Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness
Re-read the passage that says “I have wrestled with death” (full page or two) and answer these questions on your google doc.
Prepare for Said & Achebe Discussion by answering these questions:
1) Summarize Said's & Achebe's arguments. What are they? Are they similar / different? How?
2) How would you describe the tone in each piece?
3) What argument do you find yourself siding with? What argument do you agree with more? Explain why. Provide Examples
- What is Marlow’s view on death?
- What is Marlow’s reason for saying Kurtz is a remarkable man on page? How does he juxtapose himself to this view?
- What does Marlow say about Kurtz’s profession? What is it?
- Why does Marlow remain loyal to Kurtz?
- Describe the woman at the end? How is she described differently than the intended? What is the significance of this woman? What is the significance of Marlow not telling her Kurtz's last words?
- What is the significance of the ending?
Prepare for Said & Achebe Discussion by answering these questions:
1) Summarize Said's & Achebe's arguments. What are they? Are they similar / different? How?
2) How would you describe the tone in each piece?
3) What argument do you find yourself siding with? What argument do you agree with more? Explain why. Provide Examples
Essential Questions:
Pick two essential questions and free write a one page response for each
How does a work of literature gain canonical status?
- Is Heart of Darkness a great work of literature? Should it be taught in school?
- Can moral flaws compromise the aesthetic value of art?
- Is art fundamentally political?
- Does a work of literature have intrinsic meaning, or do we have only “readings” that are culturally determined?
- Is it appropriate to impose current moral and ethical standards on a work of art produced in an earlier period?
- How does the writing style aid to the construction of a text?
- How can we use critical theory / literary lenses to dissect and interpret a text? (Gender, Post-Colonial, Marxist, Structuralist, Biographical, Historical)
- Is HoD a racist text? A colonial text? A Postcolonial text? A sexist text?
- What is Conrad’s implication in the text? Can we separate the author from the protagonist?
- Whose voice are we “hearing” in Heart of Darkness ? Whose voices are we not hearing?
- How can discerning tone give us insight theme and into the narrator’s and/ or author’s values, ideas, concerns, beliefs, etc.
- How can we review the Open Response Essay using Heart of Darkness?
Vocabulary
For 3/6/17: Review Vocabulary from Sections 1 and 2. Select 10 words from section 1 and 2 and write your own original sentences
For 3/6 - 3/7/17: Research Joseph Conrad and see what you come discover about his life, his writing in general, and his relation to the text Heart of Darkness. Save the articles, annotate them as you need and take notes as you see fit.