Heart Of Dark Essays - Joseph Conrad, Congo Free State,

Heart Of Dark In Joseph Conrad's book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale - mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. The book is a record of things seen and done by Conrad while in the Belgian Congo. Conrad uses Marlow, the main character in the book, as a narrator so he himself can enter the story and tell it out of his own philosophical mind. Conrad's voyages to the Atlantic and Pacific, and the coasts of Seas of the East brought contrasts of novelty and exotic discovery. By the time Conrad took his harrowing journey into the Congo in 1890, reality had become unconditional. The African venture figured as his descent into hell. He returned ravaged by the illness and mental disruption which undermined his health for the rem aining years of his life. Marlow's journey into the Congo, like Conrad's journey, was also meaningful. Marlow experienced the violent threat of nature, the insensibility of reality, and the moral darkness. We have noticed that important motives in Heart of Darkness connect the white men with the Africans. Conrad knew that the white men who come to Africa professing to bring progress and light to darkest Africa have themselves been deprived of the sanctions of their European social orders; they also have been alienated from the old tribal ways. Thrown upon their own inner spiritual

broken spears essays

broken spears essays Around 1519, a Spaniard by the name of Hernan Cortes sailed to what we now know as modern day Mexico. Diego Velazques, governor of Cuba, instructed Cortes to make contact with the New World. What was supposed to be an innocent journey of exploration and trading, became a horrific genocide of the Aztecs of the New World. Cortes was a violent, manipulative, and a greedy man. To give you an idea of the violence Cortes and his men were capable of committing, I would like to relate a passage of a Nahautl account, from the book by Miguel Leon-Portilla, Broken Spears: They ran in among the dancers, forcing their way to where the drums played. They attacked the man who was drumming and cut off his arms. Then they cut off his head, and it rolled across the floor. They attacked all the celebrants, stabbing them, spearing them, striking them with their swords. They attacked some of the from behind, and these fell instantly to the ground with their entrails hanging out. Others they beheaded: they cut off their heads, or split their heads to pieces. They struck others in the shoulders, and their arms were torn from their bodies. They wounded some in the thigh and some in the calf. They slashed others in the abdomen, and their entrails all spilled to the ground. Some attempted to run away but their intestines dragged as they ran; they seemed to tangle their feet in their own entrails. (xxvi) The previous passage took place during the Fiesta of Toxcatl. Although Cortes was not present at this time, I believe the actions of his men were a direct reflection of Cortes thirst for violence. I also came across different parts in the book where it described how Cortes and the Spaniards would hang, torture, and feed people to their dogs. Cortes was also involved in the killing of unarmed people in Cholula. Cortes would use any means necessary to conquer the Aztecs and rob them of their gold. Cortes most likely was a viol ...