- Read the prompt and begin brainstorming what you would use.
- DO NOT read other classmates' entries before writing your response.
- Draft an outline on your own paper.
- Write a couple paragraphs about what characters you would contrast and how they effect the overall work. Be sure to include how you would organize your essay (progression of ideas and what specific details you would use). You may use your novel and notes to help you! You DO NOT need to write an entire essay. The purpose of the exercise is to review the novels that we have read.
One definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it.” But Emily Dickinson wrote:
“Much madness is divinest Sense--
To a discerning Eye--"
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ReplyDeleteFor this essay, Kurtz from Heart of Darkness and his apparent madness would make a good topic.
ReplyDeleteThe intro would serve to establish the form of his madness in his obsession with ivory and with the wilderness that surrounded him.
A second paragraph would delve into detail about the his obsession with the ivory. The Russian's anecdote of how Kurtz almost shot him over a bit of ivory that he had been given would serve well to support this point, as would the quote where Kurtz is described in terms of a body where his head had turned into a ball of ivory. Still more evidence of his obsession can be seen where he hoarded the ivory to that no one could find it. His goal was not to send as much as he could to the company, which he did quite a bit of, but rather to posses as much ivory as he could get his hands on. Then the paragraph would go on to explain how this obsession acted as a motivation that kept Kurtz moving and was, oddly enough, a factor that made other employees of the Company jealous of him.
The third paragraph would detail his madness in its form of his attempted control over the jungle. How he sought to take everything and make it is. This is evidenced by his random journeys into the jungle and how he brought the tribes under his control. It is further shown by his jungle mistress, which can be seen as a symbol of him joining into the wildness of the jungle and attempting to control of. This part of his madness fuels many of his actions and may have led to the sickness that eventually kills him.
In King Lear by Shakespeare, Lear goes mad after being betrayed by his two daughters, Goneril and Regan. We discover his madness in Act III while he is in the storm. His going mad is important as it causes him to grow compassionate for others.
ReplyDeleteLear's madness can be seen as reasonable considering he lost all three of his daughters. He lost all power and all hope. He was bound to be driven insane. His insanity consists of stripping off his clothes to become equal to the homeless, his belief of Edgar being a noble philosopher, and his hallucination of "The little dogs and all."
His new desire to be equal to the poor is reasonable as he starts to see the way he has taken things for granted and becomes empathetic.
If this were my essay, I would write my first paragraph above as my intro. My following organization would be in the order of Lear's madness and what it consists of, then how his madness caused him to become a better person. Afterwards, I would explain why his madness is reasonable. Finally, I would connect it to a possible of blindness, as he was figuratively blind before and after becoming mad, has increased his figurative sight.
In applying madness to this promo, I would analyze the actions of King Lear throughout the tragedy and the moments his madness seems to strengthen or fall short based on the circumstance.
ReplyDeleteP1: I would begin with Lear's initial inability to accept the truth that Cordelia speaks to him in the instance dividing his land based on which daughter loves him the most verbally. Because he is unable to see what Cordelia desperately attempts to portray to him, we see the first spark of madness and foolery in Lear. However, I could portray reason in this scene in the way that Lear places a heavy emphasis on material things, such as words, blinding him to actuality and furthering madness.
P2: Following the movements of the tragedy, I would now include Lear running out into the storm after being refused shelter from Regan and Goneril. While wandering aimlessly in a storm that is supposedly catastrophic, he cries out to the gods and continues to refuse shelter when it is offered by Kent and the fool. However, there are flickers of sense and reason as he begins to associate himself with the poor and encourage other novels to experience what they do in order to gain a better understanding of their circumstances since he now has spent time outside in a storm, uncommon to a king.
P3: To close, I would discuss Lear finally seeming to come to his senses at the time of his death, but not without a hint of madness included. He continues to mention Cordelia's lips as he takes his last few breaths, in this statement he seems to be delusional, but including her lips has a much deeper meaning. Due to all of the madness he has now experienced and the deaths he has witnessed, he can now accept that Cordelia was always the daughter telling him the truth. Strengthened madness finally brought him resolution in a realization.
