AP English: Literature and Composition

Heart of Darkness: Presentation and Discussion

1. The Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe (Things Fall Apart) has claimed that Heart of Darkness is an "offensive and deplorable book" that "set[s] Africa up as a foil to Europe, as a place of negations at once remote and vaguely familiar, in comparison with which Europe's own state of spiritual grace will be manifest." Achebe says that Conrad does not provide enough of an outside frame of reference to enable the book to be read as ironic or critical of imperialism. Based on the evidence in the text, argue for and/ or against Achebe's assertion.

2. What do women represent in Heart of Darkness? There are three significant women in this story: Marlow's aunt, the African woman at Kurtz's station, and Kurtz's Intended. How are they described? Contrast Kurtz's African mistress with his Intended. Are both negative portrayals of women? Describe how each functions in the narrative. Does it make any difference in your interpretation to know that Conrad supported the women's suffrage movement? What does Marlow mean early in Part 1 when he suggests that women are "out of touch with truth" and live in a beautiful world of their own?

3. Some critics believe that in Heart of Darkness Conrad illustrates how “the darkness of the landscape can lead to the darkness of social corruption.” What does this statement mean? How can one’s environment affect one’s actions, feelings, and morals? Is this statement believable or not? Have you seen this in other books, poems, movies, etc.) Have you ever experienced a change in yourself that resulted from a change in your environment? What kind of change was it?

4. Heart of Darkness seems to blur the line between the so-called “advanced” society of Europe and the “primitive” society of Africa. Give some examples from the book. What makes one culture “civilized” and another “savage” in the eyes of the world? Are these distinctions valid? Do you think that the culture you live in is “advanced” or “civilized”? Why?

5. Lori Runkle suggests one consider the following as a theme for Heart of Darkness: “Entering the heart of darkness is the process of realizing and exposing the depth of human cruelty and violence in all its forms throughout the ages, be it in the Belgian Congo in the 1800s or in modern American in 2013.” What are some other “hearts of darkness” that exist today and in the past? (To be sure you understand what happened in the Congo, read the article at: http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/leopold.html)

(Read Achebe’s article to understand his full argument. http://kirbyk.net/hod/image.of.africa.html )