Heart of Darkness Apocalypse Now Comparison Research Paper Example

Heart of Darkness Apocalypse Now Comparison Paper Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, written in 1902, deals with themes relating to the self-discovery of ones self and the hypocrisy of European imperialism in the late 19th century. Francis Ford Coppolas film, Apocalypse Now, successfully transferred the themes discussed in Heart of Darkness to a 20th century format-the Vietnam War. By doing so Coppola changed the way individuals looked at the novel written by Conrad. It leads them to realize the truth behind the darkness that blinded them from reality. The movie made individuals such as you and me look at the novel and closely examine the hypocrisy and colonization behind it. So Apocalypse Now captures this atmosphere, and in the meantime allows Hearts of Darkness to show us the torment required to bring forth such a vision of inhumanity. Marlows journey throughout the Congo can be divided into three sections: the outer station, central station, and the inner station. These three regions each have increasing levels of isolation and darkness. In Apocalypse Now the same three sections were used, however they were changed slightly to suit the Vietnam setting. The outer station was represented by Lieutenant Colonel Kilgores camp, central station was represented by the Du Lung Bridge, and Kurtzs compound in Cambodia, represents the inner station. In Conrads novel , the first of these stations was known as the Outer Station and was located near the beach. This was the point in the novel were Marlow met the accountant. The accountant in Conrads novel compares somewhat to the character in Apocalypse Now named Kilgore. You could say that they both dressed in the same manner because they were always dressed so nicely. But before Marlow got to the station he witnessed a French man-o-war firing into the desolate continent. This in a way compares to the way that Kilgore took over the beach by destroying all of its inhabitants. Although they are similar in some ways, they did have very different reasons for doing this. The French ship was firing because they supposedly saw some natives trying to attack their ship. Kilgore took the beach and killed most of its inhabitants just so he and his men could have a good time by going surfing. Although they seem different, they are still so similar because they are destroying human lives just for their entertainment. We will write a custom essay sample on Heart of Darkness Apocalypse Now Comparison specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Heart of Darkness Apocalypse Now Comparison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Heart of Darkness Apocalypse Now Comparison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In the movie between the first and second stations Coppola added something that make it a little more interesting and show us what they are like as they slowly drift further into the darkness and chaos. I am referring to when their patrolboat stopped a boat that contained Vietnamese civilians and supplies. Because a girl made a move towards a basket the soldiers panicked and started to fire wildly, killing everybody onboard. The girl was however only wounded, but Willard coldly executed her. This scene shows us that they were all starting to lose their humanity and turn into some sort of savages. It was like they were all being engulfed by the darkness, one at a time. The next stop in their journey is the Du Lung Bridge, the last military stronghold on the river. This last military outpost somewhat relates to the place in Conrads novel known as the Central Station. This was the place in the novel where Marlow first met the man known as the brickmaker. The brickmaker, as he is known, seems to be some sort of spy for the manager to see what kind of person Marlow is. In the end he mistakes Marlow for being a very important and influential person in Europe. The only similarity between this and Apocalypse Now happened when Willard was looking for the man in charge at the bridge. Because all of the soldiers thought he was an important person, they thought Willard was the leader. The next thing that happened in both the novel and the book was the death of some of their men in ambushes along the way to Kurtzs station. In the novel, the helmsmen died because he was hit with a spear. In the movie, the helmsmen, Chief Phillips is killed by a spear also, but there is also a death of another one of their comrades-Clean. He died in a surprise attack by the Vietcong. These are the points in both the novel and the movie where the characters Marlow and Willard start to lose it. Because Marlow refuses to recognize the black helmsmans humanity, he becomes even more savage. He also believes that the mission is lost. Willard also starts to lose hope in his mission to terminate Kurtz. After these tragic deaths, they finally come upon Kurtzs station where the harlequin is waiting for them. In the novel the harlequin is portrayed as a comical Russian in colorful clothing. In the movie he is portrayed as an American Photo Journalist. They both seem to think that Kurtz is some sort of god and is a man of great intelligence and intellectual thinking. Although after closely examining the area Marlow finds a bunch of heads on posts. Marlow was not very shocked at the sight. He took this as an indication that Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his lusts. Marlow assumed that Kurtz was hollow inside and needed something to fill that. The Russian was irked by Marlows attitude of distrust towards Kurtz. What I find most fascinating is Marlows idea of Kurtz being hollow. This would relate to the poem that Kurtz was reading when Willard was his prisoner-T.S. Eliots Hollow Men. After meeting the harlequin is where the two plot lines start to differ drastically. In the novel, they find Kurtz in the station and bring the sickly looking man back onto the steamer. But during the night Kurtz escapes and plans to attack the people on the steamboat. In the movie Willard is taken prisoner by Kurtz because he knew that Willard was sent here to kill him. While Willard was with Kurtz he learned that you must make a friend of horror and that its judgement that defeats us. But in both the novel and the movie, Marlow and Willard come to their senses and realize the great task remaining before them. They both eventually do kill Kurtz and put and end to his tyranny (although in the novel his death was a little more prolonged). Finally, on his deathbed Kurtz says one of his most famous lines in both the novel and the movie, The horror! The horror! It seems that Kurtz desired power and hated anyone who got in his way. It is also possible that he said this because he was angry that he did not get to finish what he was doing. There was also a similarity in something what Kurtz had once written in the novel, and what Willard had found when he was going through some of Kurtzs documents. These two statements were Exterminate all the brutes (novel) and Drop the bomb, kill them all. (movie) These two sentences are written differently but have the same exact meaning. Here the two Kurtzes sum up what their goal was. It also shows us what was going on in his head, and leads us to wonder whether we are or arent like him. Lastly, is that the endings in the novel and movie are a little different. In the movie Willard just sails away in his PT boat with Lance, but in the novel, Marlow returns home with the packet of papers Kurtz had given him. Here he eventually gives most of the documents away to people like Kurtzs relatives and reporters. But in the end, when Marlow is talking to Kurtzs wife, he does something quite astounding. He lies to her saying that her name was the last words hed spoken. He did this so she would not have to find out about Kurtzs true black heart. He wanted to keep her in her own little world of reality where she was safe from all evil. If she would have found out, it would have led her and many other Europeans to question their own civilization. The novel then ends with Marlow saying that weve been carried out to the darkness but now its coming back with the tide. The movie, Apocalypse Now, dramatically changed the way we look at Heart of Darkness. Because it is expressed visually and in simpler words it is easier to understand the novel and draw conclusions about what is in it. It also made us more aware of the parallels between the Vietnam War and the European colonization of various parts of the world. It helped to lift the veils that were preventing us from seeing the truth behind each topic. It is like what Marlow was talking about at the end of the novel. The fact that governments may be able to hide the truth for a while, but it will eventually come back to haunt them.

