Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness

Notes:
- Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was a Polish born writer whom, upon being orphaned at the age of 11, spent much of his life travelling and succeeded in becoming Master Mariner in the British Navy. The book showcases his experience of being at sea and also the horrific personal experiences he faced in the Congo.

- Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" may be described as a direct response to the presentation of black people in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". Indeed in an essay written by Achebe, An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", he stated

"...Conrad had a problem with niggers. His inordinate love of that word itself should be of interest to psychoanalysts. Sometimes his fixation on blackness is equally interesting..."

Whilst not disputing the artistic talents of Conrad he feels that the presentation of the Congo aided the prefrabricated judgement many expressed freely throughout the 20th century. "Things Fall Apart" highlights the destruction of the Ibo tribe upon invasion of the white people from an omniscient perspective of the Ibo culture rather than the perspective of a white conqueror.

Undoubtedly many of the descriptions of black people are indeed questionable, "prehistoric" and "a conquered monster" for example (pg 50 - 52). However, I believe that there are 4 main points that should be considered when evaluating Conrad's work - though they may not act as justification:

1. "Heart of Darkness" was published in 1902 and was written in the latter stages of the 19th century. It therefore seems easy to label Conrad as a racist in the hindsight of the 21st century as the novel displays views typical of the British Empire's colonial ideology. However, even today there is maintained racism and so to expect literature to be free of any prefabricated prejudice or "racist" terms eg. "nigger" over a century ago seems somewhat naiive. Yes, such language is unjustifiable however when surrounded by such views, subconcious racism even seems inevitable.

2. Achebe seems defiant in labelling Conrad personally as a racist. However, literature does not necessarily showcase the views of the writer - indeed there is a definitive distance between the writer and his work, in which characters and a story take control. In this way it seems perfectly viable that Conrad was merely using such description to add a sense of context to the novel, whilst not harbouring such views himself.

3. The character MARLOW is the central narrative of the novel and whilst still using words such as "nigger" also describes a connection he feels between blacks and whites, portraying that they are not so different,

"What thrilled you was the thought of their humanity - like yours - the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar."

Though some may interpret this as possibly a patronisation or an animalistic view, personally I felt Marlow shows an appreciation of their passion and indeed how alive they are in comparison to the white conquerors,

"A whirl of black limbs, a mass of hands clapping, of feet stamping"

Such description feels an awareness of their human features and the freedom in which they move. Indeed he speaks of his own race as materialistic,

"Acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags - rags that would fly off at the first good shake."

4. Finally, from the beauty of personal interpretation, I would conclude that the "Darkness" Conrad speaks of is not in juxtaposition with the darkness of the black people's skin - in fact I would argue the opposite. Mr Krutz seems a personification of how greed, isolation and the desire for success can lead you into the depths of a mental consumption. I see the description of the jungles of the Congo as a journey into the depths of conscience. Conrad seems to portray the darkness of a colonial ideology and furthermore the darkness of lack of truth. Indeed the story concludes with the description of a darkness shadowing Marlow as he lies about Mr Krutz's last words "The horror! The horror!"

"Duffy is entirely hostile towards men in "The World's Wife". How far do you agree with this view of the ways Duffy presents men in this collection?

Carol Ann Duffy is a strong minded feminist and therefore hostility towards men seems inevitable within her work. There is indeed much evidence of gender struggle and detailed accounts of blatant suppression of women at the hands of men, resulting in literary damnation and dismissal of men in certain poems. However it seems a vast generalisation to assume thet just because Duffy is a feminist she is hostile towards men and I believe that one may find evidence of love within the collections just as easily as hatred.

Arguably the most overtly hostile poem in the collection is "Mrs Beast" which maintains an aggressive tone throughout "I should know, they're bastards when they're princes" and a declaration of female independence/domination, "We were a hard school, tough as fuck". Indeed Duffy shows a growth in confidence from the second poem in the collection "Thetis", "I shrank myself to the size of a bird in the hand of a man". Such hostility in "Mrs Beast" seems to root from resentment and a desire to avenge those who men destroyed i.e. "Thetis" and also directly from the poem "Diana Princess of Wales" and "Juliet" who remain martyres for feminism. "Mrs Beast" addresses women as the audience throughout in a dark and yet conversational tone "I had the language girls" almost as if addressing an army before they go into battle - in this case battling for those lost to the suffocation of the male species. There is furthermore a juxtaposition between the dismissal of men and the idea of success within the poem, "diamonds" and "All of us beautiful and rich" portaying materially how one may be better off emotionally without a man.

