Please post two or three questions pertaining to Heart of Darkness here. Questions are due by 8 pm on Wednesday night before the discussion.
Questions must be your own original and actual questions about the text do not send me questions gathered from online sites or from any source other than your own reading.
Remember that the discussion on Thurday will focus on Part III; however, I'm sure our conversation will spill over and include the novella as a whole.
1) Why did Kurtz send of the natives when the pilgrims were taking him on the ship when he was just going to sneak off anyway?
ReplyDelete2) What is the importance of the native women who appeared to be some sort of chieftess?
3) What is the significance of Kurtz being a renaissance man of sorts?
1) What parallel aspects are there between Kurtz and the characters in Dante's Inferno?
ReplyDelete2) Why is Marlow so fixated on meeting Kurtz before they meet?
1) What is the significance of Kurtz's and Marlow's illness? Possibly existential crises?
ReplyDelete2) What do the swarm of flies symbolize right after Kurtz's death?
1) Why does Kurtz have to die?
ReplyDelete2.) Does Marlow ever truly realize that he is part of the problem that he points out throughout the book? Is this why he and Kurtz get sick?
Some good questions....keep them coming. Don't be afraid to identify page numbers and specific passages in your questions.
ReplyDelete1) Why did Kurtz only say " The Horror! The Horror!" as his last words? Why did he not elaborate? middle of page 69
ReplyDelete2) Why is Marlow so hesitant to give Kurtz's packet of papers to those who ask for it? middle of page 71
3) When Marlow told Kurtz's intended that Kurtz's last words were her name, was his only intention to make her happy or was he trying to acheieve something else?page 77
1. What is the significance of the lack of an explicit Virgil in Heart of Darkness?
ReplyDelete2. Why does Marlow spend time discussing the majestic, "helmeted" Congolese woman? (pp. 60-61, 67)
3. What was Conrad's purpose in rewriting the Inferno? Was it something other than a sociopolitical statement?
--Seth
1. What was the purpose of the journey Marlowe took to meet Kurtz? Did he accomplish what he was hoping for? What did he learn?
ReplyDelete2. What is the significance of women in Heart of Darkness and is there a reason that they are mentioned mostly in the last part?
3. Why did Kurtz not want to meet Marlowe? What was he afraid of?
-How are woman significant in this part of the book? What do they represent and why does Marlow spend so much time talking about them? How do they relate to Inferno?
ReplyDelete-Why do the natives view Kurtz as such an important figure if he has such a bad reputation?
-How is Kurtz Virgil if he is so evil?
1. Marlow often contradicts himself when describing Kurtz to the reader e.g. pgs 69-70 "The voice was gone. What else had there been? But I am of course aware that the next day the pilgrims buried something in a muddy hole.... This is the reason why I affirm Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say." What is Marlow's final opinion of Kurtz, does he admire the man, the voice, or nothing at all?
ReplyDelete2. Why does Marlow feel an obligation to protect Kurtz's reputation especially in the instance where he chooses not to reveal his final words to Kurtz's intended?
1. After speaking with the woman from pages 73-77 Marlow is given the impression that Kurtz had gone out to the Congo to become wealthy enough to be suitable for her. Had he not become sick at the end of the book could he have returned or did he change too much on his journey that he became a different person?
ReplyDelete2. What could be the significance of the direction of the severed heads? Why are they pointing inwards instead of outwards?
1. On page 69 of Heart of Darkness, it is mentioned that, following Kurtz' death, the pilgrims buried "something" in a muddy hole. Is this "something" that they buried the body of Kurtz or something amorphous or philosophical that the pilgrims attained/lost over the course of their journey?
ReplyDelete2. Kurtz final words were, "The horror! The horror!" However, in Marlow's discussion with Kurtz' wife, he states that Kurtz' final word(s) was her name. What is the purpose of this lie? What is Marlow trying to protect by doing this?
3. If Kurtz had succumbed to the "savagery" of the Congo region, how come none of the other Europeans in Heart of Darkness succumbed to this similar "savagery"?
1. Did the blowing out of the candle (pg 69), symbolize the death of Mr. Kurtz?
ReplyDelete2. What was the significance of Marlow's explanation of death (pg 70)? Is he saying that the interactions he had with Mr. Kurtz were experiences that he had with death itself?
1. What are the connections, if any, between the native woman mentioned on p. 61 of Heart of Darkness, and The Inferno?
ReplyDelete2. Marlow's feelings about Kurtz constantly fluctuate between admiration, pity, and disgust. What do these feelings reveal about Marlow?
3. Does Marlow's unwillingness to tell Kurtz's wife the truth on p. 77 symbolize Marlow's continued inability to face reality/truth? Or does this show that he simply doesn't see the value in facing harsh truths anymore?
1. What does Marlow's conversation with Kurtz's wife and the wide range of resulting emotions that he experiences say about his development as a character with regards to his acknowledgement of the real truth in the Congo?
ReplyDelete2. Kurtz concludes his life by saying "The horror! The horror!" What could these words be referring to, what might they imply, and what do they add to our understanding of Kurtz as a character?
3. Only in the final paragraph do we finally snap back into the present. How does this paragraph complicate and supplement our understanding of the style in which this story is told?
Be sure to email me your name so that I can give you credit for the questions that you sent!
Delete1. What is the significance of "the Russian?" Why is he dressed like a harlequin?
ReplyDelete2. What sort of effect does the concrete physical description of Kurtz have on the reader and the characterization after everything else about him for the first two-thirds of the book has been passed-on stories about his "essence?"
1) What was Conrad trying to represent with Kurtz's illness? Is that supposed to be the jungle and the continent of Africa sort of getting back for his misdeeds?
ReplyDelete2) Does Kurtz accept/acknowledge how he's damaged the Congo? Is this the main reason for "the horror, the horror"?
What's Conrad's opinion on truth and knowing it?
ReplyDeleteWhy does Marlow really feel so attached to Kurtz?
Who/what are the two women?
1. How did the Company/Manager know that Marlow had the package or that there was a package at all from Kurtz? And if that package was so powerful, that Kurtz didn't want it in the hands of "This noxious fool (meaning the Manager)," how come he didn't just get rid of it? Page 68. Was he hoping that Marlow would "tie up loose ends," with his Intended for him? Lastly, if Marlow thought that he was so loyal to Kurtz then why would he give up the package so easily to the Company/Manager?
ReplyDelete2. How can Kurtz be compared to Virgil if he is leaving Marlow more uncertain then he was before he ever met Kurtz? Isn't Virgil/Kurtz supposed to guide Dante/Marlow, not leave him to figure things out on his own?
3. Why was Marlow so upset/angered when his Intended started to get sentimental when she heard about Kurtz's death? What did he expect? Also, what was the significance behind lying to her about this last words?