Medieval Universities Essay Example for Free

Medieval Universities Essay The English universities were one of the most significant creations of Medieval England. The scholars who attended eitherOxford or Cambridge Universities set an intellectual standard that contrasted markedly with the norm of Medieval England. Oxford University came into being some 20 years before Cambridge University. The church had a major impact at Oxford. The town came within the diocese of Lincoln, yet Oxford had its own archdeaconry. It was the input of the church that led to the first recorded student/university authority clash at Oxford. The universities led to major growth in both Oxford and Cambridge as towns and both became important centres. No-one is quite sure why Oxford was chosen as the town for England’s first university – however, the town had a number of distinct advantages. Oxford was the centre of communications within its region and both royalty and foreign scholars frequently visited the town. There were also many religious houses/centres around the town and the agricultural land was rich and farming did well at this time. Oxford was considered to be in a civilised part of England – it was near to London and getting to Europe was not necessarily a major journey. Oxford also held strategic importance, which led to the building of a castle there. In 1167, a quarrel between Henry II and Thomas Becket led to a temporary ban on English scholars going to study in France. For whatever reason, scholars and academics gathered in Oxford to continue with their work – fifty of them. As journeying to the university in Paris was not allowed, more scholars and academics arrived in Oxford. Sometime after 1167 Giraldus Cambrensis visited Oxford and started teaching there. He taught three times a day. He took poor students for lectures; he then taught academics from different faculties, and lastly he taught knights and the likes. His clientele became larger than the ‘normal’ monastic or cathedral school. In 1180, Prior Philip of St. Frieswade, Oxford, recorded that a scholar had left his family in York to study at Oxford. Within twelve years, the importance of a good education was clearly having an impact. In 1192, Richard of Devizes wrote â€Å"Oxonia vix suos clericos, non dico satiat, sed sustenat.†| Richard was basically stating that there were so many scholars in Oxford that the town could barely feed them. By 1209, it was estimated that there were 3,000 students in Oxford. It was also in 1209 that students in Oxford started to migrate to Cambridge. This occurred after some students killed a woman in Oxford. At this time, King John and Pope Innocent III were quarrelling over a new Archbishop of Canterbury. Innocent put England under an interdict. With such worries, John had few thoughts for students in Oxford. He gave his permission for the execution of three students in Oxford involved in the woman’s death. However, in the delay that took pace, the students fled to Reading, Cambridge of Paris. Others followed to Cambridge and by 1284, Peterhouse College was founded. Unlike the great university of its time – the university in Paris – Oxford was not connected to either a cathedral or a religious house. The Sorbonne was supervised by ecclesiastical men while Oxford was supervised by masters, though these were usually in holy orders. Regardless of this, Oxford developed with a degree of practical independence. By the end of what is considered to be Medieval England, the following colleges had been created at Oxford – University College, Balliol, Merton and Exeter. In Cambridge, Peterhouse College was created. Student life in both towns was to transform Oxford and Cambridge. The lifestyle of the students was to frequently bring both universities into conflict with the church.

The Transformation from Student to Teacher :: Education Teaching Classroom Teachers Essays

The Transformation from Student to Teacher Is there a transformation from student to teacher? The nature of a student is learning to develop skills to help them with there everyday problems. Later on in their schooling they will start to develop more advanced skills. Skills which will be used to help other students perform tasks to help the community, such as building bridges, teaching, networking an office building, and so on. After you have mastered a major role in society and can perform its task flawlessly you begin to teach others the same knowledge which you have acquired. One reason is because you have performed in that duty long enough to teach others how to do it properly and the precise ways, but at the same time you are still a student. Mainly because the world today has increased its standards, and increased the safety laws. During your term of teaching, your methods are becoming extinct and you are forced to increase your knowledge of newer ways and safer ways so your students will have the newest and most up to date knowledge of the subject. Some of the greatest are also the greatest students. My science teacher throughout high school was one of my favorite teachers. She knew how to bring her knowledge to life. Throughout high school I always chose one of her science classes. She had been teaching for at least fifteen years before I was ever a student of hers, and she was still a student in college. She was working on her doctrine in Physics. She was a very smart teacher and she played a big role in myself wanting to be a teacher. If it was not for education the world would be out of order and unorganized, which makes it difficult for everyone. If it were not for teachers being able to overcome the obstacles and having the nature of helping others, the world would be over run with ignorance and total chaos. As a teacher I would use a number of different philosophies if the classroom.

