Heart of Darkness Section One

As Marlow begins his story, he is thinking of the Romans and when they first arrived in England nineteen hundred years earlier. Marlow emphasizes the idea that there were no colonists there was conquerors. The earth was nothing but "sandbanks, marshes, forests, savages...cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death" (4). Everyone fought for themselves, wanting to reach a higher calling and escape. Life was mysterious and savage. Forests, jungles and men were wild. There were few seeking efficiency, civilization, in this untamed environment which goes into the next question.

Imperialism is aggressively extending rule over foreign countries. Colonialism is a form of imperialism meaning exploitation by a stronger country of a weaker one; the use of the weaker country's resources to strengthen and enrich the stronger country. Marlow says before the quote, "They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force--nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others" (4). This goes along with the definitions of both imperialism and colonialism; the stronger country is enriched from the weakness of another country (colonialism) by an aggressive or brute force (imperialism). Moving on to the next quote from Marlow both colonialism and imperialism are addressed. The conquest of the earth was possible by the stronger aggressively oppressing the weaker in order to conquer land.

Marlow's discussion of maps relates to the idea of conquering a place that would potentially be enriching. When he was younger he would point to a "blank space" on the map and say "When I grow up I will go there." He remembers pointing to the North Pole which he said he hasn't been and won't go, "The glamor's off" (5). The North Pole doesn't have any resources that would be enriching therefore he sees no point in going there. Colonialism, using a weaker countries resources to strengthen and enrich the stronger countries.