A Season in Hell
Same thing here...This is more challenging.
What do you see in connection to Heart of Darkness and A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud? The poet was a troubled young man that you might find interesting. Here's a link to read more about his life and career.
BTW...this poem is referenced in the movie Eddie and the Cruisers, a classic 80s flick about a Jim Morrison-type rocker who mysteriously disappeared. Here's the link to the music video . If you have a chance to watch the movie in some way, do it. It's worth two hours of your time.
What do you see in connection to Heart of Darkness and A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud? The poet was a troubled young man that you might find interesting. Here's a link to read more about his life and career.
BTW...this poem is referenced in the movie Eddie and the Cruisers, a classic 80s flick about a Jim Morrison-type rocker who mysteriously disappeared. Here's the link to the music video . If you have a chance to watch the movie in some way, do it. It's worth two hours of your time.
A Season in Hell Arthur Rimbaud, 1854 - 1891
A while back, if I remember right, my life was one long party where all hearts were open wide,
where all wines kept flowing.
where all wines kept flowing.
One night, I sat Beauty down on my lap.—And I found her galling.—And I roughed her up.
I armed myself against justice.
I ran away. O witches, O misery, O hatred, my treasure’s been turned over to you!
I managed to make every trace of human hope vanish from my mind. I pounced on every joy like a
ferocious animal eager to strangle it.
ferocious animal eager to strangle it.
I called for executioners so that, while dying, I could bite the butts of their rifles. I called for plagues
to choke me with sand, with blood. Bad luck was my god. I stretched out in the muck. I dried
myself in the air of crime. And I played tricks on insanity.
to choke me with sand, with blood. Bad luck was my god. I stretched out in the muck. I dried
myself in the air of crime. And I played tricks on insanity.
And Spring brought me the frightening laugh of the idiot.
So, just recently, when I found myself on the brink of the final squawk! it dawned on me to look again for
the key to that ancient party where I might find my appetite once more.
the key to that ancient party where I might find my appetite once more.
Charity is that key.—This inspiration proves I was dreaming!
“You’ll always be a hyena etc. . . ," yells the devil, who’d crowned me with such pretty poppies.
“Deserve death with all your appetites, your selfishness, and all the capital sins!”
“Deserve death with all your appetites, your selfishness, and all the capital sins!”
Ah! I’ve been through too much:-But, sweet Satan, I beg of you, a less blazing eye! and while
waiting for the new little cowardly gestures yet to come, since you like an absence of descriptive
or didactic skills in a writer, let me rip out these few ghastly pages from my notebook of the damned.
From A Season in Hell & Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud, translated by Bertrand Mathieu (BOA Editions, 1991). Used by permission.
waiting for the new little cowardly gestures yet to come, since you like an absence of descriptive
or didactic skills in a writer, let me rip out these few ghastly pages from my notebook of the damned.
Throughout this poem, Rimbaud describes how everything changed one night for him from seeing "Beauty" to seeing "hatred." He then fantasizes about spending time in Hell with Satan. As he is being driven to his breaking point, he talks to the devil about death and sin. This reminds me of what Kurtz must have felt like and imagined when his last words were "The horror! The horror!" I picture him to have been talking to the devil and almost coming to terms or realizing the full impact of everything he had done. He must have felt some regret in that moment. I can understand how the pressure from keeping the natives in line and being so strict could have gotten to him. Moreover, I think that he believed what he was doing was just and convinced himself after a while that his actions were right. I feel as though Rimbaud and Kurtz compare in this way because Kurtz's actions drove him crazy and one night Rimbaud went crazy, which may possibly be due to his actions. However, unlike Kurtz, Rimbaud appears to only fall deeper into madness when he suggest that Satan learns from a "few ghastly pages" in his "notebook of the damned."
ReplyDeleteI agree with the context of how they both came to being driven to madness. I definitely feel as though Kurtz came to realize his faults on his death bed, and that probably was the case for Rimbaud in regards to how his life was going at the time. It's very sad when you think about it, because they didn't realize how bad their situations were until it was too late.
DeleteGoing off of what Kelsey said, his reaction to hell and the torture of his soul that lead to his breaking point, and I feel as though this is a similar situation to what Kurtz felt in his last moments. All of his memories flashing before his eyes and the torment he brought upon the natives finally made him realize what he had become. His lust for power turned him into something that he wasn't before, and on his deathbed, he realized the horror he had brought along with him to the African natives. With Rimbaud's life, he was extremely troubled, which led to the creation of the poem; he had went through drug use, alcoholism, and living on the streets, and all at a young age. I feel the same energy with Kurtz; he came in as a visionary, in a sense, and turned into a villain. They both, after reflecting on their lives, had come to realize that it was worse than they realized in the moment.
