paragraph on essay

I really feel like my writing has improved since the beginning of this year. In the beginning, I thought there was an English essay structure and a History essay structure. However, now I know there is much more than that. In both my Hamlet and Conrad essays, I took risks by changing up the structure of my essays. Instead of following a strict format of writing, I did something out of my comfort zone by changing things up. I also feel like the flow of my sentence structure, coupled with the overall level of analysis has improved as I have written more essays in this class.

Metamorphosis

Suprisingly, reading Metamorphosis has been really easy and fast paced. There is great imagery that adds unique detail to the book. The unique plot so far has caught my attention and I look forward to continue reading.

Socratic Circle

I thought the socratic discussion was an effective way to learn different interpretations of the same topic, in this case, the nature of humans. The group that I observed had really good dynamics. Ally B..123, was the clear leader. She kept the discussion going and asked appropriate questions. Others, like Nausher, also proposed good ideas. I really enjoyed this process and I hope we can do it again.

conclusion

Although Conrad and Freud have valid explanations for their theories on darkness, the ill-fated engagements of Adam Lanza prove them wrong. Humans, whether they admit it or not, are self aware of what Freud believes to be the id. Clearly, the degree of one’s darkness varies, yet we know what our inner flaws are, and we desire to confine these flaws from the judgment of society. The decision to hide our darkness, as demonstrated by the actions of Lanza, can ultimately be more harmful to us than if we release our darkness in a healthy environment. We must do this, mainly through art. Whether it is painting, filming, writing, or singing, we must embrace our darkness in order to have a beneficial society. 

2nd body

Freud’s exploration of humans’ level of awareness and components of personality effectively justify Conrad’s psychoanalysis of Marlow’s journey. Consider Frederick R. Karl’s interpretation of Freud. “Confronting similar material, the scientist Freud was concerned to analyze logically the seeming illogic, the apparent irrationality, of dreams, and, on occasion, of nightmares. Both he and Conrad penetrated into the darkness, the darkness entered into when people sleep or when their consciences sleep, when they are free to pursue secret wishes, whether in dreams, like Freud’s analysands, or in actuality like Kurtz and his followers” (Karl 124). In other words, whereas Conrad perceives the darkness through the illustration of images, Freud interprets the darkness through dreams. Nevertheless, both Conrad and Freud agree that darkness exists in one’s subconscious. Indeed, Freud logically analyzes the seemingly illogic through the three components of personality: the super ego, ego, and id. He explains that the super ego contains our values and social morals, which we are often taught at a young age, the ego controls the sophisticated mental manners that conduct reasoning and problem solving, and the id encompasses our primitive drives. In fact, Freud elucidates how the id is where our darkness exists. He goes on to illustrate that the id has no sense of reality and solely seeks to satisfy its needs through primary processes such as self-defense and hunger. Furthermore, the libido, the energy storehouse, is what provides the incentives for the id. In fact, the id has two major instincts: Eros and Thanatos. Eros, the life instinct, promotes self-satisfaction tendencies. This is where sexual desires, according to Freud, originate. Thanatos, the death instinct, arouses the urge for violent motives. Evidently, both Eros and Thanatos, Freud argues, is what ultimately make up the darkness. Thus, Freud would perceive Marlow’s irrational behavior purely as acts of his id.   

First body

Joseph Conrad utilizes Marlow’s internal voyage to his heart of darkness in order to express the true meaning of darkness. Moreover, Conrad illustrates Marlow’s inadvertent path to irrationality to demonstrate the dangers of the unrestrained mind. In fact, when Marlow first arrives in the Congo, representing a mind that is constrained by the pressures of society, he has British principles. However, as his journey progresses, he begins to crack and his darkness begins to see the light of day. For example, Marlow’s irrationally is apparent when he throws his bloody shoes overboard. This immoral urge reveals Marlow’s impulsive nature, Conrad believes, at the unconscious level. Indeed, by demonstrating what actually takes place in the darkness, Conrad effectively exposes its true danger. 

3rd body

I believe that we can see right through the darkness, we just choose not to due to society’s judgment. In fact, society’s repression of one’s inner feelings is so severe that we often ignore our true selves to blend into the norm of society. Often, the iron shackles confining ones darkness can be detrimental to an individual’s moral conscience and society’s wellbeing. Imagine your conscious is like a balloon, and the air that is pumped into the balloon is the darkness that fills your mind. If you keep pumping air into the balloon, the air will have nowhere to go and eventually the balloon will pop. This concept is the same as society’s repression. If you keep your darkness trapped in your mind to seem normal, eventually you will pop. Obviously, the extent of the pop will vary depending on the nature of the person; yet, an outcome will result. For example, …