Heart of Darkness Book Review free essay sample

The novel blends the use of narrative, symbolism, deep and challenging characters, and psychological evaluation of the reader (which Conrad is well known for). Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, Poland in 1874. He first became familiarized with English language at age eight; because his father translated works of Shakespeare, Conrad became interested writing. He was an intelligent child, and did well in school. He further studied in Cracow and Switzerland, but his love for the sea beckoned him to explore, sail, and learn a new style of life. In 1874 he took a job on a ship, and began his lifelong fascination for sea travel. He later got involved in gunrunning in the West Indies; because he liked to gamble, his addiction racked up huge debts which led him to attempt suicide. His brush with death opened his eyes, and he then realized that changes needed to be made in his life. We will write a custom essay sample on Heart of Darkness Book Review or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In 1878 he found himself in England, where he spent the next 16 years of his life in the British navy. This had a profound impact on his writing, and it really developed and deepened his passion for the sea. He found himself as a captain of a steamboat on the Congo River in 1889. His experiences there are what inspired the novel (1902). Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness draws a parallel between the physical journey of the main character, Charles Marlow, and his mental or spiritual journey as he travels more deeply into the physical darkness of the African continent; A story within a story. It begins with the frame narrator describing Marlow and friends sitting aboard the boat â€Å"Nellie†. Marlow is introduced as a â€Å"Buddha† sitting in a meditative pose. The narrative position is then taken by Marlow, who then goes on to recollect his experiences in the Congo. Since Marlow is an Englishman, on the surface he seems to be supporting and celebrating the popular European attitude towards imperialism. He believes in the civilizing mission carried on by the European nations; however, it can be sensed that he is in horror at the brutality of the mission. Throughout the novel several symbols are scattered representing the greed of the white men; although, the story brings, into sharp contrast, white men as â€Å"civilized beings† and the African natives as â€Å"brutes†: this being relative to the â€Å"darkness marked in the title. Joseph Conrad notes that the physical journey is then indicative as he becomes increasingly aware of the darkness in the human soul, which is shown in the character of Kurtz. Furthermore, Conrad notes that when Kurtz dies, the darkness reaches its ultimate level, and for Marlow, there is no return. â€Å"Between us there was†¦the bond of the sea. Besides holding our hearts together through long periods of separation, it had the effect of making us tolerant of each other’s yarns—and even convictions. The Lawyer—the best of old fellows—†¦was lying on the only rug. The Accountant had brought out already a box of dominoes, and was toying architecturally with the bones. Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzen-mast. (Conrad 1)† This indicates a gradual shift of viewpoint from the Western, or civilized, to the uncivilized. In this, Marlows viewpoint shift foreshadows his meeting with Kurtz. The reader is therefore prepared for an increased contact with darkness as Marlow travels deeper into the physical darkness of Africa. The decay of Kurtzs station indicates not only his absence, but also his lingering influence during the time when he was present at the station: note that the barbarian nature of the natives influenced the Western-born Kurtz and Marlow to a greater degree than their civilization. The novel closes with the indication that barbarism waits just beneath the surface of even the highest civilization. In this, Conrad makes his point regarding the true nature of humanity. As a result of ruthless colonial exploitation, involuntary servitude, and violence, natives lived in an impoverished state. As many as six million Africans died during the brutal rubber trade, overseen by the Belgians. Many are forced to be carriers of baggage, weighing up to 70 pounds, for people on jungle expeditions that need to move cargo from one place to another with few, if any, breaks to stop and rest. After experience in the Congo, Conrad returned to England in 1891 and worked as a sailor until 1894. He then retired from sailing and spent the rest of his life writing. He died 1924. This history sets up the action behind the drama in this book, as far as helping to smuggle ivory out, or carry supplies into the jungle nation. The recurring theme of darkness (a symbol for the reality of the society) and fear perpetuate the action, and ultimately envelops the characters that struggle with this dilemma such as Kurtz. The message is the same however: colonization destroys at the native peoples’ expense, close-minded European views perpetuate racism in these nations, and evil is a driving and yet sometimes unnoticed force.

