The Facade of Civilization Explored in Heart of Darkness...

The Facade of Civilization Explored in Heart of Darkness and Heart of the Matter Heart of Darkness and The Heart of the Matter afford glimpses into the human psyche, explorations deep into human nature. In each, the frailty of the facade we call â€Å"civilization† is broken, by external forces portrayed by Conrad and internal ones by Greene. In both stories there is one who falls pray to corruption and one who is witness both submerged in forces that will not be silenced or reasoned with. Wilson sat on the balcony of the Bedford Hotel with his bald pink knees thrust against the ironwork. He looked out toward the ocean - past the spire of the church thrust into the sky in defiance of the uniform serrated, tin†¦show more content†¦Also the setting, though somewhat similar, is still quite distinguishable, allowing for the development of different themes; Conrads is set in a wild outpost deep in the center of Africa and Greenes occurs in a well-colonized port somewhere in West Africa. The natural forces of depravity are rampant, in fact infective, in the steamy, dense jungles in which Kurtz dwells. Scobie, on the other hand, is allowed a more physically peaceful existence, struggling not with the physical but with an inner turmoil. Youre the new captain? Thats right. Have a drink. Wilson took three ice cubes from a small bucket that was now filled with more water than ice, dropped them into a glass identical to the one in his hand and filled it to the brim with pink gin. He handed it to Marlow and refilled his own half-empty glass, almost instinctually. Both sat in silence staring toward the sea, pierced only by the sounds of a vulture alighting from the roof and the clink of the ice against the glass. When I first came here, I would never drink during the day, Wilson suddenly said. Why did you start? Things change. Both stories begin similarly, in each there is an adventurer blindly beginning a journey into the uncontrolled forcesShow MoreRelatedHow and Why Is the Grotesque Used in Tennessee Williams’ a Streetcar Named Desire?2627 Words   |  11 Pagesis the Grotesque Used in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire? Throughout this semester, we were introduced to varying degrees of literary styles and themes. From the epiphanies discovered through American Realism, to the skepticism explored through Literary Modernism, to the conflicts of social conformity and individualism approached by a Post-Modernistic America and its writers. We have had the great opportunity of being exposed to individuals who questioned and pushed the boundariesRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesthorough and critical understanding of organization theory. It is both rigorous and accessible, clearly and unashamedly pitched for readers who wish to engage with theoretical issues whilst also maintaining a practical focus on why organization theory matters. I felt in good hands here, confident that I was being offered a deeply informed, reliable and intelligently constructed account. The opening chapter carefully and helpfully explains terms, including ‘theory’ and ‘epistemologyâ₠¬â„¢ that can form an unexploredRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesganja-smoking illiterates who were of no value to society. Teachers, students, ofï ¬ ce workers, and anyone of social importance could not grow locks, and families would go into mourning when their sons would start sprouting them. I heard the term â€Å"black heart man† used again and again as a means of expressing fear or ridicule of the Rastafarian. And this was in the early 1970s—after Bob Marleys emergence as an international viii FOREWORD star, after Selassies arrival in Jamaica, and afterRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesturbulent phase of the human experience, render it impervious to generalized pronouncements and difficult to conceptualize broadly. As the essays in this collection document in detail, paradox pervades the time span we call the twentieth century, no matter how it is temporally delineated. Never before in history, for example, had so many humans enjoyed such high standards of living, and never had so many been so impoverished or died of malnutrition and disease. If the period from the 1870s is included