As Obi Wan Kenobi once said “the force will be with you, always”. Good morning… Whether it is inner, physical, imaginative or a combination of these, we all must partake in journeys. Exploring through these passages is an ideal way to find inner peace and connect with our surroundings. The path in which you take is up to you, so the person you grow and form as the end product is entirely based on your decisions throughout this journey. After analysing Joseph Conrad’s text “Heart of Darkness” and George Lucas’ “Star Wars – A New Hope”, I too have ventured on my own individual journey which has really broadened my perception and understanding of life and the world itself. When Conrad was a child, an utter eagerness to explore had overcome the natural thoughts of the average adolescent. Being born into a politically infatuated family in Poland, and his parents dying whilst he was at such a young and fragile age, it is easy to say that Conrad did not live a regular life. After the realisation that no future lay in store for him in Poland, he needed to escape to create a life centered on his inner promptings. As he observed the map of Africa he said “When I grow up I shall go there”, this place was the Belgian Congo, which then became the birth place of his first novel “Heart of Darkness”.
On this voyage, Conrad endured a life altering change which affected him both physically and psychologically. He exposed this sudden realization that humanity wasn’t all it was made out to be, that it was in fact this colossal scandal to become the superior civilization. The protagonists in Heart of Darkness, Marlow and Kurtz, appear to be Conrad’s intertwined subconscious, which inevitably mirrors his own alter-egos. Marlow and Kurtz represent both the good and evil personas in which Conrad obtains. As Conrad journey’s further into the exploration of the human condition, he finds that this isn’t just a journey to gain knowledge, but a journey to discover an imperative truth within. Throughout the novel, Conrad uses techniques such as imagery to juxtapose the evident power possession that the white civilization has over the African slaves. “The sun was low; and leaning forward side to side, they seemed to be tugging painfully uphill their two ridiculous shadows of unequal length, that trailed behind them slowly over the tall grass without bending a single blade” is a textbook example of this. There is also use of repetition when said “The horror, the horror” which is Kurtz last words before he perishes after the long and painful suffering.
The Essay on A Journey Into The Heart Of Darkness
A Journey into the Heart of Darkness The white man is evil, or so says Joseph Conrad in his novel Heart of Darkness, which describes the colonial ... successes, Marlow finds himself awed at Kurtz's profile, saying that Kurtz and his crew were "no colonist; their administration was only ... for a person. ] He vows never to lie in his life. After reading Kurtz's report about his progress down the Congo, ...
The repetition accentuates that the truth is unsightly, and that the moralities Kurtz had once honoured, had died with him. Conrad leaves the ending open to interpretation so the reader can venture into their own form of darkness. Symbolically, the ‘darkness’ is depicted by the jungle. When Marlow finds Kurtz within the jungle, it symbolizes that Kurtz had already been drawn into the obscurity of the mind where there lays reality. The psychological change that Marlow and Kurtz experience is unalterable, once they had reached the uttermost darkness, they feel as if there is no turning back, little does Marlow realise that he can pull himself out of that dark, miserable place and into the light. Within studying this, I have realized that I too understand that even in my darkest of times I can pull through, which makes me anticipate whether there really is a ‘good’ and ‘evil’.
‘Light and darkness’ is one of the major themes within Conrad’s novel. There is a major contrast between the two, the light representing order, civilization, exploration and Marlow to a certain extent, and the darkness representing the contradictory, evil, death, savagery and Kurtz corrosion. This theme is also seen in George Lucas’ “Star Wars – A New Hope”. This film is about a tyrannical emperor and his most trusted servant – a former Jedi Knight known as Darth Vader – who are trying to rule the universe with fear. This delivers a perception of a pure and wholesome light being invaded by an uttermost evil darkness. Lucas’ film creates a fictional way of presenting the reality of deprivation and depicts a negative situation and turns it into an optimistic outlook on life. There are three protagonists, Luke Skywalker who is the equivalent of Marlow, Darth Vader who is equivalent to Kurtz, and Obi Wan Kenobi who is essentially the light subconscious self. Lucas uses connotations to portray the deeper meaning of his film, which is that some are swallowed by the darkness purely by the greed for wealth and power, whilst others can resist this darkness and pull through to the light. Lucas uses language techniques such as juxtaposition when he compares “Prestigious Jedi Knights” and “Evil Tyrants” to help emphasize the alterations amid light and darkness.
The Essay on Symbolism of Night as Darkness and Evil
Under the shroud of darkness and evil during the long nights in the memoir, Night, by Elie Wiesel, Jewish prisoners are in constant fear of what their next day will bring. The Jewish prisoners band together and talk to one another to hold on to those last remnants of social interactions. Also, the night has a symbolic function too. Night is a dark and evil time when people commit heinous acts of ...
When Obi Wan Kenobi says “The force will be with you, always”, the force symbolizes the light within that all of us possess, that will inevitably pull us through. In the end, the evil was conquered by the good as Obi Wan Kenobi’s voice guided Luke to victory. This illustrates that, inevitably, the good continuously defeats the evil. In conclusion to this, both “Heart of Darkness” and “Star Wars – A New Hope” have helped contribute to my knowledge and understanding of journeys. Whilst I have undertaken this area of study, I have come to a sudden realization that going into the depths of others journeys has really helped me portray an enhanced perspective and outlook on life. I realize now that the journeys, in which I choose to take, will not only be physically challenging, but mentally challenging. No matter how dark my depths will be, I will be able to pull through to a brighter and more content outcome. As Albert Camus said “In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer”.
