The Conquest in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Conquest in Heart of Darkness    â€Å" The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.† (Conrad 65)   So stated Marlow as though this was his justification for ravaging the Congo in his search for ivory.   Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness shows the disparity between the European ideal of civilization and the reality of it as is evidenced by the domination, torture, exploitation and dehumanization of the African population.   Heart of Darkness is indicative of the evil and greed in humanity as personified by Kurtz and Marlow. These emissaries of light are shown to be crude, sordid and violent.   They had no regard for the destruction of Africa’s natural environment, wantonly destroying hills in a feeble attempt to establish a railway, â€Å"No change appeared on the face of the rock....the cliff was not in the way or anything; but this objectless blasting was all the work going on.† (Conrad 76)   This statement reveals the real motive for venturing into the Congo which was not to bring a better, more civilized lifestyle to the poor, underprivileged Africans; but to satisfy their lust for power. â€Å"It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as is very proper for those who tackle a darkness.† (Conrad 65) Just as Victor Frankenstein in the novel Frankenstein created a monster that was a manifestation of his inner turmoil and demons, so too Kurtz and Marlow’s journey into Africa is an unveiling of their inner darkness which we are all afraid to face.   Like Grenouille, in Perfume and Victor Frankenstein, Kurtz sought power, adoration and godlike status both among his European counterparts and the native Africans.   Just as Grenouille bottled and collected special fragrances so too Kurtz collected human heads displaying them around his hut as trophies.   Kurtz’s journey into Africa, as well as his inner journey, can be likened to Grenouille’s hibernation in the cave for seven years or Victor’s search for his monster across the icy slopes.   During this period each individual underwent a transformation and a realization of the horrors they have created. Kurtz’s final words â€Å"The horror! The horror!† are comparable to Victor fleeing the scene when faced with the manifestation of his handiwork.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 6

I hadn't realized how late it was until I showed up at Seth's around two. He actually wasn't writing for a change, and I found him sprawled on the couch, flipping through late night television programming. â€Å"Hey,† I said, dropping my coat and purse near the door. He glanced up from the TV. Its light cast ghostly shadows on his face in the darkness. â€Å"Sorry it's so late. Something came up.† â€Å"Yeah,† he said, voice still flat. â€Å"I can tell.† Immediately, I caught his meaning. It was a sign of how well he'd come to know me and recognize subtle succubus signals. I was wreathed in Jude's life energy. Immortals would actually perceive it as a literal glow. Mortals couldn't see it, but they could sense something insanely alluring and attractive about me. Usually, they just wrote it off as a sign of my beauty. Seth knew better. When he sensed it around me, he knew what I'd been doing. I hated for him to see me like this, but it was inevitable. â€Å"Sorry. It's what I do. You know that.† â€Å"Yeah,† he agreed, sounding tired – mentally tired, not physically tired. He straightened up. â€Å"But did you have to do it tonight? You trying to punish me for standing you up?† I sat down in the armchair across from him. The energy from Jude burned through me and made me feel alive. I didn't want a fight with Seth to ruin my good mood, particularly after I'd been so annoyed for most of the evening. â€Å"I did it to survive. I wasn't trying to get back at you.† He sighed and stared off into a dark corner. â€Å"It's so hard sometimes.† I moved over to the couch, scooting up beside him. â€Å"I know.† He slid his arm around my shoulders and regarded me with a look both tender and exasperated. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against my neck. The small touch made my blood burn. â€Å"God, you're beautiful. I just wish it wasn't the result of some other guy.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"Me too.† â€Å"Sorry I blew up.† â€Å"You call that blowing up?† I asked. â€Å"That was nothing.† â€Å"And I'm sorry I stood you up. That wasn't right.