Finals preparation

Dear class,

Sorry I didn't get this post up sooner. I know you have to pick and choose what you concentrate on from class to class.

The final this semester is an assessment of these things via multiple choice:

• correct application of literary terms: notably three recognized forms of irony, but also the range of terms that apply to drama (hubris, deus ex machina, chorus, protagonist, etc. as well as the unities and the structure of classic tragedy), and fiction (structure and features of literary works, such as characterization, plot, allusion, setting & atmosphere)
• knowledge of each author's life and environment, especially as they apply to his work. I'm including Shakespeare with Aldous Huxley, Charles Dickens, Sophocles, and Joseph Conrad.
• recognition of syntactic structure: parallelism, fragments, periodic sentences and the like (don't freak out: there aren't too many questions of this type)

We've put off the timed write until the new semester. Bring your Hamlet scripts, though, because we'll use any remaining time after the multiple choice to work Act III.

There will be several Hamlet questions on the test, but no one with a good understanding of the play as we've studied it so far will stub any toes on them.

I was behind on my class records, but have them just about up to date now. I'll be sending out progress reports as pdf's tomorrow a.m.

See you on Thursday.

JD

Ideological map of Elsinore

Philosophy is a means of establishing order and purpose in a bewildering world, and perhaps establish a guiding principle for one's actions. One need not be a philosopher nor even think consciously about it in order to have a philosophy. Speech and actions reflect

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy…" says Hamlet to his practical friend (I,v). The Prince is probably hardest to pin down—his world is out of balance and he struggles to make sense of it, to decide what he should do.

It's worth a try to understand Hamlet's changing view of his world by considering his views and the views of those around him. Choose two of the major characters of Shakespeare's tragedy and discuss them in light of their philosophy.

Claudius, Gertrude and King Hamlet

Claudius, Gertrude and King Hamlet

Hamlet draws his general condemnation of women's fidelity from his mother Gertrude's "incestuous" marriage with the despised Claudius. I think we can assume that the Prince never cared much for his uncle, but by now he has grown to hate the man who replaced his idolized and adored father both as King and as husband to Gertrude.

The Ghost complains of "my most seeming-virtuous Queen," who fell for the blandishments of an "adulterate beast" of a brother whose "witchcraft of wit" and "traitorous gifts" stole her heart and loyalty away. Young Hamlet also takes a share in the Ghost's assessment of Claudius: a satyr in comparison with the Hyperion that was King Hamlet.

Let's examine the evidence in the play to build a character study of the late King of Denmark. Look at the Ghost's words, Horatio's dialogue with Marcellus, Hamlet's private thoughts in his first soliloquy and brief exchange with Horatio…etc. What sort of man, King, husband and father was King Hamlet?

Look then at what you know of Claudius beyond Hamlet's disdain and loathing: what qualities in him attracted Gertrude in the first place, and why? Why did she not adore King Hamlet as his son did?

This will take some thought. You might be smart to make a first entry assessing King Hamlet, then return a day later and post a comment on Gertrude and Claudius.

We'll have a lot to talk about on Wednesday.

Don thy inky cloaks

Dear class,

Just a reminder that for Friday you should wear "customary suits of solemn black" to class. It behooves us to affect "the trappings and the suits of woe" in Hamlet's honor.

Don't fail the Melancholy Dane.

Yrs trly,

JD

I was just sewing in my closet when…

Re-read these lines from Act II Scene 1, then hypothethize an explanation for Hamlet's behavior on his visit to Ophelia's "closet" (and Polonius's response to it). Is this an example of his new "antic disposition?" Is Polonius in any way correct in his interpretation? Can Hamlet be serious? What does he mean to "say" to Ophelia?

LORD POLONIUS

How now, Ophelia! what’s the matter?

OPHELIA

O, my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!

LORD POLONIUS

With what, i’ the name of God?

OPHELIA

My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
No hat upon his head; his stockings foul’d,
Ungarter’d, and down-gyved to his ankle;
Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell
To speak of horrors—he comes before me.

