Unit 3: The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Unit 3: Novella: The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Essential Questions and Skills:
How does point of view in narration impact our reading of fiction? How do literary elements combine to create a sense of theme in literature? Can meaning and theme transcend historical context? How can understanding historical background information help my understanding of the novel? To what extent do psychological forces shape destiny?
To what extent do the mores of a particular time period define the tragic condition? How does the novel work on many levels to create a unified effect? How does the definition of the tragic hero apply to the characters of the novel? What themes of mythology transcend time periods and how are they embedded in the human psyche? In what ways are the themes of the Things Fall Apart reflected in the work?
Is man in control of his destiny? How does man justify the existence of evil in the world? How does a particular society justify the existence of evil? How does Conrad develop the characters of Marlow, Kurtz, and the Intended? How are the characters reflective of the society in which they live? What can we learn about ourselves in a study of the characters of the novel? How does Conrad’s diction affect our understanding of the novel?
What is close reading? Whatl allusions are present in the novel? How can we create and use graphic organizers? How can we develop vocabulary and relate to words through denotation and connotation? How do we utilize textual evidence to create arguments and exemplify ideas?
Literary Terminology:- Allusion-Archetype-Allusion-Unreliable narrator-Motif-symbol-Direct characterization-Indirect characterization-Implied characterization-Tone-Denotation –imagery –simile-metaphor-personification-metonymy-synecdoche.
Vocabulary: Alacrity rapacity tenebrous evanescent inexorable moribund Trenchant inscrutable sagacious somnambulist prevaricator insidious harlequin imbecile immutability propensity sententiously lugubrious drollery declivity superciliousness conflagration implacable incontinent recondite prodigious peroration jocose sarcophagus satiated recrudescence confabulation
Materials:
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
"The Lamb” and “The Tiger” by William Blake
"Snake” by D. H. Lawrence
“The Hollow Men” by T.S. Eliot
"Child by Tiger” by Thomas Wolfe
“The Second Coming” by W.B. Yeats
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone by Nancy Dean
Writing samples from previous AP English Composition tests.
Joseph Conrad Biographical Information
Read pages 3-14 of THIS Document
Assessments:
A. Vocabulary work
B. Weekly vocabulary assessments
C. Active close reading (graphic organizer: allusions, symbols, historical references, vocabulary)\
D. Un-timed AP style essay: Choice of essays
Esssay #1: Change and alienation are themes that are featured frequently in literature. In a thoughtful and well-written essay, compare and contrast the characters of Okonkwo and Marlowe as they experience change and alienation in their lives.
Essay #2: Conrad wrote that he began every story with definite, “true” images. Description of the jungle in Heart of Darkness is realistic and exact, based upon his observations of the terrain during his own trip through Africa. At the same time, however, the geography is a metaphor for abstract psychological and moral issues. Discuss ways in which the setting is a symbol for the larger themes of the novel.
E. Student generated AP style multiple choice questions
F. Weekly exercises from Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone.
G. AP Style Multiple Choice Test
