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| English Literature books summaryservants. A horse looks Gulliver over and says the word "Yahoo." Gulliver is led out to the courtyard, where a few of the ugly creatures are tied up. One creature and Gulliver are lined up and compared, and he finds that the creature does look quite human. The horses test him by offering him various foods: hay, which he refuses, and flesh, which he finds repulsive but which the Yahoo devours. The horses determine that he likes milk and give him large amounts of it to drink. Another horse comes to dine, and they all take great pleasure in teaching Gulliver to pronounce words in their language. They cannot determine what he might like to eat, until Gulliver suggests that he could make bread from their oats. He is given a place to sleep with straw for the time being. Gulliver endeavours to learn the horses' language, and they are impressed by his intellect and curiosity. After three months he can answer most of their questions and tries to explain that he comes from across the sea, but the horses, or "Houyhnhnms," do not believe it to be possible. They think he is some kind of a Yahoo, though superior to the rest of his species. He asks them to stop using that word to refer to him, and they consent. Gulliver tries to explain that the Yahoos are the governing creatures where he comes from, and the Houyhnhnms ask how their horses are employed. Gulliver explains that they are used for travelling, racing, and drawing chariots, and the Houyhnhnms express disbelief that anything as weak as a Yahoo would dare to mount a horse that was so much stronger than it does. Gulliver explains that the horses are trained from a young age to be tame and obedient. He describes the state of humanity in Europe and is asked to speak more specifically of his own country. Part IV, Chapters 5-12 Summary Gulliver describes the state of affairs in Europe over the course of two years, speaking to the Houyhnhnms of the English Revolution and the war with France. He is asked to explain the causes of war, and he does his best to provide reasons. He is also asked to speak of law and the justice system, which he does in some detail. The discussion then turns to other topics, such as money and the different kinds of food eaten in Europe. Gulliver explains the different occupations in which people are involved, including service professions such as medicine and construction. Gulliver develops such a love for the Houyhnhnms that he no longer desires to return to humankind. However, fate has other plans for him. His Master tells him that he has considered all of his claims about his home country and has come to the conclusion that his people are not as different from the Yahoos as they may first have seemed. He describes all the aws of the Yahoos, principally detailing their greed and selfishness. He admits that the humans have different systems of learning, law, government, and art, but says that their natures are not different from those of the Yahoos. Gulliver wants to observe these similarities for himself, so he asks to go among the Yahoos. He finds them to be very nimble from infancy, but unable to learn anything. They are strong, cowardly, and malicious. The principle virtues of the Houyhnhnms are their friendship and benevolence. They are concerned more with the community than with their own personal advantages, even choosing their mates in order to promote the race as a whole. They breed industriousness, cleanliness, and civility in their young, and exercise them for speed and strength. They have no writing system and no word to express anything evil. A room is made for Gulliver, and he furnishes it well. He also makes new clothes for himself and settles into life with the Houyhnhnms quite easily. He begins to think of his friends and family back home as Yahoos. However, he is called by his Master and told that others have taken offence at his being kept in the house as a Houyhnhnm; he has no choice but to ask Gulliver to leave. Gulliver is very upset to hear that he is to be banished. He builds a canoe with the help of his Master and sadly departs. Gulliver does not want to return to Europe, and so he begins to search for an island where he can live, as he likes. He finds land and discovers natives there. He is struck by an arrow and tries to escape the natives' darts by paddling out to sea. He sees a sail in the distance and thinks of going towards it, but then decides he would rather live with the barbarians than the European Yahoos, so he hides from the ship. The seamen find him and question him, laughing at his strange horse-like manner of speaking. He tries to escape from their ship, and they do not understand why. Gulliver then travels back to England and sees his family. They were certain he was dead, and he is filled with disgust and contempt for them. For a year he cannot stand to be near to his wife and children, and he buys two horses and converses with them for four hours each day. Gulliver concludes his narrative by acknowledging that the law requires him to report his findings to the government, but that he can see no military advantage in attacking any of the locations he discovered; and he particularly wishes to protect the Houyhnhnms. Heart of Darkness by J.Conrad Summary Part I: A ship called the Nellie is cruising down the Thames‹it will rest there as it awaits a change in tide. The narrator is an unidentified guest aboard the ship. He describes at length the appearance of the Thames as an interminable waterway, and then he moves on to describing the inhabitants of the ship. The Director of Companies doubles as Captain and host. They all regard him with affection, trust and respect. The Lawyer is advanced in years and possesses many virtues. The Accountant is toying with dominoes, trying to begin a game. Between them already is the "bond of the sea." They are tolerant of one another. Then there is Marlow. He has an emaciated appearance sunken cheeks and a yellow complexion. The ship drops anchor, but nobody wants to begin the dominoes game. They sit and meditatively at the sun, and the narrator takes great notice of how the water changes as the sun sets. Marlow suddenly speaks, noting that "this also has been one of the dark places of