jaychouf4n
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[FONT="]Heart of Darkness[/FONT][FONT="] is a novella written by Joseph Conrad in the year 1899. It is a dark tale about a man’s physical and metaphorical journey up the Congo River in Africa. Apocalypse Now is a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, released in 1979, a war epic showing the journey of a man up the Nung River in Vietnam. Despite both being unique and chilling tales set in different time zones (Apocalypse Now is set almost 70 years later!) and settings, they are united by their themes; Imperialism, man’s dark heart, uncertainty and journey of the self. The two composers use a variety of language and visual techniques such as imagery, structure, contrast, figurative language and cinematography to aid our understanding of the themes mentioned above.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Both of the texts put forward the theme of Imperialism and are critical towards the effects that it has on society. In Heart of Darkness Imperialists are colonizing Africa because of the existence of ivory, rubber and labour, whereas in Apocalypse Now, the Imperialists are the American Interventionists who are fighting the Vietcong to protect Vietnam from communism. In both texts, the Imperialists put forward moralistic and idealistic arguments to justify their involvement in countries outside their own. For the European Imperialists, the moral argument was based on Kipling’s “White man’s burden”, where superior white society should pass on its society and knowledge to the “savages” of Africa. On the other hand American Imperialists such as Johnson justified it by talking about freedom; “We fight because we must fight if we are to live in a world where every country can shape its own destiny. And only in such a world will our own freedom be finally secure.” However in both texts, the reality is completely different, rather than creating the peace promised, the natives are being exploited. In Heart of Darkness the natives have become slave labour; “the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them.” The Manager describes this as “humanizing” “civillising” and “trade”, thus Conrad uses a contrast between the reality and the empty justifications of the Imperialists to emphasise the immorality of the Imperialists. Furthermore Conrad uses imagery with “…all were connected together with a chain” emphasizes the extent to which this exploitation is occurring because it creates an image of an endless change of people. Conrad emphasizes the extent of this falsity by the dialogue of another Imperialist; “Each station should be like a beacon on the road towards better things, a center for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, instructing.” By placing similar dialogue for a different Imperialist Conrad is able to emphasise the extent to which this falsity exists Likewise, in Apocalypse Now the Interventionists justification for their invasion of Vietnam is superficial. This is shown very clearly by Kilgore’s attack on a Vietnamese village. Coppola uses a long range shot, showing helicopters buzzing over treetops and a panning shot of the jets striking the forest with the destructive force of napalm. The long range shot is used to show the entirety of the actions of the Americans as well as their immense power, while the panning shot places us in the war because it feels as if we are walking around and seeing it, which is disturbing and alarming This shows clearly the damage of Interventionism, and that the war in reality is not the freedom of Vietnamese people. This is an example of the message of the counter culture of the 1970s with Saturday Night Live in 1975, and the opposition to the futile war in Vietnam. As a result, we can see in both texts the falsity of Imperialism, the Imperialists support their actions through moralistic arguments but the reality is completely different, in Heart of Darkness the blacks have become slaves, and in Apocalypse Now the natives are being destroyed by the napalm and the attacks of the Americans.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Both texts also address the theme of the darkness within man’s heart. In Heart of Darkness Marlow and Kurtz are depicted as having realized the darkness that lies beneath man’s heart after the restraints of society are removed. In Apocalypse Now all the people on the boat; Chief, Clean, Lance Johnston, Captain Willard and Kurtz have been affected by the darkness within their hearts from the madness of the Vietnam War. In Heart of Darkness Marlow has realized the existence of his own heart of darkness; “I was anxious to deal with this shadow by myself alone.” The shadow symbolizes the darkness beneath his heart. Conrad does this through imagery; the shadow is dark and black reflecting the “black shapes” or savages that roamed the jungle. Furthermore people are not named in Heart of Darkness, rather they are allotted positions; the “butcher”, the “policeman”, the “Manager”, the “pilgrims”. Conrad is implying that through these positions, people assume a role that allows them to escape the darkness in their hearts. In Apocalypse Now the same theme is explored, with each of the soldiers being exposed to their own darkness. This is most noticeable in the final scene where Willard goes to kill Kurtz. Conrad uses lighting very effectively by keeping Willard in darkness as he kills Kurtz. This is symbolic of Willard sinking into his own darkness. The audio in the background of The Doors-The End reflects on the opening scene when a forest is bombed by napalm, and as a result it not only links Kurtz and Willard to the jungle, but also enforces the darkness of the heart because of the psychedelic nature of the song. A recurring symbol used to represent the darkness that lies beneath man’s heart is the mask that Captain Willard, Kurtz and Lance Johnston have. The mask is similar to camouflage. Camouflage is used to change one’s image and allow people to hide in the jungle. As a result the mask is a symbol of the anti-self (a person who has become their heart of darkness), the new identity created to deal with the madness of the war. This is further emphasized by the fact that Kurtz and Willard put on the mask when they are about to kill a person, because one requires the heart of darkness in order to commit murder and immoral acts. Hence Apocalypse Now, like Heart of Darkness shows that there is darkness in man’s heart that is hidden by either society or moral codes.