Government Term Paper Essay

The United States was founded and created by a group of people who wanted to see change and be in control of their future. This country has successfully accomplished this goal. Challenges from ending slavery to giving women the right to vote have all been accomplished through the American people implementing and enforcing new laws to be made. Two important issues facing the United States are Obamacare and illegal immigrants using anchor babies to stay in the country. On the issue of Obamacare, the best policy to follow is to recall Obamacare and create a new bill that is more specific, fixing one level at a time. On the issue of anchor babies, the best policy to follow is to amend the Constitution’s 14th Amendment to clarify the standards of citizenship. On March 10, 2010 President Obama’s new health care was signed into law. This new form of health care is called Obamacare or more formally as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). This bill requires that those who can afford health care must maintain the minimal, essential health insurance coverage. This mandate does not apply to citizens who hold certain religious beliefs or have financial hardships. Once the bill is fully processed, thirty-two million Americans will be able to receive some form of health care. The main intention of Obamacare is that affordability and accountability it brings. Obamacare lowers premiums for families making $44,000-66,000 and $55,000-88,000 a year. This new bill has made it easier for more families and people to receive health care. Obamacare also has begun to resolve Medicare’s prescription â€Å"donut hole†. This has helped senior citizens pay for vital prescriptions. The â€Å"donut hole† occurs after the patient has received $2,830 worth of drugs. At this number, Medicare stops paying for the drugs until the patient has used over $4550 of drugs. Therefore the patient needs to pay for $2,000 before Medicare pays for their prescriptions again. This reform gives donut hole payments a 50% discount and slowly closes this spending gap. The bill plans for the gap to be fully closed by 2020. The process of closing Medicare’s donut hole has already begun (Health Reform). The Affordable Care Act has improved community health centers. Within this improvement, there are more free preventive care treatments along with 1,250 new care centers for twenty million people (Timeline). These centers co-inside with the bill’s customer protection plan. This solidifies that no one may be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions (Health Reform). More people have been treated and helped allowing for a better field of doctors to be used for the necessary and covered treatments that Obamacare has provided. A large intention within Obamacare is to correct and maintain a new policy for business. Small businesses are not required to provide health care. However, if a business has over fifty employees, they are required to make payments that allow for health care benefits if ever needed if they do not have health care insurance (Health Reform). The bill has allowed for over four million small businesses eligible for tax credits so that they may be able to provide health care. Along with tax credit, Obamacare has cracked down on fraud, waste and abuse. This has secured the governments support in this bill. In the future Obamacare plans to reduce paperwork, provide more funding to children’s hospitals, and expand bundling payments (Timeline). Due to the numerous projects and reforms within this large bill, states need more money. This money comes from citizen’s taxes. People who already have health care are being taxed to help pay for others. One of the leading problems that Americans have about Obamacare questions whether or not all Americans have the right to health care. If a person chooses to be homeless and not work, should other citizens have to pay for another’s medical needs? Relating to the previous question, currently the Supreme Court is in the process of deciding if the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Obamacare, 2010, stated that everyone must have some form of health care. People have begun to question whether this infringes and stretches Congress’ right to be involved in one’s personal life- even if this is an economic matter. Many individuals and twenty-seven states have begun to challenge Congress and whether the Commerce Clause has the right to expand national power at the expense on individual liberties. In 1824 the Supreme Court case, Gibbons v. Ogden, interpreted the government’s â€Å"commerce† to deal with only state to state/internal commerce affairs (US v Morrison). In 1937 the Supreme Court stretched the Commerce Clause for the government to oversee labor hours and wages. The government was allowed such power that they could even oversee a person’s personal consumption in the Supreme Court case, Wickard v. Filburn, in 1941 (Gaziano). Finally in 1995 the Supreme Court ruled against the government when they wanted to criminalize carrying guns to school. In this case, US v Lopez, the Supreme Court decided that this was not an economic issue and was not covered within the Commerce Clause (Langran). However, the Supreme Court case US v. Morrison became the final breaking point for the government. In 2000 Congress wanted to ban the violence of women. â€Å"The Supreme Court ruled that if there was any other clarification on the Commerce Clause that