Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Symbolism

Expressions of symbolism throughout Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness have a significant impact on the depth and insight of the novel. Conrad’s use of contrast between images of light and darkness, and his use of characters and inanimate objects as symbols of European imperialism give the story a greater and deeper meaning than first observed by the reader. The use of characters such as Mr. Kurtz and the manager, to the many symbols of the novel help express the dark side of European imperialism and the innocence of the people of the Congo. Using Marlow’s narration, the novel begins with the Nellie floating down the River Thames with Marlow and company on board. As Marlow’s story travels to the Congo images of darkness throughout his dialogue become more evident and abundant. The Congo, Mr. Kurtz, and the ignorance of the Europeans towards another cultural group are all symbolized by images of darkness. However, opposing the darkness theme, images of light symbolize London, civilization, and the innocence of the people of the Congo. Marlow, interestingly, describes the white Europeans as having black souls, suggesting an evil nature within, while the â€Å"black† natives are described as having white souls, making them appear the more pure and innocent of the two cultures. One example of symbolism using the imagery of light and darkness occurs when Marlow notices a young native boy with a rope of white cotton around his neck. The rope symbolizes the strangling effect caused by the Europeanâ€⠄¢s attempting to control and then gain advantage over the innocent people of the Congo, the child representing their innocence. Upon his arrival to the Inner Station, Marlow meets the manager. A self-centered and arrogant man, the manager is the epitome of the negative effects of imperialism. He operates a disorganized and dire station, interested only in obtaining vast amounts of ivory for his own economic advantage rather than colon... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Symbolism Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Symbolism Expressions of symbolism throughout Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness have a significant impact on the depth and insight of the novel. Conrad’s use of contrast between images of light and darkness, and his use of characters and inanimate objects as symbols of European imperialism give the story a greater and deeper meaning than first observed by the reader. The use of characters such as Mr. Kurtz and the manager, to the many symbols of the novel help express the dark side of European imperialism and the innocence of the people of the Congo. Using Marlow’s narration, the novel begins with the Nellie floating down the River Thames with Marlow and company on board. As Marlow’s story travels to the Congo images of darkness throughout his dialogue become more evident and abundant. The Congo, Mr. Kurtz, and the ignorance of the Europeans towards another cultural group are all symbolized by images of darkness. However, opposing the darkness theme, images of light symbolize London, civilization, and the innocence of the people of the Congo. Marlow, interestingly, describes the white Europeans as having black souls, suggesting an evil nature within, while the â€Å"black† natives are described as having white souls, making them appear the more pure and innocent of the two cultures. One example of symbolism using the imagery of light and darkness occurs when Marlow notices a young native boy with a rope of white cotton around his neck. The rope symbolizes the strangling effect caused by the Europeanâ€⠄¢s attempting to control and then gain advantage over the innocent people of the Congo, the child representing their innocence. Upon his arrival to the Inner Station, Marlow meets the manager. A self-centered and arrogant man, the manager is the epitome of the negative effects of imperialism. He operates a disorganized and dire station, interested only in obtaining vast amounts of ivory for his own economic advantage rather than colon...

Due and Owe

Due and Owe Due and Owe Due and Owe By Maeve Maddox Both due and owe have been in the language for a very long time. Due came into English from French in the 15th century. The French word it came from was the Latin verb debitum that gives us the word debt, â€Å"that which is owed.† As a noun, either singular or plural, due can mean â€Å"that which is owing.† One can pay one’s dues literally, as to a club, or figuratively, in the sense of working to get ahead in a profession, as in the headline â€Å"Ricky Gervais and David Chang Have Paid Their Dues.† The expression â€Å"to give a man his due,† means â€Å"to acknowledge a person’s merits, to do justice to a person.† The expression â€Å"to give the Devil his due,† means to give justice to a person for his merits even if he’s otherwise despicable, or if you don’t like him. As an adjective, due means â€Å"payable as a debt.† For example, â€Å"The mortgage payment is due tomorrow.† An expression that has been in the language since Chaucer’s day is â€Å"in due time† in the sense of â€Å"when sufficient time has passed†: â€Å"In due time everyone will know what happened.† Owe, in the sense of â€Å"possess† or â€Å"own† comes from a Germanic source. In some English dialects the word retains the meaning of ownership, but in standard English, the meaning has gone from the sense of â€Å"to possess† to that of â€Å"to be obliged to pay†; â€Å"Don’t forget the twenty dollars you owe me.† A similar word of Germanic origin that does retain the meaning of possession in modern English is own. As a verb, own means â€Å"to possess†: â€Å"He owns the bakery.† As an adjective, it follows a noun or pronoun: â€Å"Alfred’s own son was taken hostage.† As a pronoun, it follows a possessive: â€Å"The boy was given a horse of his own.† No doubt this discussion of due and owe will put some readers in mind of the debate that often arises regarding the proper distinction between the phrases â€Å"due to† and â€Å"owing to.† Refresher: Those who argue for a distinction between â€Å"due to† and â€Å"owing to† insist that â€Å"due to† is an adjective and â€Å"owing to† is adverbial. According to this position, it’s all right to say â€Å"He was late owing to an accident,† because â€Å"owing to an accident† tells why. â€Å"Due to† must be attached to a noun: â€Å"An accident due to carelessness made him late.† As far as general usage is concerned, the debate has become as futile as tussles over ending sentences with prepositions or splitting infinitives. According to the Penguin Writer’s Manual, not even grammarians can give a grammatical reason for insisting on the distinction: Most modern authorities recommend that the rule should be remembered, while acknowledging that its grammatical basis is shaky (there is no reason why â€Å"due to† should not be seen as a compound preposition if â€Å"owing to† is one) and that â€Å"due to† is so frequently used in the sense of â€Å"because of† that many modern dictionaries show it with that sense. The â€Å"due to/owing to† distinction is one of those things that people who feel strongly about it should observe without berating others for ignoring it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?Rite, Write, Right, Wright