Outline for Heart of Darkness – Kelsey Williamson

Prompt 1976

  1. Introduction
  2. Thesis: After Marlow’s journey to Africa, he gains a new perspective on the darkness in the world and comes to disagree with and despise the greed and materialism of his home country.
  3. Body Paragraph: Seeing the Africans struggle
  4. Topic Sentence: Haunted by death and the brutality the natives face, Marlow loses his sense of superiority and gains a sense of humility.
  5. Details:
  6. their restraint on the boat- handled the trip better than the whites; “humanizing” the natives (aka: taking away their culture)
  7. Ironic that they think they help: “Each station should be a beacon on the road towards better things, a center for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, instructing” (42).
  8. Main Point:Marlow begins to sympathize with the natives and realizes that savagery exists in all (but perhaps in different forms).
  9. Body Paragraph: Returning to Brussels
  10. Topic Sentence: Marlow fails to stomach the pride and greed after returning home, becoming bitter towards his fellow countrymen.
  11. Details:
  12. Kurtz’ greed- being a selfish competition for ivory (was consumed by savagery and did not “breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated”(61));
  13. arrogance of Europeans: “resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each other…” (87)
  14. Main Point: His trip to Africa helps mold his opinions of the arrogance and unjustified haughtiness of the Whites
  15. Conclusion:
  16. Main Point: As Marlow confirms his own opinions of savagery, imperialism, and superiority, he no longer agrees with the actions ofhis society.
  17. “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look at it too much” (11).
  18. Theme: Both Africa and Europe live in darkness. Where one lives in savagery, the other leaves in continuous greed and selfishness.

Heart of Darkness Essay OutlineSchuyler Suarez

1A

4-23-13

Prompt: 1999-From a novel or play choose a character (not necessarily the protagonist) whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by compelling desires, ambitions, obligations or influences. Then in a well organized essay identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may use one of the novels listed below or another novel or work of similar literary quality

Thesis: The protagonist of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Marlow, is drawn between two conflicting forces: his preconceived notions of Kurtz and his opinion of Kurtz upon meeting him up until he dies.

  1. Introduction with Thesis
  1. Marlow is a curious person by nature, an observer who chooses to form his own opinions rather than take another’s word. When first informed about Kurtz by the accountant, up until the point of Kurtz’s death in the cabin of Marlow’s steamship, Marlow is exposed to multiple perspectives on the man and must decide on his own whether or not Kurtz is who they make him appear to be, who Marlow hopes he is, or if he is someone nobody truly knows. The protagonist of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Marlow, is drawn between two conflicting forces: his preconceived notions of Kurtz and the opinion he forms upon meeting him and holds until he dies.
  1. Topic Sentence: Marlow receives opinions from both the chief accountant and the general manager regarding Kurtz.
  1. Marlow is initially intrigued with the idea of meeting Kurtz based on what he learns from the chief accountant.
  2. “On my asking who Kurtz was, he said he was a first-class agent and seeing my disappointment at this information, he added slowly laying down his pen ‘He is a very remarkable person’ further questions elicited from him revealed that Kurtz was in charge of a trading post...a very important one”
  3. Upon hearing this, Marlow begins to see Kurtz as the others see him: a symbol of success in Africa
  4. Marlow later reconsiders the accountant’s words after he overhears a conversation between the Manager and his uncle, the leader of the El Dorado expedition
  5. The two men don’t like Kurtz or the influence he holds, both in the company and within the native community. The uncle encourages the manager to just let the elements handle Kurtz, reminding him that he’s held on to his position this long because he “stands the climate and outlasts them all”. Marlow is intrigued as to what motives Kurtz could possibly have for the actions they describe (coming down river with an assistant and a boat load of prime ivory only to turn back and send the assistant on without him).
  6. “They were at a loss for an adequate motive. As to me, I seemed to see Kurtz for the first time. He was a distinct glimpse: the dugout, four paddling savages and the white man suddenly turning his back on the headquarters, on relief, on the thoughts of home—perhaps setting his face towards the depths of the wilderness, toward his empty and desolate station.
  1. Topic Sentence: Upon meeting the Russian trader, Kurtz, and staying with Kurtz until he dies, Marlow forms his own opinions on the man who he once idolized and now views with disgust and abhorrence.
  1. Kurtz is manipulative, charismatic and idealistic
  2. His control within the company is supported by his production of precious ivory, which is in turn given to him by the native community that he lives with.
  3. Kurtz’s sole disciple is a Russian trader (also disliked by the manager) who sings his praises to Marlow up until he flees for his life upon hearing the manager wants him hanged.
  4. Kurtz has taken up with a native mistress; a tall, magnificent, and wild woman who is the polar opposite of the intended woman who waits for his return in England.
  5. Kurtz has gained the trust of the natives to the point where they keep watch over his station form the brush with their own safety taking a backseat to his comfort.
  6. Kurtz is a madman
  7. When Marlow first begins to interact with Kurtz, he is sorely disappointed. Kurtz is not the man Marlow was expecting and instead is greedy, imperialistic, mildly psychotic, bestial delusional, and power-hungry
  8. He uses the natives to his advantage
  9. He ordered them to attack Marlow’s ship in an attempt to discourage them from trying to find him.
  10. They harvest all the ivory for him that he wants for virtually nothing in return with the exception of his mistress.
  11. He is greedy
  12. “’My intended, my ivory, my station, my river, my—‘ everything belonged to him”
  13. Kurtz uses his control of the ivory trade to gain prestige in the company and catapult his career
  14. He is delusional and psychotic
  15. Kurtz has delusions of grandeur, fancying himself to be an emperor.
  16. Given several opportunities to leave, Kurtz chooses to stay with the little bit of absolute power he has in this savage land
  17. He places heads of ‘rebels’ on spikes outside the window of his hut
  1. Conclusion
  1. Marlow as an individual is not easily swayed,
  2. Given the praise of the accountant and the contempt of the manager (who is arguably just jealous) Marlow isn’t quite sure what to expect
  3. Kurtz falls from Marlow’s good graces with their first meeting. Marlow realizes what a barbaric and uncivilized man Kurtz is when he sees his power over the natives and his level of disturbing influence over the Russian trader.

