Wednesday 30 May 2012

#3 quarter- Heart of Darkness


Novel Summary Sheet ~Quartering the Text ~
Your name: Malte Bolesta                     Quarter # 3                           Novel Name: Heart of Darkness                                                           Author’s last name: Conrad
  1. Skeletal plot (Point form only- keep this short but insightful):
1.  –want to drive upwards the river- impossible-fog, attack of natives-one man dies
2.  –Mr. Kurtz- man that thinks only about his career new informations about his history
3.  –reach the station-burnt out- believe he is dead
4.  –driving stream upwards-attacks of natives
5.  –find Kurtz as the leader or maybe god of the clan of the natives
§   Conflict or “tension” eg person vs person, or (internal) person vs self; Is this important to the novel’s theme or purpose? Circle one  and explain:
yes  or  No
Explanation: In this quarter of the novel there is a conflict. The conflict is between Charlie Marlow and his crew and between Marlow and Mr. Kurtz. When they reached the station all thought Mr. is dead, Marlow was the only one who thought the opposite. The second conflict you see when they continue driving upwards the stream. They learned that Kurtz don`t want to be saved and that he organized the attacks on the steamer.

2. Setting (When & where does various parts of your novel take place-how are theses places important to the character or the theme of your work?):
-steamer
-stream
-station and inner station


3. Characters (Know your character types and why this is important to your novel! (Eg. Are they round/flat-why?/static/dynamic-why?) How many characters do you meet in this quarter or do you find more about their personalities? #? 
-Mr. Kurtz
       His character is round and dynamic.
He is described as a wise man and is the leader of the clan of the natives now.
-Charlie Marlow
His character is round and dynamic.
He is teller of the story. He makes the experience how Mr. Kurtz is and how other people are thinking about him.
-Russian
His character is round and static.
He tells Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man.
-manager
His character is round and static.
He drives with on the steamer.
-helmsman 
His character is flat and static.
He dies after a short while in the quarter by an attack of a spear.
4. Point Of View~ Circle one!: 1st person    3rd person/limited   omniscient   or    omniscient  
§   Why do you think the writer chose this point of view to develop plot character or themes?
The novel is written in the 1st person view. I think Conrad has chosen this point of view, because it brings the happening nearer the reader. The suspense can be higher with that point of view, too.
5.Notables on writer’s style and structure!
§   Are there similes or metaphors? Record a quote:
   “The woods were unmoved, like a mask-heavy, like the closed door of a prison- they looked with their air of hidden knowledge, of patient expectation, of unapproachable silence.”(p.52)
§   Visual or other imagery? Record a quote: “ “The manager stood by the wheel murmuring confidentially about the necessity of getting well away down the river before dark at all events, when I saw in the distance a clearing on the river side and the outlines of some sort of building.” “(p.47)
§   Is there unusual vocabulary or diction? Record a quote:” “He positively danced, the bloodthirsty little gingery beggar.” “(p.47)
§   Is the novel structured with a particular idea? Record a quote or explain
   There is an particular idea. A man named Kurtz is in the Inner Station of a trading company, he got a savage and can`t leave it. Charlie Marlow’s mission is to find and save Kurtz.
§   Is there dialogue & is it realistic? Record a quote:
   “ ‘What was he doing? Exploring or what?” I asked. ‘Oh, yes, of course’, he had discovered lots of villages, a lake, too –he did not know exactly in what direction; it was dangerous to inquire too much –but mostly his expeditions had been for ivory.’ But he had no goods to trade with by that time, ’I objected. ‘There’s a good a lot of cartridges left even yet,’ he answered, looking away. “(p.51)

1.   Themes: Record words and topics related to themes contained and developed in your novel:
 -war( burnt station, killed helmsman)
   -good and evil (different sides of Mr. Kurtz, savages in the forest)
   -changing (Mr. Kurtz character)
   -hope (Marlow believes that Kurtz had survived)
   -terror (attacks of the natives, fog)


Personal Response to this quarter: what you thought or felt, related to, did not relate to; how universal is the experience that your protagonist goes through?
The situation in this chapter changes very often. First Mr. Kurtz is a remarkable man and in the next minute he is a savage man, who orders attacks on his friends. Marlow made the same experiences. I find , that the chapter is very exciting, because the high suspense. You don`t know, what weird will happen next. I found a few absurd parts, too. Normally, when I heard it at home, I didn’t realized, that so many things are absurd. Marlow made the experience, that a man is not, what you hear from him. He has to think about the point, that the whole travel is worthless, because Mr. Kurtz doesn’t want to come back, although there were a lot of whispers, that he wants to escape.

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