Ted Talk Blog Response

             In the Ted Talk Chimamanda Adichie recounts her rather “American” experience despite being a native Nigerian, and how she discovered how generalized Africans were as she studied literature. I would say that out of the ignorance she was forced to deal with something positive arose. She realized she was partly ignorant herself to her own roots, which allowed her to reflect on and recognize her African heritage. Her talk made me reflect on the dangers of globalization. Pop culture and the media are dangerous tool by which we as a people are tricked into believing false stereotypes like the “lazy Mexican”. Everyone should be proud of their cultural background and make the effort to not stereotype or assume about someone elses.

Heart of Darkness Setting

            Setting is always a key component in a novel. However in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad the vast jungles of the Congo transcend the ordinary role a setting plays and become much more significant. In a way the dense jungles are more of a character than most of the ones who are present in the play. The importance of the setting raises the question: can setting truly be more important than characters? In the novel the jungle holds far more importance than any of the characters, and is what symbolizes the “Heart of Darkness”.

            Conrad does not rely heavily on characters to convey his message. We can see in the begging of the novel how we doesn’t even give name to a great number of characters including the narrator. On the other hand he spends a great deal of time describing the setting and using vivid imagery to make it come alive, a distinction none of the characters share, with the possible exception of Kurtz. Here is a quote for example: “the creek, the mud, the river-seemed to beckon with a dishonoring flourish before the sunlit face of the land a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, to the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of its heart.”(102). Aside from the imagery proposed by Conrad the Jungle holds a lot literary value. It is debatable whether the “Heart of Darkness” is actually the Jungle or if it is the colonial mentality shared by the colonizers. This could mean the heart of darkness is interchangeable and the Thames could be the real heart of darkness as it is the way in which the colonizers are connected towards the rest of the world.

            Joseph Conrad has done a unique thing in this novel. He created a setting which outshines all other elements in the novel as far as importance. The unique nature of the jungle resembles its darkness and encourages us readers to find where the “Heart of Darkness” resides in our lives.

Heart of Darkness Symbolization

            Darkness is a universal symbol of alarm, when used correctly it instills fear and dread into the minds of those who picture it. In Heart of Darkness, darkness is very significant as it relates to the characters, setting, and plot. Through the use of symbolization Joseph Conrad intelligently uses darkness to represent the lack of morals displayed in the novel.

            In the novel darkness is often talked about in reference to the jungle. However I don’t believe it is the setting itself that provokes this evil. It is the advance of the colonizers into the jungle that is can be thought of as “dark”. I first came to this observation when I read this quote in part II:” The glimpse of the steamboat had for some reason filled those savages with unrestrained grief”. Marlow does not seem to realize although he attempts to disassociate from the actions of the company he is still involved with them and very much a part of “the darkness”. The darkness is not necessarily is something tangible I believe it can be interpreted as the colonial mentality found in the “heart” of every colonizer.

            Exactly what is represented by darkness in the novel can be left up to interpretation. However there is no denial that the darkness must be linked to the actions that Marlow and the rest of the colonizers do unto the innocent Africans. Heart of Darkness forces us to look into the reality of colonization and realize the truly dark nature of it.