Ist Corinthians Essays - First Epistle To The Corinthians

Ist Corinthians Essays - First Epistle To The Corinthians Ist Corinthians First Corinthians is a single, whole document written by Paul in the early 50s C.E. The letter was written in Ephesus, and intended for the members of a church that had been newly built in Corinth, Greece. Paul focused the correspondences, to the church, on some issues that were plaguing the citizens of Corinth. The issues included sex, Christian unity, behavior in the church, and resurrection. Through each correspondence, Paul gives rules and directions for the people of Corinth to follow. Pauls letters to Corinth were the most extensive correspondences to any one church or city in the entire New Testament. Paul converted to Christianity from Judaism because of a revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, Paul was traveling around northern Greece to churches in Phillipi, Thessalonica, and Beroea. Paul briefly stopped in Athens before taking a trip to Corinth. The fact that Paul was able to make this long trip shows the strength, stamina, and the deeply felt beliefs that carried Paul along the way. Paul stayed in the city of Corinth for about a year and a half, before sailing to Ephesus. It is from this city that Paul wrote the letters to the church in Corinth. The people of Corinth were by no means saints or angels. The Emperor, Augustus, made the city of Corinth the most luxurious and richest city in all of Greece, as well as the most inhabited. In fact, the city was the Greek capital in 27 C.E. By the time Paul arrived in 50 C.E., the city had a reputation for prosperity, trade and materialism. Corinth was also a large and very busy seaport that had many sailors, which would visit from all across Europe. These sailors were notorious for hanging around the legions of prostitutes that inhabited the city. The patron goddess was Aphrodite, and it was no surprise that many citizens of Corinth were engaging in sexual acts that they should not. It is for this very reason that Paul wrote two letters, setting forth the principles of sexual ethics that the people should follow. Also, the first letter to Corinth shows that early Christians were from different backgrounds, both rich and poor, not just the poor. It is this socioeconomic diversity tha t promotes different views and practices in the church. These different views and practices are what threatened the unity of the church in Corinth. This city was in dire need of the letters from Paul, to help show them the correct way to live their lives. The first thing that Paul wanted to do, was to end all the rivalries and problems among the Corinthians that were causing a division among the masses. As stated in 1 Corinthians 8-10, he wanted the people of Corinth to work together in a cooperative way that would be mutually beneficial to all. Now there were not that many in the congregation, maybe 50 or 100, but the group was divide into several cliques. It was the cliques that Paul wished to end. Differences in social, economic, and educational backgrounds were a big part of the reason why there was any division at all. These differences led to a competitive nature because of some groups thinking they were better, and more superior to other groups. Pauls belief was this, there was no difference if you were black, white, Greek or Roman, and each person is one in Jesus Christ. He was trying to show the people of Corinth that in the new faith, there was no place for either competitiveness or individual pride. In fact it was the pride , or boastfulness that Paul aimed at the most. Paul knew that some of the citizens in Corinth thought themselves to be able to have a deeper understanding of things, than that of their fellow Christians. Paul wanted to put every citizen of Corinth on the same playing field intellectually. In fact, he let it be known to the citizens that they did not find Christ, Christ revealed himself to them, on his own accord. Paul also, in this first correspondence, tried to define the limits of a Christians freedom. Paul wanted the people of Corinth to not even worry about Torah. Basically, the citizens were free

Methodology Performance Feedback Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methodology Performance Feedback - Essay Example The case under consideration is that of Morgan Stanley, which is one of the largest investment banks in US. The firm was facing issues of conflicting goals amongst its various divisions such as corporate finance, merchant banking and mergers and acquisition etc. This problem of disunity occurred as the organization grew larger and larger and the divisions started to focus on the divisional performance and profitability rather than maximizing the targets for the firm itself. Thus, the new CEO John Mack faced the challenge of making Morgan Stanley a "one-firm firm". Therefore, one of the foremost efforts made by John Mack was to unite the people under one umbrella; therefore he improved upon the performance feedback system at Morgan Stanley which until then employees considered as unimportant or of no use. Morgan Stanley was then revolutionizing to ensure its commitment to merit based performance and reward system; there fore whole of the performance measurement system was revamped and restructured. With the previous annual review system the employees were unsatisfied as it was not considered as developmental for the employees rather just a formality.