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Uncertainty is also a theme existent in both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. In Heart of Darkness the uncertainty is symbolized by the ever present fog in the jungle. In the fog, one cannot see, all things become blurred. The structure of the narrative is important, because it is a nested narrative, i.e. a story within a story within a story. This relay of information makes it liable to inaccuracies from hearsay, and hence Conrad is making the point that no certainty can be found in the story. Conrad is making the point that like looking through fog, one cannot find a definite objective meaning in the world, that one must create one for himself. Marlow’s purpose is order, which is shown by his delight when finding “An Inquiry into some Points of Seamanship”. Conrad uses word choice, when Marlow calls it “extraordinary” to show how much meaning order has in his life. This almost existential point is recreated in Apocalypse Now with Willard’s brutal murder of Kurtz. Conrad, by juxtaposing Kurtz’s death in conjunction with the sacrificial killing of a bull immediately suggests to the reader that there is a deeper inner meaning to life, that the conjunction of these two scenes has a meaning. However I feel that in reality there is no such inner meaning, that Coppola is making the point that life has no objective meaning. In a world of hypocrisy, lies and ridiculousness it is impossible and foolish to find an inherent meaning. This is reflected in Heart of Darkness where Kurtz discovers his heart of darkness. However this heart of darkness, the inner regions of man’s heart is in the end empty. Hence Kurtz appears as a God, for having discovered the true nature of man, but also a weak physical man, who does not truly communicate with anyone. This underlying paradox reflects the paradox that is life. Our underlying soul is dark yet hollow and meaningless, so our attempts to find a deep meaning to life are pointless. One must define one’s life by oneself.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Journey of the self is common theme in both texts. In Heart of Darkness Marlow undergoes a physical and metaphorical journey through the Congo River towards Kurtz. Hence the river is a symbol of the physical and metaphorical pathway to darkness. In Apocalypse Now the Nung River is an identical symbol, it represents the pathway for Willard to his own heart of darkness. As Marlow approaches Kurtz he becomes increasingly infatuated with Kurtz; “The point was in his being a gifted creature… presence, was his ability to talk, his words… the pulsating stream of light.”. Likewise, Captain Willard becomes obsessed with Kurtz, himself realizing that he had taken in his own heart of darkness, and so he says to chef, “No, no. I'm gonna need you right here, Chef.” in order to protect Chef from the heart of darkness. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]In conclusion both texts convey the same themes of Imperialism, man’s dark heart, uncertainty and journey of the self, despite being set in different time periods and settings. Conrad and Coppola use visual and language techniques to portray these themes. The fact that the themes and criticisms are still valid seventy years after Heart of Darkness shows that despite technological progress, our society’s values have not.[/FONT]
This is an essay I have prepared for my exam tomorrow, can anyone give me constructive criticism to turn this to an essay worth ~17-18/20
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Both of the texts put forward the theme of Imperialism and are critical towards the effects that it has on society. In Heart of Darkness Imperialists are colonizing Africa because of the existence of ivory, rubber and labour, whereas in Apocalypse Now, the Imperialists are the American Interventionists who are fighting the Vietcong to protect Vietnam from communism. In both texts, the Imperialists put forward moralistic and idealistic arguments to justify their involvement in countries outside their own. For the European Imperialists, the moral argument was based on Kipling’s “White man’s burden”, where superior white society should pass on its society and knowledge to the “savages” of Africa. On the other hand American Imperialists such as Johnson justified it by talking about freedom; “We fight because we must fight if we are to live in a world where every country can shape its own destiny. And only in such a world will our own freedom be finally secure.” However in both texts, the reality is completely different, rather than creating the peace promised, the natives are being exploited. In Heart of Darkness the natives have become slave labour; “the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them.” The Manager describes this as “humanizing” “civillising” and “trade”, thus Conrad uses a contrast between the reality and the empty justifications of the Imperialists to emphasise the immorality of the Imperialists. Furthermore Conrad uses imagery with “…all were connected together with a chain” emphasizes the extent to which this exploitation is occurring because it creates an image of an endless change of people. Conrad emphasizes the extent of this falsity by the dialogue of another Imperialist; “Each station should be like a beacon on the road towards better things, a center for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, instructing.” By placing similar dialogue for a different Imperialist Conrad is able to emphasise the extent to which this falsity exists Likewise, in Apocalypse Now the Interventionists justification for their invasion of Vietnam is superficial. This is shown very clearly by Kilgore’s attack on a Vietnamese village. Coppola uses a long range shot, showing helicopters buzzing over treetops and a panning shot of the jets striking the forest with the destructive force of napalm. The long range shot is used to show the entirety of the actions of the Americans as well as their immense power, while the panning shot places us in the war because it feels as if we are walking around and seeing it, which is disturbing and alarming This shows clearly the damage of Interventionism, and that the war in reality is not the freedom of Vietnamese people. This is an example of the message of the counter culture of the 1970s with Saturday Night Live in 1975, and the opposition to the futile war in Vietnam. As a result, we can see in both texts the falsity of Imperialism, the Imperialists support their actions through moralistic arguments but the reality is completely different, in Heart of Darkness the blacks have become slaves, and in Apocalypse Now the natives are being destroyed by the napalm and the attacks of the Americans.