begins to describe his experience in the Congo. Marlow is telling the story to his companions, so it is written in dialogue form. This serves as a constant reminder to the reader that Marlow is relaying his experiences from a future perspective. Memories are invariably colored by current knowledge, and this is an important point that the reader must consider. The inner thoughts Marlow presents may or may not reflect his actual feelings at the time. Marlow describes how he was drawn to the idea of exploring the Congo River: “it fascinated me as a snake would a bird—a silly little bird” (Conrad 71). At the time, he clearly did not think of his desire as “silly,” or he would not have put so much effort into getting on the ship. He felt, as he said, “fascinated” by it. Looking back now, with a different understanding, he sees his wish to explore the Congo as a bit trivial and uninformed. Although he seems to tell most of the story from his perspective in the past, there is no way to be sure that he does not edit his feelings or recall them differently. This causes the reader to question whether Marlow honestly “foresaw that in the blinding sunshine of that land [he] would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly” on the first day when he sees the chain gang (Conrad 82). Marlow may present himself in a better light when he tells his story, so it is important to weigh his words against other evidence in the story. Thus far, the complex narrative story is being told by the narrator, present-day Marlow, past Marlow, and other characters Marlow interacts with. Each perspective provides a different view of Marlow, forcing the reader to truly analyze his actions.       

Figurative Language in "The Author to Her Book"

Anne Bradstreet personifies the author’s book as a child in order to express both the raw imperfections of the book and the personal obligation the author feels for it. Bradstreet uses an apostrophe starting at the beginning of the poem; the speaker addresses the book as “Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain” (1). Although the author compares her book to a child, she does not speak to it as a mother would typically speak to her daughter. She calls the book “ill-formed,” noticing the imperfections that a mother tends to overlook. A child has not fully developed; she must be nurtured in order to grow into the independent adult that will take her place in the world. Flaws are not only tolerable but expected in a child; a child is not treated as nor judged as an adult. However, the general public does judge the book in such a way, highlighting its errors and criticizing it. In fact, the author is ashamed of her book, admitting that “At thy return my blushing was not small” (7). The behavior of a child reflects either favorably or poorly upon the parents because the child is their responsibility. The author clearly had not intended for her book to be published, and she does not appreciate how its reviews reflect upon her. Nonetheless, despite a mother’s displeasure with her child, she has an obligation to give her daughter a proper foundation and upbringing. The author tells her book, “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw, / And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw” (13-14). Although she tries to improve her book, the author is never satisfied. She cannot perfect it as she would like to. Now that the book has been exposed to the world, there is no way to return it to the author’s care. The book is like the child of a poor mother that cannot take care of it and must release it to society in an unfinished state; it is not the child’s fault that she is unprepared. Since the book will undoubtedly continue to be judged, the author does not want it to be viewed as if it were fully prepared either. The author, though noticing the flaws of her book, wishes to protect it.         

"A Hymn to God the Father" Outline

Thesis: John Donne uses puns and ambiguous metaphors within a rigidly formatted structure in “A Hymn to God the Father” to reflect the complexity of sin and one’s relationship with God, showing that the concept of sin is not as clear cut as it is often portrayed.

The formulaic structure of the poem contrasts the subjectivity of sin that the diction suggests.     

• At the end of each request for forgiveness, the man tells God that he is not done with his sins, saying, “For I have more” (line 6 and 12). The three lines preceding this each start further from the margin, finally ending with this line almost centered at the end of the stanza. This draws the reader’s eyes through the explanation of his sin to this center point: “For I have more.” This structure repeats for three stanzas along with the ababab rhyme scheme. Sinning thereby appears to follow a very specific pattern. 
• “And having done that, thou hast done. / I have no more” (lines 17-18). This final sentence gives a sense of finality to the poem. Instead of being part of the preceding sentence as is the case with “For I have more” (lines 6 and 12), “I have no more” is a simple sentence. It is not an explanation; it is a statement of fact. This represents the end of his life as well as the end of his sins. However, the line is almost left hanging in the center of the page; although the poem is finished, the structure leads the reader to expect more. There seems to be some continuation after death implied, but the reader is not told what this is.   

 

Donne utilizes puns to imply that sins are not straightforward; there is an inherent complexity that the reader, and God, must consider. 

• After asking God for forgiveness, he cautions, “When thou hast done, thou hast not done” (lines 5 and 11). “Hast done” has a multitude of denotations, including having finished, having accomplished, and having brought about. However, the word ‘dun’ means to demand payment of a debt. Donne’s  use of “done,” although perhaps not literally meaning ‘dun,’ nevertheless creates an association with the concept of indebtedness. The man owes God for the sins he has committed, and he knows that they are not yet “done,” or repaid. By repeating this, the man is essentially acknowledging that over the course of his life, he will invariably continue to sin and require forgiveness, until the final day when he has “no more” sins (line 18).
• He asks God to “Swear by thyself that at my death thy Sun / Shall shine as it shines now” (lines 15-16). The capitalization of “Sun” draws the reader’s attention and leads them to consider another capitalized “Son,” Jesus. The man, therefore, looks to God for assurance that the Son of God will still love him and forgive his sins when he dies. At the same time, he acknowledges that the sun has always shone on him; despite all of his sins that he must ask forgiveness for, God has continued to look favorably upon him.

The metaphors describing the man’s perception of death can be interpreted in multiple ways; there is no definite answer about what will happen when he dies.   

• He fears that he will die “when [he] ha[s] spun / [His] last thread” (lines 13-14). This “thread” may refer to his existence on Earth, alluding to the tapestry of life metaphor sometimes seen in mythology. However, it also conjures up the idea of threads of lies woven together. Sin is often associated with deceit, and, like lies, one sin often leads to another. He has become entangled in his sins, allowing them to become a prominent presence in his life.

• The man considers it a sin that he fears that he will “perish on the shore” (line 14). A shore separates the land from the sea; it has no distinct location. Death and the afterlife are like the horizon across the ocean; we only see them from a distance, never reach them. He is afraid that he will not leave the “shore” and find himself in heaven when he dies, and he considers his doubts a form of sin.