Exploring The Darkness Within Kurtz English Literature Essay

Exploring The Darkness Within Kurtz English Literature Essay The Heart of Darkness stands as a profound examination of the hypocrisy of imperialism, and the darkness that results from it. This imperialism embodies itself in the form of Kurtz, the antagonist of the story. Kurtz initially exists as a remarkable man, an emissary of light who enters the Congo with noble intentions. (Conrad) However, as he enters the heart of darkness that is the Congo, his own heart becomes dark as well. This novella explores Kurtzs transformation in three consecutive chapters. The darkness foreshadows itself in part one, describes its path in part two, and finally presents itself in part three. Conrad depicts this darkness with his skillful use of imagery and metaphors. Carefully crafting the message of the story, Conrad utilizes imagery and metaphors as the paints to his palette. Foreshadowing permeates every moment of this narrative. Although it can be found in the entirety of the story, it predominates in part one. The foundations for the consistently dark imagery lie in Conrads prolific sentence structure, which tends to meditatively wonder, both in the scenery and his own philosophical speculation. (Lachotta) Through the vivid imagery, many metaphors arise, and contribute to the foreshadowing as well. The foremost metaphor of part one exists as the Congo River itself, which resembles an immense snake uncoiled. (Conrad) One usually associates a snake with evil, which foreshadows the actuality that lies in the Congo. As a metaphor, it represents the European imperialism, and thus, it represents Kurtz. Another metaphor lies within the two woman at the doctors office, who are knitting black wool. Marlow states his uneasiness in regards to them, how they seem to be guarding the door of Darkness. (Conrad) Conrad capitalizes Darkness in this sentence to emphasiz e the imagery of his message. Indeed, these women stand as an omen for the dark months that lie ahead, for once Marlow enters that door, he officially becomes part of the dark world that leads him to Kurtz. Numerous metaphors in part one foreshadow Kurtz transformation into madness. The story of Fresleven, who was the gentlest, quietist creature to ever walk on two legs, exemplifies this dark dissent. After a couple of years engaged in the noble cause, he attempts to assert self respect by beating a native mercilessly, all for the frivolous reason of two black hens. (Conrad) The fact that the doctor wants to measure Marlows head, along with the Swedes story of the man who hangs himself, both serve as key elements of foreshadowing Kurtzs own destiny. (HoD, Symbolism) Once the foreshadowing takes place, Conrad further explores Kurtzs darkness in part two. Now that Marlow physically stands in the Congo jungle, he vividly describes the darkness that part one preludes to. As the managers uncle extends him arm out to the forest, Marlow states that he seems to beckon to the lurking death, the hidden evil, the profound darkness of its heart. (Conrad) This ominous atmosphere of the Congo exists as the same atmosphere that drives Kurtz to madness. Once Marlow and his crew descend up the river to reach the inner station, Conrads vivid imagery presents further metaphors. Marlow explains that going up the river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. (Conrad) Comparing this journey to the beginning of the world represents the colonists journey, which moves away from civilization and towards a primitive existence. As they move away from civilized society, they become cl oser to the heart of darkness that Kurtz physically and psychologically lives in. Another metaphor presents itself with the personification of the trees as kings. This alludes to Kurtzs proclamation of himself as a god to the natives, something of which he accomplishes only through his primitive location. Overall, the imagery of Africa Conrad deploys in part two provides a backdrop for Kurtzs moral dissolution. (Mwikisa) Once the path up the river comes to an end, part three begins. In this final chapter, Conrad presents the core of the darkness Kurtz himself. The entire novella leads up to this point, in which Kurtzs corruption establishes itself. Presiding over the inner station, Kurtz becomes addicted to his power. (Rekue) He grows tired of being a mere man, and through force and violence, transforms himself into an omnipotent figure. The scene where the natives carry him on a stretcher indicates how he completely abandons European morals and norms of behavior. (Lachotta) In the beginning of this chapter, Conrads phenomenal imagery illustrates the inner station. As Marlow observes his surroundings, he assures that never before did this land, this river, this jungle, the very arch of this blazing sky, appear to me so hopeless and so dark. (Conrad) This not only explores Kurtzs darkness, but preludes to his hopeless death. Kurtz gives in to the immoral temptation within the Congo, and thus, his inn er darkness takes over. In further speculation of the chapter, Conrads imagery and metaphors explore the characteristics of darkness itself. Three elements must correlate in order to constitute darkness. These elements include anger, fear, and aggression. (Lachotta) Throughout this chapter, Kurtz exemplifies all three of these characteristics. After Marlow witnesses Kurtz being carried on a stretcher, the harlequin tells the story of how Kurtz threatened to shoot him over a small lot of ivory. Kurtz reasoning was that he could do so, and had a fancy for it. (Conrad) This, along with the chastisement of the manager, represents Kurtzs anger. The heads of the rebels on the sticks represent his aggression in gaining complete power; his ivory hunts represent his aggression in obtaining ivory. In regards to fear, Kurtz fears being taken away from the dark place of which he feels comfortable. In the desperation that arises from his fear, he tries to escape by crawling away the night before the departure. Kurtz ple ads that he has his plans, but his efforts remain futile. (HoD Study Guide) Through these three elements, Conrad explores the darkness of the human soul. Kurtzs moral degeneration in the Congo epitomizes that darkness, which in the end, completely envelops him. Kurtz initially exists as a man of morals, who travels to the Congo full of philanthropic ideals. (HoD, Kurtz) However, these ideals become devoured by the darkness of imperialism. The Heart of Darkness explores this transformation through the three chapters of the novella. The darkness foreshadows itself in part one, describes its path in part two, and presents itself in part three. Conrad depicts this darkness through his aesthetic use of imagery and metaphors, which work to intertwine throughout the entire story. During the last moments of his life, Kurtz, in realization of his darkness, utters the words, The horror! The horror! (Conrad) In the end, he succumbs to the darkness, for once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny; consume you it will. (Yoda Quotes)

