Nick, I really like the idea. There is a long history of people using/abusing/ nature and natural resources because they view nature as "blank" and "empty"....particularly interesting because nature in H of D becomes an opposing construct to civilization, which is ordered, full and meaningful. There are lots of critics who in the last decade or so have been thinking about how nature is represented in literature, and the consequences of that. One of the most famous is Lawrence Buell from Harvard, but the book (can't remember the author's first name) The Machine in the Garden (Leo Marx, I think), was one of the critics to think about this.
The Achebe essay in your book also touches upon how imperialists view Africa as blank....and this would provide a good beginning.
Do similar others in one's environment necessarily influence one's identity? If they do, then how so, and why? If not, then from what do individuals derive their identities?
By others I'm assuming you mean people who are "Othered" in society?Check out Martin Buber on Wikipedia, I believe he authored the term. It sounds to me (if I'm reading this question the right way) like you are working with a contradiction in terms. To be the other means that you are an opposite, and you are being used as an object in order for the subject (person doing the othering) to create/establish his own identify in opposition to you.
Is your question "How are identities constructed?"
Are the consequences that imperialism implies upon conquered peoples as well as those doing the conquering equally negative? Could one be worse than the other?
--this is a very rough draft of my question, I am still in the process of perfecting it.
I'm thinking about simply streamlining it......What are the consequences of imperialism for both the imperialist and the imperialized? Lots of great possibilities here!
Danielle, you will find this question easier to tackle if you narrow "the situation" to something more specific. Can you identify what you mean by that term?
First part sounds good....understand that Conrad does not really believe that there is a difference between "savagery" and "civilization"....at least that is what I get out of the most civilized of civilized men (Kurtz) being responsible for unspeakable things.
Do humans always have the need to feel like the "hero"/savior of their story or a group? Why is it that throughout history civilizations feel the need to "assist" and "educate" the countries around them?
Hmmm....depends on whether you believe that "White man's burden" is an attempt to "civilize" or simply a thinly veiled white wash of greed and atrocities. I think you need to focus on one of the questions, as they seem to me to be leading in different directions.
How does the treatment of people in the Congo today compare with the interactions between the imperialists and the Congolese people described within Heart of Darkness?
Steph, try to narrow "treatment of people", I'm assuming you mean the native population, but there isn't much direct evidence in H of D. Perhaps you might compare the imperialism then and now? Let's talk to see if I'm reading your question correctly
Well, this is hard because Conrad's point (and a hard one to argue) is that the members of the imperializing countries who remain in the colonizing nation seem to be oblivious, and they prefer it that way. It might be more interesting to look into the ways in which imperialism "hides" and disguises its misdeeds.
Rachel, I'm worried that your question may be too broad to tackle successfully. Perhaps, "What's the purpose of storytelling in Conrad's H of D" You would find some interesting material to synthesize in primary sources and criticism.
Depends...do you think the narrator is an older and wiser Marlow? Or do you think he is someone else. If he's someone else, there isn't much that we know about him. Take a look at the first couple pages (the frame of the story) and then decide.
What state of unrest and instability from brutality and sexual violence is the Congo in today compared to it’s circumstances during Joseph Conrad’s time?
Too leading...perhaps you can compare/contrast the effects of imperialism then and now. Keep in mind H of D is fiction based upon Conrad's real life experiences, so you would have to use primary sources as well the novella and contemporary histories.
Keep in mind H of D is fiction based upon Conrad's experience. The question is really broad (which Westerners? which perceptions?) I would really encourage you to narrow the question before you proceed.
According to Lewis Samuel Feuer, there are two major subtypes of imperialism: regressive imperialism which identifies with true conquest and exploitation, and progressive imperialism which promotes the spread of civilization and is used to elevate societies. Did King Leopold imperialize the Congo regressively or progressively, and in which way did Marlow believe the king imperialized?
Does a place's mystery make it more easily oppressed? In other words, does ignorance of one's surroundings lead to "consequence-free" actions?
ReplyDeleteNick, I really like the idea. There is a long history of people using/abusing/ nature and natural resources because they view nature as "blank" and "empty"....particularly interesting because nature in H of D becomes an opposing construct to civilization, which is ordered, full and meaningful. There are lots of critics who in the last decade or so have been thinking about how nature is represented in literature, and the consequences of that. One of the most famous is Lawrence Buell from Harvard, but the book (can't remember the author's first name) The Machine in the Garden (Leo Marx, I think), was one of the critics to think about this.
DeleteThe Achebe essay in your book also touches upon how imperialists view Africa as blank....and this would provide a good beginning.
Do similar others in one's environment necessarily influence one's identity? If they do, then how so, and why? If not, then from what do individuals derive their identities?
ReplyDeleteBy others I'm assuming you mean people who are "Othered" in society?Check out Martin Buber on Wikipedia, I believe he authored the term. It sounds to me (if I'm reading this question the right way) like you are working with a contradiction in terms. To be the other means that you are an opposite, and you are being used as an object in order for the subject (person doing the othering) to create/establish his own identify in opposition to you.
