OTHS British Literature – Unit 4 – Flashcards
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Who are the five men on the Nellie?
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the Director of Companies, the lawyer, the accountant, the narrator, and Marlow
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Describe in detail the setting where the story begins.
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on the Thames River in a boat called the Nellie, where Marlow is spinning tales
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Who is the narrator of the story?
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an anonymous sailor on the Nellie
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Describe Marlow's physical appearance.
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ascetic aspects, sunken cheeks, yellow complexion, and wind struck features
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The narrator describes the recent history of the Thames. What are some of the activities of the men who have sailed out, from the mouth of the river?
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treasure hunting, pirates, sailors
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How does the narrator describe the River Thames?
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tranquil, beautiful, peaceful, old
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What effect does Conrad achieve by alluding to the pirates Francis Drake and John Franklin?
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he's giving the reader an idea of an image of the people coming down the Thames River
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How is Marlow different from typical seamen?
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he's a wanderer
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Who helps Marlow get a job with the Company?
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his aunt
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Where does Marlow go to sign the company contract and to be examined by the company doctor?
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Belgium
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Who is Marlow's predecessor and how does he die?
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Fresleven, who was killed in a fight over some hens
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What simile does Conrad use for the mighty river that Marlow wants to explore?
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an uncoiled snake
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As he travels on a French steamer to his new post, how does Marlow describe the coast?
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mysterious
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On the steamer Marlow observes a French warship firing at the coastline. What does this scene suggest about what the rest of the story will entail?
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battle with unknown colonizing Europeans
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How does Marlow describe the scene upon arrival to his Company's station?
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a waste of excavations, desolate, and inhabited devastation
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Why does Marlow call the chief accountant a "miracle"?
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he kept his sanity
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What does Marlow learn about Kurtz from the accountant?
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he runs an ivory trading company and is affiliated with the inner post
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How does Marlow get from the first station to the Central Station?
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he walks
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What does Marlow learn about his steamboat when he arrives to the Central Station?
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it sunk to the bottom of the river
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How does Marlow describe the general manager at the Central Station?
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ordinary but made him feel uneasy
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What is the name of the group of white men led by the manager's uncle?
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Eldorado Exploring Expedition
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What does Marlow like about his hard work repairing the steamboat?
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it keeps him from letting in the "darkness"
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How is the Eldorado Exploring Expedition a contrast to Marlow's mission with the steamboat?
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it lacks morals
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What does Marlow need to complete the repairs on the steamboat?
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rivets
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What does Marlow learn about Kurtz when he overhears the station manager talking to his uncle?
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he's sick and plans to become manager
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What is significant about the image Marlow begins to develop of Kurtz?
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he begins to appreciate his craziness and sanity and respects him
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Who accompanies Marlow on his journey to the inner station?
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manager, pilgrims, cannibals
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What is the prevailing metaphor Marlow uses to describe traveling up the river?
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traveling back to the earliest ages of time
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How do the African crew members help Marlow?
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they push the boat and help it keep running
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What metaphor is used for the steamboat as it moves up the river?
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a sluggish beetle crawling on the floor of a lofty portico
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How is the steamboat attacked?
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arrows from natives on the shore
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Who is the only person to die when the natives attack the steamboat and how is he killed?
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the helmsman is hit with a spear in the side by a native because he tried to fire at them
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How does Marlow frighten the Africans on the shore and stop the attack?
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he blows his whistle over and over and over again
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Why does Marlow dispose of the helmsmen's body so quickly?
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he wants to save him from being eaten by the cannibals
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What mysterious book does Marlow find at a station fifty miles below Kurtz's station?
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An Inquiry into some Points of Seamanship
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Describe the man who greets Marlow at the Inner Station.
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Russian trader who is dressed like a harlequin
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Marlow thought there were notes written in code in the book he found. What was this"cipher"?
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Russian
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Why do the surroundings seem prehistoric to Marlow?
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they are uncivilized with a lack of any technology, unlike the uninhabited parts of England
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The steamboat anchors for the night eight miles below Kurtz's station. What troubling events happen in the morning?
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a thick fog settles and there are eerie sounds
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What does Marlow mean when he says that women must be helped to "stay in that beautiful world of their own" (121)?