the earth." He is a man who does not represent his class: he is a seaman but also a wanderer, which is disdainful and odd, since most seamen live sedentary lives aboard the ship that is their home. No one responds to the remark, and Marlow continues to talk of olden times when the Romans arrived and brought light, which even now is constantly flickering. He says those people were not colonists but conquerors, taking everything by brute force. This "taking of the earth is not a pretty thing" when examined too closely; it is the idea behind it which people find redeeming. Then, to the dismay of his bored listeners, he switches into narration of a life experience, how he decided to be a fresh water sailor and had come into contact with colonization. After a number of voyages in the Orient and India, Marlow began to look for a ship, but he was having hard luck in finding a position. As a child, he had a passion for maps, and would lose himself in the blank spaces, which gradually turned into dark ones as they became peopled. He is especially taken with the picture of a long coiling river. Marlow thinks to get charge of the steamboats that must go up and down that river for trade. His aunt has connections in the Administration, and writes to have him appointed a steamboat skipper. The appointment comes through very quickly, as Marlow is to take the place of Fresleven, a captain who has been killed in a scuffle with the natives. He crosses the Channel to sign the contract with his employers. Their office appears to him like a white sepulchre. The reception area is dimly lit, and two women sullenly man the area. Marlow notes an unfinished map, and he is going into the yellow section, the central area that holds the river. He signs, but feels very uneasy as the women look at him meaningfully. Then there is a visit to the doctor. Marlow questions him on why he is not with the Company on its business. The doctor becomes cool and says he is no fool. Changes take place out there. He asks his patient whether there is madness in the family. With a clean bill of health and a long goodbye chat with his aunt, Marlow sets out on a French steamer, feeling like an "impostor." Watching the coast as it slips by, our newly named skipper marvels at its enigmatic quality‹it tempts and invites the seer to come ashore, but in a grim way. The weather is fierce, for the sun beats down strongly. The ship picks up others along the way: soldiers and clerks mainly. The trade names they pass on ships and on land seem almost farcical. There is a uniformly somber atmosphere. After a month, Marlow arrives at the mouth of the big river, and takes his passage on a little steamer. Once aboard he learns that a man picked up the other day hanged himself recently. He is taken to his Company's station. He walks through pieces of "decaying machinery" and observes a stream of black people walking slowly, very thin and indifferent. One of the "reclaimed" carries a rifle at "it's middle." Marlow walks around to avoid this chain gang and finds a shade to rest. He sees more black people working, some who look like they are dying. One young man looks particularly hungry, and Marlow goes to offer him the ship biscuit in his pocket. He notices that the boy is wearing white worsted around his neck, and wonders what this is for. Marlow hastily makes his way towards the station. He meets a white man dressed elegantly and in perfect fashion. He is "amazing" and a "miracle." After learning that he is the chief accountant of the Company, Marlow respects him. The station is a muddle of activity. The new skipper waits there for ten days, living in a hut. Frequently he visits the accountant, who tells him that he will meet Mr. Kurtz, a remarkable man in charge of the trading-post in the ivory- country. The accountant is irritated that a bed station for a dying man has been set up in his office. He remarks that he begins to "hate the savages to death." He asks Marlow to tell Kurtz that everything is satisfactory. The next day Marlow begins a 200 mile tramp into the interior. He crosses many paths, many deserted dwellings, and mysterious "niggers." His white companion becomes ill on the journey, which makes Marlow impatient but attentive. Finally they arrive at the Central Station, and Marlow must see the General Manager. The meeting is strange. The Manager has a stealthy smile. He is obeyed, but he does not inspire love or fear. He only inspires uneasiness. The trading had begun without Marlow, who was late. There were rumors that an important station was jeopardy, and that its chief, Kurtz, was ill. A shipwreck on Marlow's boat has set them back. The manager is anxious, and says it will be three months before they can make a start in the trading. Marlow begins work in the station. Whispers of "ivory" punctuate the air throughout the days. One evening a shed almost burns down. A black man is beaten for this, and Marlow overhears: "Kurtz take advantage of this incident." The manager's main spy, a first-class agent, befriends the new skipper and begins to question him extensively about Europe and the people he knows there. Marlow is confused about what this man hopes to learn. The agent becomes "furiously annoyed." There is a dark sketch on his wall of a woman blindfolded and carrying a lighted torch. The agent says that Kurtz painted it. Upon Marlow's inquiry as to who this man is, he says that he is a prodigy, an "emissary of pity and science." They want Europe to entrust the guidance of the cause to them. The agent talks precipitately, wanting Marlow to give Kurtz a favourable report about his disposition because he believes Marlow has more influence in Europe than he actually does. The narrator breaks off for an instant and returns to his listeners on the ship, saying that they should be able to see more in retrospect than he could in the moment. Back in the story, the droning of the agent bores him. Marlow wants rivets to stop the hole and get on with the work on his ship. He clambers aboard. The ship is the one thing that truly excites him. He notes the foreman of the mechanics sitting on board. They cavort and talk happily of rivets that should arrive in three weeks. Instead of rivets, however, they receive an "invasion" of "sulky niggers" with their white expedition