For this prompt, I would relate Emily Dickinson’s poem to the madness that King Lear experiences in Shakespeare’s play King Lear. As he goes through his episodes of madness, the reader can recognize moments of clarity where Lear speaks a mixture of madness and truth. I would chronologically structure my essay, analyzing different parts in the play where his madness is “Sense.”
ReplyDeleteP1: Lear Before his Madness
Before becoming overwhelmed by madness, King Lear is self-absorbed and unsympathetic to his subjects. He banishes both Kent, his loyal nobleman and Cordelia, his honest daughter, for simply telling him the truth. He then rewards his other two manipulative daughters by giving them each half of his kingdom. They return the favor by emasculating and disrespecting him. Lear begins to have these moments of madness as he feels he is “sinned against”, including himself recognizing his “hysterica passio” after his daughters put Kent (disguised) in the stocks.
P2: The tempest (Halfway)
During the raging tempest that occurs in Act 3, scene 4, Lear says “O Regan, Goneril, Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all- Oh, that way madness lies.” Thinking of the betrayal of his daughters causes him to feel madness again. He is not completely mad at this point, and in proportion to that he is not completely aware of his situation yet. He blames Goneril and Regan for what has happened, but their actions have resulted from his favoritism of Cordelia. But, he also realizes that he has been neglectful as king towards the poor. This is out of character for the selfish Lear.
P3: Cordelia’s death (fully mad)
After Cordelia dies, Lear is hysterical. He attempts to clutch at the possibility that she is alive (feather) and then tries to convince her dead body to speak to him. But in his madness, he calls for everyone to look at her lips. Although this act may seem insignificant, with a discerning eye the reader recognizes that the lips of Cordelia, a symbol of goodness in the play, may represent the truth that seemed to have always eluded Lear. In his madness, Lear finally recognizes this.
For this prompt, I would write about Edna's seemingly irrational behavior in The Awakening. Her awakening and the behavior that stems from it are seen as irrational and unacceptable because society does not understand the struggle.
ReplyDeleteP1: First, I would describe how Victorian Era creole women were supposed be like and how they were supposed to behave. Then I would analyze the beginning of Edna's awakening that took place at Grand Isle, including her standing up to Leonce for the first time in the novel and her attitude towards her children. Leonce was critical of how Edna seemed to be negligent towards their two children. Leonce and society as a whole see that Edna is simply a bad mother, while Edna thinks that being the typical "mother-woman" requires superfluous effort with dealing with kids. In this paragraph I would also include Edna's fascination with swimming and the ocean. This was unusual behavior and it seemed as if Edna was insane, when in fact, this was her first experience of freedom from society's constraints.
P2: This paragraph would discuss Edna's behavior once she is back in New Orleans. Now that Edna's awakening has begun, she acts out more and more, which bothers Leonce. The first really important thing that Edna does here is stop hosting her "Tuesday reception days." This makes Leonce very angry, but Edna understands how silly it is for her to have to do these things for him. More and more events happen that make Edna seem insane, and the story ends with her suicide. This will make Edna seem truly insane, but it is only because she sees through the shallowness of society that she kills herself.
I would use Heart of Darkness to talk about madness. Madness is such a central component to the overarching theme of the work, so I think there would be a lot to elaborate on.
ReplyDeleteIntro: Marlow ends up away from home, away from the constraints of society, in the jungle. In the jungle, the only thing controlling what you do is your personal restraints. Without such restraints Marlow finds that madness exists at the core of humanity, in both the jungle and in the whited cities of European society.
1: It's a progression. Marlow travels along the Congo river towards the inner station where Kurtz is. During the whole trip, Marlow stays focused on two things: work and Kurtz. Work keeps him occupied while Kurtz keeps him motivated. I would talk about the Rivets and the secret conversation that Marlow overheard about Kurtz. I would also mention the playful pawstrokes and calls from the wild that increase the closer and closer the venture into the heart of darkness.
