1984: #5-6

    In 1984, Winston's dreams are significant in the fact that they reveal facts that are otherwise impossible to discern. One of the first things he dreams about are his are the death of his mother, which he remembers to be a tragedy of kind that was no longer possible. Then he dreams about the dark haired girl and fantasizes having sex with her in the countryside, which actually does come to pass. In this chapter, we discover that Winston has been having another dream, a nightmare, that he directly associates with rats. In his dream "He was standing in front of a wall of darkness, and on the other side of it there was something unendurable, something to dreadful to be faced" (Orwell). The wall of darkness could represent some aspect of the party which Winston does not full understand simply because he is too terrified by the truth. Behind the darkness could be "the place without darkness" that O'Brian told him about in a dream, possibly foreshadowing some terrible meeting with O'Brian.
    Winston's fear of rats may be linked to his indoctrination by the party. Going out in secret and disobeying some of the party's most sacred rules makes him feel as if he is moving through the underside of society and has become an unclean vermin like a rat. The terror of his dream may be derived from the fact that he believes that he is leaving the darkness and will face the same fate as a rat that comes out into the light.

Heart Of Darkness Outline

It looks like I never published this.

Prompt: Marlow selects what he considers the lesser of two evils in supporting Kurtz instead of the Company. Why does he consider Kurtz the lesser of two evils? 

Marlow sides with Kurtz over the company because, while both of them are morally reprehensible, Kurtz’ intentions and desires are clear, and the company hides behind a flimsy façade of civility and benevolence.

1. Marlow makes his perception of the two sides clear when he distinguishes them using a description of two different kinds of devils.
1. "I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire;... but, by all the stars! these were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove men--men, I tell you...."
2. "I foresaw that in the blinding sunshine of that land I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly."
2. Marlow's opinion of the company is formed by his distaste for the lies and justifications that go hand in hand with its operation. 
1. “as long as there was a piece of paper written over in accordance with some farcical law or other made down the river, it didn't enter anybody's head to trouble how they would live”
2. "She talked about `weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways,' till, upon my word, she made me quite uncomfortable."
3. “Brought from all the recesses of the coast in all the legality of time contracts”
4. There were either no villages, or the people were hostile, or the director, who like the rest of us fed out of tins, with an occasional old he-goat thrown in, didn't want to stop the steamer for some more or less recondite reason. So, unless they swallowed the wire itself, or made loops of it to snare the fishes with, I don't see what good their extravagant salary could be to them.
3. Kurtz' actions are best defined by the overtly cruel treatment that he demonstrates towards the natives.
1. "'To speak plainly, he raided the country,' I said.... He had been absent for several months--getting himself adored, I suppose-- and had come down unexpectedly, with the intention to all appearance of making a raid either across the river or down stream." 
2. “`Exterminate all the brutes!'"
3. “They only showed that Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts”
4. Ultimately, Marlow decides to side with Kurtz because, despite his evil acts, he has more integrity than the company
1. “`weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways,'” (Conrad 77).
2. “It seemed to me I had never breathed an atmosphere so vile, and I turned mentally to Kurtz for relief” (Conrad 144).

Sound and Sense #1

"Constantly risking absurdity" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti is essentially a metaphor for writing poetry itself. Specifically the speaker compares a poet to an acrobat at a circus, making leap and maneuvers. The complex and precise actions that an acrobat must preform to succeed and avoid death are directly compared to the methods of poetry that are used to avoid absurdity. The poem uses unique line structure and spacing to convey its meaning. Most of the lines are split in two parts, which flow together as sentences, but allow each part to be considered individually. For example the opening lines, "Constantly risking absurdity/ and death" ("Constantly risking absurdity" 1-2), make sense together, but when "and death" is placed on its own represents a totally unrelated idea. This structure forces each line to be viewed in context and alone. This allows for the expression of a broad idea and a nuanced description at the same time.

Heart of Darkness #4

Marlow is able to side with Kurtz, because Kurtz has demonstrated the ability to separate himself from the absurd and convoluted pretense of imperialism. In his conversation with the manager, Marlow brands himself as one of 'unsound methods' by criticizing the manager's practices, saying, "that fellow - what's his name? - the brickmaker, will make a readable report for you," (Conrad 144). By recalling the absurdity of the brickmaker who never made any bricks, Marlow highlights the lengths to which imperialist will go to fabricate separation from the primal cruelty it engenders. They would much rather read a report on their problem than address it. When Marlow finds Kurtz in the jungle, he realizes that "He had kicked himself loose of the earth," (Conrad 149). Kurtz has freed himself from all of the boundaries that once held him. He has entirely separated himself from European culture. He is cruel and violent beyond what would have been acceptable in Europe. Furthermore, he does not bind himself with the justifications of imperialism, his greed and power are all the justification he needs to act. He has avoided the 'flabby devil' which Marlow described, instead he is controlled by the strong passions of the other two.