Abstract This essay discusses and analyzes Joseph Conrad's short story The Secret Sharer. The author describes Conrad's life as a sailor and its influence on the tale. The relationship between the two main characters, the unique plot, symbolism, issues of morality and justice, and general themes are also explored. A critical review of the story concludes the essay.
From the Paper "In a discussion and analysis of Joseph Conrad's short story "The Secret Sharer" (1910), it is important to begin with a look at the author's life to better understand the foundation for the vivid details in this seaman's tale and how Conrad's personal experiences certainly influenced the language used and plot in this work. Joseph Conrad was of Polish origin and born in 1857, and he lived in Poland until he was seventeen years of age. In 1874 Conrad left Cracow for France to learn the fundamentals of seamanship and a second language. At the age of twenty Conrad moved to England with the intention of becoming an officer on British ships, and he spent the next twenty years working at sea. He soon mastered English as his third language and then became a British subject around 1886. Although a common sailor at first, Conrad advanced quickly through the ranks, became a ship's captain at the relatively young age of thirty-one, and spent three years in the Far East on a series of voyages. By the age of forty Conrad was in declining physical health and retired from the sea forever, and he worked as a popular and successful English novelist until his death in 1924."
Abstract The paper discusses how a comparison of Max Weber's "The Origins of Industrial Capitalism in Europe" and Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" reveals far more similarities than differences. For instance, the paper explains that while Weber's article purports to be an introductory glimpse into the social and political history of Western Europe, Conrad's work is a fictionalized account of a white man's journey into the heart of Africa.
Abstract This paper discusses how Conrad's plot revolves around the disintegration of Marlowe's high flung theories about colonialism when he sees the cruelty his government has imparted on the African people. In 'Heart of Darkness', the colonial objectives of the British are also thematic through these insular points of view. Conrad writes on how the English perceive the African in their travels to Africa.
From the Paper " In this literary analysis of the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad the basis of British perspectives on colonialism will be brought forth in Africa. The theme of this novel reflects the horror of colonialism, and the ruthless nature of governments that are presented through a British point of view. In relation to this the theme of colonialism, the character of Marlow in the novel reflect youthful and naive rejection of British imperial design. In essence, the theme of colonialism and Marlowe's rebellion against colonial principles will be analyzed within this study. For the author Joseph Conrad, the character Marlow is a young man that must learn that high ideals are colonial principles through experience, not through politically correct ideologies and literary propaganda. "
Abstract The paper explores Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" in terms of the variable of imperialism.
From the Paper "Reading "Conrad Against the Grain," Joseph Conrad introduces "Heart of Darkness" through the words of Marlow who points out to his fellow passengers that the Roman conquerors arriving in Great Britain encountered little more than savages and marshes and were at the time of their arrival literally on the very periphery of the civilized world. Later, of course long after the Romans were only a memory in England, the English themselves undertook the task of imperial colonial exploration and conquest."
Abstract This paper anaylzes the central passage in Joseph Conrad's novella, "Heart of Darkness", from the scene between Marlow and Kurtz that takes place on the river-boat just prior to Kurtz's death. It is a highly dramatic scene, and one that is open to differing interpretations. The paper attempts to analyze what Marlow believed drove Kurtz to cry out the words, "The horror! The horror! ".
Discusses how authors like Joseph Conrad ("Heart of Darkness") and Jane Austin ("Pride and Prejudice") used language to describe the happenings of their times.
Abstract This paper links the dark vision of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" to the fripperies of Jane Austen by showing that these writers can be seen as important bookmarks to the era of the modern novel. We cannot understand Conrad's work without understanding its connections to his time. The paper shows that by looking back to a writer like Austen, we can see how much has changed in the world at large and in the world of the novel during the Victorian era and the ways in which authors had begun to lose faith in the power of language to represent, to contain and to describe language. The paper argues that we cannot understand Conrad's relationship to language without understanding the larger context within which literature was created and consumed. The era from the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837 until her death in 1901, was an era of a number of key social changes that would force writers to take clear positions on issues of immediate importance to the rest of society. The paper shows, therefore, that we see very little social criticism in Austen - whose "Pride and Prejudice" was written 20 years before Victoria ascended the throne - and almost exclusively social comment in Conrad's story, published in 1902, the year after Victoria died. But even as writers began to become engaged more and more in the world at large, they became increasingly aware of the fact that language is of limited use in effecting change. The paper shows that for a writer like Austen, the power of language had only to carry a plot and characters; for Conrad language had to have to have the ability to transform the world. It is thus hardly surprising that Austen should find language adequate to her desires and her needs and that Conrad should find it inadequate.
