The Darkness of the Heart: consider this inversion of the title. Any significance?

Heart of Darkness

Like everyone has been saying, Heart of Darkness was extremely confusing to understand and read.  It also did not help that I had my wisdom teeth taken out at the beginning of the break, so every time I read it I was completely out of it.  Though I can admit I cannot give much insight as to the plot, I personally appreciate why it was written how it was written.  Like we have said in class, the book was written to be read as if the reader is going through the jungle.  In my opinion the words are the leaves and trees you are trying to push your way through, not being able to see very far ahead, while the overall theme of the book is reached from how the journey was taken.  The movie we are watching in class is really helping me understand what happened in the book and to play out how everything went on.  I think it is very creative how Marlon Brando (sp?) changed going through the jungle to being in war.  Yes, Vietnam is a lot of jungle, but I can make the connection to the fact that the jungle is a gruesome, raw, long struggle as is war. 

Heart of Darkness

I thought that Heart of Darkness was very different from the other books that we have read this year. There is no clear villain, and no cunning plan. It is apparent that Marlow sees the jungle as an evil being and it constantly terrifies him throughout the story. To me it seems as if Marlow sees Kurtz as a victim of the jungle. All of the evil that surrounded him ended up corrupting him. It was a difficult story for me to follow, but I liked the narrative story. I confused why we never find out who our narrator really is.

HOH

Heart of Darkness was a really tough read. I felt like I was reading the same sentence five times before I  had actually processed. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how Heart of Darkness ties in to what we're studying, but that may be a part of my inability to understand what I read. Yes, there were cannibals, a seemingly corrupt "Company," dark, twisty jungles, and ferocious natives, but nothing really evil stuck out at me. From what I read, it seemed like an antsy captain, eager to get back out there, got assigned a really challenging "mission" that brought him to hell and back. Anything truly bizarre happened in the third part of the book when the reader finally meets the notorious Kurtz, a washed up old man that became immersed in the native culture. From all of that I don't think I could pin point a certain theme. Maybe disappointment? I feel like Marlow built up this big adventure (Kurtz included) in his head only to realize that what awaited him was nothing more than a bunch of savages and a narcissistic scholar.

heart of darkness

After getting through most of the confusing parts, at the end of the book i really enjoyed it. When i started reading, i wasn't sure of what the story had to do with the class. I think that it has to do with evil because once Marlow is in Africa, he is surrounded with nothing but evil. There are cannibals, random cannon shootings, the bad guy Kurtz, dead bodies, skulls, etc. Good is no where to be found, so Marlow has no other choice but to choose evil and become intrigued by the ways of Kurtz. In the end, once he is out of the evil area, he still shows the effects of it when he lies to Kurtz's fiancee. He stresses how much he hated lies at the beginning, but after being around the people and conditions at the station, he has obviously changed,

Heart of Darkness

I read Heart of Darkness last year, but I still found it a little confusing this time that I read it. However, it did make more sense than the first time. I think that this book is definitely one that you have to read a couple times in order to fully understand everything. I like what we said in class today about how Conrad wrote this book in buched up, confusing words.....so that it kindof resembled the jungle. To me, this book was about Marlow finding himself through his journey to see Kurtz. He had heard mostly all praises about this great man and was looking forward to finally hear his wise voice. However, when Marlow finally reached that point, I think that he found the station a bit disturbing with all the heads on the poles and what not. I think that throughout Marlow's journey up the river, his human consciousness became less and less prevalent. At the beginning, he war horrified with all of the people running around  in chains and firing randomly into the jungle; however, by the end he had kindof almost accepted this wildness and was only slightly disturbed by the things he saw. When he met Kurtz, he realized that he seemed kindof normal, even though he still praised him. I think that the whole story, maybe once fully understood, can be related to the reader's life. It involves a journey where you may change and in the end, you might be pleasantly surprised, or disappointed depending on your choice on path. I'm not really sure if I'm on the right track here.....these are just some ideas!

Heart of Darkness

I thought Heart of Darkness was very difficult to understand, but it was an interesting story and worth the confusion. One thing I was not clear on in the book that Coach Crook answered today was that there are two mistresses. I was also confused as to why Marlow still took a fond interest in Kurtz once he found out that Kurtz was evil. Marlow states that he hates lies, yet he is not appalled by far worse done by Kurtz. Kurtz is so intent on killing all the brutes, yet Marlow is not shocked or discouraged at all. I actually think the best part of Heart of Darkness for me was the fact that the cannibals were portrayed as allies with restraint, whereas the natives were portrayed as scary savages. It's small, but I thought it was cool how he just simply gave the word "cannibals", which is not a words to describe someone you want to be friends with,a somewhat positive connotation without even trying hard. Overall, I thought the book was really interesting!