ReplyDeleteI like your comment about the memories flashing before his eyes. Maybe Kurtz finally came to realize that the way he treated the natives was inhumane causing him to use "the horror" as his final words. I really think you did a good job of connecting the poem to Kurtz. The way you talked about their pasts and their regret really makes sense.
DeleteTo go off of what Tnyah said, I want to touch upon Rimbaud's troubled life. Through the absence of his father and the rejection of his mother, it was almost his fate to become a villain. Running away from home, being imprisoned, drug use, all these things lead to the loss of "Beauty" in his life. Much like Kurtz, I believe that Rimbaud regrets the path his life took. Kurtz's uses the final words: "the horror!" which I think resembles to regret he has towards his actions. The way he treated the natives was not something to be proud of. Like Kelsey said, both Kurtz and Rimbaud came to a breaking point that lead them to rethink their pasts. This drove them both the go crazy because of the awful things they saw when their lives flashed before them. Though Kurtz's last words were significant, I also think the words that Rimbaud used were important. Him saying "deserve death with all your appetites, your selfishness, and all the capital sins" implies that he regrets what he did in his lifetime and he is willing to accept the punishment.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, and I feel like the hardships he experience earlier on in life greatly influenced him. People always need a sense of guidance and positive role models in life, or it will destroy them like Kurtz and Rimbaud. I feel like whether someone is a "villain" in life of not everyone has a breaking point.
DeleteLike what the others have said, the poem seems to be a reflection on Rimbaud's life; and he seems to regret the way that his life turned out. He saw good things and rejected them. He saw beauty but found it annoying and he gave up his treasure by running away. He blames himself for all of his hope and joy being lost, and he seems to feel guilt and self-loathing. The only connection that I can make with Heart of Darkness is the same one that everybody else has made so far, comparing Kurtz to Rimbaud. They both ended up regretting what they did, seeing the wrongness in their actions; however, by the time that they realized it, it was too late. Kurtz realized it just before he died, and Rimbaud, though he continued to live after this poem was written, it seems that he believes himself to be too far gone. The final stanzas suggest that Rimbaud will "always be a hyena" and that he is trapped in Satan's clutches (Rimbaud). Because of this, he is forced to "rip out... pages from [his] notebook" that reflect his "didactic skills" that Satan doesn't like (Rimbaud). This means that, even though Rimbaud realized the wrongness in his actions, he doesn't think there is anything that he can do to make it better, just like Kurtz was unable to do anything to make up for his sins.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on this directly reflecting Rimbaud's life. I thought the same thing while comparing the two. They both realized their mistakes far too late. By the time they realized it they were on the brink of madness.
DeleteJust as Kelsey and T’nyah said, this poem ties in pretty well to Kurtz’s final moments. As though they at last realize the error of their ways, Kurtz cries out and the narrator of this poem looks again for the key to an "ancient party." They also both rip out pages of their journey to share as well. Each of the two began their lives in a state of peace and normalcy before descending into madness. I find it hard to determine whether this narrator is power hungry like Kurtz or just really having a rough time in general. Regardless, each of them have seen versions of Hell and took part in its creation. The line comparing the narrator to a “ferocious animal” reminds me even more of Kurtz; he took advantage of those weaker than him and often took their lives as well. Despite how the narrator and Kurtz recognized their mistakes at some point, they have both caused too much damage and will always remain evil in some way.
ReplyDeleteI also can see the similarities between Kurtz and this narrator. I didn't even think about how Kurtz also tore out pages of his journey like the narrator. I like what you said about the "ferocious animal" reminding you of Kurtz, and I can definitely see how. I noticed some similarities between the two, but I didn't even catch these ones. Like you, I saw the similarity between them in that they will never be able to rid themselves of the evil in them.
DeleteFirst thing, woah. That was a lot to process. I feel as if this poem directly reflects Kurtz's final words and overall character -- just like pretty much everyone else on here. Kurtz will "always be a hyena" or in other words, a horrible creature to be fearful of. He seemed to be only capable of dangerous and unsafe things like a wild animal with no true conscience. Kurtz, like the narrator of the poem, "pounced on every joy like a ferocious animal eager to strangle it." It seemed as if he couldn't do anything else. Kurtz longed to be in charge and looked up to. For him, the only way to climb the ladder was to kill and scare others into siding with him.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about Kurtz not really having a conscience, it brings into question whether he fully comprehended what he was doing and just saw people as animals needing tamed. He really did climb that ladder by means of fear and intimidation.
