Heart of Darkness pgs 42-54

This part continued Marlow's journey in the steamboat down the river. A bunch of natives attacks and some people get killed. They arrive and the harlequin greets them. He's Russian and ran away from home to be on a ship, like Conrad did. Marlow breaks narrative for a bit to say that none of the sailors now can understand the darkness and what he went through because their lives are too regulated and 'civilized'. Kurtz is mentioned a lot. He is portrayed as a 'voice' that speaks and to which others only listen. He is also mentioned as having gotten loads and loads of ivory (fairly and by finding what the native people bury). Despite the fact (or maybe because of) that Marlow knows the rumours of how Kurtz might have done 'unspeakable rituals', Marlow is still interested in meeting Kurtz. The darkness in people and in the land is mentioned a lot. There is a lot of imagery connected to all of this: violent death, isolation, madness. Especially because of the battle scene.

Heart of Darkness 30-41

(I'm not entirely sure what exactly these blogs are supposed to be about, but I tried.)

This section begins with Marlow overhearing the Manager (I think this is who it is) talking with his uncle about Mr. Kurtz (and possibly Marlow as well?). Then Marlow begins his journey in the steamboat down the river and has difficulty because in parts the river is too shallow and the African people who go with them are forced to eat rotten hippo meat until the pilgrims throw the meat away and then they starve. Marlow is really really curious about meeting Mr. Kurtz. I think the Manager goes with them.

There is a lot of the imagery listed in point 7: sickness (the people dying of starvation), gloom and brightness (these two when describing the forest they're sailing through), physical decomposition (the hippo meat). Also, there are a lot of the references to work and labor.

Lilacs in September

Lilacs in September

Shocked to the root
like the lilac bush
in the vacant lot
by the hurricane—

whose black branch split
by wind or rain
has broken out unseasonably

into these scant ash-
colored blossoms
lifted high as if to say

to passersby
What will unleash
itself in you
when your storm comes?

—Katha Pollitt

The interesting part of this poem is the lest three lines. Often, when tragedy strikes or a crisis happens, unexpected parts of people’s characters are seen. Sometimes unnatural heroism or courage manifests itself, like when some people have an adrenaline rush and feel strong enough to save someone from drowning, or snatch them out from under a bus or a car. In that way, those people are like the lilac bush; good parts of them come out when faced with terrible things. Other people, however, don’t react well under pressure. The worst parts of their nature may come out. They may lose their tempers or lie or simply be too scared to deal with anything. The last lines read like some sort of warning: what do you think you’ll do if faced with a horrible situation?