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Both texts also address the theme of the darkness within man’s heart. In Heart of Darkness Marlow and Kurtz are depicted as having realized the darkness that lies beneath man’s heart after the restraints of society are removed. In Apocalypse Now all the people on the boat; Chief, Clean, Lance Johnston, Captain Willard and Kurtz have been affected by the darkness within their hearts from the madness of the Vietnam War. In Heart of Darkness Marlow has realized the existence of his own heart of darkness; “I was anxious to deal with this shadow by myself alone.” The shadow symbolizes the darkness beneath his heart. Conrad does this through imagery; the shadow is dark and black reflecting the “black shapes” or savages that roamed the jungle. Furthermore people are not named in Heart of Darkness, rather they are allotted positions; the “butcher”, the “policeman”, the “Manager”, the “pilgrims”. Conrad is implying that through these positions, people assume a role that allows them to escape the darkness in their hearts. In Apocalypse Now the same theme is explored, with each of the soldiers being exposed to their own darkness. This is most noticeable in the final scene where Willard goes to kill Kurtz. Conrad uses lighting very effectively by keeping Willard in darkness as he kills Kurtz. This is symbolic of Willard sinking into his own darkness. The audio in the background of The Doors-The End reflects on the opening scene when a forest is bombed by napalm, and as a result it not only links Kurtz and Willard to the jungle, but also enforces the darkness of the heart because of the psychedelic nature of the song. A recurring symbol used to represent the darkness that lies beneath man’s heart is the mask that Captain Willard, Kurtz and Lance Johnston have. The mask is similar to camouflage. Camouflage is used to change one’s image and allow people to hide in the jungle. As a result the mask is a symbol of the anti-self (a person who has become their heart of darkness), the new identity created to deal with the madness of the war. This is further emphasized by the fact that Kurtz and Willard put on the mask when they are about to kill a person, because one requires the heart of darkness in order to commit murder and immoral acts. Hence Apocalypse Now, like Heart of Darkness shows that there is darkness in man’s heart that is hidden by either society or moral codes.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Uncertainty is also a theme existent in both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. In Heart of Darkness the uncertainty is symbolized by the ever present fog in the jungle. In the fog, one cannot see, all things become blurred. The structure of the narrative is important, because it is a nested narrative, i.e. a story within a story within a story. This relay of information makes it liable to inaccuracies from hearsay, and hence Conrad is making the point that no certainty can be found in the story. Conrad is making the point that like looking through fog, one cannot find a definite objective meaning in the world, that one must create one for himself. Marlow’s purpose is order, which is shown by his delight when finding “An Inquiry into some Points of Seamanship”. Conrad uses word choice, when Marlow calls it “extraordinary” to show how much meaning order has in his life. This almost existential point is recreated in Apocalypse Now with Willard’s brutal murder of Kurtz. Conrad, by juxtaposing Kurtz’s death in conjunction with the sacrificial killing of a bull immediately suggests to the reader that there is a deeper inner meaning to life, that the conjunction of these two scenes has a meaning. However I feel that in reality there is no such inner meaning, that Coppola is making the point that life has no objective meaning. In a world of hypocrisy, lies and ridiculousness it is impossible and foolish to find an inherent meaning. This is reflected in Heart of Darkness where Kurtz discovers his heart of darkness. However this heart of darkness, the inner regions of man’s heart is in the end empty. Hence Kurtz appears as a God, for having discovered the true nature of man, but also a weak physical man, who does not truly communicate with anyone. This underlying paradox reflects the paradox that is life. Our underlying soul is dark yet hollow and meaningless, so our attempts to find a deep meaning to life are pointless. One must define one’s life by oneself.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Journey of the self is common theme in both texts. In Heart of Darkness Marlow undergoes a physical and metaphorical journey through the Congo River towards Kurtz. Hence the river is a symbol of the physical and metaphorical pathway to darkness. In Apocalypse Now the Nung River is an identical symbol, it represents the pathway for Willard to his own heart of darkness. As Marlow approaches Kurtz he becomes increasingly infatuated with Kurtz; “The point was in his being a gifted creature… presence, was his ability to talk, his words… the pulsating stream of light.”. Likewise, Captain Willard becomes obsessed with Kurtz, himself realizing that he had taken in his own heart of darkness, and so he says to chef, “No, no. I'm gonna need you right here, Chef.” in order to protect Chef from the heart of darkness. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]In conclusion both texts convey the same themes of Imperialism, man’s dark heart, uncertainty and journey of the self, despite being set in different time periods and settings. Conrad and Coppola use visual and language techniques to portray these themes. The fact that the themes and criticisms are still valid seventy years after Heart of Darkness shows that despite technological progress, our society’s values have not.[/FONT]
This is an essay I have prepared for my exam tomorrow, can anyone give me constructive criticism to turn this to an essay worth ~17-18/20
