Addiction to Chaos: The Monster that Lay Dormant Inside Chaos is a term used to describes situations that are erratic and lack order. This lack of order is something everyone to a certain degree has in common. All the people in the world have some form of chaos in their lives, but with authors like Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) and Robert Louis Stevenson (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). A common motif that both of these books share is romanticism. By expressing a sense of rebellion against norms in society.
He doesn't try to explain the allure of the Sahara as Paul Bowles did, especially in terms of the immense silence of the dunes at night, the profound solitude, the confrontation of one's own insignificance - the very things that Western culture was built to obscure. Like William Vollman in Atlas or Butterfly Stories (or Melville...or embedded journalists) Langewiesche abandons the instinct for self-preservation in search of his story. The result is a rich view from the inside of the geographical landscape and its inhabitants, considered within an historical context. For example, in Tadart, a hostile, remote region near the Algerian border with Libya, in search of ancient rock paintings, Langewiesche finds himself deceived and abandoned in a desolate area by his driver, a self-aggrandizing Tuareg with embroidered pants and white aviator scarf who will "watch himself in any reflection." Until then, the driver's romantic depictions of himself are pretty funny, such as when they blow out a tire: "Don't worry."
Like much of the best modernist literature produced in the early decades of the twentieth century, Heart of Darkness is as much about alienation, confusion, and profound doubt as it is about imperialism. Themes, Motifs & Symbols (Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.) The Hypocrisy of Imperialism Heart of Darkness explores the issues surrounding imperialism in complicated ways. As Marlow travels from the Outer Station to the Central Station and finally up the river to the Inner Station, he encounters scenes of torture, cruelty, and near-slavery. At the very least, the incidental scenery of the book offers a harsh picture of colonial enterprise.
In the opening pages of Heart of Darkness, the protagonist and story-teller, Marlow, admits that England had “been one of the dark places of the earth” (Conrad 69) before “the Romans came” (70), but “light came out of [the Thames] since” (70). It is established right away that the image of darkness is representative of uncivilized peoples and light is representative of the civilized
Every natural element is restricted and lonely, for example the ‘wild winds [are] bound within their cell’. The flower pots are described to be ‘thickly crusted’ with the ‘blackest moss’ which shows a bold contrast to the brightly coloured blooms which plant pots are expected to bear. Likewise, other feminine imagery is downplayed in this poem such as the stagnant ‘blackn’d waters’ and the moon, which doesn’t rise to its normal height. This choice of imagery shows that that Mariana isn’t effectively portraying the desired characteristics of a woman, as her lust for her beloved has driven her insane. This lust is shown through the extended metaphor of the poplar
Compare The Examination Of Abnormal Psychology English Literature Essay The abnormal mental state of the narrators in both Browning’s poetry and in Banks’ novel, The Wasp Factory, is intrinsic in achieving the gothic style. Whilst the protagonists’ insanity is more implicit in Browning’s poetry, the narrators, nevertheless, display similar characteristics of psychosis and delusion. Indeed, this madness disconnects the characters from the rest of society, and this element of monstrosity is vital in creating the intrigue and terror that ensues. Inclusion of such monstrous figures destabilises the ‘natural order’: it challenges the fixed social structures and ideology, and becomes inconsistent with what the majority considers both acceptable and intelligible. Yet, whilst on the surface gothic works may appear to reinforce these seemingly grotesque characteristics, in many respects, through exposing the ‘unnatural’, they deconstruct the illogical, and thereby attempt to create a set of social norms.
An Essay on The Ultimate Meaning of Heart of Darkness Florence H. Ridley wrote an essay on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, in which the themes and motifs of the novel are analyzed. In Ridley's essay The Ultimate Meaning of "Heart of Darkness", the writer relates the opposites in the story through quoting other critics. According to Ridley, Heart of Darkness is depicted through balance of the opposites. The main opposite themes and motifs discussed in Ridley's essay are; civilization versus savagery, restraints versus the absence of restraints, and finally light versus darkness. This essay will discuss these themes to give a point of view towards Ridley’s arguments.
There were lifetimes of symbolism and metaphors in the Heart of Darkness. Just the name in itself can mean many different things. I think that the title paints a picture of the evil inside men when exposed to a civilization based on trade for profit
Without darkness, one can not have light. We see that no matter how big the darkness it can never overcome the light. Darkness is defined as the absence of light; blackness; obscurity; gloom. Gen. 1:2 states “and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Darkness is also referred to as a state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence wickedness. John 3:19 says, “Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” Darkness in contrast with brightness is an absence of visible light.
Unlike most novels that focus on the evils of colonialism, Heart of Darkness pays more attention to the damage that colonization does to the souls of white colonizers than it does to the physical death and devastation unleashed on the black natives. Though this focus on the white colonizers makes the novella somewhat unbalanced, it does allow Heart of Darkness to extend its criticism of colonialism all the way back to its corrupt source, the "civilization" of Europe. The Hypocrisy of Imperialism/ Colonization Heart of Darkness explores the issues surrounding imperialism in complicated ways. As Marlow travels from the Outer Station to the Central Station and finally up the river to the Inner Station, he encounters scenes of torture, cruelty, and near-slavery. At the very least, the incidental scenery of the book offers a harsh picture of colonial enterprise.