HEART OF DARKNESS

By the end of this unit, students will be able to: analyze the characters of Marlowe, Kurtz, and the Intended and how each relates to one another and to the themes of the book; explain how minor characters reinforce the central themes of the story or act as foils for the major characters; illustrate, with examples from the book, the causes, effects and moral implications of European colonialism in the late nineteenth century; explain the impact of narrative distance and the multiple levels of narrative employed; identify and explain Conrad’s social themes as expressed in the book; discuss the use of imagery to reinforce the themes of the book; analyze the importance of literary elements, including irony and foreshadowing, on the development of the plot; interpret characters and characterization from a variety of viewpoints; and discuss Conrad’s use of mystery, uncertainty, and ambiguity as they are used to reinforce the themes of the story. 54 pages. ©2006.