New presentations on the blog

The Heart of Darkness powerpoint can be found here.

The powerpoint on the IOC can be found here.

Heart Falls Apart or Things of Darkness?

Chinua Achebe made no bones about the fact that "Things Fall Apart" was written to present an African answer to what had, until then, been the only literature about the European colonization of Africa -- the literature written by Europeans, such as Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".  Furthermore, in his 1977 essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'", he presented his case that even in Conrad's criticism of European imperialism, European ethnocentrism and and racism was present in "Heart of Darkness".  But how much is "Things Fall Apart" not just an answer to "Heart of Darkness" but a direct response, modeled on Conrad's book to present itself as an alternative view?  Whether intentional or not, there are a number of parallels that can be drawn.   Decide for yourself if it holds up:

Heart of Darkness The title: 2 one-syllable words followed by 1 two-syllable word The  book is in three parts The narrator is telling a story to his comrades The setting, Africa, is a dark, mysterious place where no civilization or culture is present One of the themes is about imperialism’s hypocrisy in its treatment of the natives The Europeans pay only lip-service to religion and in practice ignore it, even as they ostensibly try to convert the natives. Women in the book are powerless and naïve, although not without influence (Marlowe’s aunt) The theme, conveyed in the title, is about how, when man is removed from civilization, he goes mad. Kurz’s descent into madness is the result of being removed from civilization and exposed to the savagery of Africa. Kurz’s tragic fall is an inevitable result of the basic human condition, that it is only the restrictions of civilization that stop us all from becoming savage. Whereas Marlowe portrays Kurz’s demise as noble to Kurz’s intended, to the reader it is portrayed as ignoble.

Things Fall Apart The title: 2 one-syllable words followed by 1 two-syllable word The book is in three parts The narration emulates the style and tone of African story-telling The setting, Africa, is alive with a rich culture full of many traditions One of the themes is about imperialism’s hypocrisy in its treatment of the natives The Igbo value their religion and its traditions and obey it, until they are “corrupted” by European influence. Women in the book may be powerless, but they are not naïve – and also not without influence (Chielo) The theme, conveyed in the title, is about how, when a man’s civilization is destroyed, he goes mad. Okonkwo’s descent is the result of having his civilization destroyed by the encroaching Europeans. Okonkwo’s tragic fall is an inevitable result of a tragic flaw in his own character; others would and do not suffer the same fate under the same conditions. Whereas Okonkwo’s fall and suicide are viewed by the characters in the book as ignoble, to the reader it is portrayed as noble.

Heart of Darkness - Close Reading

The videos on the following page will help you prepare for your IOC on Heart of Darkness.

Media Bias

Watch these clips to see Media Bias exposed.

Type 2 Written Tasks

This 4-minute video gives information about the Type 2 Written Task:

The White Man's Burden

On this page you will find the poem "White Man's Burden" with questions about it.