See See’s?

The helicopter assault has no direct correlation with a scene in Heart of Darkness. Instead, the scene serves to represent the mindless killing of both militants and civilians. This theme is represented equally in both the movie and book. The soldiers actually find the killing fun or amusing. This is portrayed by the “mood music” which is switched on. Conrad doesn’t have use of this resource in the book, but Coppola seems to have made the most of it. As fight music, the music fits wonderfully. But the killing of innocent women and children makes it an unfair fight. The soldiers feel no remorse or sorrow, but enjoyment. It appears to be a sort of game or challenge to see who can kill more. To the soldiers, this slaughter is mundane. It is nothing new, but this is the day to day routine. To the reader, who is unaffected by the war in the sense that they aren’t in it, the killing is horrible and brutal. Coppola uses these stark opposites of what readers expect to get the desired response out of his readers.

Coppola wants the reader to feel disgust at the actions of the soldiers. Through put of place music, soldiers acting as murders rather than freedom fighters, and the senseless killing of civilians, Coppola accomplished his goal.

Wow… It really isn’t that hard to create a blog Brandon.  For being Techie, you sure are dumb.  XP.

• The Stanza
  And indeed there will be time
  To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
  Time to turn back and descend the stair,
  With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
  [They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”]
  My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
  My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
  [They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”]
  Do I dare
  Disturb the universe?
  In a minute there is time
  For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
• The Analysis:

The stanza opens with “Do I dare?” which refers back to the question he wants to ask, but implies that he doesn’t have the courage. Essentially, the man is insecure of himself. He worries about how others perceive him to the extent that their opinions prevent him from doing what he wants to do. If society were not so shallow, he would not worry himself with any of these comments. People would be able to see past his appearance and see his heart if they were not so shallow. By the descriptions he gives of himself, he recognizes the fact that he is getting old, and it bothers him. His body ages, the styles have moved on without him, and he feels left out of the crowd.  These feelings cause him to turn his back; to retreat back to his realm of comfort and delay asking the question. He keeps saying there will be time, but it isn’t actually addressed to the reader. He is reasoning with himself. In the end, he loses the mental battle and caves to other’s would-be thoughts of him.

• Moving Image:

• Music:1:22 of this song is probably the most defining.
• Static Image