Heart of Darkness - fulltext
STUDY QUESTIONS - HEART OF DARKNESS
1. Briefly retell the plot of the book and characterize the main characters.
2. From whose perspective is the story narrated? Who is the narrator? Is he reliable?
3. Define the setting. Considering Conrad as a British author, why did he not set the story in a British colony? May there be some particular reason? What does it suggest about his opinion on colonialism?
4. How are the natives and the country depicted in the book? Find references in the text.
5. Discuss Marlow's attitude towards the natives.
6. Discuss Kurtz as a victim of colonialism and as a victim of the African "darkness".
7. Does the book criticize colonial enterprise or is it supporting the system? Why?4. How are the natives and the country depicted in the book? Find references in the text.
5. Discuss Marlow's attitude towards the natives.
6. Discuss Kurtz as a victim of colonialism and as a victim of the African "darkness".
STUDY QUESTIONS - AN OUTPOST OF PROGRESS
An Outpost of Progress - full text
1. Briefly retell the plot of the story and characterize the main characters. Do they display traditional heroic traits? Can you make a clear characteristic distinction between them? Compare the ways how they see themselves and others (Makola, director, Gobila) see them. Comment on the dual identity of Makola/Henry Price.
2. Introduce the setting. What country did colonize it? How does this fact contribute to our understanding of the story?
3. How is the country depicted? What attributes are assigned to it? How are the natives represented in the text?
4. Find elements of colonial ideology in the text (colonial cliches & stereotypes).
5. Comment on the transformation of the main protagonists? Why and how do they change? How does the director of the company refer to them?
6. What does the physical description of the station reveal about its occupants?
7. Comment on the final image of the story.
8. What is the tone of the narrator?
9. What are the subject matters and theme(s) of the story?
10. What is Conrad's message regarding the colonial practice of the Europeans?
3. How is the country depicted? What attributes are assigned to it? How are the natives represented in the text?
4. Find elements of colonial ideology in the text (colonial cliches & stereotypes).
5. Comment on the transformation of the main protagonists? Why and how do they change? How does the director of the company refer to them?
6. What does the physical description of the station reveal about its occupants?
7. Comment on the final image of the story.
8. What is the tone of the narrator?
9. What are the subject matters and theme(s) of the story?
10. What is Conrad's message regarding the colonial practice of the Europeans?
Music: Neil Young - Cortez the Killer
Lyrics:
He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.
On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.
And his subjects
gathered 'round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see.
And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood
straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.
Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.
They carried them
to the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up
with their bare hands
What we still can't do today.
And I know she's living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
Or how I lost my way.
He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer.
