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Heart Of Darkness Kurtz Imperialism

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The age old metonymic statement that is engraved in the mind’s of humans is ‘the pen is mightier than the sword”. The adage is simplistic terms means that ,to truly win battle, to conquer the insurmountable, and to change society is through communication and persuasion;not brute force. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, that is exactly what the infamous Kurtz did. Kurtz is revered by all as a “remarkable man” (49). Kurtz was known as “a prodigy” (92) and the young Russian, his fiancee, friends, and the African natives all adore him. Kurtz gains his power because of his charismatic nature and his way with words. He is able to completely transform the mind of the young Russian and Kurtz’s great ability to tell enticing stories makes the young Russian forget “there was a such thing as sleep” (30). Kurtz even seduces Marlow …show more content…

Marlow relates and admires Kurtz’s “spirit of adventure” (30) which is similar to his own. Kurtz comes to Africa with noble intentions of “improving” the dark African continent which was the ultimate goal of the European Imperialist. This is highlighted in Kurtz’s report for the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs. Kurtz’s report as Marlow puts is “vibrating with eloquence” (25) and it serves as the model for European colonialism. Kurtz’s report specifically alludes to his success in the African Congo because he “necessarily appear(s) to them [savages] in the nature of supernatural beings -- we approach them with the might as of a deity”. Kurtz is successful in his goal and the African natives admire him so much that they defend him from Marlow because the natives “do not want him to go”(29). Kurtz’s words hold the capacity to enlarge mens minds, but he invariably as soon as he gets the taste to acquire more ivory, becomes corrupted. Kurtz “to speak plainly, he raided the country” (31).

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The book serves as a sharp contrast with the deception of Colonists as well as a symbol of solid realness within a fantastical dream where truth is impossible. When describing the book, Marlow’s diction are highly positive, using words like “honest”, “humble” and “simple”. The direct expression and singleness of intention serves as a contrast with the lies the Colonists tell to conceal the reality in Africa. Europeans justify their bloodthirsty conquest as something they did for a greater cause. In 1876, at the Geographical Conference on Central Africa, King Leopold justified “To open to civilization the only part of our globe which it has not yet penetrated, to pierce the darkness which hangs over entire peoples, is, I dare say, a crusade worthy of this century of progress” (Cleary).

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In the chapter 01 Hochschild introduces a disturbing theme of the book: the open, almost banal way that Europeans of the late 19th century talked about inflicting pain on African people. At the time, many Europeans believed that Africans were sub-human, little better than animals. But even as Stanley looked down on Africans, the entire English establishment looked down on Stanley for being a working-class Welshman rather than a real English aristocrat. Hochschild begins the story of King Leopold’s greed for the Congo by sketching the earliest colonial history of Africa. Europeans were driven since the fifteenth century to explore, trade, conquer, and colonize the exotic lands they considered “empty” and up for grabs by westerners.

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In Heart of Darkness the idea of imperialism was under an immense pressure, and Kurtz exemplifies this idea with his initial beliefs when entering the Congo. Kurtz’s description of the situation as “an exotic Immensity ruled by an august Benevolence” is sharply contrasted by his statement to “exterminate all the brutes” in his report (Conrad 50-51). In Heart of Darkness, the western view of the Congo is drastically false; they believe that the natives are naive and savage. This idea, similar to that of the Americans, highlights the major differences in culture. The people of the Congo think that Kurtz is some sort of god even though he wants to eliminate them from their home.

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Kurtz’s painting not only shows the disjointed, purposeless, and violent colonization of Africa, but the idealized facade of a noble cause that allows it to fester. Kurtz’s painting embodies the failures of European colonization in Africa. From the (useless work) to the thoughtless and brutal massacre of Africans, the Europeans show a complete disregard of human life and its value, resulting in their failure on the continent. Marlow describes the painting as a woman “draped” in black and “blindfolded,” carrying a torch, the only source of light in the painting (Conrad 17). The darkness in the scene represents European’s lack of knowledge about Africa.

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Marlow finds out how Kurtz had been instructed by the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs to write a seventeen pages report before his nerves “went wrong.” In one section, Kurtz had written “Exterminate all the brutes.” Confused by the contradicting images of Kurtz, Marlow thinks that ” His power to charm had influenced the natives, still Marlow is not sure if it was worth the helmsman’s death to reach

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Hunt Hawkins presents the controversy that Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, encounters, as its contents portray Africans as dehumanizing, savage, and uncivilized beings. In order to provide a sufficient amount of information with regards to the controversy, Hawkins introduces the analysis of distinct scholars to describe racism, imperialism, and human nature. As a result, an analysis of the characters are provided to the audience and allow an individual to understand why Conrad decided to write Heart of Darkness the way he did. Thus, during this process, Hawkins describes the manifestation of the darkness that eventually consumes Kurtz.