there would be a fundamental upset within the balance of powers in the Constitution† (Natelson). Throughout America’s history there have been many attempts to improve health care for Americans. Both Democrats- Roosevelt and Truman- and Republicans-Nixon- have done their share of work to help, however, the most recent and successful help came from the Clintons. Creating a new task force, Hillary Clinton spent large sums of money to keep the public interested and willing to support her. When she ran for president against Obama, her largest campaign issue was health care. Her plan was to require all US residents to have some form of health care and that employers must provide health care. Ultimately her work was not enough and was not as favorable as Obama’s idea of lowering the cost of health care rather than requiring it (Health Care). Now Obama has reversed his position on mandates as he created Obamacare. Obama explained to CBS News, â€Å"I’ve been persuaded that there are enough young, uninsured people who are cheap to cover, but are opting out. To make sure that those folks are part of the overall pool is the best way to make sure that all premiums go down† (My Interview). On March 26-28 of 2012, Florida and twenty-six other states argued that that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional. During these two days, the Supreme Court listened to the oral arguments. The Affordable Care Act’s largest concept is the availability and affordability for all of America to have health care by 2014. The states questioned the act’s credibility of one’s individual mandate (Katz). The course of the health care case began with Florida on January 31, 2011 when a district judge challenged the new health care act. Claiming that the individual mandate within the reform was unconstitutional called for the whole Affordable Care Act to be nullified. Through the process of appeals, the court decided that the act did infringe on American’s rights; however, the whole bill did not need to be recalled. From this, the federal court took this issue to the Supreme Court (Claeys). All though the oral arguments are complete, the Supreme Court’s decision is not expected unit June of 2012 (Katz). Advocates of the mandate argue that the â€Å"mandate would force all Americans to share the cost of health care† (Health Care). The mandate forces all people to pay so there would be no issue of people paying for others. People would be supporting themselves by paying for their own health care. Supporters of mandatory health care justify their position with the fact that those who don’t think they will need it eventually will. It is better to be safe and have health care if and when you need it. Living in America, a citizen has personal freedoms and with that comes responsibility and maturity. Providing oneself with health care, according to advocates, is a responsibility that must be met in order for citizens to continue to have the freedoms that they do. There are thousands of people who still need health care, Obamacare makes it more affordable; therefore, people will be more willing to get a proper form of health care. Americans will be interested in their benefits which makes them more aware of the issues surrounding health care (Should Illegal Aliens). In 2011 there have been numerous court cases trying to decide if the Affordable Care Act is Constitutional. These cases, such as Thomas Moore law Center v. Barack Obama US President (Patient) are defined as a writ of certiorari law. According to the legal definition, writ of certiorari is â€Å"an order a higher court issues to order to review the decision and proceedings in a lower court to determine whether there were any irregularities† (Definitions). This order given by the Supreme Court so that they may receive a transmit of the records of the cases heard about this issue. According to the information, may it be presented that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act-Obamacare- be recalled. The ideas that the bill presents are effective and appropriate; however, this bill came too soon. America’s current health care system needs other changes before Obamacare may be used. Americans need to obtain health care on their own before it is mandatory. A possible bill to begin the new process may be to focus making Medicare more affordable and efficient. â€Å"In 2011, the federal government spent about $477 million in net Medicare† (Fixing Medicare). The spending rate needs to match up with the number of patients and their medical needs rather than taxing citizens to get quick, un-favored results. A large part of why America has been so successful is because American citizens respect and have pride for the United States of America. The country’s patriotism has brought upon much success including: ending slavery, the Wright brothers’ first airplane, defeating Germany in World War I, and Neil Armstrong being the first man on the moon. Starting in the late 1700’s, America became known as the â€Å"melting pot†. Our multiculturalism makes America successful because all people want to be a part of making the United States better. Over time more and more people have moved to the United States. People wanted to be considered Americans and be official citizens. In the 1990’s alone the US population has increased by twenty-five million people. Within the last one hundred years 197 million people have moved to the United States (Riche). These new people came to America