LORD POLONIUS

Mad for thy love?

OPHELIA

My lord, I do not know;
But truly, I do fear it.

LORD POLONIUS

What said he?

OPHELIA

He took me by the wrist and held me hard;
Then goes he to the length of all his arm;
And, with his other hand thus o’er his brow,
He falls to such perusal of my face
As he would draw it. Long stay’d he so;
At last, a little shaking of mine arm
And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He raised a sigh so piteous and profound
As it did seem to shatter all his bulk
And end his being: that done, he lets me go:
And, with his head over his shoulder turn’d,
He seem’d to find his way without his eyes;
For out o’ doors he went without their helps,
And, to the last, bended their light on me.

LORD POLONIUS

Come, go with me: I will go seek the king.
This is the very ecstasy of love,
Whose violent property fordoes itself
And leads the will to desperate undertakings
As oft as any passion under heaven
That does afflict our natures. I am sorry.
What, have you given him any hard words of late?

OPHELIA

No, my good lord, but, as you did command,
I did repel his fetters and denied
His access to me.

LORD POLONIUS

That hath made him mad.
I am sorry that with better heed and judgment
I had not quoted him: I fear’d he did but trifle,
And meant to wreck thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!
By heaven, it is as proper to our age
To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions
As it is common for the younger sort
To lack discretion. Come, go we to the king:
This must be known; which, being kept close, might move
More grief to hide than hate to utter love.

Exeunt

Make sure your thesis is specific & concrete

Amber Crofts writes:

Mr. Duncan,
Thought I would run this by you:

Those w ho believe in the torch and sword, including Marlow, learn that
their fate is not up to them and can change through the experiences
they encounter in the Congo.

See you tomorrow,
Amber

Dear Amber,
The problem with this thesis is that it's too vague. It's the way you finish it: "their fate is not up to them and can change through the experiences
they encounter in the Congo." You must spell out what their fate is and what those experiences are. Expressions like "can change" leave too much room for doubt and speculation, and make your path to a conclusion more difficult for you.
What do you want to say about "the torch and the sword"? Is the concept good or bad, real or false?
You were interested in Marlow's fate and Kurtz's fate and Fresleven's fate. All of them undergo internal change, spiritual change. Kurtz shucks his principles for ivory and supremacy. Fresleven goes from gentle and quiet to exasperated and brutish, and dead. Marlow's faith is shaken—perhaps destroyed—along with his health. Something infects them all, and it all starts in that creepy office in the "sepulchral city."
Your thesis should be strong and specific, and should lead to an informed discussion of these issues.
JD

Another thesis exchange

Kirsten Myers writes:

Mr. Duncan,
Here is what I have thus far,it is my first two paragraphs. I was struggling to figure out a hook, so if you have any ideas that would be great.
Also, I feel like I know what I want to say, but I am not sure my thesis nails it on the spot. Anyways just give them a read through, and it would be splendid
if you could respond with any feed back. Also, I highlighted my would-be thesis.
Thanks, Kirsten

In Heart of Darkness, Joesph Conrad writes of the imperialism in19th century Europe, and its utter raping of the continent of Africa, specifically the Congo. His descriptions terrorize, disgust and amaze the reader; painting the Congo as an impressionist would, each little dot combining to give a bigger picture, indefinite and sharp at once. Conrad's masterpiece creates a metaphor for the savagery of "civilized" European society, blending the line between imperialist and victim through the character Kurtz. A insane and conversely brilliant man, Kurtz, is the pivotal character of the novella, whom Conrad utilizes to convey his message about civilization. Within Conrad's metaphor the reader recognizes the influence of colonization in modern society, The eyes of the narrator, Marlow, the reader is given the unforgettable image of the Congo, reveling in the destruction of imperialism, amid all of it's wilderness.
When given his mission in to the heart of Africa, Marlow, captaining a steamboat on the Congo, is told to find Kurtz. What Marlow hears of Kurtz captivates and intrigues him. Kurtz a man who has"no restraint, no restraint," is incredibly different from the men Marlow firsts encounters in the Congo; men with titles like "brickmaker", "manager", "chief", men who have "nothing inside bet a little loose dirt, maybe". These men are enthralled by the ivory, the money to be made in Africa, men who "grabbed what they could, for the sake of what was to be got". These men want to pilage what they can from the Congo, with no ownership to the terror; wanting the evil to be away from themselves, impersonal. But Kurtz, he is different. Everything Kurtz encounters is his, "my intended, my ivory, my station, my river", his evils completely personal. After all, this is the man who exclaimed "Exterminate the Brutes!" in his own writing. In present society, men are more often in the imperialists with the titles, interested in money, not completely involved, and distant to the true consequences, like the bankers on Wall Street

