Questions set # 1: “Heart of Darkness” by Conrad Commentary by Achebe and Trilling 1. What is implied by Marlow’s assertion that “This also…has been one of the dark places on the earth”? Marlow’s claim that “This also …has been one of the darkest places on earth” illustrates that England was once a Roman colony. The Africans reaction to colonial rule is the same way that the Europeans reacted to the Roman law. Thereby, civilization is for all since it is in the same way that Europeans claim to civilize the Africans is the same way they were civilized. In this context, it is vital that all people get an advanced form of civilization that will rescue them. Despite their said motive of spreading civilization, they were out to enrich themselves. Marlow’s notion that “This also …has been one of the darkest places on earth” suggests that the civilization, which the Europeans insist, is just as dangerous as the civilization inherent in African countries. This, therefore, contradicts the Europeans proclamation that European culture is comparatively superior to African civilization. Their acts of opposing colonial rule from the Romans were similar to those that the Africans employed to cushion themselves and to fight for independence. The declaration that the Europeans are civilized is disapproved by their actions such as racism and treating them in inhumane ways, as Conrad states that they were like degraded “savages.” 2. How does Marlow feel about the natives? Why does he feel this way? How is his attitude different than the other Europeans he meets in Africa? Marlow was a good to the Africans, regardless of the fact that he was powerless to save them from their difficulties. We find him trying to give a biscuit to a starving slave. He was very restless with seeing the world in white and black. His entry into Africa was more of an adventure than most of his fellow Europeans who went there to loot in the name of civilization. To some level, he felt sorry on seeing the way the natives were treated. For instance, Kurtz explains his treatment of the natives as “suppression” and “extermination,” which points to the fact that he rules by brutality and intimidation. As he traveled to Congo, Marlow met many people of European origin. These people were willing to do anything to make ends meet. The Europeans were violent, towards the Africans, for instance, we can recall the case of the man who died, Fresleven, and Marlow was to replace him. He was beating up a chief before the chief’s son stabbed him to death. 3. How are Marlow and Kurtz alike and different? Why does Marlow feel a kinship with Kurtz? Marlow was less interested in Kurtz, when he first heard about him. When he finally met him, he was much excited, and he even says that the journey was about meeting him. Kurtz declines to go back to Europe so that he can remain in Africa, something that even Marlow cannot think of. Kurtz was a childish and a helpless person who wanted to be powerful and wealthy. These were a total contrary to Marlow who never had have such thoughts. When he was about to die and shouted the words, “The horror, the horror” Marlow thought that he was coming to his self-sense and self-understanding of self. He knew that Kurtz was partying with his repulsive acts and was ready to be a transformed man. The two had many similarities, for instance, they both hailed from the upper middle class white European families. They both are obsessed. For Kurtz, he was preoccupied with acquiring as much ivory as he could while Marlow was obsessed with coming to the African continent. The two men had powerful connections which helped them get jobs, Marlow for instance got hisjob through the influence of the aunt. 4. Why are all the heads but one facing Kurtz’s house? Does this explain anything about the way Kurtz feels about the natives? About the way he influences people? This exemplifies Kurtz brutality towards the natives. He was ready to do anything, even if it meant to kill to meet his desires. This indicates that indeed Kurtz is mad. It is clear that Kurtz had no concern for the natives. Imagine heads being hung on the poles in a person’s compound. I can say that this was also a sign of intimidation for the natives. Resident who would have thought of rebelling did not need to be reminded of the consequences but only had to look at the heads on Kurtz’s fence. This also demonstrated the extent of Kurtz authority in Congo. This is indeed horrific as he mentions in his last words before dying. 5. What is Kurtz’s report titled? What is the postscript? Does this explain anything? “Request for International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs.” Marlow read the report by Kurtz to the international community about suppressing of savage customs. The report, according to Marlow, is filled with brave sentiments. Later he is shocked when he notices that the same Kurtz had written that, “Exterminate all the brutes.” This is a total opposite of the whole report. It clearly pinpoints who Kurtz is. This was the same evil man whose fence posts had the heads of his opponents. The evil in him had not died out, but he was hiding that in the good writing that he possessed. 6. What do the old women knitting symbolize? Do they remind you of any fictitious characters? How do they set the mood for the rest of the story? We are introduced to the two women at the time Marlow arrived at the office. One of the ladies was fat, and the another one slim. They are both knitting with black wool. In reality, black color symbolizes death. In this instance, the black wool symbolizes the difficult journey that Marlow is about to start. Besides, it can as well represent the imperialism or death images of empire-building. These women remind me of Fates from the Greek myths. The three women in the myth, Clotho, the spinner of the thread of life, the measurer, Lachesis, who was also responsible for choosing a person’s kind of life and its length and finally Atropos who was responsible for cutting through the thread of life with scissors. They set the mood for the rest of the story especially as we encounter the journey of Marlow that was faced with lots of struggles. 