Indeed this lesson was foretold in the introductory poem "litle Red Cap" which portrays a young girl - led astray by a man and whom after many years gains knowledge that "a greying wolf howls the same old song at the moon" and again hostility is evident from such resentment, "I took an axe to the wolf as he slept". What differs in this poem however is the autobiographical tone that threads throughout the poem, speaking of Duffy's "ten year" marriage to poet Adrien Henry "He stood in a clearing reading his verse out loud in his wolfy drawl". Indeed the resentment felt at being suppressed to 10 years gives "Little Red Cap" a raw and aggressive emotion that may be described as the spark that ignites the hostility towards men for the entirity of the collection. However one could argue that this autobiographical air gives the poems in "The World's Wife" a distinction between Duffy and a persona Duffy has created to be hostile towards men. What is evident from both "Mrs Beast" and "Little Red Cap" is the idea that hostility towards men is founded upon a history of deep-rooted pain, in the latter "What little girl doesn't dearly love a wolf" and in the former "But behind each player stood a line of ghosts" and "Let the less loving one be me" showing that these aggressive women are born from the ashes of those whom were broken and loves that have been lost.

A poem that also speaks of love being lost is "Anne Hathaway" however Duffy takes a different tact and refrains from hostility, rather showing how love can be true in certain circumstances, "My lovers words were shooting stars" and "My living laughing love". Indeed this poem remains an homage to a great man who Duffy admires, Shakespeare, and in turn Duffy shows she may surpass mere feminine hostility, which she easily could have embraced with the line "my second best bed", to show that Duffy's and indeed the collection's intention is not to show men in a negative light but rather to put a spotlight on women, the illumination of which giving an opportunity to write and speak freely.

An example of how Duffy is not just attempting to demean men is "The Devil's Wife" which portrays outright hostility towards the female child killer Myra Hindley. The subtitles of each section, for example "Dirt" and "Medusa", connote a complete loss of femininity, dead, and unclean "I was the Devil's wife which made me worse". Duffy condemns Myra Hindley along with public opinion "Monster" and "Burn in Hell" and particularly in the final section "Appeal" she portrays Hindley as lost in her own ignorance and lack of remorse for her crimes "But what did I do". In doing so Duffy portrays that women are just as capable of sin and inflicting pain on others as men and therefore are just as deserving of hostility in certain circumstances.

I therefore disagree with the view that Duffy is "entirely" hostile towards men in this collection as although hostility is evident in certain poems, such hostility arises only because of great pain in the foundations of each circumstance. Furthermore only "little Red Cap" maintains both an autobiographical quality and evidence of hostility and so arguably thgouhout the rest of the collection it is not Duffy but merely a persona whom is portraying hostility. There is evidence also for affection being shown towards men and hostility towards women, showing that Duffy is not merely a man-hating feminist but one whom is willing to face the negative consewuences of gender equality along with the positive and furthermore show love towards me when the circumstance is deserving.

Thetis

I shrank myself
to the size of a bird in the hand
of a man.
Sweet, sweet, was the small song
that I sang,
till I felt the squeeze of his fist.

Stanza 1 Analysis:
- The first line immediately presents an idea of a descent of a self-destructive nature which is then continued to portray a vulnerability within the overpowering "hand of a man" - in true Duffy style intoducing the feminist stance of suppression.
- "Sweet, sweet" suggests femininity and a delicacy that encompassed within a song, an outward expression that in birds is often part of courtship, for the male's benefit. It may be juxtaposed with this idea of courtship as she seems intent on pleasing the male "till I felt the squeeze of his fist". An action of brute force that caused her to transform.
- Thetis is a mythological goddess of the sea who may transform herself into anything at her own will. In this case she seems to be transforming out of necessity rather than desire. In the story she is forced into marriage and raped.