† Seth had moved up my neck and now nibbled my ear. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back. â€Å"It's okay,† I assured him. â€Å"Really.† â€Å"You're awfully forgiving.† â€Å"Hey, what can I say? Christmas love and kindness, right?† He laughed and ran his fingers through my hair. â€Å"For someone allegedly so evil, you sure are good.† â€Å"Well,† I said, pressing into him. â€Å"I'm not that good. I'm thinking some very bad thoughts right now.† â€Å"Yeah. Me too. If our thoughts condemn us, I think I'm headed straight for Hell.† â€Å"No, you aren't. Hugh says your soul's like a supernova. You're going straight to the pearly gates.† Warm love and desire enfolded us, supplanting the cold tension. Yet as we curled up and chatted about light topics, I couldn't help but morosely think this was a common scene between us. Fight. Brood. Apologize. Snuggle. In all the fantasies of a stable relationship that I'd harbored over the last millennium, this pattern had never been a part of them. After a while, we sort of surpassed snuggling and moved onto something of a more adult nature. At least I did. Sometimes Seth could be coaxed into sating his lust, though it always made him incredibly self-conscious. Me, I loved watching him come. He was always so damnably blas? ¦ that seeing him lose control in an orgasm almost did more for me than my own climax. He apparently had the same feelings toward me and was content to simply watch me touch myself tonight. After not getting off with Jude, I was more than happy to take things into my own hands. When I finished, languid and content afterward, he lay down on the couch beside me, lacing his fingers with mine. â€Å"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that,† he sighed. â€Å"You should finish yourself off.† â€Å"I'm okay.† â€Å"You sure?† He smiled. â€Å"Self-control, Thetis. Self-control. Besides, I have a good imagination. Sometimes it's enough to pretend I'm the one doing that to you.† I shivered as an image of Seth played in my mind, his body inside of me while I came, muscles clenching around him as I cried out his name and dug my nails into his back. â€Å"Jesus,† I said softly, closing my eyes. â€Å"Yeah.† We realized then that it was really late and started getting ready for bed. When I emerged from the bathroom after brushing my teeth, I found him waiting for me in the bedroom with a small box. He handed it over. â€Å"I told you I had an early present.† I turned the package over in my hands, running my fingertips over the edges. It had been wrapped in gold paper and had a red bow. Judging from the sloppy wrapping and misaligned ribbon, I was willing to bet he'd wrapped it himself. I offered up a small grin. â€Å"It's way too early. Presents before Christmas? That's not right. I mean, I'm not that evil.† He sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard, looking supremely pleased with himself. â€Å"Well, I am. I guess my soul just dimmed a little. Open it.† Sitting down as well, I hesitantly tore the paper. There was no question in my mind that this was a jewelry box. The question was: What kind? Seth occasionally showed a romantic spirit, but he wasn't the type to do anything crazy like propose. At least I didn't think so. Hoping for a tennis bracelet, I instead found a ring. But it wasn't an engagement ring, not in the current way of thinking. It was one of the modern recreations of the Byzantine rings. Only this wasn't one of the ones we'd seen at Erik's, not exactly. It was platinum for one thing, glowing soft and silvery in the dim lighting. The smooth disc on top had a dolphin engraved in it, decorated with a few tiny, embedded sapphires. I stared at it, unsure what to say. â€Å"Do you like it?† Seth asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. â€Å"I†¦yeah. Yes, I do. Very much.† My words came out haltingly. â€Å"You seemed so sad about losing the other one that I thought maybe this would be a nice substitute.† He looked so rapt and excited that I couldn't bear to tell him that not only had I not lost the original ring, I'd actually hidden it away in the closet so as never to see it again. This one was very different, true, but the similarities were strong enough to dredge up all the dark feelings I tried to keep buried, memories of a sunny day long ago when my husband – the husband I'd eventually betrayed – had slipped the other one onto my finger at our wedding. â€Å"It's beautiful,† I said after a long stretch of silence, needing to reassure him. It had been very kind, after all. Seth didn't know my history or the pain intertwined with it. â€Å"Why a dolphin?