2: It can make sense. Along the way, some of the playful pawstroke moments make sense. Marlow realizes just how similar he and the savages are. He even has respect for them as humans! This is mad according to the constraints of his European society, but he is right to think the savages are just as human as him. I would also talk about how Kurtz may have went full-fledged into darkness, following his internal drive for more. In this, he was true to himself. He discovered who he really was apart from how everyone else defined how he should be, despite the fact he turned into a ravage man. At least he could identify himself. Is that so mad?
3: It was always there. So through Kurtz's madness, he receives his own discerning eye. His last words were of pure discernment: "the horror! the horror!" The white European society has no idea how horrific their situation is. They are far more lost in life than these savages who howl and dance in the jungle. Before Marlow or Kurtz ever came to the Congo, they lived in a mad world, they just lacked their discerning eye.
4: Marlow does not demur. Sure, does he have his knew set of discerning eyes? Yes. But back in the society of fakes, he does nothing to upset the order of things. It is true that they would not understand, so the question left hanging at the end of this book is if those with the discerning eye should even attempt to pass it to the rest of us.
Novel: Kate Chopin's The Awakening
ReplyDeleteEdna Pontelier, through the Victorian lens, embodies madness, yet through the present lens, she embodies the "much madness" Emily Dickinson argues is understood only by the "discerning eye."
First I would give examples how Edna's madness and how it grows throughout the novel as she "awakens." Ex. first she swims out deep into the ocean....disobeys orders from Leonce to come inside the house....wears less clothing...abandons Tuesdays receptions. I would emphasize how as the "madness grows" her perception in the Creole society worsens. Ex. Leonce consults Dr. Mandelet but Adele warns her of hanging out with Alycee and reminds her that in order to be an artist, she must posses the "courageous soul." This all focuses on how the undiscerning eye (Leonce) cannot understand the "mad" Edna (thinks she is sick) but Dr. Mandelet and Adele can because they have the capability to discern
Next, I would emphasize the differences between Edna and Adele as foils such as their differences in appearance (handsome vs crimson lips), talents (sketching vs piano) and how they are perceived by those around them (promiscuous vs mother woman). These differences further reveal how "mad" Edna is in comparison to Adele's madness, which could be argued that she too was "mad" because she knew better and was aware of her oppression in the patriarchal society but never spoke up like Edna
Lastly, I would apply all the points of "madness" in Edna to how it affects the work as a whole. It does so by developing the theme of the price of being "awake." Through Edna's madness, we explore the consequences for those that speak up to oppression as well as insight into how the definition of madness is shaped throughout history
I would write about Kurtz's madness in Heart of Darkness and explain why the theme of restraint explains it.
ReplyDeleteIntro:
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness details the horrific colonization of the Congo by the Europeans and one man's eventual insanity because of it. Marlow, the protagonist, justifies Kurtz's behavior by the lack of societal constraints in the Congo. Using the environment and the overarching theme of restraint vs. constraint, Conrad explains that Kurt's behavior was due to the evil nature of humankind.
P1: Introduce Kurtz's strange behaviors and the physical quality of the stations decaying as Marlow went further into the Congo
Kurtz was the prized jewel of the Company; he gathered more ivory than any other man and therefore was highly respected. However, the longer he stayed in the Congo, the more the "playful paw-strokes" of the wilderness stretched out their claws until he eventually went insane. Even the physical aspects of each station decayed as Marlow traveled deeper into the Congo...
P2: How the lack of constraints and the need for restraints influence madness-Marlow's justification
Marlow says that "butcher and the policeman" and the "whispering of public opinion" are the social constraints the Englishmen, who he is telling this story to, have while in England. Without them, one would have to fall back on his personal restraints..."