The Second Most Powerful Man in Germany Essay -- Heinrich Himmler, Adol

Greed, covetousness, avarice, cupidity; these are what killed Heinrich Himmler, the second most powerful man in Germany to Adolf Hitler during World War II. As the second most feared man in the Nazi regime, (Smith) he could not handle just being the second most; he had to be the most powerful. Himmler was in charge of the SS, SA, SD, Gestapo, and eventually provisional president of the police of Munich. The Holocaust began in Germany in the early 1920s and ended in 1945. The Holocaust caused the death of 6 million Jewish people and 5 million non-Jewish people. At least 1.1 million of that 11 million were children. The SS (Schutzstaffel) was the secret police of the Nazis, Hitler’s bodyguard. By the end of the Holocaust, two thirds of the Jews from Europe were killed by these men. The SA, a force similar to the SS but much less authoritative, was originally led by Ernst Roehm, but Himmler persuaded Hitler to kill him. (Encyclopedia of World Biography) When Roehm was dead, Himmler took authority over his division. The Gestapo was the police force that was in charge of all of the camps. They worked in camps and took the lives of millions of prisoners in the camps that Himmler designed. Even though Himmler had so much power, he constantly wanted more and more, worrying that he would lose supremacy over these divisions, and relentlessly doing anything possible to become the number one most powerful man in this era. Heinrich Himmler was born on October 17, 1900 to the son of a Catholic school teacher. (Encyclopedia of World Biography) He was brought up as a devout Roman Catholic in a close middleclass family. He had two brothers, Ernst Himmler and Gebhard Ludwig Himmler, with Heinrich being the middle child. (Worth) ... ... Oxford UP, 2012. Print. Source G: Trueman, Chris. â€Å"Heinrich Himmler.† Heinrich Himmler. History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. Source H: â€Å"Heinrich Himmler (German Nazi Leader).† Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 30 Jan 2014. Source I: â€Å"Heinrich Himmler.† Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, â€Å"Himmler, Heinrich.† The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed. 2013, and â€Å"Himmler, Heinrich.† World Encyclopedia 2005. â€Å"Heinrich Himmler.† Encyclopedia.com Highbeam Research, 01 Jan, 2004. Web. 30 Jan 2014. Source J: Bessel, Richard. . Oxford: Oxford UP, 1987. N. pag. Print. Source K: â€Å"Love Letters of a Nazi Monster: Newly revealed private papers of death camp chief, Himmler, shows how he deluded himself. He was a ‘decent’ family man.† Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, Jan, 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