† â€Å"Yeah†¦it's kind of cutesy and trendy, but†¦well, none of those Greek letters meant much to me. But I read something about dolphins being important in old religions on Cyprus, so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That brought a true smile to my face. â€Å"Yeah. They were. Messengers from the sea gods. Good fortune and all that.† Something occurred to me. â€Å"We saw these at Erik's, like, a couple days ago – but not this one. How'd you get it? Did he have more in stock? Or did you go somewhere else?† His eyes crinkled with amusement. â€Å"Hey, I'm learning your powers of persuasion. I got in contact with the artist and commissioned it.† Good lord. Seth had had a custom ring – a platinum custom ring – made right before Christmas. And he'd had it done in a matter of days. The cost must have been through the roof. The queasy feeling in my stomach intensified. Observing my silence, his smile faltered. â€Å"You sure you like it?† â€Å"Yeah, yeah†¦of course. I just†¦I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. It's great.† I slipped it onto my right ring finger. It fit perfectly. Hesitantly, I met his eyes. â€Å"This is a, uh, friendship ring right?† â€Å"Yeah, don't worry. If I propose, you'll know it. For one thing, I'll be hyperventilating.† A sly smile – surprisingly sexy – turned up his lips. â€Å"And it'll be a ruby.† â€Å"Rubies? No diamonds? Too expensive for the old writer's salary, huh?† He made a disparaging grunt at that. â€Å"No, I just think diamonds are common, that's all. If I get married, it'll be because something uncommon is occurring. Besides, you wear a lot of red, right? I know how important it is for your accessories to match.† I snorted at that and let him draw me into the bed. He fell asleep quickly, as always, but I lay there, touching the ring. Its metal had warmed to my skin, and I could trace the dolphin and sapphires with my fingertip. The unpleasant memories the ring stirred up hadn't abated, but somehow, lying in his embrace, they seemed a little less painful. Sleep finally came to me, and I immediately started dreaming – the dream. I was back in the kitchen, surrounded by all the same vivid sights, smells, and sounds as before. My hands in the water. The scent of orange soap. â€Å"Sweet Home Alabama.† It was a repeat of what I'd seen before, my dream-self washing dishes and humming along to the music. She glanced behind her into the other room. This was where the dream had ended last time. Now it kept going. A little girl sat in the living room, about two years old. She was on a blanket on the floor, surrounded by stuffed animals and other toys. She clutched a plush giraffe in her hands. It rattled when she shook it. As though sensing my dream-self's gaze, the little girl looked up. She had plump cheeks that hadn't quite lost their baby fat. Wispy, light brown curls covered her head, and her hazel eyes were large and framed with dark lashes. She was adorable. Behind her on the couch, Aubrey lay curled up in a tight little ball. Another cat – covered in orange-and-brown patches – sprawled nearby. I'd never seen it before. A delighted smile spread over the little girl's face, creating a dimple in one check. A powerful wave of love and joy spread through my dream-self, emotions that my watching self felt. I knew then – knew in a way I couldn't explain but knew with absolute certainty – that this girl was my daughter. I woke up. Just like last time, morning had arrived with almost no passage of time for me. Sunlight again poured through the windows, and beside me, Seth still slept. Also like last time, my energy was gone. I was drained. But the ache of that missing energy was nothing compared to the ache I felt from being ripped out of the dream, of being stripped of the powerful emotions my dream-self had felt for that little girl. Her daughter. My daughter. No, that was impossible, I scolded myself. Succubi could have no children. I'd left that path behind when I sold my soul. It had felt so real, though. So intense. It was impossible for me to have a child, but in that dream, she had been mine. No doubts. Even now, I felt that maternal tug, and not having her here right now tore at my heart. And again, I told myself that was stupid. Dreams weren't real. That's why they were†¦well, dreams. And I had bigger problems to deal with. Like the missing energy. Beside me, Seth stirred and unconsciously pulled the covers around him, leaving me uncovered. I yanked them back, and he turned toward me, opening sleepy eyes. â€Å"Hey,† he said. â€Å"What gives?