ReplyDeleteFor this prompt I would write about King Lear from Shakespeare’s King Lear. Lear is a character who’s behavior leads to his own demise; his attitude and selfishness leave him blind to the truth. It is only once Lear has lost his power and begins to lose his mind that he can see the truth of the world around him, those who’ve wronged him, and his own faults.
In the first paragraph I would talk about how at first Lear seemed to be the worlds general definition of sane. In this state Lear was unable to realize the lies those around him were telling and, not being able to look past his own ego, pushed those who cared about him away (Cordelia and Kent). At this point I would talk about how those Lear pushed away were the voices of truth and bring up the theme of sight in the play and talk about how Lear clearly has not “true” sight. To the watcher/reader Lear’s actions seem insane despite the fact that at this time Lear’s mental condition is fine.
In the second paragraph I would start with how Lear’s daughters taking everything from him draws him to the beginning of madness. It is only now that Lear can finally see the truth being his two oldest daughters actions. It is also at this time that Lear starts to see the flaws in his previous actions as king. He starts to express regret over the way he treated to poor and for the first time shows true compassion to other characters. All of this is logical and shows development on Lear’s part despite the fact that that he does/says all this while running around outside in a storm.
In my last paragraph I would talk about when Lear has truly lost is mind at the end of the play. He runs around with a flower crown showing his insanity but also showing he is one with nature now. Lear talks about how people should be punished for doing things that happen in nature and recognizes that, despite sinning the same amount, rich people unfairly are never punished for their actions as poor people are. Once Lear finally lets inanity take him over he is suddenly able to see many truth of life. I would finish this by talking about how Lear’s degrading mental state brings together the themes of the play as a whole.
For this essay, I would write about Edna from The Awakening and how her rebellion from her opressive husband and society deemed her as crazy.
ReplyDeleteP1: Edna, although a Creole woman herself, was very different from the other Creole's. Her urge for freedom to love who she pleased and do as she pleased transformed her into a rebel. Edna felt alientated to her society because she didn't want to be blind to the oppression, but others such as Adele were content with it. Ex: Edna didn't want the title of "Mother-Woman" or to have tuesday get togethers at her house, or even to stay with her husband.
P2: Edna's husband, Leonce believed Edna was crazy. So crazy that he went to doctor Mandelet and asked what could be wrong with Edna. She stopped inviting guests over, and this puzzled him. Rather than talking with Edna or trying to understand, he just called her crazy. He didn't truly care for her as anything more than property, but her mad behavior made Leonce question what could be wrong with her. It was against the Victorian society to leave husbands or be a mother without the mother-woman persona. Either a person confroms, or they're an outcast, like Edna.
P3: Edna had reason to be a rebel and outcast. She was simply not blind to the fact that women were not equal to men. Every other woman was either blind or just content with being treated as they were. Edna knew that she loved Robert and not Leonce, so she tried desperately to end up with Robert, which was against societal rules. Edna was no crazy because she challenged her oppressive husband, she was just brave and refused to conform. She wasn't crazy for committing suicide either because after realizing that it was impossible to end up with Robert, drowning herself was her gateway to freedom. Her societys view of her insanity was actually Edna's sane thoughts telling her that it was not okay to let people oppress her anymore.
I would write about about Kurtz and his descent into madness in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
ReplyDeleteI would begin by discussing Kurtz's background, which establishes Kurtz as a "normal" man. Kurtz's characterization as a regular European man reveals how anyone, even people deemed as "normal" can slip into madness, one of the major themes of the novel. Then, I would discuss how Kurtz when mad (obsession), exploring restraint and constraints of society, and how lack thereof allows people to slip into madness.
Finally, I would discuss the effect Kurtz's madness has on the novel. It reveals the duality of human nature: one entrenched deeply in society's constraints, the other, more primitive form that emerges when the constraints of society are taken away.
