Prof. Richard F. Johnson
English 102
Literary Research Assignment for Heart of Darkness
Your assignment is to write a traditional research paper, which will be 10-15 pages long, typed,double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides. The paper will include an introduction, with an arguable thesis; a body which provides evidence for your thesis using outside sources and your own commentary; and a conclusion. You must use at least FIVE outside sources in your paper. Two of these may be sources from the Norton Critical Edition of the text we used in class. MLA citation format (including parenthetical in-text citations and a "Works Cited" page) must be used wherever you use material from an outside source, whether you quote it directly or write in your own words. The only things that do not need citation are your own comments or information that would be considered common knowledge (i.e., George Washington was the first President of the United States; William Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616, etc.).
Your paper must be on one of the following four research topics:
- Heart of Darkness is a novel laden with symbols. Certain objects serve as symbols, such as the forest (truth); colors also serve a symbolic purpose in the novel: yellow suggests corruption and decay, white purity. Other elements of the novel which might be read or understood symbolically include the fog, the "white sepulchre," the women, and the river. Discuss the significance of any two symbols in the novel, analyzing their function in the novel.
- There are a number of themes in Heart of Darkness. Choose one of the following themes and discuss Conrad’s use of the theme in the novel:
- Hypocrisy and Destructive Forces of Imperialism
- Madness and Savagery from participating in Imperialist venture
- Personal Responsibility and Spiritual Faith vs Alienation and Loneliness
- Good vs. Evil
- Materialism
- Silence and Solitude
- Heart of Darkness and Book VI of The Aeneid share many similarities. Just as Aeneas learns truth through his descent into the underworld, so too does Marlow plumb the depths of his own conscience through this journey to the “heart of darkness.” Explore the parallels between Heart of Darkness and Book VI of The Aeneid. Analyze the ways in which an understanding of Virgil’s text illumines the themes of Conrad’s novel.
- How do Conrad’s real-life experiences and the actual history of the Congo inform the novel?
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