Heart of Darkness :: essays papers

Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, achieved classical recognition for its depiction of humanity’s struggle to reconcile good and evil. From the very opening pages of the Bible man has wrestled with choice, opportunity, propensity and instinct. The knowledge of good and evil has surely caused us to die to simplicity and burdened us with the curse of self-awareness. At first it was a struggle for me to get from page to page because of Conrad’s intricate details. I was not accustomed to his unique writing style and I would often find myself lost in his descriptive language. I soon became frustrated with both the book and myself, which made it even more of a task to read. The devastating transition of Kurtz was the factor that awoke my interest. Kurtz, a highly respectable man full of talent and potential was taken over by the evil that stirred from deep within his soul. I found this change of character fascinating because of my interest in the field of psychology. I find the study of human nature intriguing, which attracted me to Kurtz. Conrad had made me wonder what made someone of Kurtz’s caliber change so drastically. I found myself relating this change in character to a personal experience. A year ago someone whom I knew and trusted betrayed me. I saw a side of her that I would have never even imagined was there. Something deep from within caused this person to hurt me, an evil that even she was not aware she possessed. This event in my life made me question what separates the weak from the strong, the good from the evil, or even Kurtz from Marlow? Kurtz’s transition from good to evil led me to the issue of nature vs. nurture. This question of whether hereditary or environment is responsible for the development of ones personality has been around for centuries, and still it remains unanswered. We have discussed this question many times in psychology. Some feel that your personality is reflective of your genetic makeup, and that personality will stay the same regardless of environment. Others are convinced that environment shapes personal characteristics. In The Heart of Darkness, Kurtz seems to have changed because of the environment. He was placed in an atmosphere where his evil instincts were able to take over. Heart of Darkness :: essays papers Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, achieved classical recognition for its depiction of humanity’s struggle to reconcile good and evil. From the very opening pages of the Bible man has wrestled with choice, opportunity, propensity and instinct. The knowledge of good and evil has surely caused us to die to simplicity and burdened us with the curse of self-awareness. At first it was a struggle for me to get from page to page because of Conrad’s intricate details. I was not accustomed to his unique writing style and I would often find myself lost in his descriptive language. I soon became frustrated with both the book and myself, which made it even more of a task to read. The devastating transition of Kurtz was the factor that awoke my interest. Kurtz, a highly respectable man full of talent and potential was taken over by the evil that stirred from deep within his soul. I found this change of character fascinating because of my interest in the field of psychology. I find the study of human nature intriguing, which attracted me to Kurtz. Conrad had made me wonder what made someone of Kurtz’s caliber change so drastically. I found myself relating this change in character to a personal experience. A year ago someone whom I knew and trusted betrayed me. I saw a side of her that I would have never even imagined was there. Something deep from within caused this person to hurt me, an evil that even she was not aware she possessed. This event in my life made me question what separates the weak from the strong, the good from the evil, or even Kurtz from Marlow? Kurtz’s transition from good to evil led me to the issue of nature vs. nurture. This question of whether hereditary or environment is responsible for the development of ones personality has been around for centuries, and still it remains unanswered. We have discussed this question many times in psychology. Some feel that your personality is reflective of your genetic makeup, and that personality will stay the same regardless of environment. Others are convinced that environment shapes personal characteristics. In The Heart of Darkness, Kurtz seems to have changed because of the environment. He was placed in an atmosphere where his evil instincts were able to take over.