.It's rough, and I promise I plan to work on it!

Dear Kirsten,

Your opening is interesting and adventurous, if rough. I can't really find a thesis in it, though. I'm looking in particular at the way you end each of your paragraphs:

• 1. Conrad's masterpiece creates a metaphor for the savagery of "civilized" European society, blending the line between imperialist and victim through the character Kurtz. A insane and conversely brilliant man, Kurtz, is the pivotal character of the novella, whom Conrad utilizes to convey his message about civilization. Within Conrad's metaphor the reader recognizes the influence of colonization in modern society, The eyes of the narrator, Marlow, the reader is given the unforgettable image of the Congo, reveling in the destruction of imperialism, amid all of its wilderness.
• 2. In present society, men are more often in the imperialists with the titles, interested in money, not completely involved, and distant to the true consequences, like the bankers on Wall Street.

Your thesis is concerned with the imperialism of (sophisticated) European civilization, that much is clear. At some point (in a footnote or a body paragraph), you're going to have to define that term for the purposes of your essay. Up front, you should spell out what Conrad's message about civilization is, because that's going to provide the foundation of your thesis.

Side notes: whatever the power of the Congo wilderness, it didn't destroy imperialism. In Conrad's book, it's bigger than the imperialists, including Kurtz, but the Manager and his sort survive and have their way. The history of the Congo up to this minute is testimony to the harm they did. Also I'm not sure of your characterization of Kurtz as "insane and conversely brilliant." That might need adjusting.

Back to your thesis: I think you wish to establish a link between the "flabby devils" and the manipulators of Wall Street whose greed led to the financial collapse of 2008-2009. That's a legitimate connection that in some way your thesis must anticipate if you want to make it stick. It seems to me that I saw a sentence yesterday that I don't see in these two paragraphs, a sentence that came close to expressing what you want to express. Am I wrong?

Marlow says that all Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz. You suggest he's at once victim and perpetrator. If he's Conrad's metaphor for the failure of civilization (I'm taking a liberty with that), the key lies in his 17 page report and the scrawled note you allude to. Kurtz's fall is a tremendous one, from the height of his imperialist boast to the impenetrable depth of the abyss that Marlow peeks into. And he embodies the concept of the sword accompanied by the sacred flame. His failure is the failure of the civilized world to redeem its territorial lust with humanity.

Do these mental ramblings point toward the thesis you wish to express?

JD

Two-sided conversation Part 2

Lindsay Slater writes:
Mr. Duncan,
Thanks! It does make sense, but it's dense, and I'll have to read through it more than once. I particularly appreciate your warning that Marlow's loyalty and kinship to Kurtz are limited by Kurtz' true nature. He hopes for the ultimate ideal, but doesn't find it. I'll be in contact about structure as I flesh the paper out.
If the second message I sent you was the starting of a thesis, would this be better?
Original: Conrad exposes the desire to discover a validity about the humanitarian façade in the 19^th century through Marlow’s loyalty to Kurtz.
2.0: Conrad exposes Marlow's desire to discover virtue in the humanitarian facade of colonialism through his search and loyalty to Kurtz.
Thank you for taking time on your break to respond. I've been chewing on this essay assignment for a while, and have only just broken through. I suggest that all students from our class talk to students from Hardin's classes because they analyzed Heart of Darkness differently.
Lindsay
PS Go ahead and post what you like on the blog. I'm interested to see what learning opportunity you see in this conversation.