Then I did this:
shouldered the cross of an albatross
up the hill of the sky
Why? To follow a ship.
But I felt my wings
clipped by the squint of a crossbow's eye.

Stanza 2 Analysis:
- "Shouldered the cross of an albatross", whilst the first phrase suggests Jesus' crucifixion an albatross has connotations of good luck. It seems then that Duffy is suggesting she is trying her luck but is inevitably going to end up tied down as Jesus was on the cross.
- "Clipped by the squint of a crossbow's eye" - her freedom, flight if you will, has been obstructed by yet another weapon. First the fist now the crossbow - increasingly becoming more damaging?

So I shopped for a suitable shape
Size 8. Snake.
Big Mistake.
Coiled in my charmer's lap,
I felt the grasp of his strangler's clasp
at my nape.

Stanza 3 Analysis:
- "Shopped" and "Size 8" are 21st century ideas that refer to how women nowadays seek to find/please men, by being thin and looking pretty.
- The transformation to a snake is also cleverly highlighted by the sibillance that subtly threads throughout the stanza "Snake. Big Mistake" and "Grasp of his strangler's clasp".
- "Coiled" suggests something about to leap/attack but in this case is prevented via the entrapment of "his strangler's clasp".

Next I was roar, claw, 50lb paw,
jungle-floored, meateater, raw,
a zebra's gore
in my lower jaw.
But my gold eye saw
the guy in the grass with the gun. Twelve-bore.

Stanza 4 Analysis:
- Changing tact, from birds to charm, snakes to decieve now she finds herself attempting to intimidate "roar" and "raw".
- As she progresses so does the hunter "gun. Twelve-bore".

I sank through the floor of the earth
to swim in the sea.
Mermaid, me, big fish, eel, dolphin,
whale, the ocean's opera singer.
Over the waves the fisherman came with his hook and his line and his sinker.

Stanza 5 Analysis:
- Connotations of "sank" again suggest a descent. Furthermore that first sentence is also a common phrase when referring to wanting to dissappear from a situation i.e. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me.
- As a sea-goddess one may infer that, either the hunter has penetrated into her world and her being or that she is finding solace in the place she knows best. She even describes a transition back into herself "me" - possibly letting her guard down momentarily?
- "hook, line and sinker" often refers to falling for something, being decieved.

I changed my tune
to racoon, skunk, stoat,
to weasel, ferret, bat, mink, rat.
The taxidermist sharpened his knives.
I smelled the stink of formaldehyde.
Stuff that.

Stanza 6 Analysis:
- All the animals she lists are fast, small and evasive - the chase becoming more dynamic and speedy.
- Taxidermist is a person, presumably male, who stuffs animales. Removes the souls - furthermore connotations of rape - taking something? Indeed Duffy uses humour in "Stuff that" not wishing to merely become some extrinsic trophy (formaldehyde is a posion which preserves the exterior)

I was wind, I was gas,
I was all hot air, trailed
clouds for hair.
I scrawled my name with a hurricance
when out of the blue roared a fighter plane.

Stanza 8 Analysis:
- No longer organic she has turned to something barely tangible, just as the taxidermist would wish to preserve the exterior she has removed it from herself - presenting only soul, "scrawled my name with a hurricane".

Then my tongue was flame
and my kisses burned,
but the groom wore asbestos.
So I changed, I learned,
turned inside out - or that's
how it felt when the child burst out.

Stanza 9 Analysis:
- "Flame" "burned and "asbestos" all connote danger, pain and passion and combined suggest some form or forced romance, rape for example. Furthermore fire consumes everything in its path solidfying this argument. Indeed she states "I changed" and described giving birth suggesting that the result of this rape was a child.

Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart

The L Shaped Room

The L-Shaped Room

How far do you agree with the view that "Demeter" is an effective conclusion to the collection "The World's Wife"?