Based off the prompt, I would choose to write about Kurtz, a character whose madness was particularly highlighted within the novel, the Heart of Darkness. Kurtz was a character devoted, and one could even say obsessed, with finding Ivory, a source of revenue for the "pilgrims" on the expedition. Additionally, I would write about Marlow and how madness with in the Congo influenced him.
ReplyDeleteIntro: In the introduction I would make a general statement about madness as a whole and the effect it has on an individual. Then following this, I would highlight both Marlow and Kurtz as being characters characterized or influenced by madness within the Heart of Darkness.
p1: This paragraph would center its discussion on Kurtz and his relevance to madness. This would be done through evidence that justifies his unstable and mad nature that is seen in the novel. A good example would be near the end when he began crawling and Marlow was forced to save him. In this paragraph I would also highlight the fact that his madness was derived from the "wilderness" and it lead to his demise as a character.
p2: Within this paragraph, I would focus on Marlow as a character. Marlow was influenced in a different manner as a result of his restraints. I would highlight and provide evidence for him resisting and in some cases, succumbing to the madness that filled the air in the Congo.
p3: In this paragraph I would tie Kurtz and Marlow together as characters affected by madness. I would also focus on distinguishing the effects of madness on each one of the two characters. Obviously, madness is not necessarily a good thing but, I think it changed Kurtz for the worst. It consumed him and transformed him so that he became part of something he was not,. Or, this could raise the question of whether society drove him to become something he was not. However, in this paragraph I'd shed light on the fact that madness wasn't necessarily always a bad thing. For both characters, it opened their eyes so that they saw the horrors they were living in not just the Congo, but in the society they were living in. In this way, I could argue that madness could have been divine and it bettered them as human beings and individuals.
For this prompt, I would write about the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin.
ReplyDeleteIn my introduction I would begin by introducing the idea madness being divine sense though a discerning eye and elaborate on Emily Dickinson's quote. Then I would include the title of the novel and the author and state that the madness portrayed by Edna Pontellier in this novel adds significance to the overall story as a whole.
My first body paragraph would be about how Edna was portrayed as mad through the eyes of society because she rebelled against society's views of how woman should act. I would include examples of how Edna was searching to find herself in freedom and all she wanted was to not be seen as someone else's piece of property. I would include many direct examples and evidence from the text to prove my statements of Edna being very different from all other woman in her society.
My second body paragraph would be about how Edna was not truly mad, but only viewed this way because she didn't act haw society thought was appropriate for woman. Edna wanted to be her own self and have the freedom to like and enjoy whatever she longed for. This doesn't make Edna "mad" it only makes her an individual separate from society, which should be rewarded instead of being frowned upon. Society should want a variety of people in this world, not a big group of people who act the exact same.
For this prompt I would write about Kurtz in Heart of Darkness because his madness, much like others in his position, was completely justified, and also helped him realize "the horror."
ReplyDeleteMy first paragraph would focus on how the madness came. I would mention the societal constraints he had before entering the Congo, and once he got there, his lack of restraints caused his own downfall. I would mention these "playful paw strokes" being evident not only in him, but in Marlow and others as well. I would also mention how this madness was nature taking back what was hers, after being hurt by European Imperialism. I would talk about the heads he had outside of his hut, and how this madness was a warning.
My second paragraph would focus on how the madness brings out the truth. I would talk about how Kurtz's last words were "the horror" and how this helps Marlow realize that a blinded society bounded by ignorance may sometimes be far worse than the death and darkness that lies in the wild. Because at least in the Congo, the darkness is expected, in "the whited city" the darkness is disguised through ambivalence. I would mention how this madness brought Kurtz's death because he could not see past what "the heart of darkness" showed him and yet he could never go back to a society that gave nothing but restrictions. This might have been his only escape. I would talk more about how this madness revealed blindness and corruption. I would mention how that before meeting Kurtz and experiencing only a fraction of his madness, Marlow strived to explore, and by the end, Marlow would see a piano made of ivory and seemed repulsed.
