So we start off in Heart of Darkness with a wonderful(ha!) evening boat ride that has five people,including the narrator,on board.The narrator is listening to Marlow telling how as a young lad,he traveled up the Congo River on a Belgian steamship. Like the story with the elephant(Dumbo!), Marlow dislikes imperialism because of what it does to the colonizer,not what it does to the colonized.To me this is kind of silly;it's like writing on how bad a cop feels about giving out a ticket rather than the receiver of the ticket.
Anyway, a line that I really liked on page 10 where Marlow is describing his aunt,"It's queer how out of touch with truth women are.They live in a world of their own,and there had never been anything like it,and can never be". This line was interesting to me for two reasons.One,obviously, is that I'm a female and I did not appreciate this line.It's not my fault I'm out of touch,I can't work technology and I'm always too busy in the kitchen!It's great how although Marlow is against colonialism,he is still misogynistic.One step at a time I guess.Two was the fact that that line could be used on white imperialistic people in general.They are out of touch,whether it be not realizing the cruelty of their actions or failing to realize the good things that come out of different races and cultures.They live in a world of their own;they believe they are right,smart,civilized,great,basically are eurocentric.Although Marlow,or Conrad through Marlow, is trying to come off as a good person with a good lesson,he ends up looking like a pretentious loser.One who thinks they are better and kinder when in reality is just the same as every other misogynistic racist.
Important question:Who do you think would win in a fight between a grilled cheese sandwich and a taco?
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