leader, who is the Manager's uncle. Marlow meditates for a bit on Kurtz, wondering if he will be promoted to the General Manger position and how he will set about his work when there. Summary Part II While lying on the deck of his steamboat one evening, Marlow overhears a conversation between the Manager and his uncle, leader of the Expedition group that has arrived. Snatches of talk indicate that the two are conferring about Kurtz. The Manager says he was "forced to send him there." They say his influence is frightful, and that he is alone, having sent away all his assistants. The word "ivory" is also overheard. The two men are wondering how all this ivory has arrived, and why Kurtz did not return to the main station as he should have. Marlow believes this fact allows him to see Kurtz for the first time. The Manager and his uncle say that either Kurtz or his assistant must be hanged as an example, so that they can get rid of unfair competition. Realizing that Marlow is nearby, they stop talking. In the next few days, the Expedition goes into the wilderness and loses all their donkeys. As they arrive at the bank below Kurtz's station, Marlow is excited at the prospect of meeting him soon. To Marlow, travelling up the river is like going to the beginning of the world. He sees no joy in the sunshine, however. The past comes back to haunt him on this river. There is a stillness that does not resemble peace. It is alive and watching Marlow. He is concerned about scraping the bottom of his steamship on the river floor‹this is disgraceful for seamen. Twenty "cannibals" are his crew. The Manager and some pilgrims are also onboard. Sailing by stations, they hear the word "ivory" resonating. The trees are massive and make you feel very small. The earth appears "unearthly." The men are monstrous but not inhuman. This scares Marlow greatly. He believes the mind of man is capable of anything. They creep on towards Kurtz. The ship comes across a deserted dwelling. Marlow finds a well-kept book about seamanship. It has notes in a language he cannot understand. Back on the boat, he pushes ahead. Eight miles from Kurtz's station, the Manager decides they will stay put for the evening. No sounds are heard. The sun rises, and "complaining clamor" with "savage discord" fills the air. Everyone fears an attack. One of the black crew members says that the attackers should be handed over to them and eaten. Marlow wonders why he and the other whites have not been eaten. The Manager insincerely worries that something might have happened to Kurtz. Marlow does not believe there will be an attack‹the jungle and fog seem impenetrable. No one believes him. Some men go and investigate the shore. A pattering sound is audible: flying arrows! The helmsman on the ship panics and does not steer properly. The crew is firing rifles into the bushes. A black man is shot and lays at Marlow's feet. He tries to talk and dies before he can get any words out. Marlow supposes that Kurtz has perished in this attack. He is exceedingly upset: talking to the mythical man has become a major point of interest. In a fit of distress Marlow throws his shoes overboard. He tells the listeners on the Thames ship that the privilege of talking to Kurtz was waiting for him. Marlow relates that Kurtz mentioned a girl, and how his shanty was busting with ivory. Kurtz has taken position of "devil of the land." Originally he was well-educated, but he has become entirely native in Africa, participating in rituals and rites. Kurtz is anything but common. Back in the battle, the helmsman is killed. Marlow throws the body overboard. After a simple funeral, the steamer continues moving. Miraculously they spy Kurtz's station, which they had assumed to be lost. They see the figure of a man who resembles a harlequin. This man says that Kurtz is present, and assures them that they need not fear the natives, who are simple people. He speaks with Marlow, introducing himself as a Russian. The book Marlow holds is actually his, and he is grateful to have it returned. The Russian says the ship was attacked because the natives do not want Kurtz to leave with the crew‹he has broadened everybody's mind. Summary Part III: Marlow is astonished at the Russian's words. He is gathering a clearer picture of Kurtz. The Russian says that he has gone so far that he doesn't know if he will ever get back. Apparently he has been alone with Kurtz for many months. His sense of adventure is pure, and glamour urges him onward. The Russian remembers the first night he spoke to Kurtz‹he forgot to sleep, he was so captivated. Kurtz made him "see things." He has nursed this great man through illnesses, and accompanied him on explorations to villages. Kurtz has raided the country by getting the cooperation of the nearby tribe, who all adore him. He loses himself in ivory hunts for weeks at a time, and forgets himself. The Russian disagrees that Kurtz is mad. Even when this bright-eyed adventurer was told to leave by his mentor, he refused to go. Kurtz went down the river alone to make another ivory raid. His illness acted up, so the Russian joined him in order to take care of him. Presently, Kurtz lies in a hut surrounded by heads on stakes. Marlow is not very shocked at the sight. He takes this as an indication that Kurtz lacks restraint in the gratification of his lusts, a condition for which the wilderness is culpable. Marlow assumes that Kurtz was hollow inside and needed something to fill that. The Russian is perturbed by Marlow's attitude of skepticism. He has heard enough about the ceremonies surrounding this revered man. Suddenly around the house appears a group of men. They convene around the stretcher that holds the dying Kurtz. He looks gaunt, and tells the natives to leave. The pilgrims carry him to another cabin, and give him his correspondence. In a raspy voice he says he is glad to meet Marlow. The Manager comes in to talk privately with Kurtz. Waiting on the boat with the Russian, Marlow spies the "apparition" of a gorgeous woman. She glitters with gold, paint, and she looks savage. She steps to the edge of the shore and eyes the steamer. She gestures violently toward the sky, turns and disappears into the thicket. The harlequin man fears her. 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