I think that King Lear would protein to this prompt best. Lear seems mad to those "sane" but really his madness has led him to his enlightenment. Lear's insanity has brought him this "divine sense" that Emily Dickinson introduces to us. He has suffered, however he now knows the truth of the world, he is now above us even though he is at his lowest.
ReplyDeleteIn paragraph 1, I would discuss how Lear has a very long way to fall and by falling, his eyes were opened. To guard his inner emotions and grief, he went insane. However, his insanity was not all insane. This pertains to Emily Dickinson's idea that "Much madness is the divinest sense". Although Lear is insane, he speaks ideas that are far from insane and crazy. He is speaking the truth of their world.
In the second paragraph I would discuss how those who are "sane" in King Lear, are not. For example, Lear's daughters seem to be the most sane because they talk about their love for their father but really it is all a lie. Cordelia acts out against the norm of her sister and is ridiculed for this. This is paralleling the idea that society does not agree with non conformists.
In paragraph three I would talk about Edgar and his disguise as Crazy Tom. Although Crazy Tom seems almost frightening and overbearing, he to has truth to the words that he is speaking. It seems as though a persons suffering is what is leading them into this enlightenment. It is so shocking and heart breaking that is causes these men to go insane. Knowing or thinking that the world as well as them won't ever amount to much can drive one mad.
For this prompt, I would write about King Lear from Shakespeare's King Lear. In the play, Lear appears to be mad at the beginning with his arrogance and inability to face the truth from either Kent or Cordelia, but as the play progresses he begins to have clarity within his madness, even though he appears to go even more insane.
ReplyDeleteP1- I would discuss why Lear refuses to cry for most of the play. He continually threatens throughout Act 1, 2, and 3 that he will not cry by saying that he would rather rip out his eyes or go insane before crying, but then in Act 4 he comes to the realization that we come into the world crying and leave it crying. By refusing to cry, then giving it, it shows his progression into madness.
P2- I would focus on Lear's dying words, where he says to focus on Cordelia's lips. Her lips are metaphorically the truth, which is anything but what Lear chooses to face throughout the play. He banishes her for speaking the truth, but in the end he comes to realize that he must face the truth and cannot hide from it forever.
P3- I would focus on Lear's actual madness near the end of the play. He walks around the fields of Dover wearing a flower crown and claims that prison will not be so bad at the end of the play. The crown could be a symbol of him becoming one with nature again, but it could be completely literal to show that he has gone insane and now wears a crown of flowers to replace his real crown. By wearing the flowered one instead of the real one, Lear shows that he has completely given up his kingdom, as well as his sanity
For this prompt I would write about King Lear, relating his actions to the poem.
ReplyDeleteI would begin by discussing Lear when he was seen as sane by all the other people in the play and focus on the fact that although he was "sane" Lear was blind.
I would then go on to talk about the turning point in Lear's sanity in the storm where although he's screaming at the storm he begins to show compassion not only to the fool but also to "Poor Tom." The fact that he shows compassion and begins to realize that he was neglectful towards the poor during his time as king reveals that with this madness is going to come Lear's new found sight.
I would conclude with Lear's compete madness at the end of the play where he is walking around wearing a flower crown, which shows that he has become one with nature. He also realizes that people shouldn't be punished for things that occur in nature as well as the fact that the rich can get away with these crimes unlike the poor.
I would first use, “Much madness is divinest Sense—,To a discerning Eye--"
ReplyDeleteand elaborate on it, then transition into talking about Edna Pontelllier and her “madness”. This behavior, considered insane by many, was key to The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Edna’s madness was actually rational and reasonable.
I would stress the backwardness of the Creole society that The Awakening takes place in. By expressing their roles and explaining why they are individually wrong, you will better see the rationality of Edna’s suicide in the last paragraph.