† â€Å"Not you, apparently.† â€Å"Not you either, apparently.† â€Å"Hey, I'm the evil one, remember?† We bantered a bit more and continued playing tug-of-war with the covers. I put on a smiling face so I wouldn't have to explain my problems to him. Finally, I slipped away, though part of me wished I could stay in bed for the rest of the day. Dreaming. But Seth had writing to do, and I had an afternoon shift to work. Back home, I found Vincent up and around, making breakfast in the kitchen with Yasmine. They greeted me boisterously, giggling over some conversation that had occurred before my entrance. â€Å"You want some eggs?† he asked me, catching a stick of butter tossed over by Yasmine. Presumably they'd gone grocery shopping since I hadn't had any butter in my kitchen before this. Or any food, really. â€Å"No thanks,† I said, settling myself on a stool. â€Å"I already ate.† â€Å"You're missing out,† she said. â€Å"Vincent makes eggs that are so decadent, they're totally sending him straight to Hell.† Setting a skillet on the stove, he turned on the burner, listening to the clicking sound made while the gas took a moment to ignite. â€Å"Oh, it's the eggs that are going to do it, huh? Last time you told me it was going to be my parking.† The angel's eyes sparkled with mischief. She'd pulled her sleek black hair up into a ponytail, making her look very young. Ironic, considering her age was beyond human or succubus comprehension. â€Å"Oh, geez. Yeah. I forgot about that. Huh. Now there's a toss-up. I'm not sure which is going to send you down below faster. Needing a stick of butter to cook two eggs or parallel parking three feet from the curb.† He jabbed her arm with a wooden spoon. â€Å"Three feet? You know, I've never even seen you drive a car. The only thing you drive is me – crazy.† â€Å"Oh yeah, whatever. You were crazy before I ever came along.† Glancing back and forth between them as they bickered further, I realized they'd forgotten my presence. Feeling intrusive, I discretely backed away, down the hall and to my bedroom. Closing the door, I glanced in astonishment at Aubrey. She sprawled on my bed, warmed by a patch of sunshine. â€Å"Has that been going on all morning, Aub?† Yawning, she blinked at me with green eyes and then curled into a perfect white ball – similar to the position I'd seen her in in the dream. She covered her face with one paw. Um, okay. This was unexpected. I mean, was I crazy? Or had they†¦had Yasmine and Vincent been flirting? I mean, sure she was a friendly angel and everything, but that†¦yes, the more I thought about it, the more I believed they had been flirting. More than flirting. Weirder still, it hadn't been the kind of banter two people toss back and forth during the courtship phase either. It was the familiar teasing of two people who had been together for a long time, two people so utterly comfortable in each other's presence that they could almost finish each other's sentences. It was like the phenomenon Erik had described with Seth and me. â€Å"They're in love,† I told Aubrey disbelievingly. She continued to ignore me. How did that even work? They couldn't be sleeping together. I'd learned a while back that doing that would make an angel fall, and Yasmine was still clearly on the side of truth and justice. So what did that mean? Was it okay if an angel loved a human so long as they stayed physically apart? Something inside of me didn't think so. After seeing how prudish Joel had been, I felt pretty confident even a chaste love affair wouldn't fly with him or the others. So none of them probably knew, not even Carter. And honestly, I didn't know if I wanted to know. I was a sucker for star-crossed lovers, but those relationships never actually ended well. Grabbing some clothes and heading for the shower, I realized I might be witnessing a romance even more fucked up than my own. Who'd have thought that could happen? I guessed with angels, miracles really were possible. I finished showering and drying my hair, still pondering the puzzle of this love affair. I headed back out to the living room, wondering if I'd find more flirtatious behavior. Instead, what I found was a familiar and unwelcome immortal signature. Slimy and musky. Niphon was sitting on my couch.