Carol Ann Duffy's 1999 collection "The World's Wife" is an expression of female suppression at the hands of men and furthermore almost a declaration of desired independence. Whilst as a feminist Duffy naturally maintains a consistently strong view on such themes, she also threads the idea of a journey, possibly her own or the journey of gender equality and power struggles as a whole. As the conclusion to the collection "Demeter" marks the end of such a journey expressing a mother's love for her daughter.

This may be viewed as an effective conclusion to the collection as it does not mention men throughout and therefore may be seen as the ultimate display of independence. Furthermore, "Demeter", the goddess of fertility, suffers not because of the actions of men but at the loss of her daughter,"I saw her at last, walking, my daughter, my girl". The repetition of "my" in the latter quotation seems to emphasise that her daughter, Persephone, belongs to her solely. Her sorrow and happiness depend on the loss and then gain of Persephone, "My broken heart" and then "I swear the air softened and warmed as she moved" and "Demeter"" as a poem seems to symbolise that women as a unity are no longer defined by men, but rather those things they have created for themselves. This complete dismissal of men therefore deems Demeter an effective conclusion as it continues this theme from the penultimate poen "Mrs Beast".

"Mrs Beast" is also a dismissal of men but Duffy uses female figures from mythology, fairytale and history and utterly distorts them into a modern mindset, using stories such as Romeo and "Juliet", "Snow White" and "Diana the Princess of Wales" describing them as "ghosts", women who have lost everythin in the pursuit of the perfect happy ending with Prince Charming. These women seem martyres for Duffy as "Mrs Beast" maintains a hardened tone, a defence mechanism, "We were a hard school, tough as fuck". Furthermore the dismissal of a Prince Charming in favour of a Beast, "no longer a girl, knowing my own mind" seems to portray the journey of the child-like character in "Little Red Cap", "never been".

As an introduction "Little Red Cap" laid the foundation themes that would be expressed throughout the collection and displays how at the cliff edge of adolescence, awaiting a steep drop into the limbo of sexuality and love "little Red Cap" was misled into "a dark tangled thorny place" and became entrapped for "10 years" without a voice and whose only escape was in the world of literature, "words, words were truly alive on the tongue". In contrast "Demeter" portrays a woman, no longer a child, with experience of love, sex and lust and whom no longer is defined by a man, but rather her daughter. Both "Little Red Cap" and "Demeter" share an autobographical air that threads throughout the poems, Duffy's 10 year marriage to Adrien Henry described in "Little Red Cap" via the image of the "wolf" and Duffy's own daughter as Persephone "My daughter, my girl" in "Demeter". It therefore seems fitting to close with the poets own maturation as a woman as she began with her struggle for personal identity and therefore "Demetor" remains an extremely effective conclusion to "The World's Wife".

One may also argue however that the complete absence of men within "Demeter" seems out of place in a collection revolving around gender struggles. Every other poem in the collection is from a feminine perspecture of a famous male and, though "Demeter" seeks to express love and not pain at the hands of men "Anne Hathaway" maintains the same idea, instead expressing love for William Shakespeare, and could arguably have been a more effective conclusion within the context of the collection rather than the self-centred nature of "Demeter". "Anne Hathway" portrays that not all marriages and love affairs are filled with pain and sorrow, rather Duffy describes "A spinning world", of fantasy and romance. Whilst the quotation that acted as inspiration for the poem "I gyve unto my wief my second best bed" could easily be a platform for Duffy to express feminist ideology and the suppression of women she chose not to - instead using the poem as an homage to Shakespeare and the love she has of literature, "his touch a verb dancing in the centre of a noun". With this love of literature parallel to that displayed in "Little Red Cap" to concludie with this poem would not only mirror this but would indeed provide an ending to the journey the collection described, one of finding true love after gaining such things as identity and sexuality, just as Duffy has gained a voice and an identity as a lesbian.

However, I believe that Duffy intentionally dismissed men from her concluding poem "Demeter" for a particular purpose, to show her freedom and independence from men and describe her own journey's end - revolving around the love of her daughter. I therefore agree whole-heartedly with the view that "Demeter" is an effective conclusion as its distance from men marks the finale of a personal journey for Duffy and acts as a voice to women and a declaration of liberation.