Heart of Darkness Essay

Many atrocities and monstrosities occur in this world on a daily basis. Many of these acts go unnoticed or unreported to the rest of the world. One such instance that went unreported to the rest of the world for a very long time is the exploitation and imperialism of the Congo in Africa. Many European rulers exclaimed at the opportunity to grab a portion of the riches made by exploiting the resources of the Congo. Along with this, many innocent civilians were killed and taken advantage of. The innocent Congo was raped of its vast resources. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the main character Marlow goes on a trip up the Congo River and is gravely effected by his encounters on this trip in a very negative way. In the excerpt from his novel, Conrad uses devices such as details, syntax, and diction to convey the immense physical and emotional effects the drowning trip had on the narrator. In the selection, Conrad employs the use of precise diction in order to portray the vast and unexplainable effects that the trip had on him. The excerpt starts off with Conrad describing the river and the air that surrounds it. He describes the air as being “warm, thick, heavy, sluggish.” These words all have a very slow and monotonous tone. Conrad uses these words on purpose in order to mirror the very dull and depressing mood that the Congo entails and also that the Congo makes the narrator feel. His choice of words shows that his emotions directly relates to the topography of his surroundings. Though he is describing the air, he is also describing the way he feels. He uses diction to portray the physical effects the Congo has on him. Later on in the selection, Conrad makes use of his word choices to help him describe the present stillness that always fills the Congo. He explains that the stillness is not peaceful but instead “the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention.” In this sentence, Conrad uses words such as “implacable,”