Mr. Kurtz: the Glorification vs the Reality

           Throughout the story thus far, there has been much talk about the famous Mr. Kurtz, much of it comparing Marlow to him. This association deeply fascinates Marlow to the point where he cannot wait to finally meet Kurtz and hear him speak, learn what he's like. Kurtz is known throughout the Company as being the grandest provider of ivory and a man of great power, but there have been mixed feelings about him by other members of the Company. Some feel belittled by Mr. Kurtz's domain, like the manager, and others dislike and envy the fascination around the subject of Kurtz. It is known, however, that Kurtz is ill, and Marlow is needed to resupply him. 
           However, after months of travel by boat to the "Heart of Darkness" where Mr. Kurtz is said to be situated, a great feeling of disappointment is felt by Marlow upon meeting the one most talked about. He talks extensively with a Russian man who works for the famous imperialist, and he gives Marlow a more accurate description of the kind of man Kurtz truly is. At one point he notices various posts outside in the distance, each with a rotting human head speared to the ends. Met with great disgust at the sight, Marlow reflects,

 "there was nothing exactly profitable in these heads being there. They only showed Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts, that there was something wanting in him--some small matter which, then the pressing need arose, could not be found under his magnificent eloquence" (133).

The young Russian, who continues being a great admirer of Mr. Kurtz, tries to defend him by stating the speared heads were those of rebels. However, Marlow's disgust and disappointment in the man of ultimate power remains evident. Along with many other points, such as Kurtz's ill state, his planned attack on Marlow's steamboat, and his clear misuse of power and reign, proves his lack of grandeur, as well as his mortality and deterioration.

 

Savage or just....hungry?

         
   As the story unfolds, revealing hints of apparent racism that are tied into the imperialistic attitude, yet another of Marlow's opinions is uncovered. When their boat is surrounded by thick and blinding fog, those aboard the ship hear yells in the distance. Unable to decipher whether these are yells for attack or simply of defense, Marlow and the other directors become puzzled as to what to do next. Marlow then orders for the chained anchor to be lifted. He describes the black men:

"the others had an alert, naturally interested expression; but their faces were essentially quiet, even those of the one or two who grinned as they hauled the chain. Several exchanged short, grunting phrases, which seemed to settle the matter to their satisfaction" (111).

Never truly acknowledged as humans, simply the "others", hints at the racism shown throughout the story thus far. Marlow generalizes the expressions of most of the black men, as though they were not individuals, but one mass. The "grunting" that is associated with their speech gives them a savage quality, as he does not recognize their sounds as being a developed language.

              While he is observing all of this, their leader comes up to talk to him: 

"'Catch 'im,' he snapped, with a bloodshot widening of his eyes and a flash of sharp teeth--'catch 'im. Give 'im to us.' 'To you, eh?' I asked; 'what would you do with them?' 'Eat 'im!' he said curtly, and, leaning his elbow on the rail, looked out into the fog in a dignified and profoundly pensive attitude" (111).

Once again, Marlow contributes insane and animalistic qualities to the African natives, describing their leader as having bloodshot eyes and carnivorous teeth. However, after hearing the leader express the desperation for food felt by the other natives, Marlow realizes how little food he has given them throughout the voyage. He expresses that "as long as there was a piece of paper written over in accordance with some farcical law or other made down the river, it didn't enter anybody's head to trouble how they would live" (111). He admits his having f0rgotten to consider them as humans that needed food for survival, he along with the other white men take the work of the black men for granted, presuming they will always be there to give their strength. Marlow has come to the point where he forgets to acknowledge such an important necessity for all humans, and animals alike. He thinks of the rotten hippo meat they brought along as being an annoyance to all on board, when really it was a means for survival. He always considers the well-being of himself and the other Europeans first priority, and with the power given to him to rule the native people, he has been mentally detached from them. This shows insight to the even further moral transformation he will undergo before the ending of the tale, and the contrast to what the present-day and reflective Marlow thinks of his actions.

Needles and Cables...

            Maya Angelou's poem "The Telephone" transforms a simile into developed personified image of a telephone as compared to an old woman and her needlework. The simile is first introduced in the fourth line: "Sitting like a strict / and spinstered aunt" (4-5). Their is an implication that the title is the objected being compared to the woman, who is paying her full attention to her crochet and hemming projects. She is so engrossed in her work that she is intentionally or unintentionally unaware of the speaker, who notices the woman "ignoring me" (11). The speaker is anxiously awaiting a call, but the telephone ignores her desperation similarly to a woman concentrating on her crocheting. Days go by, and the aunt "sits silent" and the "needle sound / does not transfix my ear" (21-22). Personifying the phone highlights the speaker's frustration in grasping the attention of the woman, similar to her impatience in expecting a long-awaited phone call. She awaits for the ring of the phone to relieve her of this frustration, and "draw my longing to / a close" (23-24), and therefore let the speaker know she is wanted and noticeable to the important people in her life.

