Journal Nov. 13

I learned that all his art meant something. This kind of changed the way I looked at African Art. The book made it seem like African people didn't have any culture so therefore there artwork would have no culture. Now I know that African Art can mean a lot to the people making it even if it does not look like it means anything. I also learned that in African Art the higher the arms the more money one has. This was very interesting because there were two pieces and one had one arm raised and the other had both arms raised. I also learned that when faces are made in African Art it is usually not just a random face. Those faces are usually of someone close to the artist. They are also supposed to perfectly represent the person they are carved of. The fourth thing that I found interesting was how the artists could only use each cast once. This means that each piece was unique. Overall my favorite piece was any one of the statues with the nails in them. These were really cool because each nail represented an oath and it was almost like looking back into history. I also liked all the pieces with those small beads. Those must have taken forever to make because they are so intricate. In Heart of Darkness, I think that the symbolism between the Thames and the Congo is the most interesting. In pages 3-6 when the crew is on the Thames, they are just chilling out. I think that this shows that the Thames is much calmer. Since it is calmer it is safer and Marlow feels more at home. On page 8 & 11 he describes the Congo as a snake. I feel that this makes the Congo seem more dangerous because snakes are associated with danger. Also there is a general fear of snakes and there is a general fear of the Congo. The snake could also mean that the Congo is poisonous because it slowly poisons people over time making them go insane. I think by describing the Congo this way he is trying to show that it is dangerous and feared and the Thames is calm and safe. I think this plays into how he see England and Africa as a whole. I think that the Thames also represents all of England which would make sense because he feels that England is safe. I think the Congo represents all of Africa because Marlow has always thought of Africa as mysterious and things that are mysteries are usually scary. Snakes are also usually very aggressive. This could symbolize that the Congo doesn't like the English just like how snakes don't like people. However people can overpower snakes just like the English have overpowered the Congo and now trade on it. In the end, I think that he is trying to say that the Congo poisonous and dangerous whereas the Thames is safe and calm. He is also trying to say that the Congo doesn't want English invaders but the English invaders,have taken over.