***You should know that the person writing it is the main dude of the book, Marlow. So yea, and any random people who just happen to come across this paper, you can't steal it for your tenth grade literature paper. ;)
“I seemed to hear the whispered cry, ‘The horror! The horror!’ And then I awoke, drenched in sweat with my hands in a clenched form. My heart was racing, for I felt as if my whole life changed in the blink of an eye. I was confused by this sleep that was the most calming and relaxing, yet terribly frightening. I sat up in my bed and suddenly fell back. I felt faint but serene. I’ve never felt this way before. I thought for a moment and realized that my whole adventure in the Congo was a dream. When I say adventure, I mean adventure. My aunt, a woman, you see, was able to get me on a cruising yawl, the Nellie. This boat brought me to the Congo in Africa, which I call, the Heart of Darkness. This place is full of adventure but an evil most people only hear about. That is where I met the man named Kurtz. He had this ‘will do’ attitude on life and, because of this he lost his sanity and became, to me, the most frightening, exciting concept ever.
I met Kurtz and he seemed to change my life, for the better or worse, I do not know. He was a magnificent person in the sense that he would stop at nothing for his ivory. That is determination, which people should have when they are going after their desires. He did, though, destroy innocent people who loved him. These people would kill for him and instead, he murdered them to get this hard, smooth, off-white substance. He had a certain hunger for it, as a starving man for food or a greedy man for wealth.
When one goes to a place such as I went (even though in a dream) from a place of reality where I live, life becomes a little blurry When I awoke, because of the contrast of many things, such as the scenery, people and culture, I was unaware of my surroundings. I expected to be lying in an uncomfortable hammock, surrounded by a few snoring men and other frightening noises. Then I realized where I was and what I had learned. The people in Africa have a certain passion that the people where I live lack. They will kill for their families, governments and gods, if need be. They take life more as a challenge that must be overcome, rather than time to fool around. They would do anything for their beliefs. It may seem strange to people not accustomed to that life, but that is all these people know and that’s what Kurtz understood.
When I entered the Congo, I was looking for adventure. I wanted to experience something different than living with my aunt and going to a school that required manners no one else needed to have. I wanted a different life than drinking tea and sitting in a room listening to some pretty girl sing with a not so pretty voice. I really did not want all the fancies I was accustomed to. I wanted adventure. I have always read of the voyages in the story books and how people would die but they didn’t care because it was all part of the blood-pumping expedition. The Congo made me understand factual life and how those stories of knights and fair maidens and sea creatures and flying people are just that, stories. I understood that Kurtz was real, and that is what scared me the most.
Kurtz did appeal to me though, but I knew that he was what all people have the potential to become. He knew what it took to get what he desired and he went for it. People of any place could become what Kurtz was. He was a conniving man with the potential to be great. Most people are kind but only because they find no meaning in being the way Kurtz was. If they were pushed though… if they were pushed they would understand.
No one understood, though. How could they? They didn’t know what I knew. They did not feel how I felt. Only I understood Mr. Kurtz. I understood because I realized that I could be just like him. This dream must have been to show me that that is how I would have been if I went to the Congo because of my confusion about actual life. I did not know that people were the way these Africans were, thought to be evil but were really just trying to finish this life with the knowledge that they could have done no more. I would turn into a Kurtz because I didn’t understand real life; Kurtz did, but after it was too late. He understood “real” life because that’s exactly what he was. And that is exactly what I would have become, a man who had passion but gave up love. I would have determination but also selfishness. My morals would be gone; everything I learned in those “too nice of schools” would be no more. And I am glad I awoke.
Yea, so I haven't gotten my grade yet but I hope it's good, lol. :)
Love Always,
cBe
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