Heart of Darkness 1

               As the story follows the theme of the evils of imperialism, and the Marlow's depiction of imperialists as being "weak-eyed devils" of deception, the perspective takes a strange turn. Marlow gets to know one of the leaders in the company, he discovers the general attitude of those working there. The officer admires the freedom and charm of the hippopotamus, saying, "'The animal has a charmed life [...] but you can say this only of brutes in this country. No man-- you apprehend me?--no man here bears a charmed life'" (96). The manager here illustrates the duality of the unsatisfactory lifestyles of either side of the imperialistic battle. Those there to gain power are corrupted and made to believe their actions are correct and follow through with them. Meanwhile, the native people are being oppressed to the extremes, forced to abandon their previous lifestyles in order to be reduced to slavery. The parasitic relationship between the oppressors, who rely on the 'weak' for power, and the oppressed, who are being destroyed by force, holds no complete satisfaction for either of the groups. The manager realizes his life is charmless, but continues to hold his rank, in fear of losing the only power he has.

"35/10" Comparison between Mother and Child

Thesis: Sharon Olds' poem "35/10" incorporates the use of imagery and metaphor to develop a subtly depressing but loving contrasting relationship between an aging mother and a youthful child, therefore reflecting the twisted message of the circle of life and its natural way of replacing the old with the young.

1. Imagery
   
   • "Brushing out our daughter's brown / silken hair before the mirror" (1-2)
     The pleasant features described give a fragile innocence to the child. The "silken" hair is smooth and free of the harshness of reality and growing older. Her image is reflected as so in the truthful mirror and is contrasted by the grey on the mother's head. This first image of the poem sets the tone for the entire length of the work, the mother taking in the fresh beauty of her daughter as she also faces her own decay.
   • "I brush her tangled / fragrant hair at bedtime" (15-16)
     There is a slight shift to the decription of the child's hair. Before it was seens as flawless and soft, whereas by the end it is tangled. The mother is beginning to see her her daughter's fixable flaws, and her ability to soothe and untangle her nearly insignificant problems. The mother's flaws are seen as permanent, and so she must cherish the time when she can mend her daughter's imperfections while she knows she still can.
2. Metaphor
   
   • "She opens like a moist / precise flower on the tip of a cactus" (9-10)
     The use of the simile hints at the power of reproduction, the blossoming of the flower made by the mother's reproductive system. She is "precise" and planned, her placement on the cactus and in the world done purposely. Flowers are also seen as pure, and on a cactus, the flower is the only part that is not harmful to the touch. In this way, the daughter is seen as perhaps the only thing cherished by her mother. Similarly, the flower on a cactus is not reachable by the thorns of the plant, therefore simbolizing how the child is still away from hurt's reach, or so thinks her mother.
   • "her full purse of eggs, round and / firm as hard-boiled yolks, is about to snap its clasp" (13-15)
     Once again, the topic of reproduction resurfaces. The biological eggs in the girl's uterus are compared to the yolks of eatable eggs. Both kinds are able to create a new life, however if the eggs are hard-boiled, then the life has been lost. The mother seems to recognize her daughter's ability to reproduce, but she is not yet ready for another generation to exist. She will not allow her daughter to experience the bittersweet feelings of motherhood.
     
3. Contrast
   • "the fold in my neck / clarifying as the fine bones of her / hips sharpen?" (13-15)
     The mother heavily contrasts her signs of age with her daughters signs of puberty. The bones of the child seem very fragile, almost as though they have not been used completely. As the hips are being described as sharpening also adds a slightly unhealthy aspect to the girl's physique. 
   • "As my skin shows / its dry pitting, she opens like a moist / precise flower on the tip of a cactus" (8-10)
     The metaphor used to compare the child to a cactus flower contrasts the mother's view of her own skin's imperfections. Her daughter has no physical, or emotional, scars as of yet, and the mother seems to be reflecting on the hopes she has for her daughter to stay as innocent and unharmed as she is now.

Ethics come with time

Thesis: Linda Pastan's poem "Ethics" intertwines of contrasting imagery, powerful diction, and punctuality placement,  unfolds a distinct perspective on in her poem on personal morals and how they are developed through life experience and looking within.