Analysis Of Barbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed

The problem of persistent poverty is a complex one that includes communities and individuals who, through no fault of their own, find themselves unable to make ends meet in this world. Large numbers of the nation s citizens live at or below the poverty threshold, which means each month is a struggle to pay the bills and provide the basics, including food, clothing, and shelter, not to mention access to health care and simple comforts. Unfortunately, today it seems the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The gap between the economically secure and the poor is becoming so large and will only increase without an attempt for solutions. The hardships of living in poverty and the ways that those in poverty find solutions to their daily problems are followed through two different, yet similar texts. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s, â€Å"Nickel and Dimed†, she explores what it is truly like to live as a poverty stricken individual in America. Contrastively, in Sud hir Venkatesh’s, â€Å"Gang Leader for a Day†, he finds himself in the middle of a community that has been abandoned by state. Both Ehrenreich and Venkatesh take unique approaches to their analysis of poverty. Instead of observing from afar, they both in some way find themselves living the life of the poor. In Ehrenreich’s case she decides to take on poverty in full and live as if she were truly struggling to get by in today’s economy. She sought out a low wage job, lived in a trailer, skipped meals, and yet stillShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Barbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed1337 Words   |  6 Pagesmany people still reside in the lower-class after years of working laborious jobs. Indeed, some people have miraculously found their way out of the gutters on the system, but most people happen to not be as lucky. Through experience, author Barbara Ehrenreich finds that the social divide in America makes the American Dream much more difficult than it is perceived to be by the upper class. The truth she finds by living as a person in poverty incited her frustrations and disgust with the system. T heRead MoreBarbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe story Barbara Ehrenreich provides throughout her novel, Nickel and Dimed has been critical to the study of political ideologies within our society, from the date it was published in 2001 to today. The political implications of poverty in our society is crucial to understanding when looking through a social development lense. There are many ideological political routes to take to help mitigate or resolve the poverty issues within the country, which can be looked at through social policies andRead MoreBarbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed2236 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America was the first book of its type that I’ve ever read, a real life analysis of what its like to â€Å"live in poverty,† working minimum wage jobs trying to make ends meet day in and day out. It was an intriguing story of how a woman with plenty went on to document how she lived without and I found that Ehrenreich’s commentary throughout the book offered a refreshing perspective to the usual conversation that surrounds poverty;Read MoreBarbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed1294 Words   |  6 PagesBarbara Ehrenreich is an American author and some could even say a journalist for her work that was done for her novel called Nickel and Dimed. This novel is based on an experiment that was done by Ehrenreich in which she abandoned her job and left to another state to live off of minimum wage to answer her question â€Å" How does anyone live on the wages available to the unskilled†. A sim ple answer that Ehrenreich came to, is that they don t. A person does not live on 7$ an hour, they survive on itRead MoreSocial Work And Social Welfare Policy2501 Words   |  11 Pagesn.d.). The grant is designed to assist working and low-income families, with childcare and to promote early learning, education and after school programs. Each state will be allocated a certain amount of money to fund the program. Each state has it s own educational requirements and criteria. CCDBG does not determine the requirements for childcare workers, for instance in some states childcare workers are required to have a bachelors degree while in other states they may only need a GED (GovtrackRead MoreAP English Language and Composition. Reading Assignment1480 Words   |  6 Pagesreading what. Your parent or guardian must also fill out the attached permission slip as these are not all school-sanctioned titles. Assignment Choose one of the following nonfiction commentaries on contemporary society. †¢ Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America †¢ Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: Story of Success †¢ Levitt, Steven D. and Dubner, Stephen J. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance Read Morebiology 125894 Words   |  24 PagesToward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis By: Patricia Hill Collins Summary- The author writes about oppression in society and how it is full of contradictions. She states that there are no pure victims or oppressors, but rather everyone experiences a different amount of penalty and privilege based on their race and social status. She believes that if women and people of colour could find that they have common grounds in regards to class, it will eliminate racismRead MoreHistory of Social Work18530 Words   |  75 PagesRichmond.......................................................................................................................................................29 George Orwell, John Howard Griffin, Pat Moore, Tolly Toynbee, Gà ¼nther Wallraff, Barbara Ehrenreich ............30 Sir William Beveridge ..............................................................................................................................................32 Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) ..................................