Dear Lindsay,
Take your idea further: Despite his protestations, Marlow's experience with both kinds of devils—the Kurtz kind and the Manager kind—demolishes his faith in the humanitarian façade that only screens the true nature of the European "squeeze" of Africa.
The main thing is to make a definitive statement. Kurtz, who makes the most noise about the noble mission of the white European in Africa, becomes more gangster than virtuous savior when he's put to the test. With complete freedom to do as he pleases, he abandons his principles and sets himself up as a demigod who debases his "subjects."
Anyway, chew on that a little.
JD

A thesis question and a response—Jump in with your own!

Beloved students,

Here's a note from Lindsay Slater about her Heart of Darkness essay, along with my response. If you wish to comment on either, or pose ideas and questions for me and your classmates, please do so.

JD

JD,
I'm mostly sending this e-mail to get a line of communication open.
I've sure got a topic for my paper, but I feel like - especially by missing the last day of class - that I'm having trouble looking "beyond the immediate plot and world of the work of fiction you’re analyzing".
I'm particularly intrigued by the relationship between Marlow and Kurtz, a central topic and not particularly arguable by itself. But if one looks at it in terms of the quote "You are the new gang - the gang of virtue." (I, 60) referring to Marlow and Kurtz, then the motive of Marlow can be drawn into question. I think that he is looking for a defense of humanitarianism, or someone that had "an idea at the back of it".
I'm just afraid that I'll get bogged down writing this at Marlow's level. Because I feel confused about Conrad's purpose. At many points I feel as though it is partly an attempt to make us feel as though we are Marlow, but then why? Or he wanted to write the opposite of a fable and make us hunt for universal truths that are partly illuminated by human behavior. Did you discuss purpose that Friday?
I would really appreciate some guidance. I have a few body paragraphs, but they are comparable to the activity we did in class and only relevant to the topic.
Lindsay

PS: Amy Tang and I had a most insightful conversation. Here's progress.

Conrad exposes the desire to discover a validity about the humanitarian façade in the 19^th century through Marlow’s loyalty to Kurtz.

It sounds pretty.

Dear Lindsay,
I think you and Amy are on a good track. If you look over the early pages, you'll see that both narrators—Marlow and the unnamed passenger on board the Nellie—go to great pains to establish a humanitarian aspect to the colonial impulse. They are more poetic and less grandiose than Kurtz in his 17 page report, but the idea is the same. "Gang of virtue" is a great way to put it: an organized group of criminals who profess high moral standards. Now I don't see Marlow as a criminal, but I do see him as a good man who believes in virtue but finds its opposite behind the mask of civilization.
In other words: I think Marlow wants to believe in the redeeming virtue of humanity more than he really does. If Kurtz, to whom he remains loyal, is a sham then so is the whole thing. Ordinary people cannot assume the aspect of "supernatural beings" without succumbing to corruption and brutality, as Fresleven and Kurtz do. Kurtz takes his place "among the high devils of the land." Marlow turns to him for relief from the spectacle of the petty, cold and grasping devils of the Manager/Brickmaker type, but he can't deny that Kurtz proved to be a devil. In the end, Marlow has no evidence that anything but inhumanity and degradation can come from subjugating and debasing a foreign people. The only true "kinship" of an absolutely pure nature he experiences is the sort he feels with just those debased people. The kinship Marlow feels with Kurtz is for the mixed potential of a man (in Kurtz's case, maybe a genius) for greatness and depravity. You may be attracted by the greatness, follow blindly like the Russian, then end up mired in depravity.
Does that make sense?

JD

PS: I think I'm going to post your note and my reply on the blog.