Viktoriya Berdan

1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

Thesis: In Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, the plot revolves around one man, Kurtz, who only appears briefly in the last segment of the book. Yet Kurtz’s overbearing presence is felt throughout the story, affecting the actions of Charles Marlow and the manager, and revealing the overall meaning of the work, all while showcasing how a man’s personality alone can influence those both near and far from him.

Paragraph One:

Topic Sentence: Both the actions of Marlow and the manager are heavily swayed by Kurtz, despite Marlow never having even met the man; the mere thought of Kurtz, and the rumors of his reputation holds much command over the course of the novel.

Specific Details: The manager, intimidated by Kurtz, wastes time and man, and even employs a spy, in order to make sure the boat will not arrive to save Kurtz in time. In essence, the threat of Kurtz’s authority causes the manager to basically plan murder, even if his hands will ultimately stay clean.
Marlow is most impacted by what he hears of Kurtz; he longs to meet him and finds himself siding with Kurtz against the manager before he’s even met the man: “I would not have gone so far as to fight for Kurtz, but I went for him near enough to a lie.” Marlow hates lying, so if he’s willing to lie for Kurtz, in the first part of the book, knowing but very little about him, then clearly this is a man with much influence over others. “For me it crawled towards Kurtz.” Once again shows how important Kurtz is to the plot and to Marlow, and he hasn’t even been introduced yet, and won’t be until the third part.

Closing Sentence: A man’s power can be tested by the power he has over others; Kurtz is such a character that his presence is not even necessary for him to control and manipulate the actions and feelings of other men.

Paragraph Two:

Topic Sentence: Kurtz’s character, despite the brevity of his appearance in the novel, embodies the meaning of the work as a whole as the reader, and Marlow, is forced to reconcile the image of the great chief with a promising future with the reality of a dark and corrupted man. These stark contrasts once again illuminates the power a man’s perceived image can have over others, while also expressing the nature of man to revert back into a beast of the jungle, regardless of his original level of civility.

Specific Details: The reader only knows Kurtz for the majority of the novel through the words of others; but his real actions completely contradict everything said about him. “Anything – anything can be done in this country;” it is not too difficult to imagine a once righteous man fall prey to the evils of the heart and the wild. He has “breathed the hippo meat” and been “contaminated,” while the forest whispered things “about himself which he did not know,” things that all of us keep locked away.
Once Marlow sees this man whom he’d revered before meeting, he is disgusted by his baseness and the cruelty in his character. Yet he also realizes the inevitable truth expressed in Kurtz. We are all Kurtz, the same which happened to him would happen to all.

Closing Sentence: The significance of Kurtz lies in his brief appearance: what little the reader sees of him impacts the shocking image of a civilized man turned savage into the minds of the reader, and show how all are susceptible when we go into the heart of darkness.