From the Paper "Conrad throughout this book implies that civilizations are created by the setting of laws and codes that encourage people to achieve higher standards ? that civilization and social bonds compel us to act out our better selves. The institutions of communal and civilized life act as dams, as bulwarks to prevent humans from reverting back to their darker tendencies, which they will do as soon as they are left alone or loosed from the constraints of their own societies, an element essential to much of colonial thought, as Back and Solomos (2000) suggest. Conrad suggests, through his insistence on the primacy of metaphor, that language cannot be counted on to be one of those civilizing bonds. When a writer can no longer count on language to provide an anchor in the world, we recognize that we are entering the rocky waters of modernism."
Abstract This paper describes Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" in racist terms because of the way Conrad contrasts the civilization of white Britain and the non-civilization of black Africa. The author feels that the character of Marlow is a persona for the Conrad, which he used in several stories and novels. This paper explains that Marlow makes a journey from civilization into the darkest part of Africa to bring back a man named Kurtz who has gone into the interior and shed his civilized exterior to degenerate into a primitive.
From the Paper "David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary who explored the Congo between 1840 and 1872 and brought the region to the attention of the world when Henry Morton Stanley, a journalist, was commissioned by the New York Herald to conduct a search for him. After this, Belgium's King Leopold II turned his ambitions to the area. At the time, the Congo River basin remained for the most part unknown to Europeans. Leopold II founded the International Association of the Congo, financed by an international consortium of bankers. The north bank of the river had been claimed by France, leading ultimately to the creation of the colony of French Congo. Leopold II sent Stanley to explore the territory, and he sailed up the Congo to Stanleyville (now Kisangani), signing more than 450 treaties on behalf of Leopold II with persons described as local chieftains who had agreed to cede their rights of sovereignty over much of the Congo Basin."
Abstract This paper explains that Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" was written in 1899; therefore, when reading the book from this historical time, the reader must keep in mind the prevailing norms of that period and compare the thoughts of the author to those of the norms of this period. The author points out that this novel is based on Conrad's firsthand experience of the Congo region of West Africa, which was gained when Conrad was actually sent up the Congo River to an inner station to rescue a company agent, who died a few days later aboard ship. The paper relates that "Heart of Darkness" is told in the words of Charlie Marlow, a seaman, and filtered through the thoughts of an unidentified, listening narrator.
From the Paper "In 1899, when "Heart of Darkness" was first published, both Europe and America were well on their way to building empires in other parts of the world. Several European states had already experienced unprecedented expansion worldwide during the last third of the nineteenth century due to increased industrialization, adventurism, and paternalism. Latin America, Asia and Africa were targeted to control seaports and trade. England, the leading European colonial power, had already established much of its overseas empire, followed by France with territories in Southeast Asia and North Africa, and Portugal, Spain and Holland, who still retained some of their earlier holdings. Germany and Italy were quite new to the game."
Abstract A paper which examines Joseph Conrad's stylistic techniques which he uses to convey the general attitude toward African-Americans of his time, yet he himself is not acting as racist. This paper gives an explanation for Conrad's seemingly racist title and text, "The Nigger of the Narcissus".
From the Paper "Conrad's reversal shows that none of the white shipmates are racist towards James Wait. Although Conrad's white seamen present racist language towards Wait, there is no indication that they feel themselves superior to him. In fact, with Conrad's reversal of roles in slavery, constant allusions to slavery reveal that the white shipmates are inferior to Wait. "We served him in his bed with rage and humility; and he rewarded us by unconciliating criticism...he made himself master of every moment of our existence" (31). By giving such power to a black character, Conrad compares the black James Wait to a white slave holder."
Abstract This paper reviews "Shades of Black: Conrad Black - His Rise and Fall", Richard Siklos's well written biography of Conrad Black's career and dramatic collapse after 2002. The paper explains that Siklos interviewed more than 200 persons before a 1995 edition of which this volume is a revised expansion featuring another 50 interviews. Siklos also spent hours speaking to Black, indirectly attempting to account for his extravagance and need to impress others, atop his drive for power. Much is revealed through Siklos's notes on Black's wife, the former Barbara Amiel. The paper reports that Siklos leads the reader through a summary of Black's family background, his youth in north Toronto's Bride Path area, his expulsion from Upper Canada College, and later, Trinity College School, before Thornton Hall, Toronto.
Abstract This paper describes the atrocities committed in the Congo Free State and further compares how they were represented in two works of literature: Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and "Adam Hochschild's "King Leopold's Ghost". The author explores how, although Joseph Conrad and Adam Hochschild both deal with the violent imperialism of the Congo, they also have different understandings and perspectives on its historic impact. The brutal rule of King Leopold of Belgium over the Congo is described in both works. The author concludes that Conrad and Hochschild both agree that the Congo Free State was a primary example of the horrors of colonization.