because their lives would be different. New immigrants changed their names, learned English, and wanted to be a part of America. Rather than sticking to their old cultures and lifestyles, immigrants adapted to the American lifestyle. The number of immigrants grew so quickly that the United States had to limit the number of people per country to enter into the United States. The government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 to limit the number of Chinese immigrants entering the country. This act limited immigration in America to 170,000 Chinese people (National Archives). In June of 1866, the 14th Amendment was ratified into the United State’s Constitution. The 14th Amendment states that â€Å"all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and where they reside† (Rojas). This amendment was added to the Constitution to support and protect the freed African American population after the Civil War ended in 1865 (The Debate). This first part of the 14th Amendment is known as the Citizenship Clause. The second part of the 14th Amendment is the Equal Protection Clause which states â€Å"that no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person their jurisdiction of equal protection of the laws† ( US History). In 1898 the Supreme Court case, US v. Wong Kim Ark, questioned whether the United States could deny naturalization to anyone born in the United States under the 14th Amendment. Born in San Francisco, Ark lived with his parents in California. At age twenty-one Ark traveled to China to visit his parents where his parents moved after living in the US for twenty years. Upon his return to the United States, Ark was denied entry. According to the Chinese Exclusion Act, no people of the Chinese race shall be permitted into the country. However, if Ark is considered to be US citizen this act does not apply to him. The Supreme Court concluded that the government could not deny citizenship to a person born in the United States. This case upheld the 14th Amendment (Rojas). Today this case has been upheld and been the foundation of how the Citizenship Clause is applied to United States citizens. Today the number of people moving to America still increases. However, there are another group of immigrants moving to America. In 2000, LIFE Act Amnesty estimated 900,000 illegal immigrants came into the United States. It is determined to be twelve to twenty million illegal immigrants residing in the United States today (Gheen). The rising issue in illegal immigration is the regularity of anchor babies. This term, anchor baby is classified as an illegal/non-citizen who came to the United States and gave birth to their child. Because their child is a US citizen according to the 14th Amendment, these families are able to convince the courts to let them stay and live in America (The Debate). This idea gives illegal immigrants an easy way to beat the system and live in America. Due to the large number of anchor babies born in America it is clear that their parents do not wish to become US citizens. Illegal immigrant families are able to get food stamps and Medicaid through the country’s tax dollars. Along with health care illegal immigrants are getting help putting their children through school. This changes the dynamics and level of public schools as they have to accommodate to these children. This issue has increased so quickly that organizations like FAIR, Federation for American Immigration Reform, has made more attempts to eliminate this problem. FAIR estimated that 425,000 illegal babies are born in the United States per year (McNeil). Other organizations have come together to push for this issue to be resolved. The state of Arizona has taken the imitative to end anchor baby citizenship. This bill, SB 1070, was written in June of 2010. Arizona’s bill â€Å"makes attrition through the enforcement of public policy of all agencies† (Senate Bill). This bill sets up the country for success by cracking down on an individual’s immigration status. If their paperwork is illegitimate, then they will be taken to the custody of US immigration and customs and enforcement. Arizona alone is estimated to have over 300,000 illegal immigrants. Supporters to stop anchor baby citizenship state that â€Å"maternity tourism† is only the beginning of the possibilities of the novelties to come surrounding illegal immigrants. If the United States wants to continue to have the power and the proper influence among the citizens, then they must stop this illegal, increasing birth rate. Eventually all of these children will grow up and be the anchor needed for the family to permanently stay in the country (Beck). Currently a US citizen may not sponsor a family member with a green care unless they are over twenty-one years of age (Kolken). In twenty years there will be an even larger issue with illegal immigration once all of these babies are an adult. Supporters confidently state that having their child in America was their poor decision and does not exempt them the from the law and the US immigration laws. Their bad choice will impact their children, they are illegal citizens and because their children are minors they have no choice but to follow their parents as they are deported (Should Illegal Aliens). On the other side, those against interfering with the immigration question if there is no harm to America’s National Guard then why interfere? Because the child is a US citizen, the parents are then forced to