1. Imagery
   
   • "Restless on hard chairs" (6)
     The description of the narrator's youth is seen as tied down and restrained, and the discomfort is evident for the reader. These feelings greatly contrast the soothing and reflective mood of the end of the poem, and therefore highlight how the narrator has changed in maturity and perspective.
     
2. Diction
   
   • "This fall in a real museum I stand / before a real Rembrandt..." (17-18)
     At last, the narrator is faced with the reality. In the first section of the poem she along with the children in her Ethics class don't consider the teacher's question as something to be taken seriously, because they have not found the meaning of life and they have yet to live. The author demonstrates this with the double usage of "real", emphasizing how later in life, the narrator has realized reality and is now able to truly understand and answer ethical questions. 
   • "caring little for pictures or old age" (7)
     The author uses such simple words to show the simple way the children think. Their inability to truly consider what they would rescue in a fire proves exactly the conclusive point that those lacking in maturity are not able to be truly analyze anything that does not directly concern themselves.
     
3. Punctuation
   
   • "...old woman, / or nearly so, myself..." (17-19)
     The narrator's use of enjambment is prevalent throughout the poem. In this case, she uses it to show uncertainty. She mentions how she is now the old woman, but due to her pauses and reconsideration, she admits to the reader that she has not quite come to terms with her age or the fact that so many years have passed since her school years. 
   • "I know now that woman / and painting and season are almost one / and all beyond saving by children" (23-25).
     In the final thought of the poem the narrator for the first time does not use any punctuation. The idea is complete and rushed out without hesitation. The author could have wanted to highlight the narrator's confidence in finally concluding the answer to the question asked in the beginning of the poem. A mixture of experience and maturity are found in her confidence, for no longer does she want to answer the question "half-heartedly" (9) and she knows that children lack the seriousness to actually be able to understand the value of life and the how it can be compared to a painting.

Now Here's a Truly Beautifully Somber Poem.

Thesis:
Dudley Randall's poem "Ballad of Birmingham" leaves a chilling sensation and lasting impact, in part due to the song-like structure, haunting imagery, and unforgettable irony.

        1. Structure
                 a. "'No, baby, no, you may not go, / For the dogs are fierce and wild, / And clubs and horses, guns and jails / Aren't good for a little child'" (5-8). Randall uses an alternate rhyming pattern to make the depressing piece have a melancholy sing-song quality. The usage of rhyme also helps capture the youth and innocence of the lost child.
                b. The entire poem is divided into four-line stanzas that further add to the lyrical structure of the poem.
    
         2. Imagery
                  a. "She has combed and brushed her night-dark hair, / And bathed rose petal sweet, / And drawn white gloves on her small brown hands, / And white shoes on her feet" (17-20). The visual imagery incorporated into this stanza helps the reader imagine the innocent little girl, and therefore making the fateful twist at the end all the more painful and heart-wrenching. The visual hints create an attachment felt between the reader and the child.
                  b. "She clawed through bits of glass and brick," (29). The harsh and even slightly savage-like imagery contrasts greatly from the soft and sweet descriptions of the living girl, highlighting the desperation to find the child's angelic face once more. 

        3. Irony
                 a. "The mother smiles to know her child / Was in a sacred place, / But that smile was the last smile / To come upon her face" (21-24). While the mother forbids her daughter to march in a Freedom March in fear of her safety, she is wounded when at church, believed to be the safest place around. The complete opposite occurs of what is expected by the reader and the child's mother.

Prospero's Noble Punishment

By the end of the The Tempest, in Act I Scene I, Prospero's mission fulfillment becomes clear. Early on, he states how although he has been humiliated and wounded by the actions of his enemies, he is able to see that he will use his "nobler reason" (I.i.26) to not give in to his rage. Therefore, he frees the men from their confused and trapped mental states. He then enters a trance, summoning the spirits, and promises to bury his staff and drown his book, to rid himself of his magic. This shows he is already considering the passion he must give up in order to take the position as Duke of Milan. After summoning the royal party, he embraces Gonzalo with thanks and honor, showing his humble gratitude. Though he does shame Alonso and Sebastian, he focuses his speech on his brother Antonio. Prospero looks down on them (except for Gonzalo) with a confident power. He is untouchable, it is now known that his position will be restored, and his actions all contributed to this victorious ending. At the same time, his only prize is what is rightfully his (that being his status as Duke of Milan) and he does not exceed the punishment on those that wronged him. Furthermore, this proves his qualities as a Comic Individual.