HOD

I liked the concept behind Heart of Darkness. I think it was hard to read, which may be attributed to the style that Joseph Conrad wanted to portray. I liked the plot and the idea of the story. The parallels as well as the obvious evolution in Marlow, which can be noted by many factors including his lie at the end of the novel, are very beneficial to the story. I agree with Kathan, the fixation that MArlow has on Kurtz is a bit weird, but at the same time I think all of us have similar obsessions at one point or another.
Someone in class today said that they thought of Kurtz as extremely old, however I think we have to remember that in those time periods people had a much shorter life span than we do today, I would guess 40 years old was considered elderly.
Overall, I liked the novel. I think the term having a Heart of Darkness can be said about everyone. Human kind has definitely proved it has an evil side, and even if you are outwardly an angel, you probably have inner thoughts that reflect a heart of darkness.

Heart of Darkness

I honestly did not completely understand The Heart of Darkness, so my thoughts on it might be completely off.  I thought one of the main themes of the novel was corruption/madness.  This corruption and madness I feel like had a presence in Kurtz throughout the whole novel, but it soon transferred over to Marlow to some extent.  Marlow tells us near the beginning of the book that he can't stand lies.  Yet, at the end of the book, Marlow lies to Kurtz's fiance about Kurtz's last words.  I think that Marlow's obsession with Kurtz kind of led him down the road of corruption.

Heart of Darkness

I just finished Heart of Darkness and I am confused about two things.  The first is why Marlowe likes Kurtz so much.  I understand that he is very interested and fascinated with him, but I do not understand why he wants to defend his reputation.  I also do not really know all of Kurtz's ideology.

Othello Critical Discussion

" I do not mean the ridiculous notion that Othello was jealous by temperament, but the idea, which has some little plausibility, that the play is primarily a study of a noble barbarian, who has become a Christian and has imbibed some of the civilisation of his employers, but who retains beneath the surface the savage passions of his Moorish blood..."

I like the idea of not only Othello being considered a "noble barbarian" but us as well. It's like the idea of everyone having good and evil in them. I think this also relates to how in Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve are the creation of god, but are tempted by sin anyway. Humans try to not sin and be good so they can go to heaven. Yet, a lot of people sin daily. So on the surface some are good, but beneath they actually can be bad.

Paradise Lost

I have found what we have been reading for the past couple days very interesting. I love the part when Satan sees the sun and thinks back to his days in heaven. It's like we get a sense of Satan's small existing humanity here. However, his pride over rides this regret, and he soon jumps back into his normal self. He recognizes his own faults, but is too prideful to repent. He figures he must make the best of the situation....which is somewhat admirable. I also really like the part when he first sees the Garden of Eden and again recognizes the perfection of this place. He is mad at Adam, Eve, and God because he lack what they have so abundantly: peace and harmony.

Othello and Paradise Lost

One quote which I really agreed with was "Othello's hell is to contemplate the result of his own hideous perversity, and ours is to see ourselves in him." This quote came from a book titled Motiveless Malignity. I really like this quote because o the last part. While we were reading and discussing Othello, whether it was the first time or third time, almost everyone in the class was speculating about if they would have been tricked. Because of Iago's methods, I think we all would have. Yes, perhaps Othello got mad a bit too fast, but in the long run the result of Desdemona's death would have been the same. Iago was that good at being a master puppeteer for the other characters in the play.
Iago manipulates all the other characters in the same way Satan does. Beezlebub is Satan's Roderigo at this point in PAradise Lost. I am really enjoying how all the material we have covered is becoming more and more connected.

Othello Discussion

One of my favorite quotations that i wrote about in my discussions was "It was only when alone that Iago revealed his frightful wickedness and his fiendish joy in it, and there it was, in that revealment, an icy malignanty of exultation that caused a strange affect of mingled admiration and fear."I found this quote very true because after I read it, I noticed how Iago really did save his ultimate villainy for the moments when he was alone or talking to the audience, where we could see his true colors and how deceiving others brought him happiness. I wanted to feel hatred towards Iago, but at the same time, the way he was so passionate and ruthless in his business made me want to admire him too. The same goes for Satan in Paradise Lost because although he is a larger than life evil character, something about him is intriguing. He makes Hell seem so interesting, especially how he takes on tasks like a war with God with such ease and pleasure. We want to find him Hellish and grotesque, but the craziness of all of his stories (like the one today about his twisted family tree) make us want to hear more and hate less.

Paradise Lost

I am really enjoying Paradise Lost. The plot twist today was the last thing I expected, and I loved it! I can't wait to find out more about Satan's children that he never knew existed. I really want to know who the mother is!!!! I can't wait to find out.

