Heart Annotations

1. Ann. [3-10]

(1^st) Quote: “but darkness was here yesterday”(7).

Date: 10/17/07

Reflection: This statement made me stop reading in order to grasp its meaning. What darkness and why yesterday? I think the darkness is the human natural state when people where evil and savage. He is speaking about Romans coming to this place, which I suppose is England. So England must of had "darkness" over just yesterday. By saying it was just yesterday Marlow is probably saying it was not too long ago. He most likely was trying to compare Africa at its present state of "savagery" with England's past state.

(2^nd) Quote: “I was loafing about hindering you fellows in your work and invading your homes just as though I had got a heavenly mission to civilize you” (10).

Reflection: I felt like Marlow regretted or disliked the idea that he was once trying to civilize "them." He says he invaded their homes, a statement that shows emotion; he could have said, invaded their country or arrived to their home, but he chose to use stronger diction. The tone he has is very satirical and sarcastic when he says he invaded "their" homes as though he had a heavenly mission. Invasion and Heavenly put together cause a ironic tone, also Marlow could have used words with a positive connotation if he was proud of what he was stating.

2. 
   

(1^st) Quote: “But there was in it one river… that you could see on the map, resembling and immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land” (11).

Date: 10/18/07

Reflection: It seems as if this river has a great importance to Marlow so it is probably crucial to the novel as well. The word usage to describe this river makes the river appear alive. It gives the river a sense of a wild animal. A snake relates to the words mysterious and sinister. Snakes live in wild places, a complete different location than from where Marlow comes from. The snake like river he speaks of is the Congo River, so he must be saying the Congo is a wild and strange place to him, therefore also mysterious.

(2^nd) Quote: “She seemed to know all about them and about me, too… She seemed uncanny and fateful” (16).

Reflection: Why would these ladies know about Marlow if they have never seen him before? Who is "them." I can speculate that "them" are people that the ladies have met before Marlow. They must know about Marlow only because Marlow is similar to the other men in such a way that they have also went to meet the ladies for the same reason, to go to Congo. The ladies probably expect Marlow to have the same fate as the others. For example I think they know they will never see him again because they never saw "the others" again.

3. Ann. [19-26]

(1^st) Quote: “They live in a world of there own, and there has never been anything like it” (19).

Date: 10/19/07

Reflection: I noticed how Marlow always separates himself from the native slaves by identifying them as "they" or "them." Does he do it because he thinks he is superior to them or is it just because they are so different from him he can't call them by any other way. However even if he wanted to call them by their names, Marlow can't because he doesn't have good communication with them to get their names in the first place. What ever the matter, one thing for sure is that Marlow keeps a certain distance from "them." He might be closer to them than any other white man around there but he sure keeps his distance. The fact that he says they "live in their own world" shows this separation between his world and theirs.

(2^nd) Quote: “They passed me within 6 inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages” (24).

Reflection: Marlow takes consideration in the time taken to observe these slaves. He makes every description of them and their actions as possible. He tries to understand how they are feeling, which shows his interest in them. He also tries to comprehend the meaning of their expressions but it' all very difficult for him.

4. Ann. [27-34]

(1^st) Quote: “He had tied a bit of white worsted round his neck-Why” (27)?

Date: 10/20/07

Reflection: The fact that Marlow doesn't know why these slaves had a white worsted round their necks proves his ignorance but also shows that Marlow is not racist; when he misinterprets things is because he is just foreign to this culture. When Marlow asks himself "why" it demonstrates he has some concern for the slaves and to better understand the situations in which he is exposed to.

(2^nd) Quote: "I didn't see the real significance of that wreck at once. I fancy I see it now but I'm not sure"

Reflection:

1. Ann. [35-42]

(1^st) Quote: "The word ivory rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it."

Date: 10/22/07

Reflection: My question is whether the people there are really doing what Marlow says they are doing or is Marlow exaggerating the truth. He uses very strong diction to describe the obsession these people have with ivory. "Praying to it" makes it appear as if ivory is a fundamental part of their religion. Conrad chose really deep words for this. Why?

(2^nd) Quote: "The movement of the women was stately, and the effect of the torchlight on the face was sinister."

Reflection: Does this "art work" made by Kurtz contain any symbolism. Why a women with a torchlight and why wouldn't Kurtz take along with him. What does the women represent if it has any representation? It is said the women looks stately but the torchlight on her face looks sinister; is Conrad trying to demonstrate something about the Congo or Kurtz through this?

2. Ann. [43-50]

(1^st) Quote: "I wondered whether the stillness on the face of immensity looking at us two were meant as am appeal or as a menace."

Date: 10/23/07

Reflection: Conrad gives "immensity" a big role in this sentence for he is personifying him. I don't understand this figurative sentence. What does he mean by appeal or menace. He might be asking himself if immensity is mocking them two, however I'm not quite sure about it.

(2^nd) Quote: "...and rivets were what really Mr. Kurtz wanted, if he had only known it."

Reflection: "Marlow is trying to tell the reader something her. I think its a little like a foreshadow. He is allowing us to find out a little about what's going to happen later. I wonder why Kurtz need rivets is his ship sunken too? How does Marlow find out about what he needs? Why wouldn't Kurtz not know what he needs? Maybe his ship will sink unexpectedly.