AI For Heart of Darkness

Carolina Ruiz

Ms. Bosch

AP English Literature

17 October 2007

pgs. 3-11

A: “followed the sea” ‘with reverence and affection than, to evoke the great spirit of the past upon the lower reaches of the Thames.’ (5)

I: The men are all looking out at the on the deck of the ship sea and they wait for something to happen. They all seem to be amazed. While doing this they remember early explorers and the Thames. They show a special interest in the British and while remembering the Thames they remember British explorers in particular. The men are probably remembering and admiring how difficult it was and it is to be an explorer.

A: “The grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got. 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” (9)

I: The captain is talking about his experiences and what he went through. He also talks about what the conquerors are like. He describes them as being savage. He says they usually used force to get what they want. They got what they wanted by “brute force” (9). He describes what he thought of the conquerors and what he saw them do.

October 18 2007

Pgs. 11-18

A: “And as I looked at the map of it in a shop window, it fascinated me as a snake would a bird-a silly little bird” (11).

I: As the captain is telling his story he describes a big river that looked like an “uncoiled” snake. That snake perhaps resembles the cruelty of the sea. He remembered that the company had a concern for trading on that river. He sounds optimistic when he says that he wanted to overcome that concern. The shape of the river as a snake amazes him though, it is something else than just a sea.

A: “Ever any madness in your family?” why does the doctor make him this question. Why is it truly important?

I: The doctor was asking him if insanity ran in his family. He says that he is amazed to see how much people can change in such a little time. The captain got truly disturbed by this question, and did not know why he asked it. I think the doctor has a bad image of sailors or conquerors. He says that their dependency bothers him.

October 19 2007
pgs. 18-26

A: “ ‘a queer feeling came to me that I was an impostor’” (19).

I: He did not feel like himself after leaving his aunt. After this he felt different, he did not feel like he was going to the center of the earth, but as he was going somewhere else, somewhere more important like to the center of the world. This perhaps symbolizes the importance traveling was to him. She said she made him feel uncomfortable.

A: “There was a camp of natives, he called them enemies” (21).

I: The explorers regarded the natives as enemies. In the novel they depict them as savage people who have no morality. Part of their moral values is their search for freedom. Explorers were truly cruel to the natives, whom they encountered.

October 20 2007
Pgs. 26-33

A: “Black shadows of disease and starvation” (26).

I: The author depicts the color black as a symbol of dreadfulness. Disease and starvation is what lead many of the explorers to death, a black death as described by the narrator. Black is sad and dreadful.

A: “The man seemed young- almost a boy- but you know with them its hard to tell”

I: The author refers to the natives, as if they were worthless. By using the term “them” he is suggesting that they do not matter and they all look the same. They are not truly worth anything or have a true identity. To them they are all the same, this is depiciting them as not true individuals.

October 22 2007
Pgs. 32-40

A: “It looked startling around his black neck, this bit of white thread from beyond the seas”

I: The author emphasizes the native’s color, and how the white color stood out on his skin. He emphasizes how you could see the white thread from far away, meaning their skin color was dark. Before he described the natives, he emphasizes the color black to be dreadful, then he describes the natives as enemies, just how the captain saw them.

A: “The flies buzzed in great peace”

I: The flies buzzing in great peace is ironic in a way because usually flies are known to be disgusting creatures which can be annoying. Right before this he was describing the deaths of men and that afterwards flies would come around and “fly in great peace.” This was probably the only thing that could be heard after men would die.

October 23 2007
Pgs. 40-48

A: “He never gave the secret away, perhaps there was nothing within him”

I: The manager is a curious man, who holds a secret, but no one knows about. This made him mysterious and suspicious. No one knew what he was hiding and many people wondered why he was like this.

A: “Then he began again, assuring me Mr. Kurtz was the best agent he had, an exceptional man, of the greatest importance to the company”

I: Mr. Kurtz is a man that is well known and well talked about. He is made to seem like he is a leader, and a man to look up to. He has a good influence on the others and he influences not only their work, but their thoughts as well.

October 24 2007
Pgs. 48-56

A: “I was getting savage”

I: Since he was hungry he became savage. This kind of reminds me of the lord of the flies because they were so desperate they eventually become savages, these people have a different interest and they actually seem to have a civilization, but they could still become savage because they really want to get somewhere and they depict the natives as savage.