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Kurtz is choreographed by Conrad to be under the thrall of “The Company” which speaks through his deformed and lifeless body like a puppeteer. Perhaps simulated by the black strings woven by the women that Conrad intends to represent two out of three mythological ‘Fates’, immortally existing to guard the door of the underworld and orchestrate the entire operation of bringing light into the dark continent of Africa. The novel displays multi-dimensional and Caravaggio-esque dramatisim, an epistemological dependency on the experience of light as Marlow progresses towards the “heart of an impenetrable darkness”, which is in fact the backdrop behind the entire story that contrasts against the pale skin of the colonists which is modelled by the natural light of the barbaric African Helios, as evident in the authors intention. Unlike his depiction in the film version, Kurtz is outlined in a certain nature, contrastingly God-like and powerful yet increasingly weak. Conrad indicates through the description provided by Marlow as “short” and with “unsettling mannerisms”.

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This greed grew strong and grew into the establishment of imperialism through the use of slavery. While the greed is still growing the English have know lost all of their moral value and have cast aside the meaning of life for the Natives of the Congo. This hunger of greed allowed the civilized to become the uncivilized “savages” they paint the Natives to be. Mr. Kurtz is the man that the english view as the idol in a way but dies seeing “The Horror”(154) of all the darkness the “light”(68) has made. Works Cited Qu, Caie.

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Showing more in depth that the environmental factors play an important role in the ideology of Mr. Kurtz emotions. Conrad’s diction provides a view of colonialism, proving the impact the surroundings and culture had on Mr. Kurtz, in a discreet manner. The doctor states with the warning, “I always ask leave, in the interests of science, to measure the crania of those going out there... Oh I never see them come back.”

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This is the reason why I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say.” (70) After the death of Kurtz, Marlow finds himself “back in the sepulchral city resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each other, to devour their infamous cookery, to gulp their unwholesome beer, to dream their insignificant and silly dreams” (70). Through his use of adjectives such as “filch” and “devour”, he depicts those back home as short-sighted and

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Marlow tells his shipmates on the boat (the Nelly) that the natives passed him “within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages” (16). Marlow’s story of his experience exhibits how the Europeans captured the natives and forced them to work; to strip their homeland of its resources and natural beauty. When the Europeans colonize Africa, they do not want to help the African people, but exploit them and put them to work for their own desire of obtaining ivory, rubber, and other resources and goods. As the Europeans imperialize the area, they do not build culture or assist in the development of the Congo region, but break down culture as they enslave the natives and take away their rights, along with stripping the area of resources and natural, earthly beauty, which is conveyed through the cruel physical treatment towards the natives. This treatment is also presented through the literary devices that Conrad decides to use to reveal the experiences of the natives to the

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At last, when they remove Mr. Kurtz from the Congo, he cannot handle it and sickness overcomes him. Marlow ties his identity so closely to Mr. Kurtz that when Mr. Kurtz dies, “they very nearly buried” Marlow as well (87). By seeing the monster that Mr. Kurtz becomes, Marlow eventually sees his own dark potential. The jungle could just as easily corrupt him and cause his

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The main character, Marlow, in Joseph Conrad’s 1910 novel The Heart of Darkness begins his journey into Africa skeptical of what might occur, but naive to the true horrors that were in stake for the young man. Marlow’s detailed descriptions of the sights and torturous actions towards the natives he witnesses along his journey lead to many literary critics to deem Conrad a racist. One author notorious for calling Joseph Conrad out on his racist remarks is Chinua Achebe who gained fame from his article “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness”.

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In 1884 Berlin Conference was held to decide the future of Africa. They finalized to create free trade in the Congo region, free navigation and created rules to divide Africa among themselves. Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness during this period so, those historical backgrounds on colonization help to portray the theme of imperialism in this novel. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad portrays themes of imperialism in three different views through his main character Marlow. Therefore, this essay argues on how Heart of Darkness comment on Imperialism based on the power of the colonizers, the power of Mr. Kurtz and imperialistic view of Conrad over women.

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