From the Paper " The Congo Free State was a private colony owned by the King of Belgium King Leopold 1st. Known historically as a place of brutal repression and exploitation of Africans by Europeans seeking personal motivations of greed, it is depicted by both Hochschild and Conrad. King Leopold killed many of the native people that were not only treated as slaves, but brutally in a way that was far worse than other instances of slavery. King Leopold went to great lengths to colonize the colony and use explorers for his own personal gain. King Leopold lied to the world convincing them he would give power to the native people and treat them well and better than other European nations, but instead turned to colonial notions in order to maximize profitability and take advantage of his holdings. Thus sets the stage for the portrayal of the dehumanizing impact of colonization and imperialism."
Abstract The paper examines Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and highlights the overarching theme of European ineffectiveness in Africa. The paper shows how Conrad is not fond of the money-grubbing tactics of the colonial Europeans and mocks their useless attempts to 'civilize' the land. The paper maintains that Conrad emphasizes the anti-European aspect more than the anti-African aspect and thus "Heart of Darkness" is not pre-dominantly racist.
From the Paper "In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, one of the prevalent themes throughout the work is Marlow's attitude towards European aggression in Africa, and the absurdity of it all. From the boat attacking the coastline to the section reviewed below, where the storehouse catches fire, the attempted civilization of the African continent is met either with no result or hostility from the land itself. This can be taken in a larger sense to be representative of Conrad's anti-colonialist viewpoint, Marlowe's opinion of the enterprise of ivory-hunting instead of exploration, and, despite all the blatantly racist materials in this book, the moderately pro-African ideas espoused within."
Abstract The paper discusses Chinua Achebe's claim that Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" was intentionally racist. The paper examines the historical context of the novella and argues that Conrad was a man of the times, with its prejudices, values and its dehumanizing view of people of color. The paper further contends that the picture Conrad paints is merely a true representation of African life as he witnessed it.
From the Paper "Chinua Achebe wrote a radical easy in 1975 claiming that the Heart of Darkness was not the great work of art that it is depicted as due to the racism that is so prevalent in the novella. Achebe even went a step further to say that Conrad was a racist and that he intentionally wrote into the Heart of Darkness his racist views. Historically it has been argued since the publication of the Heart of Darkness in 1897 that Conrad wrote of the Congolese he knew through his work as a seaman and that his life in Europe, specifically Poland where he resided was a great factor in his writing of imperialism."
Abstract The paper investigates if "Karain" by Joseph Conrad and "The Daughters of the Late Colonel" by Katherine Mansfield fall into the category of timelessness. The paper identifies the elements of relevance in both works and posits that Mansfield's work is more symbolic in terms of oppression, while Conrad's contains more concrete elements of connection to the modern reader. The paper therefore concludes that both authors have the potential to be truly timeless.
Outline:
"Karain" by Joseph Conrad "The Daughters of the Late Colonel" by Katherine Mansfield
From the Paper "Some pieces of literature are simply timeless. Among these might be counted the works of Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. Although their settings are in a different time, populated with characters of different dispositions and status in life than contemporary people, they nonetheless include universal themes that appeal to readers even today. Poverty and love are but two of the general themes that might be found often in the works of these two authors. These themes provide the basis for connection and identification. Some authors do not achieve this sense of universal and timeless appeal. The question is, do "Karain" by Joseph Conrad and "The Daughters of the Late Colonel" by Katherine Mansfield fall into the category of timelessness? Perhaps the fact that these stories are still widely read answers the question. Specifically, I believe that there is a good balance between the specific, time-centered paradigm and the universal in order to provide readers with a fulfilling experience."
Explores the two main themes of Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" which concern British imperialism in Africa and the effect of Africa on Conrad's characters.
1,744 words (approx. 7 pages), 9 sources, 2000, $ 56.95
Abstract This paper takes a look at the theme of British imperialism in Africa in "Heart of Darkness" as well as how Africa affects the main characters in the novel. The paper looks at Conrad's use of the symbol of darkness to represent the corruption of British Imperialism and the dark side of human nature. Also discussed in the paper is how the characters Kurtz and Marlow are corrupted by their experiences in Africa.
From the Paper "Historian Walter Phelps Hall states that Africa was known to British Imperialists as the Dark Continent (Phelps 748). Phelps says that reporter Henry M. Stanley used this phrase in his 1878 biography Through the Dark Continent to describe Africa's dense, unexplored jungles that were a mystery to Europeans until the 19th century (Phelps 750). Author Joseph Conrad experienced the Dark Continent in the Fall of 1889 when he adventured on the African Congo (Kimbrough ix). His book Heart of Darkness was motivated by his experiences on his Congo trip. He witnessed first hand the effects of English Imperialism on Africa and on the Europeans who visited Africa."
