Language Itself is Power

There is a scene in the T.V. show "Freaks and Geeks" (I couldn't find the clip...) in which an  English teacher asks a student about the book they're reading in class. Kim, the student, responds, "On the Road is about...America... and being...on the road." Well, now that we've started Conrad, I sort of feel the same way. Kim Kelly's Jack Kerouac is my Joseph Conrad.

Admittedly, Heart of Darkness is one of the hardest books we've read this year- for me at least. But even though I find Conrad at times almost incomprehensibly dense, I still marvel at the complexity and elegance of his language. Furthermore, the fact that English was not Conrad's first language amazes me, because he has a unique talent for writing coloquially and also capturing the comlexities of subconscious thoughts on human nature. He reminded me of what James Joyce taught me in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: that language is a powerful art. I may not fully grasp Heart of Darkness yet, but I do think that Conrad has some pretty insightful, revealing observations about people that he communicates, intelligently, elegantly, and nobly, in his writing.

So, all I can really say about Heart of Darkness right now is that it's about...imperialism and...greedy Europeans and... did I mention imperialism? Okay, I understand it on a slightly deeper level than that. But despite Conrad's depth and complexity, I still appreciate the artfulness of his writing, and that counts for something in English class, right?

Comments

[Gianna P.]

I am in pretty much 100% agreement with this post. So far what I most like about the book is the language. I certainly don't understand what is happening a good percentage of the time, but even reading the words, there is a certain flow to Conrad's writing that is enough to keep me interested.

It's interesting that you mention Joyce, because I had a very similar reaction to Portrait; it was very dense and difficult to understand the material, but it was written in such an eloquent manner that I pushed through anyways.

Also... yay for "Freaks and Geeks!"

[Emma B.]

I agree completely as well. It's definitely a very difficult book to read, and it does seem to be mainly centered around imperialism as far as I can tell so far. Yet I do think that the language Conrad uses is really artful and intriguing on its own, which is 99% of why I am enjoying this book. It's always a pleasure to read something that is well-written and unique.
Also, I am so happy that you referenced that show, I love it!