Heart of Darkness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Heart of Darkness - Essay Example He says: He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible, which is also detestable. And it has a fascination, too, that goes to work upon him. The fascination of the abomination—you know. Imagine the growing regrets, the longing to escape, the powerless disgust, the surrender, the hate. This quote serves as pre-emptive explanation for why Marlow could not deny the power Kurtz held over other humans, despite his barbarity. Marlow then goes on to establish his love of reason and things that are real. In describing the appearance of several natives along the shore, Marlow relates: It was something natural, that had its reason, that had a meaning. Now and then a boat from the shore gave one a momentary contact with reality. It was paddled by black fellows. You could see from afar the white of their eyeballs glistening. They shouted, sang; their bodies streamed with perspiration; they had faces like grotesque masks—these chaps; but they had bone, muscle, a wild vitality, an intense energy of movement, that was as natural and true as the surf along their coast. They wanted no excuse for being there. They were a great comfort to look at. For a time I would feel I belonged still to a world of straightforward facts; but the feeling would not last long. Something would turn up to scare it away. The love of the real and tangible, of work, effort and improvement are themes Conrad returns to again and again through Marlow. The character Marlow likes belonging to a world where things really are as they appear. He does not like intrigues, rumors, or deviousness. He likes steel plates and rivets, honest emotion and truthfulness. The honest work, the seat and effort of the natives was solace to Marlow as he was surrounded by plotting privateers. Marlow’s distain for intrigues and falsehood is embodied by the station manager. Of him, Marlow says: He was obeyed, yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect. He inspired uneasiness. That was it! Uneasiness. Not a definite mistrust—just uneasiness—nothing more. This character is so loathsome to Marlow that he doesn’t even inspire a single honest emotion. The manager is held in contempt in every way by Marlow. The only possible complement that can be said of the man is that he survives, but even that is not attributed to any sort of effort on his part. It is simply a result of his constitution. In fact, the whole of the station is repugnant to Marlow. He states: There was an air of plotting about that station, but nothing came of it, of course. It was as unreal as everything else—as the philanthropic pretense of the whole concern, as their talk, as their government, as their show of work. The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading-post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages. The station was a mash of plots and intrigues that were so contrived as to never even come to any account. The inhabitants of the station held titles but acted in no manner to accomplish the work associated with the title given. Work, and the importance of it is mentioned by Marlow on several occasions in telling his story. This is important because it is a vital link between himself and Kurtz. Marlow reveals his feelings towards work when he stated: I don't like work—no man does—but I like what is in the work,—the chance to find yourself. Your own reality—

Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems Essay

Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems - Essay Example The paper tells that communities of practice define competence by fusing three elements. First, members of a community pursue their collectively developed understanding and share a sense of joint enterprise. Members of a community build their enterprise (community) through mutual engagement as they interact with each other in establishing norms and relationships of mutuality that reflect the social engagements.   Thirdly, the communities of practice yield a shared repertoire of communal resources encompassing aspects such as language, artifacts, and tools. The constitutive elements of the systems include communities of practice, boundary processes, and identities shaped by participation in the systems. The author outlines two aspects of a conceptual framework for comprehending social learning systems; a social definition of learning detailing social competence and personal experience comprising of engagement, imagination, and alignment. The distinction between the modes of belongin g is critical since each mode contributes to a distinct facet of the development of social learning systems and individual identities. Engagement, imagination, and alignment mainly coexist, and each social learning system involves each to some extent and in some combination, although each component requires distinct combinations. The author achieved his purpose in writing the article and demystifying social learning by individuals and organizations. The author’s assertions are highly supported by facts. The notion of the community of practice has significantly influenced theory and practice in a broad range of fields such as availing a platform for peer-to-peer learning within organizations, professional development, and development of learning partnerships that are not captive to professional silos. As demonstrated, communities of practice are central to enhancing performance.