I think the title, Heart of Darkness, represents both aspects of good and bad throughout Marlow's adventure. It has less to do with skin color( which many thinks Conrad is racist) and more to do with culture, progress, lifestyle and general attitudes in a place of the world that is buffered for everything else. The dark side is people who lives in the dark, musty jungles and jungles rife with the unknown, perhaps death.

-Cindy L. 1º

Jenny from 1st period:
I think that the title is named Heart of Darkness because darkness is like the setting of this novel. The setting is really gloomy and dark. The people from Africa are being treating in a really cold way and horrible way. The heart of this novel is Marlow because he isn't from the darkness. He is different he is civilized.

This answer will never be definite. However, I would have to agree that it's in reference to the "dark continent". Africa achieved this name because it was unknown to so many during the time, and it was the "dark" spot on the map. During Marlow's time, this dark spot was finally being tackled, and for the first time these dense jungles were being explored. Also, the reason Marlow first started the journey rooted back to when he was a child where he knew he wanted to find out what lay behind that blank spot on the map. It seems Marlow has that need for conquering darkness inside of him. This would then be his ultimate challenge since he would be going into the heart of Africa, thus the heart of darkness.

-Chloe, 2nd Period

Aaron Yu
1st Cossick <- Heading.
4/22/10

For some reason my first post got deleted and i didn't save what i typed.

I think the title is Heart of Darkness because the heart symbolizes life and love. When the heart is corrupt by the greed and needs of the human mind it becomes dark. As in the novel, the heart is consumed by the need to discover new things and explore new places.

The river in which this is all centered around is essentially the heart of the darkness. Bad things happen here. Ivory is farmed, people are taken advantage of and dehumanized; dark things happen at this very epicenter of suffering. Ports run along the river for collecting of goods to be shipped off, and the coming in of new men as well. These also mirror the way the river is the heart, because without those vital ports the entire thing would collapse just as the the body would collapse in the absence of a heart. Basically, if it weren't for the river, it would have been significantly more difficult to do really anything at all. So with the heart flowing and pumping and beating and producing and giving (dark) energy, things will continue to be.

I think that this book is called Heart of Darkness because Marlow’s perception towards Africa creates a sense of emotions that’s develops a dull and gloomy mood within him. I believe that he later begins to discover his own “heart” of darkness as he acknowledges the reality of how Africa exists at that time.

-Stephanie Logarta, 1st period

I think in literal terms "Heart of Darkness" is Africa itself, because it's in the heart of the World. But figuratively i feel that Conrad is saying even if you're kind in heart there is always a part of you that is evil or selfish.
- David D. 1 Period

The " heart " of something usually means the center, which in this case it's the " Heart of Darkness."
It can be said that from Marlow's point of view, Africa is a place where darkness and evil reign over the "savages" making them uncivilized and scary. But maybe the "center" of darkness is within himself because he looks at people in such a way that makes him look like a saint and everyone else in Africa savages. The language used by Marlow goes to show that he is no more innocent than the colonizers of his time.

- Katherine C. , 1st period

From previous books I've read, I've realized that darkness does not always mean evil, just like how light does not always mean something good. The heart can be seen as the control of everything in a human body, and Marlow is trying to searching for the central system in Africa. I may be going at this in a somewhat literal sense, but everyone has a little devil on their shoulder. For some of the people I know, it seems like they don't have one and they're seen as little goody-two-shoes. Marlow, or whoever it may be, might want to dwell deep enough to bring out the "darkness" that lives inside of us, which at the time, was the outsiders trying to control Africa. I might have contradicted myself a little about the whole "evil" thing, but one can't be too sure of what it actually means.

-Jessica Lam, Cossick's first period.

I think the whole "Heart of Darkness" title is perfect in two ways: it relates to where the story actually takes place, and the whole symbolic meaning. The title in it's symbolic meaning to me, means "The evil essence of one's self". The way I see the story, I think the deeper you get in the story, the darker it gets, and by darker, I mean more evil and unforeseen. The deeper you get into the plot and where it's at, the more flipped the world seems to you. (Heart of darkness opposed to a heart of light? get it? lol)

-Patrick Li, Cossick's 1st Period

Heart of Darkness refers to evil human nature, an immoral personality that resides in us all. During the era of colonization, Europeans saw themselves as the most civilized, an act for society's superficial approval. But in the Congo without people watching them, the Europeans expose their hearts of evil and corruption. Marlow's lens reveal a vision of evil within people.

p.s. The theme of Heart of Darkness also alludes to Lord of the Flies' theme that evil human nature is found in everyone.

For me the title means, literally speaking, the part of Africa where the Congo was located and how it was called the Heart of darkness. I also think that because its where Marlow is traveling to and its dark and full of the unknown. They had said that there were no survivors that came back after traveling there. Inside the heart of darkness is where Kurtz is hiding, I believe because I haven't read that far yet, and Kurtz is believed to have gone insane, thinking hes god. On their journey they pass by slaves and Africans, maybe the heart of darkness refers to the Whites who were taking advantage of the Africans and not referring to the Africans as the darkness, as Chinua Achebe believed it was biased towards Africans. So I think that the Heart of Darkness can refer to how the Africans are going insane because of how the Whites were acting. Also I believe that the heart of darkness can be however we interpret it to be. Only the author will know the true meaning behind it, all that's left for us is to guess what it could mean, like a piece of art. I had more to say but I had forgotten what because I spaced out and finally returned to this page to finish. ^^;
~Tiffany 1st period

Flora 1st peiord. ^ ^
I think the book is call Heart of Darkness because the darkness is like Africa and the heart is like Marlow. Each time Marlow goes deeper he see more bad things. He saw the black prisoners, his ship need to be repair, a crying sound, cannibals being hungry, and other stuff. I think maybe when they meet Klutz something bad would happen. I think thats the reason why it is call Heart of Darkness. The plot goes deeper and deeper which is getting more darker. I not really sure if i am right because the book is kind of confusing, but i starting to get it.

For me,darkness doesn't always mean something bad; It could simply be unknown. Africa could be the base place many people don't really know about so it is seen as dark and different from other civilizations. So Marlow,with his hunger for adventure, feels the need to go explore what truths lie in Africa.

-Megan 1st period-

I think the title is "heart of darkness," because Africa is, in a way the center of Earth or on a map of the earth. Also, Africa is a very dark place, many violent and inhumane things have occurred within this continent. So this could be the darkness, the Congo, is smack in the middle, so it could be the heart. That's literally. In a more literary definition, I think it's Heart of Darkness, not only because it's such a dark and mysterious place, but also that the heart of the people within Africa ( the colonizers ) are very dark with cruel and terrifying intentions.. _ Jeffery 1st Period