In this paragraph it is also important to mention societies views on Edna. An important example to include would be about Dr. Mandelet. Leonce, Edna’s husband, requests the help of a Doctor to cure Edna’s “madness”. This shows the shows the level of insanity that Edna supposedly possesses.
As Edna leads to live for herself and not her family, she becomes more and more detached from society. She drops her Tuesday receptions (a staple for Creole wives and their businessman husbands) and I would explain the significance of it. As she increases the distance between her and the rest of the population, she realizes that her beliefs of freedom are far too developed to ever transition back into society. Edna Kills herself.
Many people of her society would later look at her suicide and probably say that it wasn’t surprising because Edna was just so mad and crazy. However, suicide, an action of madness, could actually be portrayed as rational in Edna’s case. She wasn’t willing to conform to societies set-up destiny.
I would write this essay about heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad and base it around the madness of Kurtz.
ReplyDeleteI would first describe his behavior of how he turned completely savage when left to his own devices in the middle of the jungle. One of my big focuses would be how he had heads on stakes around the inner station that he was in charge of. The complete and utter barbarity of the situation is easily seen by this and no sane person would take human heads and arrange them around a building. He had come to "civilize" and "enlighten" them, but instead he himself turned into an incredibly savage human being. Relating to how he was supposed to civilize the natives, I would tie in the record he was keeping for the ISSSC documenting how "civilizing" the natives was going and how he has written "Exterminate the Brutes!" across the book. This is another one of the big signals of his madness because he had completely abandoned his initial task and had turned into someone even more savage than the people he was supposedly civilizing. However, it has to be taken into account that he has been tossed from the constraining European society into the jungle where there are no rules. He had always had societal rules to follow so being put into such a natural, unrestrained place priced too much for him and it's almost understandable that he went mad. What he did was certainly very wrong and very disturbing but it's not exactly shocking because of what a harsh environment he was put into when he'd always been in such a conventional one. His madness was a reasonable thing to happen sheerly given the fact that there are no rules in the jungle and rules had always been the things that kept Europeans from turning into the "savages" that they judged so harshly. The ironic thing is that Kurtz turned into someone far more monstrous and savage than any of the natives that the Europeans views as "savages".
The significance of the madness to the overall plot is that it emphasizes the theme that Europeans don't belong in the jungle and the practice of imperialism is bad for European men. The main focus in the novel on why imperialism is wrong is that it negatively impacts European men. Kurtz's madness illustrates this in a very resonating fashion because it shows that the jungle will drive men to become barbarians and they need to just keep out of it in the first place. Marlow doesn't really judge Kurtz's madness because he starts to feel the playful paw strokes of it toying with him which shows that the madness will eventually overtake anyone who comes into the jungle if you give it long enough. The overall meaning of the work is that sane, "civilized" men aren't meant to be in the jungle and Kurtz's madness works to illuminate this point by showing what happens when someone who had previously been a normal, civilized individual is put into a harsh environment like the jungle.
I would discuss the madness in Heart of Darkness.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would discuss how Marlow entered the madness already occurring in the Congo as a sane and sensible man; however, living in those extreme conditions of violence and injustice has caused him to get the beginning signs of madness, which he calls "playful paw-strokes." He used his work to keep him sane. I would then discuss how Marlow returns to the whited city and realizes all of the madness taking place there, because they are blind to all of the evil taking place in the Congo. He realizes he cannot live in such a place and returns to the Congo, because he believes life is less mad there.
My second paragraph would be about Kurtz. Kurtz allowed his work to consume him and drive him mad. Kurtz's whole existence was centered around ivory. He is even described as having white hair, which portrays how he has become his work. Kurtz madness eventually kills him, but not before he realizes the madness of the human race as he cries "The horror! The horror!" on his death bed. Kurtz finally realizes the madness, the darkness found in the human heart. He realizes humanity's capacity for evil is so much greater than we would like to imagine.
The madness wasn't only occurring in the Congo, and it wasn't only occurring in the whited city: the madness was occurring everyday, everywhere, in every human heart.