DeleteI can see how the poem embodies Kurtz and the Europeans in Africa. It shows how they rejected the humanity of the natives and the natural landscape in order to benefit themselves. This is similar to how the speaker finds beauty annoying and beats beauty up. Additionally, when the speaker "bites the butts of... rifles" he is showing that the executioner, who has the rifle, is powerless against the speaker; this parallels how the natives are powerless against Kurtz when he can just kill those who betray him. The man literally put their heads on sticks and had them face his house. Kurtz kind of parallels Rimbaud as well through his rejection of moral standards. Not to get religious, but Rimbaud rejected religion, which his mother practiced, and at the time religion really represented the moral and societal standards. Rimbaud then went on to do some zany things. So I can definitely see how the Kurtz and Rimbaud are similar.
ReplyDeleteI like your explanation of the executioner line. I wasn't sure what it meant, but your description makes sense. If we are continuing the comparison of Kurtz as the speaker, however, I think that the executioner would be representing the social constructs of society, as Kurtz clearly bucks these.
DeleteI enjoyed the language of the poem, it was very powerful. Relating to Heart of Darkness, I think that the speaker is very similar to the Europeans involved with business in Africa. Both parties were embodied by greed and seeking pleasure. The speaker also showed little regret until the very end much like the Europeans. As everyone else has said, Kurtz is the most comparable character to the speaker of the poem, but I don't think we should limit ourselves to comparing only Kurtz to the speaker. All of the Europeans involved with Africa were sinful and horrible. Their actions resulted in the loss of their morality. Along with the speaker, I am sure that some of them regretted their actions at least in part: "let me rip out these few ghastly pages from my notebook of the damned."
ReplyDeleteI think that the Europeans as a whole relate to the speaker only partly and not quite as much as Kurtz. The speaker talks about asking for death and plague and rolling in the "muck" while the Europeans not so much. They wanted to survive in the deadly Africa, and despite them being covered head to toe in the "muck" pretended to be perfectly clean and saintly back in Europe. I think the speaker sort of embraced his dark side too much to pretend to be clean like that.
DeleteI feel like both the poem and Heart of Darkness explore how a man can realize the true depths of their wrongdoings. In the beginning of "A Season in Hell", the narrator acknowledges that he lived a life similar to that of a "party where all hearts were open wide." This image is one of happiness and generosity; however, the tone shifts dramatically when the narrator claims he found beauty "galling." After this point, the narrator chases a life of sin and ugliness, only realizing his folly at the conclusion of his life. Similarly, Kurtz let himself succumb to greed and manipulative tactics during the time he spent on the island. Both of their realizations, however, happened too far along in the tourney to be fixable. Kurtz and the narrator of "A Season in Hell" were on the brink of death, leaving them powerless to regain what goodness they once had.
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DeleteI think your analysis is much more succinct than mine. The only part I'm not sure matches is when you said that the narrator and Kurtz wanted to regain their 'goodness'. I think it is more of those sort- of last moments, life flashing before your eyes, visions. They see for the first time the wrong they have caused and the weight of it brings them down. I don't think Rimbaud or Kurtz ever wanted to be 'good', they just benefitted from being terrible more. The self- awareness of Kurtz and the author is also very interesting. Did Kurtz really only realize the terrible things he did when he was on his deathbed? Or did the weight of what he had to sacrifice and do to accomplish his task finally kill him?
DeleteI'm going to be honest and say I'm not seeing a connection, other than what those have already written about. I guess it makes sense that Rimbaud and Kurtz followed a similar trajectory. They began their journey wanting to go good and succeed but along the way either grew tired or wanted more and so they want a dark route. Kurtz was constantly described as an educated and insightful individual who was respected and deemed intelligent by those around him. This is all an inference but I can see how Kurtz wanted to be good and do his job as good as he could, but grew frustrated when his plan failed to work. He then gave in to his darker and more primal side, killing those who opposed him and ruling as an oppressor. Did he know deep down that what he was doing was morally reprehensible? Yes, it is obvious that he was aware of the weight of his actions. Did he actually care? No, I don't think he did. Separating one's self from their actions is the first to key to horrible behaviour. And I think this is what unites Kurtz and Rimbaud; their awareness for their "sins" is what links these two very different characters.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else said, I think the speaker is similar to Kurtz. Just like Geno said, Kurtz started out well, as seen from his initial notes and how much everyone back in Europe respected him. The change happened some time in Africa, where he might have had a similar experience to the speaker during which all that he thought beautiful became "galling." After that, he, like the speaker, embraced his sins more and started killing all the Africans that opposed him and putting their heads on pikes to scare and intimidate the others. They are also similar in their ends because both had a moment of clarity before they died to try and get back their humanity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of what you said; however, I think it's interesting to dive into what finding beauty galling entails. It could be a way of saying that the narrator of the poem (and thus, Kurtz) rejected a more moral life because the thought of what that would mean was appalling to them? In Kurtz's case, this would be humane treatment of the native cultures. Was he so bigoted that he couldn't fathom acceptance? Or was the change in scenery what sent him? Maybe being in the natives' land was so much of a culture shock that he found what he had once been so eager to study horrific and disgusting.
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