make the difficult decision of whether or not to separate their family until their papers are approved. This then increases the single parent, non-traditional family for many children (Should Illegal Aliens). Those against resolving the anchor baby â€Å"problem† see no real solution because the children are protected under the 14th Amendment and have the right to live in America. Rather than solving the problem, it is suggested that a bill would simply encourage more people to not renew or even get a green card because of the high chance of deportation (Beck). Children who are born in the Unites States should not be guaranteed citizenship if their parents are not legal citizens. The United States is one of eleven other countries who even have â€Å"jus soli† as an option. The legal phrasing of â€Å"jus soli† directly translates to â€Å"the right of the land† (McNeil). Many of these countries, not including the United States, has citizenship as an option. In 1980, Britain changed their Nationality Act to be a preference rather than a mandate for babies born in the country (The Debate). Germany changed their Nationality Act as well in 2000. â€Å"A child shall be a German citizen only it at least one parent has a permanent residence in Germany or lives in Germany for at least eight years (Nationality Act). The United States must amend the 14th Amendment and clarify the true meaning and value of a child born in America. In the 14th Amendment clearly defines the standards needed to be a US citizen then many of the nation’s current problems would be handled. Illegal parents whose children are keeping them here would be deported. There will be less problems with Medicaid and the country’s tax dollars will not be going to those who live here illegally and receive food stamps and putting their children through the public school system. All immigrants living in the United States will want to be here and will be able to receive the correct form of becoming a citizen. Amending the 14th Amendment will restore America’s patriotism and success. America has proven to be the strongest country in the world. In order for the United States to maintain their strong position, the government must take care of the country’s issues first. The country’s health care must not be fixed by Obamacare. A new bill must be enacted that slowly and correctly fixes the foundational issues of the system before requiring all people to have health care. If thirty-two million were to be on America’s current health care, the system would jam and eventually shut down. Along with fixing health care, the anchor baby citizenship issues must be handled. Ronald Reagan explained the problem perfectly, â€Å"a country that cannot control its borders isn’t a country† (Buchannan). Therefore the 14th Amendment must be clarified and steps must be taken to contain illegal immigration in order for the United States to see a successful future. Works Cited Beck, Roy. â€Å"‘Anchor’ Babies: No More Citizenship.† Bloomberg Business week. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. . Buchannan, Pat . â€Å"Whose Country is This?.† World Net Weekly. N.p., 2010. Web. 29 Apr 2012. . Claeys, Eric. â€Å"Obamacare and the Limits of Judicial Conservatism.† National Affairs. National Affairs, Summ. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . â€Å"The Debate Over ‘Anchor Babies’ And Citizenship.† National Public Radio. 18 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Definitions: Writ of Certiorari Law & Legal Definition.† Uslegal.com. US Legal, Inc., 2012. Web. 29 Apr 2012. . â€Å"Fixing Medicare.† New York Time. N.p., 20 Nov 011. Web. 28 Apr 2012. . Gaziano, Todd, and Elizabeth Garvey. â€Å"Commerce Clause: Expansion of National Power at †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Expense of Individual Liberty.† American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2012. Gheen, W.. â€Å"History of Illegal Immigration in the U.S..† End illegal immigration. Americans for †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Legal Immigration, 2012. Web. 29 Apr 2012. â€Å"Health Care Mandates.† Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦On File News Services, 16 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"Health Reform Puts American Families and Small Business Owners in Control of Their Own Health Care.† The White House. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. . Katz, Daniel. â€Å"Supreme Court Considers Health Care Reform: Overview.† American †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. Klein, Ezra. â€Å"Who Obamacare Got to the Supreme Court.† Washington Post. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Kolken & Kolken Immigration Lawyers.† Immigration Lawyers, US Immigration News and Law Updates. Web. 20 Apr. 2012. . Langran, Robert. â€Å"Commerce Clause: Recent Interpretations Diminish State Sovereignty.† †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. McNeil, Brian. â€Å"Goode Takes on ‘anchor Baby’ Issue.† Daily Progress. 5 Sept. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"My Interview with President Obama.† CBS News. N.p., 27 July 2009. Web. 29 Apr 2012. . Natelson, Robert G. â€Å"Commerce Clause: The Misinterpretation of the Commerce Clause.† †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. National Archives, . â€Å"Chinese Exclusion Act (1882).† Our documents. United States Archives, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1989. Web. 29 Apr 2012.

