Introduction
The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. That was the reflection that made you creepy all over—Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
You can't just sashay into the jungle aiming to change it all over to the Christian style, without expecting the jungle to change you right back—The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
Although the region in the setting is never identified by name, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad gives the reader a dramatic picture of conditions in the Belgian Congo during the period of European Colonialism. The narrator of the story is Marlow, a riverboat captain who has been sent to the region by The Company (a Belgian trading company), where he eventually meets Kurtz, an enigmatic but respected agent of The Company working in the ivory trade, who has established himself as a god among the natives and slowly descended into madness. One main theme of the novella is the nature of evil, which Conrad explores and illustrates through the character of Kurtz, as recounted by Marlow. Conrad highlights Kurtz's evil acts and madness alongside Marlow's recognition that the capacity for evil is a condition of humanity which he can relate to through his sympathy for the character of Kurtz.
In this unit, students will read the novella Heart of Darkness, focusing on interpretation of this theme the nature of evil, as well as making connections to both Marlow and Conrad as outsiders (as many of my students see themselves as outsiders as well, both culturally and socially). This unit asks students to begin by interpreting smaller, simpler texts with the same theme (such as a song and a graphic novel version of the book) before proceeding to interpret how evil is illustrated in the novella (using specific references to the work). They will connect what they learn from this exercise to real-world examples and experiences in their own lives, as well as connecting it to other books they have read in order to make the work more accessible and relevant to them. This unit also asks students to interpret background information and draw conclusions about the ways in which the author and his character Marlow are both outsiders and how that connects to their own experiences, so they can better identify with the storyline.
Throughout this unit, students will also discuss the following five essential questions to guide the process of interpretation, giving them big ideas that help them make connections between different parts of the novella:
What happens when one group of people who consider themselves more civilized attempt to impose themselves on another group, and how does that connect to the question of evil as illustrated in the character of Kurtz?
Will there always be an individual who, when removed from the rules and constraints of "civilization", pushes the boundaries of "civilized" behavior?
What happens to this person who considers himself to be free from "civilization" and therefore free to push the boundaries of morality and behave savagely?
What drives people to madness?
Is the capacity for evil conditioned or absolute and is it present in all human beings?
Heart of Darkness can be a challenging work for students who have more limited vocabulary and limited exposure to classic works of literature, but I believe my students will benefit from learning to interpret this challenging work. The main goal of this unit is for my students to develop their comprehension of and ability to interpret literature using a variety of strategies, such as close reading and group discussion, always referring back to the text for support. It is my aim that developing their facility with interpretation will increase their confidence and make other classic works of literature they read more accessible and less intimidating to them.
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