Heart of Darkness Context Group 1 – Belgian Colonialism in Africa 1. Where did Belgian Colonialism operate? 2. Who made the decisions about Belgian colonialism? 3. What is the history of Belgian colonialism in the Congo?

Heart of Darkness Context Group 2 – Trading Companies 1. How did trading companies operate? Where did they operate? Where were they based? 2. What did the trading companies trade in Africa? 3. How did trading companies operate in Africa? Who did they employ? How much money did they make?

Heart of Darkness Context Group 3 – Joseph Conrad 1. Provide a short biography of Joseph Conrad’s life, including his given name. 2. What were Conrad’s most famous works? What were they about? 3. How was Conrad received during his lifetime?

Heart of Darkness Context Group 4 – Recent criticism regarding Heart of Darkness 1. What are some examples of the post-colonial argument about Heart of Darkness?

Heart of Darkness Jigsaw 1. We will form groups based on your assigned number. Once you have your number move to your assigned area of the room. 2. You will have 30 minutes to complete your section of the jigsaw handout. 3. Once time is up, I will reassign groups so that each group now has a member of each number in it. You will “teach” the other members of your group about your section of the essay. 4. Your group members will write down the information in your notes as you are teaching them.

Heart of Darkness Part 1 1. In Heart of Darkness, we encounter another "frame narrative": who are the two narrators of the novel? Describe the situation and characters on board the Nellie. How does Marlow differ from the other men, his audience, on board the Nellie? What does the narrative frame contribute to the ensuing story of Marlow's journey up the Congo River? 2. The unnamed first-person narrator prepares the way for Marlow's initial meditation "evok[ing] the great spirit of the past upon the lower reaches of the Thames" river. Marlow begins his story suddenly: "'And this [England] also... has been one of the dark places of the earth'", "'when the Romans first came here nineteen hundred years ago--the other day...'". In describing the Roman conquest of England, Marlow suggests parallels to the main story of Heart of Darkness: what seems to be foreshadowed? How does Marlow define "conquerors" and what kind of "idea" might redeem such conquest?

Heart of Darkness Part 1 3. Consider Marlow's account of what drew him out to Africa. What is suggested by his likening the Congo River to a "snake" and himself to a foolish, charmed "bird"? Note the case of Fresleven, the river captain whom Marlow is to replace; Marlow's comparison of the city of his employers to "a whited sepulchre"; the ominous atmosphere of the Company's office with the two women knitting black wool and "guarding the door of Darkness"; the doctor ("alienist“) who measures Marlow's head because he has a scientific interest in measuring "the mental changes of individuals" who venture out to Africa in the Company's employ. What type of experience, what type of journey, do these signs seem to predict?

Heart of Darkness Part 1 4. Characterize Marlow's attitude toward women like his aunt. Despite his protest that the Company is "run for profit," note that Marlow has been "represented"-- like Kurtz before him--as "an exceptional and gifted creature," "Something like an emissary of light" or "lower sort of apostle," and his "excellent" aunt goes on about '''weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways.'" Afterwards he feels he is "an imposter." Compare that "too beautiful" world such women live in, apt to fall apart at the first encounter with reality, to the image of the blind-folded woman carrying a "lighted torch" depicted in Kurtz's painting in the room of the young aristocratic agent at Central Station. 5. Describe Marlow's first impressions of the European presence in Africa, captured in his observations regarding the French steamer firing into the coast and regarding the Company's lower station. Contrast the Europeans' naming of the Africans as "enemies" to Marlow's view of the Africans. 6. Consider Marlow's description of the "devils" he has seen. What are the different types of "devils" he describes? Why is he so appalled by the "flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly" that he sees in most Europeans in Africa? What does he mean?

Heart of Darkness Themes One of the novel’s strengths is its complexity. Conrad comments on a range of themes that resonate with most readers, such as: 1. The corrupting influence of power 2. Man’s inhumanity to man 3. Racial inequality 4. Gender inequality 5. Nature as adversary 6. Human nature Find a quote that supports each theme and explain the theme in your own words. Refer to your notes. Which critical lens are you drawn to at this point in the story and why?

Heart of Darkness Part 1 9. Consider the Europeans that Marlow meets at the Company's stations: the Company's chief accountant, the manager (why is such a man in command?), the "faithless pilgrims,” and the "sordid buccaneers" of the Eldorado Exploring Expedition. How does Marlow assess these men and their motives for coming to and remaining in Africa? 10. How does Marlow describe the setting: the Congo jungle--the "wilderness"? Consider how Conrad's representation of the physical nature differs from that of the Romantics. 11. Long before he meets Kurtz, Marlow hears from others that Kurtz is extraordinary and "remarkable." On what evidence do these claims seem to be based? By the end of Part I, Marlow develops a strong curiosity about Kurtz: why? 12. Marlow sometimes leaps ahead of his story, as when he says that he would not have fought for Kurtz, "but I went for him near enough to lie.” Why does Marlow flash forward in this way at times in his narrative? What is Marlow's attitude toward lies? Here we are returned to the narrative present of the narrative frame: how does the unnamed Nellie narrator feel at this point in Marlow's narrative? 13. Analyze Marlow's statements about his "work": why is he so intent upon wanting "rivets"? Given his surroundings, the example of the other Europeans around him, his admission that he doesn't really like work--why do you think Marlow now turns so avidly to the "battered, twisted, ruined, tin-pot steamboat" ?

Heart of Darkness Part 2 1. Approaching the Inner Station, when the boat stops for wood, Marlow finds a book. What is the value of the book, according to Marlow? What does he find written in it? 2. What happens the next morning in the fog? How does Marlow describe the cry? How do the responses of the whites and the blacks differ? Look closely at how Marlow responds to the idea that the Africans are hungry. What attribute does he find in the Africans that he does not find in the whites? 3. What is the effect of having Marlow say "The approach to this Kurtz [...] was beset by as many dangers as though he had been an enchanted princess sleeping in a fabulous castle"?

Heart of Darkness Part 2 In your group, find three quotes from Section 2 that support your theme. Explain in a thoughtful way how your theme is present in Heart of Darkness and helps drive its ultimate meaning. Also, consider how it connects to other themes. Share your quotes and explanation on the board. 1. The corrupting influence of power 2. Man’s inhumanity to man 3. Insanity 4. Racial inequality 5. Nature as adversary 6. Human nature

Heart of Darkness Part 3 1. How does Marlow destroy his credibility with the company manager ( )? 2. Describe Marlow’s journey to the bonfire in the forest and find evidence that Marlow is tempted by the call of the jungle ( ). 3. What qualities does Marlow possess that allow him to go to the heart of darkness and return, whereas Kurtz could neither survive nor return? Consider the description of Marlow from page 371, the incorrect description Marlow’s aunt gives him on page 377, and paragraph 160 on page How do you interpret Kurtz’s dying words, “The horror! The horror! (423)? 5. How does Marlow’s visit with Kurtz’s Intended complete his journey? Marlow insists that he hates lies on page 389, but yet lies at the end of the story. How does Marlow justify this lie? 6. How does the frame story end the book thematically?

Heart of Darkness Core Assessment 2 1. Go to LRC in Library Databases 2. Choose a piece of literary criticism of Heart of Darkness. You may use one that utilizes one of the critical lenses we put in your notes (for example: religious, mythical, feminist, psychological) 3. Respond to it (possible responses: What ideas does it offer that you haven’t considered? Do you agree/disagree? What ideas do you have to add that the author doesn’t explore?). 4. You may consider using one of the themes we discussed to pair with the literary criticism as part of your own analysis of Heart of Darkness. Four pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font Due Monday, May 20