| AP Literature & Composition-Unit Six |
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| Unit Vocabulary Reading Selections Writing Process Tools Author Focus |
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| Essential Questions: 1. What are the implications of the novel's title phrase, Heart of Darkness/The Poisonwood Bible, particularly in connection with the main characters' lives and the novel's main themes? How important are the circumstances in which the phrase comes into being? 2. What were the causes, effects, and moral implications of European colonialism in the late nineteenth century? 3. How does Conrad’s use of mystery, uncertainty, and ambiguity reinforce the themes of the story? 4. Is Conrad’s use of narrative distance and the multiple levels of narrative employed effective? What impact does it have on the characters? and the audience? 5. How does Kingsolver use voice to distinguish her characters? What does each sister reveal about herself and the other three, their relationships, their mother and father, and their lives in Africa? 6. What social themes does Conrad assert in Heart of Darkness? To what extent does point of view impact the author’s message/themes? 7. Is Conrad’s use of imagery effective in reinforcing the themes of the book? 8. The sisters refer repeatedly to balance (and, by implication, imbalance). What kinds of balance--including historical, political, and social—emerge as important? |
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| Unit Vocabulary |
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| Reading Selections Heart of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver Imperialism and the Congo-pgs. 193, 194, 197, 205, 207 (Norton) |
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| Writing Process 1. Reader’s Response: There are two prominent female figures in the story—the Intended and the magnificent African woman who appears twice on the shore—but women are also represented by the two women knitting at the Company headquarters and by Marlow’s aunt. How can these women be analyzed in order to further develop the themes of the novel? How do these women compare to the Price women and the women of the African Kilanga Village? 2. Reader’s Response: “At Bikoki Station, in 1965, Leah reflects, ‘I still know what justice is.’ Does she? What concept of justice does each member of the Price family and other characters (Anatole, for example) hold? Do you have a sense, by the novel's end, that any true justice has occurred?” 3. Analysis of each character’s voice: a. sentence length, style, grammar b. tone words c. what song represents their voice d. continue writing a paragraph practicing voice of character. Read in class to see if we can guess who it is. Repeat exercise but read on paper to determine the voice by syntax and grammar Writing Focus: Compare & Contrast Essay |
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| Tools |
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| IMAGES "Barbara Kingsolver." 2007. On line Image. Depauw University. 2008. 10 Aug. 2008 <http://www.depauw.edu/photos/PhotoDB_Repository/2008/5/Barbara%20Kingsolver%20HS%202007.jpg>. "Heart of Darkness." No date. On line Image. BC Books. 10 Aug. 2008 <ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71N7S2EDKTL.gif>. "Joseph Conrad." No date. On line Image. Arrianna Editrice. 28 March 2008. 10 Aug. 2008 <www.anisn.it/.../images/conrad1.gif>. "The Poisonwood Bible." No date. On line Image. Wikipedia. 7 Aug. 2008. 10 Aug. 2008 <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/79/Poisonwood_Bible.jpg/200px-Poisonwood_Bible.jpg>. |
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| Last Updated On: Aug 10, 2008 |
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| Classic & Modern Novels |
| Concepts |
Terms |
| Tone Imagery Hyperbole Personification Metaphor Allusions Symbolism Irony Paradox |
Allegory Antithesis Epiphany Flashback Foreshadowing |
| Video-Heart of Darkness |
| Heart of Darkness Study Guide |
| Heart of Darkness-Essay Handouts |
| Essays in Criticism |