Comparing Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness - 710 Words

The Importance of Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness Todays society contains stories that model the ideal life that each individual lives each day. Stories may shape our mind in creative and positive ways that may enlighten the road towards the future. They have been examples for us to survive by and thrive on for decades: in the past, and now, continuing in the future. People around the world have been told stories that may have influenced their lives in a unique way. Children long to be enlightened by stories that fill their young and fruitful minds, allowing thoughts and new ideas to be instilled. Throughout the worlds cultures and literature, stories have influenced the actions and morals of man with their underlying†¦show more content†¦Extricating the meaning and point of the story may be easily done or become an extremely arduous task. However, individuals are given the choice to accept this moral, or point, and apply it to their own lives. In the book Heart of Darkness, a story within a story is being told. The character, Marlow, is telling the story of Kurtz to legitimize his role in the events that are taking place. A downside to this approach is that the reader only hears rumors and accounts about this mysterious figure, Kurtz, before actually meeting him. Kurtz remains an unknown and enigmatic character in Marlows mind. However, Marlow has heard so much about him through the stories that have been shared that Kurtz seems to become a distant friend. I looked at him, lost in astonishment his very existence was improbable, inexplicable, and all together bewildering. (Conrad 90) At first Marlow was speechless to finally have met this seemingly idol. Yet, after having spent time with Kurtz and getting to know his character, Marlow finds out for himself that Kurtz really was not the person that the stories had described him to be. Heart of Darkness is an accurate example of how stories can be a negative impact upon an individual. An accumulation of false information can be deceiving, as well as, misgiving- and in Marlows case, disappointing. As told in the story Things Fall Apart, in Ibo culture, male and female storiesShow MoreRelatedComparing and Contrasting Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart1346 Words   |  6 Pagespre-colonial period. Things Fall Apart is a novel worth reading because it’s eye opener for those with not-very-positive stereotypes of the continent. In fact, it has been said that Things Fall Apart was written as a response to another novel, The Heart of Darkness. This is because in the latter novel, Africa was viewed in a darker light compared to the former novel. Thus, it’s natural that there will be differences and similarities between the two novels. However, assuming that Things Fall Apart being writtenRead More Comparing the Tragic Hero in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness1022 Words   |  5 PagesThe Tragic Hero in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness A tragic hero could be considered a noble person with a fatal flaw or an opponent of society who is willing to take action that sensible people might applaud but never perform themselves. In Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart and Joseph Conradss Heart of Darkness, two characters, Okonkwo and Kurtz, have some qualities which could categorize them as tragic heroes. However, only the readers interpretation of the charactersRead More Comparing and Contrasting the Role of Women in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness1129 Words   |  5 PagesRole of Women in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness       Women were once little more than slaves to their male betters. Some women might have been respected, but their places were limited to roles as wives and mothers. They might rule a home, but were not believed intelligent enough for any other role. This chauvinistic attitude is well reflected in the novels Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.    In Things Fall Apart, women are praisedRead MoreThings Fall Apart And Heart Of Darkness Analysis910 Words   |  4 PagesCompare Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart with Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness In everyday life, we are always comparing, even subconsciously with even knowing it. When we compare things, we look at what the similarities are in said items such as a popular brand or a generic one. Comparing things such as two literary works, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, both have a lot of similarities that we will look at. In Things Fall Apart, it is about a man namedRead MoreTragedy in Colonial Africa by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart1159 Words   |  5 PagesDarkness. It pervades every corner of this world, casting literal and metaphorical shadow over everything. Creeping in the hearts of humans, drifting across the night sky, under the bed, darkness is a terrifying, yet quintessential concept in our human mentality. And, as such, it presents itself in cultures and stories around the world to explain the unknown and the terrifying. Through the presentation of the struggle with internal and external â€Å"darkness,† both Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness andRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad And Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe890 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe both focus on the subject of colonialism and imperialism during the Scramble for Africa, however, Achebe’s novel is a direct response to the racism and the incomplete picture of Africa that Conrad creates. Heart of darkness is a story of Marlow, a steamboat captain, who witnesses the harsh treatment of the natives by the Belgian as he travels down the Congo River. Things Fall Apart tells of Okonkwo and his life in Nigeria andRead MoreThings Fall Apart vs. Heart of Darkness Essay1617 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican Colonization through Literature: Things Fall Apart Vs. Heart of Darkness History is an extraordinary mix of truth and fiction. The dichotomy that is bred from different historic al perspectives opens the eyes of those who study history to the semi-fabricated nature of much of humanities past. For most of recorded history, events have been recorded and retold through the eyes of the victors. Only recently have people had the opportunity to view both sides of issues. The Western practiceRead MoreHeart Of Darkness And Things Fall Apart1580 Words   |  7 PagesHeart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart illustrate the different ways of presenting Africa in literature. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad shows Africa through the perspective of the colonizing Europeans, who tend to depict all the natives as savages. In response to Conrad s stereotypical depiction of Africans, Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart through the point of view of the natives to show Africans, not as primitives, but as members of a thriving society. Things Fall Apart follows Okonk woRead MorePostcolonial Literature (Persepolis Things Fall Apart)1504 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿There are many different critical approaches to studying literature. With reference of both texts you have studied, show what you believe the value to be in using a particular critical approach. ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe and ‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi follow a postcolonial critical approach. Both books take place in a country considered politically inferior through western perspective and both texts, even though reinforce colonialists’ oppressive ideology, don’t stand completelyRead MoreComparing The Greek, Chinese, And The Christian Stories1738 Words   |  7 Pagesme and I would love to explore deeply into them through this paper. In this paper, I will be introducing their stories, giving a brief description of how the world came about in each myth, and what they mean to people and to me. I will also be comparing the myths, that the Greek and Chinese myths of creation stories came out of chaos, while for the Christian creation came out of nothing, using the Universal, Cultural, and Pedagogical methods/perspectives. The Greek story has a few versions to it