7. Why doesn’t Marlow tell Kurtz’s fiancé what his real final words were? Does the fiancé symbolize anything? After the death of Kurtz, Marlow lies to his girlfriend. Kurtz last word were “The Horror, The Horror” but instead Marlow lies to Kurtz fiancé that his last word were his name.it was just for Marlow to lie. This is because book, The Heart of Darkness was published over one hundred years ago at a time when women were treated ordinarily. He meant to save the fiancé from more suffering. In the book we noted that even from the talk of the narrator the women lived in a secluded world not understanding the state of things as the existed an thus there was no reason to tell the fiancé the actual words spoken by Kurtz. It evident that the fiancé significantly shows the place of women then. They were viewed as second-hand citizens who were not justified to know the reality. 8. Who is narrating this story? Why do you think the story is framed in this way? In the beginning, Conrad uses an unidentified narrator who was listening to Marlow on the deck of Nellie. Conrad uses the unidentified narrators to permit narrations, more flexing and more links of the literary muscles. Marlow is the one telling the story. This is evident because we experience him telling about his journey and describing to us how Africans were treated. We also experience clear petite lines about Marlow’s voice with the intrinsic equivalency to Kurtz. This setting was very critical to Conrad’s entire books agenda. In some situations, Marlow was not in position to tell his experiences in Congo, for example, examining the following lines it gave me the notion of an exotic Immensity ruled by an august Benevolence.” These lines emphasize Marlow’s incapability to obtain the exact meaning of what he came across in Congo. Marlow narrated about the occurrences, what he came across and heard in the places he visited, such as Congo 9. What was Kurtz’s report titled? What was it subtitled? What does the title suggest about Kurtz? The report was titled, “Request for International Society for The Suppression of Savage Customs.” It had a subtitle that “Exterminate all the brutes.” Marlow writes of this report: “…It was a beautiful piece of writing. The opening paragraph, however, in the light of the following information, strikes me now as ominous. He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived at, ‘must necessarily appear to them [savages] like supernatural beings–we approach them with the might as of a deity'” (page 111 of Heart of Darkness). According to the report, Kurtz proposed that they appeared like gods to the Congolese and he built himself some gods among the Congolese to enable him harness them. The report illustrates Kurtz as a wicked man, than even the devil by suggesting that the residents of the are murdered. This came after he had written about how the residents of that area should be treated with care. Questions set # 2: “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gillman; “The Story of an Hour” Chopin “Desiree’s Baby” Chopin Commentary by Glibert/Gubar 1. Why yellow wallpaper? What things are bad and yellow? The Yellow wallpaper in the narrator’s house is used to describe the dissatisfaction the narrator had in her house. She sought to identify the form in which the wallpaper was in with the ad color, yellow. Later on, we realize that it was a representation of the mental depression that she was undergoing due to being forbidden to do what she wanted to do what she wanted to best. For instance, she wanted to associate with her friends and write but her husband suggested the “Rest Cure.” The wallpaper was indeterminate but as she continued to observe it, she realized that in it, there was a trapped woman who was trying to free herself. This image actually represents the narrator herself as she is in search of freedom from her doctor and husband. It was like she was living in a cage which she needed to be rescued and get out of it, but her husband was always winning arguments, by asserting that he is a doctor. The bad things and yellow in the story are: The family structure. In this instance, women are restrained from expressing their mind, and they are somewhat like in a cage. For instance, the narrator is limited from writing by her brother and husband. Besides, medicine is another restriction. The doctor recommends a treatment which would worsen the state of the patient. But the patient’s desires are not considered. The doctor in this case, the narrator’s husband recommends the “rest cure,” which is not helpful for the patient. Finally, the traditions are yellow. They constrain women by equally assuming that women are like second class citizens. Men play active roles while women are only there to be directed on what to do as well as on what is right and wrong. 2. How are “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Metamorphosis” alike? How are Gregor and this narrator alike? The metamorphosis and the yellow wallpaper are similar in some ways. For example, the ways in which they treat their main characters are the same. In both narratives, the minds of the main characters are in search of freedom, which is primarily found through the death of their former lives. In the “Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator moved into a house that she did not like with her husband. The wallpaper was awful but she got obsessed with it. On noticing that there is a trapped woman in it, she tries to free her but she eventually realize that she is actually the one after becoming insane and began crawling in the room. In the Metamorphosis, Gregor looks onto his slow deteriorate. As the author recounts the day, he got up and realized that he was a bug and not a human being anymore. He struggled to go ahead to open the door. Eventually, the death of Gregor allowed for the family to continue with their life. He stopped eating so that he can evade from them, (p.825). Just like the narrator who was to remain in the room and rest, Gregor, after turning into a bug, always resided in the house and crawled on the walls. Gregor’s captivity led to his final death just like narrator’s alienation led to her loss of mind. The themes of acquiring freedom and deterioration appear to make a significant part of both authors. 