America And Romes Struggles essays

America And Rome's Struggles essays Compare the early Roman struggle for independence to that of colonial Americas. What similarities do you see in the Roman and colonist outlook on their future government? There are many similarities between America and Romes attempts at independence. First, a higher party oppressed both. For the Romans, it was the Etruscans, while it was the British for the colonists. Both also shape how Romans and Americans lived their lives. In the sixth century B.C., the Etruscans moved south across the Tiber River and conquered Rome. They set up a monarchy that lasted for more than a hundred years. The Etruscans had an enormous political, cultural, and social effect on early Roman culture. The Etruscans adopted many of their ideas from the Greeks, including the Phoenician alphabet, and incorporated many of the Olympian Gods into their religion. The Etruscans also taught the Romans how to the arch in the building and also how to set up forums. In 509 B.C., the Romans overthrew the Etruscan monarchy and developed a republic. In a republic, the citizens elected the representatives to run the government. The American Revolution (1775-1783) was the conflict between the 13 American Colonies and Great Britain. The first war between the two, the Revolutionary War, resulted in America gaining independence from its mother country, Britain. Then in 1787, the Constitution was laid out by the American government. This led to the formation of the representative democracy that is still used by our government today. The similarities between the two are fairly clear. Both Rome and the Colonies felt that they were being held down for too long under a monarchy and that they did not receive enough rights. They eventually gained enough support to lead a revolution against its oppressor. Once the English and Etruscans were defeated, the people set up governments that gave the average citizen a say in politic ...

The Oil Product Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Oil Product - Research Paper Example This research paper focuses on a topic of oil and it's impact on history and modern economy. The benefits of oil as a valuable product cannot be ignored. The potentials of oil to transform the economies of countries that are oil-exporters are made clear in the case of Middle East. Since the discovery of oil, the economies of the region’s countries have been highly transformed, as a result of the high volume of funds retrieved through the oil export. A key fact revealed through the literature reviewed in this research paper is the following one: oil production could not support the economic growth of all Middle East countries since not all of these countries have oil reserves. It has been also made clear that the contribution of oil in the development of economies of countries of Middle East that are oil-exporters has not been equal; in each case, the ability of local political powers to manage the production and the export processes has affected the level of benefits of oil fo r the country involved. This essay analyzes the level at which oil production in Middle East countries can support the growth of local economies is differentiated, being influenced by various political and economic interests. In this context, the researcher suggests that the value of oil as a product cannot be standardized even in countries that have been involved in the oil production process for many decades, such as the countries of the Middle East region that were used as example in this research paper.