2 Kafka Questions

1. When you first hear the lines the reaction of the reader is a mix of confusion and humor. You can't really tell as a reader if the author is really being serious. You don't know if it is a dream or is it just a very unrealistic plot. You begin to understand the serious intent when the author states that it was not a dream. It is stated so bluntly that you just have to accept it. There is some part of me that did not take the story seriously because it was so unrealistic.

2. Gregor's family always treated like an insect even before the metamorphsis. The family always seemed to be taking advantage of Gregor and what he did for the family. In addition, Gregor always willingly do what his family asked of him. He was always the worker bug of the family and always did exactly what he was told. Gregor's body was changing, but his role in the family stayed the same.

Leaderless Discussion

A leaderless discussion was a very useful tool for discussion. It is also very interesting to take an outside perspective on a discussion while not having the ability to participate. While watching the inner discussion and keeping a tally on the participation, it is evident that a leader does emerge without appointing one. It is interesting to see because it proves the tendency of a group to want and desire a leader to take control of the discussion. It was conversely very interesting to see the evolving discussion where a basic question is posed and from there ideas are just being shared. It is interesting to compare the starting point and ending point of a specific topic. I thought this was a very effective exercise because we were able to discuss solely with our peers, without the interference of adults. 

Introductory Paragraph

            Black is bad. White is good. If only it were that simple for Marlow’s journey to the Heart of Darkness. In Conrad’s novel the symbolic meaning of white and black are constantly changing and lack consistency. There is a certain ambiguity with the color images in the novel and a lot of the time the symbols are the opposite of their typical meaning. The ambiguity with the color falls into the general theme of the novel because most elements of Heart of Darkness are vague and perplexing. In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the symbolic meaning of colors, specifically black, white, and ivory, have an atypical ambiguity factor which contributes to the theme of Marlow’s journey to chaos.

3. Use any ONE quote from Karl to examine one aspect of the novel

"The persistence of dakness, especially the color black, sets the tone and elicits our response." In Heart of Darkness, the colors Conrad utalizes, specifically black and white, do not have the typical symbolic meaning in the context of the novel. In fact, the meaning of white and black are switched. That being said, the switching of typical meaninf seems to be a reoccuring theme in the novel. For instance, at the beggining of Marlow's tale, he speaks about England pre-colonization and compares it to ancient Rome, basically espousing the chaos. England is not usually associated with chaos and destruction so its one of the reversals in Heart of Darkness. The colors of white and black are one of the elements that contribute and foreshadow the overall journey to chaos.

Essay Ideas

My first essay idea is to examine Marlow's journey as he approaches Kurtz, specifically his mental and emotional journey. I will use literary clues to do so, for instance by analyzing his speech pattern and narrative style as well through the actions he takes. I want to also analyze his development of Post Traumatic Syndrome and look for signs of it.
My other idea would be to look specifically at one symbol perhaps the rivets or Kurtz as a character.

Marlow's Phsycological Journey

In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Marlow, the main character makes a physical journey to the Congo. However, as he explains his journey throughout the novel we gain incite to his physical journey. It is very evident through the way he speaks about his experiences that it took a toll on him emotionally. We can definitely see an element of post traumatic syndrome. For example, Marlow states "You remember it, you dream of it, you wake up at night and think of it-years after- an go hot and cold all over." Marlow's journey to Africa was unlike anything he had experience before and all this new information he received had an emotional impact on him.

#6 pg 430

The torch in the painting could have several meanings in the context of the story. It could represent civilization or the love of knowlege, but ultimately it is a beacon and it is a positive symbol. The torch juxtaposes with the dark face of the woman in the painting. The intersting aspect of the painitng is that the woman is blin folded, possible representing a blinded justice. There is a clear disconect between the torch and the blind fold which can possibly signify a abnormal moral compass. I think Marlow would agree with this painting because of the disconnect that exits between the torch and the woman but also between the people and colonizers. Marlow constanly makes note of the "strangeness" of the people to ther point where he is impressed with a man based on his ability to make himself presentable.