Glorified Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of...

Imperialism Glorified in Heart of Darkness Conrads Heart of Darkness is, as Edward Said states a story about European acts of imperial mastery (1503)-its methods, and the effects it has on human nature. Furthermore I hold the presumption that Conrad incorporates much of his own experience in the Congo and his opinions about imperialism. Another recent critic also suggests: he seems to approve of Marlow, the narrator (Achebe 1492). These revelations of the author are conveyed to the reader through Marlows observations, descriptions, reactions, and statements. Whilst Heart of Darkness is at times very critical of European imperialism, that criticism for the most part is directed at the false idealistic claims made†¦show more content†¦When Marlow first receives his appointment with the company, he thinks that the Belgians are full of it, full of the excitement of running an over-sea empire strictly for the profit from trade (1433). Our current use of the phrase full of it could also be applied, in that Marlow does not condone the way the Belgians are approaching imperialism. His judgment of the Belgians may be partly due to the fact that most of his confidence in imperialism lies within the red part of the map, England, where the real work is being done. Moreover he is even more disappointed in the Belgians approach to trade when he sees the overturned truck, decaying machinery, the natives chained together, and the natives dying in the shade (1437). The natives of the Congo cannot even comprehend what is happening to them: the ou traged law had come to them, an insoluble mystery from the sea. This unexplainable force came into their land, taking ivory in return for cheap manufactured goods such as cotton, beads, and brass wire. As Marlow says, the only way they could profit from these inexpensive goods would be to swallow the wire itself, or make loops out of it to snare fish with.(1457) In reality the trade business is doing nothing for the people of the land, and all it appears to be doing is supplying a false consciousness of fairness and trade. Furthermore, not only are the methods of the Belgians unfair, but they are also inefficient. ThisShow MoreRelatedDiscuss the Representation of Civilisation in Heart of Darkness906 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness is a highly complex novella, as it does not provide the reader with an ending that satisfies his or her expectations, though the implications are profoundly more powerful and unsettling as it destabilises the reader’s notion of humanity. Conrad deconstructs the notion of western civilization being â€Å"a shining light and because of it knowledge has reached every quarter of the globe,† through the symbolic meaning of light and darkness and the breakdown of form in the narrative to echoRead MoreKing s Ghost By Adam Hochschild Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagescause of colonialism. Although he does not have a life devoted expertise to the Congo, his research and background was thorough and descriptive. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness served as a primary i nfluence to many people who seeked to further their knowledge on the predicaments surrounding the Congo. On the contrary, rather than displaying literary occurrences, he portrayed creativity in a hypothetical scenario to draw readers attention. Edward Said, author of â€Å"Two Visions in the Heart of Darkness†, providesRead MoreAnalysis Of Heart Of Darkness 1331 Words   |  6 PagesHeart of Darkness is about the dark effects of imperialism in Africa; the Englishmen wish to colonize in Africa with the purpose of taking their ivory. Charlie Marlow, who works as a sailor in the company of ivory trading. Marlow meets a man named Kurtz, the best-selling agent, during his journey to the Congo. In Heart of Darkness, the characters Marlow, Kurtz helps portray the theme. Marlow’s actions during his journey to the Congo in Africa develops his personality by revealing his character.Read MorePoor Assumptions and Flawed Conclusions of Conrads Heart of Darkness2481 Words   |  10 Pages     Ã‚   During the period when Joseph Conrads novel Heart of Darkness was written, a common theme in literature was the testing of the moral life through actual experience.   One could not realize an ethical principle without it being justified through the outcome of some practical conflict.   This idea of testing morality through experience is exactly what is presented in Conrads novel as Marlows journey results in a trial that not only defines his own beliefs but allows him to make a rather pessimistic