Review of communication skills Essay

In the group interactions, I was a class room assistant who was meeting the parents of a young child with behavioural problems.  When Mr and Mrs Shaw arrived I called them in to the office using a soft tone and with a hand gesture I offered them a seat in front of my desk. They seemed pleased to be meeting me and were very concerned about their son Matthew. They were both talking in a calm slow voice with varying tone.  I started by asking how Matthews behaviour was at home. Mr Shaw was relaxed and sitting in an open posture. He said Matthews’s behaviour was fine and there was nothing wrong with him. Mrs Shaw became tensed and looked away from her husband and said she had experienced problems at home when Matthew was around other children, as he would become angry and frustrated over simple things. Mr Shaw sat upright and told his wife there was nothing wrong with Matthew’s behaviour and that this was normal. I reassured them both that this could be understandable as he is an only child and may not be use to sharing with other children. Maintaining good eye contact I said I was experiencing the same problems in the class as Matthew is becoming very disruptive and a lot of parents are complain that their children are frightened of Matthew. Mrs Shaw became very upset and did not keep eye contact with me, and Mr Shaw was now in a closed posture. In a strong tone Mr Shaw demanded what was doing to help Matthew. I leaned forward and using a soft tone I told them the school could offer support for Matthew as long as the parents were willing to help, I then showed them some of Matthew’s class work and the areas he was doing good in. His mother seemed pleased and became less tensed. I offered a special needs program pointing out the benefits where Matthew could be taken out of the class room for a few hours a week. Mr Shaw became very tensed and leaned back in his chair as his face muscles became tight. He said his son did not need a special needs program and this was a waste of time, I went over the benefits o the program again, speaking clearly as I read the most important points. Mrs Shaw was unsure and wanted to agree only if her husband would support the program, but she agreed to look at the leaflet and consider it with her husband. I explained how one to one help for Matthew would benefit him in his school work and also the other children, I then said they could discuss the program at home and decide, and then they could arrange another interview if they were happy with the program. Mr Shaw stood up and I handed Mrs Shaw the leaflets. I thanked them for their time and shock their hands, I said using a polite tone they could come see me any time if they were unhappy about any thing. I showed them to the door and Mrs Shaw was very thankful for my advice and agreed to come back and discuss the program for Matthew. Mr Shaw thanked me but did not shake my hand and made no eye contact with me as he left and I said he was very welcome to come back any time.

Illegal Immigrants and the Educational System Essay

Illegal Immigrants and the Educational System Secondary education is a highly debated subject. Many critics of secondary education say that inner-city high schools and students are not receiving the same attention as students from non inner-city high schools. Two of the biggest concerns are the lack of school funding that inner-city high schools are receive and the low success rate in sending inner-city high schools graduates to college. Critics say that while inner-city high schools struggle to pay its teachers and educate its student’s non inner-city high schools don’t have to deal with the lack of school funding. Also students from non inner-city high school are not being given the opportunity to attend colleges once the†¦show more content†¦Supreme Court decided in Plyler v. Doe that the equal protection provision of the Constitutions 14th Amendment requires public schools to admit illegal alien children, on the presumption that denial of public education to children whose parents brought them illegal ly to the United States is not a rational response to states concerns about illegal immigration. 1 The opinion, however, was based on specific circumstances that could change and it did not apply to education beyond mandatory public schooling (qtd. in Stewart, par. 8). This ruling by the Supreme Court gives the opportunity for illegal immigrant students to attend any public school even though that they are violating the law by being here in the United States illegally. Now the burdens are of the Supreme Court are being felt by public schools all over the United States. This in turn is hurting students who are citizens of the U.S. by depriving them of the fundamental right of education. How bad does the situation have to get before laws begin to change so that public schools can be safe from illegal immigrants? Well if it isn’t bad enough, the National Association of Bilingual Education states: Between 1990 and 2000, enrollment increased by 14 percent [†¦] without school-age immigrants (about 250,000) and the children of immigrants (725,000 a year), school enrollment would not be rising at allShow MoreRelatedImmigrant Children and U.S Education1257 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment to any school age children, immigrants both legal and illegal continue to be attracted to the United States, migrating in an attempt to provide better opportunities for their families and themselves. 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People of higher class and those buried in the poverty line have different reasons as to why this is an over-exaggerated issue or a serious toxin to the United States. The wealthyRead MoreU.s. Immigration Today s Economic Stability1436 Words   |  6 Pagesborder, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words†-Donald Trump. Whether the United States builds a wall, deports hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, or does nothing about it, the so called â€Å"uncontrollable problem† of immigration is still present today. America, for the past 100 years, has been faced with this dilemma that immigrants come and pursue the American dream but some doing it illegally. Not on ly has that been an added contribution to the issue of America’s economic stabilityRead MoreIllegal Immigrants And The United States1248 Words   |  5 Pagesa half million unauthorized immigrants in the United States in 2014. 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The main reason the immigrants leave their