2 weeks ago, the thought of reading Heart of Darkness made me want to yank my hair out. I had no idea what the book was about, where it took place, or even the setting. Yet, I judged the book based off of what I had heard from previous Academy students. Quotes such as "get ready for the hardest book of your life," and "expect to not understand anything," were just a few of the responses I received that made me fear opening to the first page. I was afraid that I'd be the only one in class to not understand the novel. Like we've talked about before in English, I've sometimes felt like I've reached my "plateau," and thus I was afraid that Heart of Darkness would be the ultimate test of my level of intelligence. However, after successfully completing this novel, I've had a complete change in mindset. While the saying goes, "don't judge a book based on its cover," I believe it should really be, "don't judge a book based on others."
Why? Well, I'll own up to my inner nerd and say that I loved Heart of Darkness. Surely, the material was challenging and at times treacherous, but that's why I enjoyed it. The power of language within this text was incredible, and I'm disappointed that I underestimated my ability to read this type of writing beforehand. Not only did Conrad provide a captivating story, but each and every one of his sentences could be picked apart, investigated, and found meaningful. It takes a skilled writer to do so, as I've learned throughout this year in English. Previously, I didn't know why it was necessary to read Heart of Darkness, since it seemed as though nobody understood it. Now, I realize that the depth and complexity of this novel, while at times confusing, provided an important "so what" level. However, I've realized that Conrad's novel wasn't impossible to read. Instead, I found it enjoyable and fascinating. 2 weeks later, I question the previous Academy students, because to me I didn't find the reading to be unbearable. This demonstrates that everything is relative, and I shouldn't base my judgements off of others.
Overall, I've realized that I need to keep a more open mind when it comes to literature. Heart of Darkness is now currently my favorite book that we've read in class so far, and I'm so thankful for the literary experience it provided me with. Conrad taught me importance of structure, language, and meaning. All of these elements will be very helpful for my future English classes and years of writing to come.
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