Introoooooo

While for the most part conformity is associated with older generations and even the “old world,” resistance to conformity is connected with youth and modern life. Born ?? years ago in Morocco, my grandmother embodies in many ways a person of the old world. In Morocco during the 1930s, my grandmother would have been expected to devote herself to family, adhere to devout Judaism, and uphold strong moral standards. In America during the early 21^st century, many women would not technically be “expected” to do anything. Today in Beverly Hills, she has imported habits of conformity from her earlier life in Morocco and France that include completely lady-like behavior and attire and strict observance of religious practices. But wait just a second there—if she has not adapted to American culture, language, and social norms, then couldn’t we say that she is in fact refusing to dismiss her roots and true identity? So, in essence, isn’t she discreetly rebelling against the “new world” in which she now lives? While on the surface my grandmother appears to conform completely to traditional social and family roles, religious views, and moral standards, she is actually subtly resisting conformity in terms of Americanization, modernization, and secularization.

Conformity Blawg Numba Two

I have just been continuing to think about conformity and pressure in regards to my grandmother. So far, I've just been thinking of what questions to ask her and brainstorming about how exactly I should ask these questions in a way that would not offend her and ask her questions in a way that she would be able to understand. Additionally, I will have to make sure to make the questions simple enough that she can answer and I can thoroughly understand her as well. I say this because she does not speak a word of english. This is even another example of how stuck in her ways because that is the way she was raised.

Conformity

I am not going to focus on pressure but rather the lack thereof. I say this because in my grandmother's circumstances, being raised to go along with society's ways of life was just normal for her. This is why I say that there is a lack of pressure because rather than being forced to do certain things, she was kept from doing certain things. For example, she was never taught to read or write because women were not allowed to so when she was younger. To this day she has still not been taught to read or write because that is how she was raised: thinking that women are not supposed to read or write. Another example of this is that sterotypes that used to be the norm and now would be considered outrageous, she still believes and follows; again, because that is how she was raised. So, my view on the situation is really that we as humans have evolved and become more educated about the world and people.

Body 2 Draft

Conrad’s color symbolism throughout the novella thus forces the reader to think in unconventional ways, just as Marlow and Kurtz do, seeing as they are placed in a setting in which they are unleashed from their conventional selves and their real selves are unveiled. In addition to paralleling the themes of the novella, the reversed symbolism initially confuses the reader, and in fact creates yet another parallel, that instead of paralleling the themes, parallels the plot of the novella: due to the reversal of symbolism, the reader must learn an unfamiliar symbolism system and progressively adjust to this just as Marlow was initially presented with an unfamiliar setting/surrounding and form of his own self and also progressively must adjust to these unfamiliarities. Additionally, the reverse symbolism creates an obstacle for the reader that retards the reader’s understanding of the novella, and thus the reader’s difficulty in comprehension parallels to the hardships and difficulties of Marlow’s journey through the heart of darkness. 

Body Paragraph

Among the themes of Conrad’s novella that involve color symbolism include discovering that people are not who they may think they are, and taking a chance in veering away from one’s potentially repressed truth in order to discover (possibly unwanted) truths. Kurtz’ African mistress and his European intended embody the color symbolism of the two extremes: dark and light. When Marlow first sees the “wild and gorgeous apparition of a woman,” he responds to her natural freedom and beauty in an honest and sensual way, both of which would normally be repressed, but they are not because of this natural being.  Both Marlow and Kurtz unleash their genuine urges in the presence of this woman of dark complexion. She releases and highlights what Freud would call their ids. In his introduction to Psychoanalytic Criticism and Heart of Darkness describes as “the predominantly passional, irrational, unknown, and unconscious part of the psyche.” By moving “along the lighted shore” the woman helps both Marlow and Kurtz discover their once hidden and repressed desires. 

Intro

In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, he deliberately and carefully juxtaposes a number of opposites in order to emphasize how different each race, continent, and level of civilization is. However, unlike most authors, Conrad takes the notion of opposites one step further and reverses the color symbolism throughout the novella. In reading the reflection on Marlow’s journey into the heart of darkness – Africa – the reader faces the challenge of understanding Conrad’s reversed color symbolism. The primary element of Conrad’s writing tactic would be how the heart of darkness actually illuminates the characters’ true selves, thus failing to coincide with the conventional notion that darkness symbolizes hidden or repressed ideas.