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he wants women to remain innocent to balance the evil associated with masculinity
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Kurtz wrote a pamphlet for what organization?
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International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs
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What surprising sentence did Kurtz add to his pamphlet long after he wrote it?
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"Exterminate all the brutes!"
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The Russian says, "I had gone so far that I don't know how I'll ever get back" (129). What does this mean literally and symbolically?
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he's in so far over his head that all he can do now is keep moving forward, he doesn't know how he'll return to Russia and is also referring to the mindset of the jungle
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When Marlow asks what Kurtz had traded for ivory, what does the Russian reply?
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he raided the villages with the help of natives
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Why did Kurtz threaten to shoot the young Russian?
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he wouldn't give him his small portion of ivory
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What does the Russian tell Marlow about Kurtz's recent activities?
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he's become deathly ill
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What does Marlow suddenly realize about the knobs on the posts by the building and the symbolic meaning they may have?
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they're the skulls of murdered rebels and serve as a warning to others
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As Marlow talks with the Russian, a group of men suddenly appears with a stretcher. What happens next?
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natives charge them to protect Kurtz, but he talks to them so that they will back down
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Describe the physical appearance of the woman who walks up along the river and describe what she does.
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she is decorated with beautiful beads, she frolics along the shoreline and stops to look at the boat and then retreats back into the forest
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When Kurtz is very ill, Marlow says that the manager "considered it necessary to sigh, but neglected to be consistently sorrowful" (138). What does he mean?
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he should be sadder, but he is happy to see Kurtz out of the Company since he's been mad at him lately
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What does Marlow do when he discovers that Kurtz has left his sickbed?
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he goes to find him and makes him come back to the ship with him
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Why does Marlow believe Kurtz's soul has gone mad?
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he lacks self-restraint when it comes to ivory and making money
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Why don't the pilgrims want Marlow to blow the steamboat whistle as they take Kurtz and the ivory away?
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it will scare the natives
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Marlow believes that the dark wilderness has cast a spell over Kurtz. What is the effect of this spell?
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Kurtz body looks like it is made of ivory and his beliefs/morals have changed
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What shakes Kurtz's confidence in returning to a glorious welcome in Europe?
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his boat breaks down
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What does Kurtz entrust to Marlow?
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a bundle of papers and a picture
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Why does Marlow consider Kurtz's last words a victory?
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Kurtz finally is aware of the evil around him and all the sins he has committed
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What is the significance of Kurtz's dying words?
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Kurtz realizes where he went wrong in life
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Explain what Marlow means when he says, "I have wrestled with death" (148).
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he has toyed with the darkness of the jungle and his near death experiences there
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Who are the three visitors who try to get Kurtz's papers from Marlow when he returns to Europe?
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Marlow's cousin, journalist, Company person
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What are the eerie physical details associated with the Intended and her drawing room?
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dark and gloomy
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When the Intended extends her arms as if after a retreating figure, what does Marlow think of and why?
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the native woman, Kurtz's mistress, who makes the same gesture
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When the Intended asks about Kurtz's last words, what does Marlow say and why?
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her name, because he doesn't want her to know that he died in vain
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When was Wordsworth's "The World Is Too Much with Us" written?
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during the Industrial Revolution
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What is the problem identified in Wordsworth's "The World Is Too Much with Us"?
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we don't enjoy nature enough since we're consumed with materialism
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What is the solution identified in Wordsworth's "The World Is Too Much with Us"?
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we should enjoy nature
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How does Wordsworth's "The World Is Too Much with Us" relate to Heart of Darkness?
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Kurtz becomes consumed with materialism and making money
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How does Orwell feel about imperialism as expressed in his essay, "Shooting an Elephant"?
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he opposes it
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What is the thesis of Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"?
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"I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys."
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Why does Orwell shoot the elephant?
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he doesn't want to look like a fool
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How does Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" relate to Heart of Darkness?
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opposes colonialism
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In what way was Swift's "A Modest Proposal" satirical?
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it portrays the problem with solving everything with reason to fight against the ideals of the Age of Reason
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List the "advantages" of Swift's proposal.
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1-decreases number of Papists (Catholics) 2-helps tenants pay rent because they'd have something valuable 3-boosts economy 4-saves parents money 5-more business for taverns/restaurants 6-men wouldn't beat their wives 7-adds variety to food
