Individuals have the capacity for brutality and disillusionment in the desperate quest for power in human nature. Humanity has the potential to adopt methods of hypocrisy and dishonesty leading to an atavistic descent into brutality, or conversely to uncover a hidden truth, leading to disillusionment with the nature of humanity. This ability to transcend the limits of individuals' sensibilities is explored in both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, where both narratives explore the universal capacity for brutality and hypocrisy through Kurtz's atavism, while the potential disillusionment with these actions is expressed through the art of Marlow and Willard. journey towards self-discovery and the discovery of the lie of their civilization. Conrad responds to the hypocrisy of King Leopold and the atrocities committed in the Congo Free State, while Coppola recontextualizes this in terms of the hypocrisy and absurdity of the United States in the Vietnam War. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay In Heart of Darkness, Conrad originally establishes Kurtz as a perfect embodiment of European civilization, but one who engages in an atavistic descent into brutality in Africa, suggesting humanity's universal capacity for brutality when the constraints of civilization are removed. Conrad describes Kurtz as "an emissary of pity, science and progress", as well as a "universal genius" with "superior intelligence, broad sympathies, single purpose", with the polysyndeton and tricolon used to elevate his character, a perfect embodiment of civilization. Conrad also uses him as an ordinary man, when he writes that "all of Europe contributed to the creation of Kurtz", presenting Kurtz as a universal figure of European civilization. However, the fact that even Kurtz, in his quest for power in Africa, indulges in euphemistic "indescribable rites" and "certain midnight dances", with "skulls" surrounding his complex, reveals the universal capacity for brutality of human nature, emphasized through the links to connotations of cannibalism here. Conrad uses metaphor to reveal that Kurtz has "detached himself from the earth", becoming "an animated image of death carved from old ivory", suggesting through the metaphor and motif of ivory that he has become the thing he has collected. his greed, having disconnected himself from the constraints of civilization. This responded to King Leopold's greed, leading to the brutality seen in his Congo Free State, where the hands and limbs of indigenous Africans were cut off under his rule unless they collected the desired amount of ivory. This has been described as an "entirely commercial enterprise", involving such brutality, and Conrad responds to this context by using Kurtz to reveal this capacity for brutality in human nature. The metaphorical "darkness" and "desert", representing all the dark aspects of human nature, "took him, loved him, kissed him, entered his veins, consumed his flesh and sealed his soul to his by the inconceivable ceremonies of a diabolical initiation. Conrad uses devilish imagery with personification and asyndeton to hint at a Faustian pact between Kurtz and the wilderness, as if the wilderness had completely transcended the limits of his sensibility, ultimately implying that beneath the facade of civilization, when societal constraints are removed in the "dark continent" of Africa, all that remains is brutality and "horror", revealing this universal capacityof brutality in human nature. In Apocalypse Now, Coppola also constructs Kurtz as an elevated figure of perfection, who engages in an atavistic descent, to go further. explore the capacity for brutality of human nature in every man. Coppola uses the recurring motif of the photo of a younger Kurtz to create a mythical presence around him, reinforced by his status as "brilliant", "exceptional"... in every way... humanitarian. " However, as in Heart of Darkness, we learn that this perfect embodiment of the American war effort in Vietnam became someone acting "without any decent restraint", Coppola reprising the motif of restraint in Kurtz's Methods Are become “unhealthy”, underlined by the staging of its temple, the naked corpses and severed heads scattered throughout the frame, hanging from the trees, associated with the diegetic noise of buzzing carrion flies. all of this creates a sense of decadence, the wanton disregard for the sanctity of human life echoing Kurtz's extreme brutal behavior. Coppola also shrouds Kurtz's face in dark lighting when he says that "horror has a face", suggesting that he is a man. representation of horror, savagery, brutality. This ultimately demonstrates the universal capacity for brutality, even among so-called civilized individuals, as is the case in Heart of Darkness, however, Coppola reapplies this idea to the context of the Cold War. the potential for all-out nuclear war and man-made apocalypse at the time, reflecting this idea of ​​man's inherent brutality. The Watergate scandal of 1974 also revealed the capacity for greed and corruption even among those in power, reflecting Coppola's depiction of this atavism inherent in human nature. The visual similarity of Kurtz and Willard at the end of the film, Coppola giving Willard straight hair, a muddy face, and low-angle shots all suggest Willard's potential to replace Kurtz and become this figure of evil. This therefore reinforces this idea of ​​inherent brutality, because Willard, who has shown restraint towards the "jungle" throughout the film, also has this ability to sink into atavism. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad demonstrates Marlow's disillusionment with the "philanthropic pretension" of the empire. , but reveals the ultimate inability to recognize this discontent with the hypocrisy of empire. Conrad uses the metaphor of traveling to the “heart of darkness” to discover the “flabby devil” of the empire. During his journey he meets the accountant, whom Conrad uses as one of the hollow men in the short story, described as a "hairdresser's dummy", putting the books in "apple pie order", contrasting strongly with the suffering of the natives in the "grove of death". Conrad describes the natives as a "dark circle of hell", with infernal connotations in an allusion to Dante's poem of damnation. One native even "knotted a piece of white wool round his neck', as if the Empire had placed a noose around the natives, reducing them to mere 'black forms' Marlow's use of irony suggests his disillusionment with these. atrocities, calling them "high and just procedures", having to "[turn] my back on this station...[to] keep my hold on the redemptive facts of life", which itself symbolically distracts from the truth , while he knows it deep down. This reflects the dominant contextual attitudes of the late 19th century, believing in the "white man's burden" of empire, "civilizing the savages", as symbolized by the. beliefs of Marlow's aunt, who refers to Marlow as "one of the workers", with religious beliefs. pictures