Business Proposal Essay

Market Structure and Elasticity The elasticity depends on if in a year Google sells over one million and stays under the competitor price of $80 dollars by Belkin Miracast then it can fluctuates it price to $50 per Chromecast. The elasticity of demand is once a manager knows the marginal cost, they should then set the price over marginal cost. This is the profit that the product will produce. The industry for Chromecast is to allow people the choice to go beyond the monopolistic competitive market structure such as Comcast to a lesser monopolized substitution for cable: Chromecast. Pricing Strategy based on Market Factors Having a strategy for Chromecast will address the competition and the day to day operations. Using cost leadership, differentiation and having focus will allow the pricing strategy to affect marginal cost and allow you to profit by selling more of the lower price item to focus in a on a smaller audience which will provide revenue in the future due to the differentiation that you have for your product and stepping out amongst your competitor to offer the lower price for the Chromecast. How will changes in the quantity supplied as a result of your pricing decision affect marginal cost and marginal revenue? Changes in Revenues and Costs Lead to Changes in Profits (Markup Pricing, 2014) We see here that if a company changes their price, it can lead to changes in the cost and revenue, the profit is equal to the change in revenue minus the change in cost—that is, the change in profit is marginal revenue minus marginal cost. When marginal revenue equals marginal cost, the change in profit is zero, so a firm is at the top of the profit hill (Markup Pricing, 2014). Non Pricing Strategy The non-pricing strategy can be used for Chromecast to gain sales due to many customers valueing quality over cost, consumers want to know that if they pour money into something that they are getting what they paid for and expect more from the product than they paid for. The non pricing strategies that will be used in determinning the increased barrier to entry from the normal price slashing will be network effects, compactability to be able to ownership of control of a key resource, high set up cost, advertising, and finally having a strong brand. Having a pricing entry of $35 dollars is an impluse to buying the device, but the non pricing strategy can be the most potent strategic weapon, â€Å"Chrome is a focus at Google; Android is an  afterthought,† (Keizer, 2013). Another non pricing strategy is the simplicity rules that Chromecast leverages demonstrable consumer behavior with wireless media recievers, and marries that with the mobile ecosystem (PBS, 2014). Economic cost concepts and how could changes in your business operations alter the mix of fixed and variable costs in line with your strategy? Everything has a cost, deciding on if that cost is something a company can control can be a challenge to the business, looking at fixed cost and variable cost, such as interest paid back on a car loan it’s the same. Can the money be controlled such as fixed cost, or does the needle money the money for a variable amount. A few examples of a fixed cost is rent on a building to be able to make the product and depreciation over time. This can lead to knowing what the cost will be advance for the product and how it factors into the profit will lead a company to understanding more about their product and the overall outcome of how it affect the budget. A few variable cost involved with the product can have a cost of labor, this can change due to the experience of the workers and overtime that meets the demand of the time sensitive product to release to the world. Cost of labor can change and factoring this into your budget is a must to formulate your budget, hence every year cost of labor goes up if you give raises or bonuses. Another demanding variable cost is the shipping and delivery charges, if your are shipping all over the world and products have to go thru customs, then the price goes up, factoring a baseline for the product will help a business calculate the plan for the business and allow a budget to be factored into the everyday profits that the product produces. Conclusion Overall, Chromecast is a product of Google and allows a choice for the over demanding cable industry. Giving your customers a choice promotes respect and loyalty, in this business proposal the topics of economic principles were presented and statements about the market structure and the elasticity of demand for the good or service. Chromecast is a thumb- sized media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on your TV. Set it up with a simple mobile app, then send your favorite online shows, movies, music and more to your TV using your smartphone , tablet or laptop. Chromecast is remote free and as simple as a plug and play and only cost  $35. In this business proposal the market structure and elasticity of the product was identified, the following questions were answered: How will pricing relate to elasticity of your product? How will changes in the quantity supplied as a result of your pricing decisions affect marginal cost and marginal revenue? Besides your pricing decisions, what are your suggested nonpricing strategies? What nonpricing strategies will you use to increase barriers to entry? How could changes in your business operations alter the mix of fixed and variable costs in line with your strategy? The proposal demonstrated an understanding of the uses of product differentiation by not allowing certain content to be streamlined to your television and native apps or services installed in the product (Google, 2014). References Google. (2014). Keizer, G. (2013). Computerworld. Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9241170/With_Chromecast_Google_reveals_Chrome_as_its_strategic_big_gun Markup Pricing. (2014). Retrieved from http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/theory-and-applications-of-microeconomics/s10-04-markup-pricing-combining-margi.html McConnell, C. R., Brue, S. L., & Flynn, S. M. (2009). Economics: Principles, problems, and policies (18th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin. PBS. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2013/07/5-reasons-google-chromecast-will-transform-tv/

Machiavelli In American Politics - 934 Words

Machiavelli In American Politics In his landmark political treatise The Prince, Italian diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli put forth a framework for ruling a people that is at once derided and deferred to even today. The highly controversial ideology calls for a firm, even ruthless form of leadership that commands respect through any means necessary. Machiavelli allows even for the use of fear, violence and evil where appropriate. But it is in defining where these tactics are appropriate that we enter a discussion about the American political process. In one respect, our electoral cycle differentiates the United States significantly from the feudal hierarchy of 16th Century Italy. In another respect though, a reflection on the wholesale corruption of the former Bush administration may suggest otherwise. Today, it may be argued that many conservative and Republican political figures closely resemble Machiavelli in their espoused extremism but in fact, differ from the philosopher in their overall intentions. Where Machiavel li underscored his framework with an understanding that rulership is for the greater good, regardless of the measures employed to maintain this, self-interest and greed are a common presence in todays political process. In many ways, American leadership has long been formed in Machiavellian mold. The Prince takes away the ethical consideration and religious morality from his assessment of statesmanship, changing the manner in which ethicality is understood.Show MoreRelatedNiccolo Machiavelli s The Prince879 Words   |  4 Pages Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 16th-century. His methods of acquiring and maintaining rule over people are not relevant in today’s modern American society. 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