In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Natasha Trethewey’s Native Guard, both authors use images of grass in order to convey a lack of care for human suffering. Conrad emphasizes the ability of grass to grow to conceal something hidden in order to chastise European exploration, while Trethewey points out the tendency of grass to burn and regrow that parallels attempts made to dishonor and hide the efforts made by black regiments.
Conrad uses images of grass in order to juxtapose grass’s growth over hidden and grotesque objects with Europe’s continued attempt to conceal the horrors of European exploration. As Marlow steps off the island for the first time, he sees grass growing through the skeleton of a dead body “tall enough to hide his bones,” representing growth concealing death (Conrad 9). As the Company continues to grow, it makes more desperate …show more content…
In her poem, Trethewey recounts a story passed through generations about the aftermath of an attack by the KKK, explaining that after setting fire to their lawn, they found the “charred grass” remaining green (Trethewey 41, 7). The ability of grass to be burnt yet withstand a fire represents Trethewey’s family’s ability to withstand the oppression they faced. She is inspired by the resilience shown by her ancestors and connects grass’s ability to withstand flames with her ability to withstand and rebound from her personal experiences, such as the death of her mother and her struggle to understand the events surrounding it. Trethewey connects the burnt grass to both the growth of her ancestors understanding racial truths after the attack and her own growth as she comes to terms with the truth surrounding her mother’s
Conrad uses images of grass in order to juxtapose grass’s growth over hidden and grotesque objects with Europe’s continued attempt to conceal the horrors of European exploration. As Marlow steps off the island for the first time, he sees grass growing through the skeleton of a dead body “tall enough to hide his bones,” representing growth concealing death (Conrad 9). As the Company continues to grow, it makes more desperate …show more content…
In her poem, Trethewey recounts a story passed through generations about the aftermath of an attack by the KKK, explaining that after setting fire to their lawn, they found the “charred grass” remaining green (Trethewey 41, 7). The ability of grass to be burnt yet withstand a fire represents Trethewey’s family’s ability to withstand the oppression they faced. She is inspired by the resilience shown by her ancestors and connects grass’s ability to withstand flames with her ability to withstand and rebound from her personal experiences, such as the death of her mother and her struggle to understand the events surrounding it. Trethewey connects the burnt grass to both the growth of her ancestors understanding racial truths after the attack and her own growth as she comes to terms with the truth surrounding her mother’s