Heart of Darkness: paragraph 80

"I felt often its mysterious stillness watching me at my monkey tricks, just as it watches you fellows performing on your respective tight-ropes for-- what is it? half a-crown a tumble ---" At the end of paragraph 80, Marlow continues to create an ominous atmosphere as he travels down the river with the cannibals piloting the ship. The personification of the "mysterious stillness watching" Marlow depicts the unclear journey he continues to explore. Pages 394-395 is also where Marlow begins to go crazy which continues through out the rest of his expedition through Africa's wilderness.  

Heart of Darkness: Paragraph 82

"We had enlisted some of these chaps on the way for a crew. Fine fellows--cannibals--in their place." When the cannibals are hired to pilot the ship, Marlow sarcastically labels the cannibals as "fine fellows"; however, since Marlow's tone is hard to uncover sometimes, the sarcasm may depict his true anxiety about the journey. Cannibals are not typically known to be 'fine fellows' so the sarcasm states the irony accurately, but Marlow's mysterious uncertainty adds to the savage Africa he is exploring. Since the atmosphere is dark, Marlow's sarcastic humor adds to the one as well because it is unclear as well.

Darkness: Question 4

Before Marlow embarks on his journey to Africa, his aunt has unrealistic expectations of Marlow’s expedition. She relates him to an “apostle” to broadcast her assumption of him being brave and courageous; however, Marlow’s motive is the complete opposite. Marlow seeks to inhabit the savage Africa for profit instead of his aunt’s assumption of seeking adventurous skill to establish himself. When she assumes Marlow is traveling there to challenge danger and becoming a notable leader, she describes him as an “emissary of light.” This comment is not only ironic because Africa is dark and dangerous, but also she believes Marlow is going to withstand a dominate leadership role and become renowned when his purpose is the opposite.

HOD #2

Marlow describes London in "very old times, when the Romans first came here" as a dark and mysterious territory that is unknown. Thus, Marlow uses vivid imagery to create an inescapable atmosphere from the beginning: "cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death,--." London's past is described as a territory run by "savages" which is opposite from the current circumstance of London now, being luxurious. Therefore, the connection between London in Roman times and the English colonization of Africa is that there was an unknown (savage) territory of "mysterious life of the wilderness" in both the Romans and colonists' cases.

Reflecting Back

My favorite activity that we did in English this year was acting the Hamlet scenes. It helped me understand the text better and helped me with my film essay as well because it allowed me to visualize the context and atmosphere that Shakespeare was trying to convey.

Performance choices

Even though I wasn't there for the performance, I planned to play the King in Act 1 Scene 2. My group and I were going to mimic Olivier's version, where Claudius makes no eye contact with Hamlet (or Gertrude) at all. In order to receive attention, I did not join Hamlet and Gertrude's conversation and was singled out of their 'connection.' I was planning on pacing the 'stage' while saying my lines to portray Claudius' loudness while announces his lines. 

The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock

In "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," Eliot uses imagery to express his depressing view on life. He uses 'big' imagery of simplistic ideas to make up his look on how life has, essentially, no purpose. Line 51, "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons" demonstrates how Eliot questions life and how little trivial things are the reason for his existence. By exemplifying coffee spoons to measure his life, suggests that his life amounts to nearly nothing.