DeleteIs your question "How are identities constructed?"
Are the consequences that imperialism implies upon conquered peoples as well as those doing the conquering equally negative? Could one be worse than the other?
ReplyDelete--this is a very rough draft of my question, I am still in the process of perfecting it.
I'm thinking about simply streamlining it......What are the consequences of imperialism for both the imperialist and the imperialized? Lots of great possibilities here!
DeleteWhat is identity? Are there many levels to it, and also what causes a surface identity to be destroyed or transformed?
ReplyDeleteMaybe how is identity constructed?
DeleteHow do binaries affect our interpretation of society? In what ways do authors use this in literature?
ReplyDeleteKevin consider switching out "society" for identity, race, truth, or reality.....I think it will be much more useful
ReplyDeleteIn the 100 years since Heart of Darkness was written, how has the situation in the Congo changed, if at all?
ReplyDeleteDanielle, you will find this question easier to tackle if you narrow "the situation" to something more specific. Can you identify what you mean by that term?
DeleteWhat is the difference between savagery and civilization? What causes man's digression into a primitive state in a savage area?
ReplyDeleteFirst part sounds good....understand that Conrad does not really believe that there is a difference between "savagery" and "civilization"....at least that is what I get out of the most civilized of civilized men (Kurtz) being responsible for unspeakable things.
DeleteHow do identities of people and places that are perceived as fact by others affect how they're interpreted by someone in a moment of encounter?
ReplyDeleteCan you simply this? What is it that you want to know about the moments of encounter?
DeleteDo humans always have the need to feel like the "hero"/savior of their story or a group? Why is it that throughout history civilizations feel the need to "assist" and "educate" the countries around them?
ReplyDeleteHmmm....depends on whether you believe that "White man's burden" is an attempt to "civilize" or simply a thinly veiled white wash of greed and atrocities. I think you need to focus on one of the questions, as they seem to me to be leading in different directions.
DeleteHow does the treatment of people in the Congo today compare with the interactions between the imperialists and the Congolese people described within Heart of Darkness?
ReplyDeleteSteph, try to narrow "treatment of people", I'm assuming you mean the native population, but there isn't much direct evidence in H of D. Perhaps you might compare the imperialism then and now? Let's talk to see if I'm reading your question correctly
DeleteHow are the consequences of imperialism different for those physically imperializing and those residing in the mother country?
ReplyDeleteWell, this is hard because Conrad's point (and a hard one to argue) is that the members of the imperializing countries who remain in the colonizing nation seem to be oblivious, and they prefer it that way. It might be more interesting to look into the ways in which imperialism "hides" and disguises its misdeeds.
Delete(How) Does a character's background affect the stories they tell?
ReplyDeleteRachel, I'm worried that your question may be too broad to tackle successfully. Perhaps, "What's the purpose of storytelling in Conrad's H of D" You would find some interesting material to synthesize in primary sources and criticism.
DeleteHow does the socioeconomic background of the narrator affect our understanding of third world events? (Such as imperialism in Africa)
ReplyDeleteDepends...do you think the narrator is an older and wiser Marlow? Or do you think he is someone else. If he's someone else, there isn't much that we know about him. Take a look at the first couple pages (the frame of the story) and then decide.
DeleteIn Heart of Darkness, what message is Conrad trying to express concerning imperialism and its effect on a country?
ReplyDeleteeffects on the colonizer, colonized or both?
DeleteHow does race affect the creation of our identities?
ReplyDeleteRace is a constructed identity. So, you'd have to ask how race is constructed and its effects.
DeleteWhat state of unrest and instability from brutality and sexual violence is the Congo in today compared to it’s circumstances during Joseph Conrad’s time?
ReplyDeleteToo leading...perhaps you can compare/contrast the effects of imperialism then and now. Keep in mind H of D is fiction based upon Conrad's real life experiences, so you would have to use primary sources as well the novella and contemporary histories.
DeleteWhat is the relationship between imperialism and representation of women?
DeleteHow do narrators use language and environment to manipulate their audience into viewing their story a certain way?
ReplyDeleteThe narrator in this tale is unreliable...so I think you would have to consider that in how you phrase your question.
DeleteHow do western perceptions of the Congo today differ from those of Conrad's time?
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind H of D is fiction based upon Conrad's experience. The question is really broad (which Westerners? which perceptions?) I would really encourage you to narrow the question before you proceed.
DeleteHow does imperialism in the Congo differ or correlate to the imperialism Conrad once experienced before writing Heart of Darkness?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the role of the “Western journalist” in times and places of imperialism?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Lewis Samuel Feuer, there are two major subtypes of imperialism: regressive imperialism which identifies with true conquest and exploitation, and progressive imperialism which promotes the spread of civilization and is used to elevate societies. Did King Leopold imperialize the Congo regressively or progressively, and in which way did Marlow believe the king imperialized?
ReplyDeleteHow has the construct of race changed over time? What impact has it had?
ReplyDelete