3. How does the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” view her husband? Does she agree with his diagnosis and treatment? What is the central irony of the story? The narrator sought freedom but her husband was restricting her. He prescribed rest for his wife, and even bars her from seeing her baby. The husband suggested the cure in remedy for her state of depression, but the narrator rebelled. She views her husband as a torturer since the prescription he grants her as well as the rules in the house worsen her life every day. Eventually, this led to her insanity. She even resolves to run away, as seen in the woman on the wall, who was trying to leave but was trapped. As the story unfolds, we see her crawl over her fainted husband and says, “I’ve got out at last out at last, in spite of you and Jane” 4. What is a feminist reading of “The Yellow Wallpaper”? What aspects of “The Yellow Wallpaper” would appeal to feminist critics? This narrative is hugely on the role of women in the society and the struggles they go through as a result of the unapproved traditions, medicine and family. The attributes that would appeal to feminist critics include the inferiority of women in marriage unions. In this state, women are subjected to a childish state of ignorance, as illustrated in the story that women are restrained from writing, and their movements are equally restricted by their husbands. The treatment of women as inferior citizens is a clear pointer of the criticisms to the feminists. For instance, in this narrative, the narrator is trapped in a house which was a former nursery, and she cannot do anything. Women are denied their self-identity which the narrator often searches for. The need for freedom for women must have compelled Gilman to compose this story. The other attribute of feminist criticisms are the traditions that deprive women of their humanity and at the same time warrants men to a great deal. For instance, the narrator is restrained from writing by her brother and husband. it is thereby clear that women are to be ignorant with no empowerment and knowledge to thrive in. 5. Does Armand know about his own mother’s Negro ancestry before he courted and married Desiree? What supports your view? Armand was not aware of the mother’s Negro ancestry before courting and marrying Desiree. In the story, we learn that Armand found a letter after Desiree had left, never to be seen again. In the letter, his mother had written to his father revealing to him that she is the one who is partially black. His mother was slightly black since the mother was African. This outraged Armand and he burned all letters including those he had received form Desiree while they were courting. This indicates that initially, he did not know about the origin of his mother while he was courting Desiree. This line from the story reveals it all, “But above all,” she wrote, “night and day, I thank the good God for having so arranged that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.” (Chopin). The ways in which he treated his wife and allowing her to leave implies that he did not know of his mother’s origin. As a matter of fact, he accused Desiree for having an African background. 6. Does learning about his family secret explain why Armand is so much crueler to his slaves than his father was? How/why? Armand’s family secret, Chopin hints at his brutality towards his slaves and constructs a clear parallel between his attitude towards his slaves and his wife, who was by the legal code of the era barely higher than property. While as his father is described as indulgent and easy going, Armand lives too strictly in accordance to the social morals of his time and not truly by the true moral code. Regardless of her name, Desiree is only desired in so far as his standards are surpassed, and he burns wedding Corneille. This is a physical indication of the destruction of their marriage wedding vows, in which he seemingly would have promised to revere and care for her until death. In this manner, his passionate love manifests itself to be undeserving and shallow. Chopin projects the final revelation of Armand’s biracial background throughout the narrative as she repeatedly links Desiree with white imagery with emphasizing Armand’s darkness. When Desiree makes an appearance in the story, she is resting in “soft white muslin and laces,” and was dressed in “thin white garments” throughout the story. When she asks Armand if she would go, Chopin describes her as “silent, white, (and) motionless,” and as she speaks, her hand appears darker compared to that of her husband. By contrast, Armand has a “dark handsome face,” and consequently, the reversal is not necessarily surprising when he reads his mother’s letter and finds out the truth on the source of his son’s African blood. 7. How do you feel about Desiree’s final choice? Is suicide an understandable choice, or is she simply a weak character? What other options did she have? Should she have returned to her family? What pros and cons would there be to such a choice? I feel sorrowful for Desiree’s eventual choice, walking into the swamp with the child and dying. From the story, we understand that her mother, Madame Valmonde, cold have been happy taking her back and the baby, but as we read in the story, it is apparent that she cherished Armand so much. These love drove her to death. It was impossible for her to imagine life without him. In addition, the feeling of rejection by someone one loves, and being pushed away by him with her child compelled her to this decision. Aside, Desiree was abandoned by her parents when she was young. Thereby, it was impossible to retrace her roots. In this case, she felt as if she knew nothing about herself. All these factors, combined, resulted in her resolution to die. 8. What did you think of the ending of The Story of an Hour? What did she die of? The ending of the story is a typical fake-out. The narrative started with Mr. Mallard’s death, but he eventually ends up alive. This is a total reverse since he started out as dead and the story ends while he is alive. On the other hand, Mrs. Mallard, and whose life her friends tried to protect so much at the beginning of the story comes to an end. The doctors reportedly said, “when the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease – of joy that kill” (23). From this sentence, it is clear that she is dead and the doctors say that she died due to the joy that kills. The joy she had after the resurrection of her husband back to life led to her death. This scenario proved how much she loved Mr. Mallard, her husband. 9. Why were Mrs. Mallard’s friends so worried about breaking the news of her husband’s death to her? This is the condition that we need to understand for all the proceedings to come by as well as being a piece of characterization. The fact that Mrs. Mallard had a weak heart deviates the way everybody has to coordinate himself to her. She had to be handled with a considerable caution and moderation so that her heart does not suffer a shock. In essence, getting a shock at any point in time would lead to her death. This results in endless dramatic tensions. Having a weak heart implied that she was to be handled with utmost care since she could die quickly.