Conclusion: There is little interaction between Kurtz and other characters, yet the influence Kurtz manages to have over the plot of the novel and the actions of the other characters establishes him as an important character in Hear of Darkness.

Pooja Iyer

4/23/13

Heart of Darkness Outline – Prompt 2009

Period 1A

I. Introduction

A. Thesis Statement: Ivory is a primary symbol in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, representing the greed of European colonists, and the corrupt acts committed to acquire it.

II. First Body Paragraph

Topic Sentence: When Mr. Kurtz sets off on his journey for ivory, he represents all of the supremacist morals that the Belgian company supports.

A. Kurtz has returned the most ivory out of any other stations

1.Regarded as the most successful manager

2. Company heads in Europe are thinking of granting him a higher position in the company as a result of his success

B. Kurtz assumes the role of a powerful figurehead to the natives

1. The Russian trader explains that Kurtz “Came to them with thunder and lightning.”

a. The natives view him as their “God” because of his powerful and advanced weapons

b. They will abide to any orders he gives, such as attacking Marlow’s steamer

2. Kurtz’s mistress is dressed lavishly, exudes the image of power and grace

a. Seems to be wearing the worth of an entire elephant on her

b. Kurtz’s lavish mistress exemplifies his power over her, and his power to be able to dress her with such wealth

C. Marlow soon learns that Kurtz is very possessive and somewhat selfish

1. “Oh yes I heard him. ‘My Intended, my ivory, my station, my river, my--’ everything belonged to him.”

2. Kurtz almost shoots the Russian Trader (who nursed him back to health) over a stash of ivory

D. Summative Statement: Ivory serves as a representation of the supremacist morals Kurtz possessed at the start of the novel. The valuable product also symbolizes the heart of colonialism and the corrupt acts committed to reach it.

III. Second Body Paragraph

Topic Sentence: Ivory symbolizes corrupt goals, such as the power the Central Manager will go to any lengths to receive.

A. Central manager is jealous of Kurtz’s success and wealth in Inner Station

1. Criticizes Kurtz’ desire to civilize the natives

2. Plans to have the Russian trader hung because they assume he is trying to steal from the company.

3. Jealous of the amount of ivory Kurtz has procured.

B. Manager is happy when Kurtz is on his deathbed: “The manager was very placid, he had no vital anxieties now, and he took us both in with a comprehensive and satisfied glance: the affair had come off as well as could be wished.”

C. Summative Statement: The Central Manager, also plagued by the greed, demonstrates the corrupt value that ivory presents to the European colonists.

IV. Conclusion

Ivory symbolizes wealth, greed, and power in the novel. Kurtz and the Central Manager idealize the many Europeans who turned to corrupt methods to achieve these goals.

Kajal Grover

AP English IV – Mercado 1A

April 24, 2013

Heart of Darkness Outline – 1999

Thesis:

Kurtz’s desires are pulled in conflicting directions as seen through his contradicting ideals of European imperialism and his assimilated behavior into the native culture.

Topic Sentence 1: Upon his arrival to Africa, Kurtz views imperialism as an ideal way to civilize the Africans due to his European roots.

Details:

-In a pamphlet Kurtz wrote upon his arrival to Africa, he claimed he must “civilize” the natives.

-He took a stance and rallied support of the Congolese to “Exterminate all the brutes!,” referring to the savages that reside in Africa.

-The Europeans working in the Company view themselves as above the African slaves because according to Kurtz, “… we approach them with the might as of a deity.”

Summative:

-Kurtz values the wealth from the accumulation of ivory over the lives of the natives, as seen through the African heads stuck on poles in the ground.

-The imperialistic belief creates a conflict because the Europeans believe that their culture and mannerisms make them more civilized and valuable than the African natives.

Topic Sentence 2: Kurtz eventually assimilates into the natives’ culture, contradicting his perspective on imperialism from his European roots by developing emotional ties with the Africans and adapting himself instead of civilizing the natives.

Details:

-After Marlow overhears that Kurtz turned around during his journey to the Central Station, he imagined him returning “on relief, on thoughts of home” and the natives he left behind, implying that Kurtz developed an attachment to them.

-According to the Russian trader, “… it was Kurtz who had ordered the attack to be made on the steamer” because he did not want to leave his new home.

Summative:

-Kurtz absorbs himself into the native culture because he is attracted to the tribal practices of the native Congolese.

Conclusion:

Kurtz undergoes a conflicting dilemma due to his imperialistic roots and his assimilation into the native culture.

Quote: “…and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky – seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.”