Heart of Darkness-the Earth Seemed Unearthly. - 1991 Words

Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad â€Å"The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there – there you could look at a thing monstrous and free. It was unearthly, and the men were†¦No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it – this suspicion of their not being inhuman†¦but what thrilled you was just the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar†. Extract from â€Å"Heart of Darkness†, Joseph Conrad (Chapter 2, page 32). In the above extract from Conrad’s book, Marlow states that the Africans are indeed human. This is an interesting statement coming from a man employed by the Company, who are doing everything possible to exploit and even†¦show more content†¦Fine sentiments you say? Fine sentiments be hanged! I had no time.† (Chapter 2, page 32) He has a gang of Africans on board to help with the chopping of the wood for the boiler. These people are cannibals and Marlow seems to accept this quite easily. The cannibals bring a lump of rotten hippo meat with them on the voyage and when the pilgrims throw it overboard because of the stench, â€Å"Phoo! I can smell it now† (Chapter 2, page 31), the cannibals are left with nothing to eat. Nothing but â€Å"a few lumps of some stuff like half-cooked dough, of a dirty lavender color, they kept wrapped in leaves† (Chapter 2, page 37). Marlow is respectful of the obvious restraint the cannibals show, but he is not concerned enough about their welfare to make a stop for them to get meat. The Company pays the cannibals in wire and beads and they are meant to buy food for themselves from the villagers on the river bank. Yet the boat never stops for them. Everyone else on board has plenty of tinned food of course. As the party draws nearer to Kurtz’s station, they are attacked by a tribe of wild looking Africans, who are using bows, arrows and spears. The pilgrims on board the vessel open fire with guns and are very proud of each other afterwards because they think they have killed a vast number of their attackers. One of the pilgrims says â€Å"Say! We must have made a glorious slaughter of them in the bush. Eh?† (Chapter 2, page 47). Marlow remarks on their poor marksmanship though,Show MoreRelatedBehind the Name Heart of Darkness Essay978 Words   |  4 Pagesreader only gradually. Using Heart of Darkness, show how the significance of its title is developed through the author’s use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view. Behind The Name Heart of Darkness The heart of darkness in the title Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is the heart of Africa, the heart of everything that is the rejection of established social principles and beliefs, corrupt, and barbaric, and perhaps the heart of man. 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