Heart Of Darkness Thesis

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I. Thesis Statement
a. Heart of Darkness is both a metaphor for a psychological side of man, and an allusion to Africa.
II. It is an actual place
a. Africa is the “dark continent” (unknown)
b. Cannibals live there
c. Thick jungle covers the land in darkness
d. Africa is separated from the modern world
III. Imbalance of power
a. Pilgrims have control over the natives
b. Company abuses power to amass ivory and wealth
c. Marlow empathizes with the natives and dislikes the other pilgrims
IV. It is a reference to the psychological aspect
a. Alludes to man’s dark side
b. Kurtz’s insanity and irrational actions
c. Marlow’s illness after finally meeting Kurtz
d. Natives’ extreme worship of Kurtz
V. Conclusion
a. Heart of Darkness is a reference

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