Othello Critical Discussion

One critical discussion quote that I found interesting was "His [Othello] jealousy and disillusion, to be sure, are entirely justified by the actual events and are not the result of deceitful slander, but they hit him with equally destructive force."
I said that Othello obviously makes himself suspicious enough that Iago doesn't really have to do much of anything. Even the littlest events (like the handkerchief) seem to upset Othello. He is responsible for his own misleading and suspicions. Iago places these ideas into his head, which are mainly illogical, yet Othello continues to believe them and act accordingly upon Iago's nonsense. Othello's mind has the ability to put him into a totally ridiculous state. He is so full of suspicions that his brain is eating away at itself and destructing little by little.

The four plans

I have confusion about the plans.  I know Moloch wants to fight in another open war because he would rather die than lose, and Belial wants to do nothing because he thinks that he can get use to living in Hell.  I think that what Mammon wants to do is build a kingdom in Hell that they can call their own.  I don't get why that is greedy; it just seems like another Idea.  What really confused be is when Beezulbub started talking. He mocked Mammon for wanting to separate them selves from heaven, but Satan and Beelzubub don't want to associate with heavn, and they want to build a kingdom in hell just like Mammon wanted.  

Othello Critical Quoatation Gathering

“it is her relaxed, frank, sexuality and the passionate response it arouses in Othello which generate the tragedy.”

Pg. 81

(Women and Men in Othello  -Thomas Neely)

This quote talks about Desdamona and her role in the tragedy.  This particular viewpoint only focuses on her "relaxed, frank, sexuality" that brings about a passionate, loving quality in Othello that is so different from his rough, warrior exterior "which generate[s] the tragedy" (Neely 81).  However, coach crook commented on this quote and asked about how her innocence plays into the tragedy as well.  While I agree with the quote above, I also think Desdemona's complete innocence in this situation stirs up the reader's pity for her.  Yes, the out-of-character tenderness Othello shows towards Desdemona is moving, but her purity and sincere innocence to the crimes laid upon her definitely contributes to the sad inevitability of her unfair fate. 

Paradise Lost

In lines 120-228, Belial is giving his opinion of what the fallen demons should do.  In his argument, he states that "Our purer essence then will overcome / Thir noxious vapour, or endur'd not feel, / Or chang'd at length, and to the place conformd / In temper and in nature, will receive / Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain; / this horror will grow milde, this darkness light" (215-220).  Basically what Belial thinks they should do is nothing.  He argues that eventually, they will get used to hell and it will become less horrible than it seems to be now.  In his long speech he also points out that if they go to war again, their punishment from God could only get worse.  He believes that by doing nothing, things cannot get any worse, only better or more bearable. 

Angel Edline Sheet

All I really know about Angels are stereotypes, and random things in the City of Bones book series. I am definitely familiar with some of the terms mentioned in the handout, such as Seraphim, Cherubim, and some of the Magnificent 7, like Raphael, and Sariel. In the City of Bones, the swords of shadow hunters are named after angels, so that's pretty cool. At the end of the sheet it says that a scholar noted the angel count to be above 304 million....I am not quite sure how you can make that number....

I am really enjoying Paradise Lost. I kind of wish it was not so detail orientated and more narrative like because the story and plot itself is very engaging, but we are definitely moving through it at a good pace. I like how more and more ex-angels are getting introduced, I that keeps happenning.

Iago's Deep-Hearted Inferiority Complex

When going back through my Othello Critical Quotation paper, Coach Crook had an interesting question about the comment that I made about Iago's hidden evil motives.  He asked me whether I thought Iago has a deep-hearted inferiority complex that he could ever admit.  I definitely think that Iago has a deep hearted inferiority complex, but he doesn't really admit it.  At the end of the play, he does not deny that he caused all of the chaos to happen, but he never directly tells Othello or anyone else in the bedroom exactly why he did what he did.  I think that Iago wants to keep his motives to himself because he has a reason to dislike Othello, but that reason is not legitimate enough to cause the major blood bath that he did and I think he knows that way deep down.

Paradise Lost Book 2

I wanted to make sure that I was understanding what I was reading today in Book 2 of Paradise Lost...... It seemed like in the 40 lines or so Satan was again trying to suck up to all of his demons by calling them "deities of heaven" and such. But then I think a new character came into the scene...Moloch. Then he starts talking about how everyone there has no where to go but up since they are in hell and cannot really do much worse than that. But who is Moloch? Just another demon?
The reading said that he was a "sceptred king" but I was kindof confused on what that meant.....

Reading 2- Why the angels are in Hell

The main thing I still do not understand is what God is going to do with Satan and all of the angles that followed him.  I also do not understand what is fueling Satan to keep his rebellion going.  He knows he will never get anything out of it so he is just acting out of anger, but I do not see why he is so angry.  The only reason I can think of is because he is to proud to give up.