Objectives

• Analyse how Conrad uses the double frame narrative — the unnamed narrator on the Nellie and Marlow's embedded tale — to create ironic distance from imperial ideology.
• Analyse how Conrad's imagery of light and darkness, particularly in the Thames opening and the grove of dying workers in Part I, constructs a critique of European colonialism.
• Trace how the symbolic journey upriver in Part II functions as both a literal voyage and a psychological descent, using specific details of setting, sound, and Marlow's commentary.
• Evaluate how Conrad presents Kurtz in Part III — through the severed heads, the postscript 'Exterminate all the brutes!', and the dying words 'The horror! The horror!' — as both a product and an extreme of imperial logic.
• Write a fully evidenced analytical paragraph using the point–evidence–analysis–context (PEAC) structure on a named passage from the novella.
• Assess Chinua Achebe's argument that Heart of Darkness dehumanises African characters, applying it to specific moments in the text and forming a reasoned, qualified judgement.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Whited Sepulchre: Frame, Voice, and the Thames Opening (Part I)

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Look at the opening sentence of the novella: 'The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest.' Here are two observations about the rhythm of the sentence and the word 'rest' that come to mind before Marlow even speaks. First, the smooth, flowing rhythm of the sentence creates a sense of calm and tranquility, setting the scene as peaceful. Second, the use of the word 'rest' suggests a pause or a moment of stillness, hinting at a time for reflection before the unfolding story begins.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the paragraph starting with 'And this also has been one of the dark places of the earth' (Part I, Chapter 1). Focus on how Conrad uses temporal layering, as Marlow blends Roman Britain and the Belgian Congo into a single sentence to implicate all empires, not just Léopold's. Observe how the term 'darkness' transitions from a literal meaning (dusk on the Thames) to a moral one within just four lines. Additionally, note how the unnamed narrator's admiring description of Marlow, stating 'he had the pose of a Buddha,' immediately adds irony to Marlow's authority.

   Independent task

   Students should read the passage from 'I Left in a French Steamer' up to the end of the accountant scene in Part I (Chapter 1). Afterward, they will write a single PEAC paragraph in response to the following question: How does Conrad portray the Company Accountant — through his starched collars, the way he keeps his books 'in apple-pie order', and his indifference to the dying men outside — to reveal the moral emptiness at the core of the colonial enterprise? The paragraph must include at least two quotations and discuss at least one specific word choice. Students will write in their exercise books and underline the quotations.

   Exit ticket

   In one sentence, explain what the double frame narrative — the unnamed narrator reporting Marlow reporting the Congo — allows Conrad to do that a straightforward first-person account would not.

2. Lesson 2: The Grove of Death: Imagery, Race, and Achebe's Challenge (Part I)

   60 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the following two sentences from the grove of dying workers passage in Part I: 'They were dying slowly — it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now — nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation.' Without looking anything up, write down: (a) what grammatical pattern you notice across those two sentences, and (b) what impact do you think the repetition of the word 'nothing' three times might have on a reader.

   Teacher input

   Model the act of reading against the grain using the sentence 'Black shadows of disease and starvation' from Part I, Chapter 1. Start by exploring what a sympathetic reading reveals — Conrad's deep horror at the cruelty of colonialism, depicting how the workers are reduced to mere shadows by violence. Next, bring in Achebe's 1975 critique that Conrad's portrayal strips Africans of their interiority, names, and speech: the workers are seen through Marlow's perspective as shapes rather than as individuals. Finally, illustrate how to reconcile both interpretations in a single analytical sentence: 'Conrad's imagery evokes pity while simultaneously perpetrating the very erasure it seems to criticize.'

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing two PEAC paragraphs in response to the question: 'To what extent does Conrad's portrayal of the Congolese workers in the grove scene (Part I, Chapter 1) evoke sympathy, and to what degree does it reflect the dehumanizing perspective Achebe discusses?' The first paragraph should argue that Conrad elicits sympathy through deliberate language choices, requiring students to quote and analyze at least one vivid image. The second paragraph must apply Achebe's critique to a different quote from the same passage, demonstrating how the workers are stripped of their individuality. Each paragraph should be a minimum of eight lines long.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence that names one thing Achebe's reading reveals about the grove passage that a purely sympathetic reading would miss.

3. Lesson 3: Into the Prehistoric: The Upriver Journey as Psychological Descent (Part II)

   60 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   On the board are three short quotations from Part II: (1) 'Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world'; (2) 'The steamer toiled along slowly on the edge of a black and incomprehensible frenzy'; (3) 'We were cut off from the comprehension of our surroundings.' Rank them based on the level of unease they evoke, and provide one reason for your top choice. You have four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model the movement of tracing a motif throughout the fog passage in Part II (Chapter 2), which begins with, "When the sun rose there was a white fog, very warm and clammy, and more blinding than the night." Explore how Conrad employs the fog as a structural metaphor: it marks the moment when the journey becomes both epistemologically and physically perilous — Marlow cannot see, cannot know, cannot trust. Examine how the use of the word "blinding" inverts the light/darkness binary that Conrad has established: here, whiteness obscures instead of clarifying, directly challenging the colonial rhetoric of bringing "light" to Africa.

   Independent task

   Students annotate the passage from 'Suddenly the manager's boy put his insolent black head in the doorway' to 'The pilgrims had opened with their Winchesters' (Part II, Chapter 2 — the attack on the steamer and the helmsman's death). They need to identify and label: (a) two instances where Conrad withholds information from the reader to create a sense of disorientation, (b) the point at which Marlow's tone changes from detached to something more personal, and (c) one way the helmsman is depicted differently from the other African figures in the scene. Below the annotation, students write three sentences explaining what the helmsman's death reveals about Marlow's values and the narrative priorities of the novella.

   Exit ticket

   In two sentences, explain how the fog in Part II functions as more than a weather event — what does it represent about Marlow's journey, and how does Conrad's word choice in one phrase from the passage support your answer?

4. Lesson 4: The Horror: Kurtz, Power, and the Inner Station (Part III)

   60 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   Before you open the text, take a moment to jot down everything you know or have gathered about Kurtz from Parts I and II — his appearance, his actions, and what other characters mention about him. After that, write down one question you still have. You have five minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model the act of understanding a character through their environment instead of their dialogue, as illustrated by the severed heads on posts outside the Inner Station (Part III, Chapter 3): "There was nothing exactly profitable in these heads being there. They only showed that Mr. Kurtz lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts." Pay particular attention to the term "profitable" — Marlow's use of commercial language to frame Kurtz's horrific actions reveals how deeply the colonial system has influenced his own moral compass. Then, shift to the postscript "Exterminate all the brutes!" and examine how the em-dash preceding it creates a break in Kurtz's idealism.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a structured response consisting of three PEAC paragraphs to the question: "How does Conrad present Kurtz in Part III as both the logical endpoint of imperial ideology and a figure whose charisma Marlow cannot fully resist?" In Paragraph 1, students should focus on the severed heads and what they reveal about power and restraint. Paragraph 2 should analyze Kurtz's report for the International Society and the postscript, paying attention to how the rhetoric of the document collapses. In Paragraph 3, students will examine the dying words "The horror! The horror!" and argue what "the horror" refers to, considering at least two possible interpretations. Each paragraph must include a quotation and a comment on at least one specific word or grammatical feature.

   Exit ticket

   Write one full sentence explaining whether you think Marlow's final words to Kurtz's Intended — telling her that Kurtz's last word was her name — make Marlow complicit in the deceptions of imperialism, and name one piece of evidence from Part III that supports your view.

5. Lesson 5: Sustained Argument: Writing the Full Essay on Conrad's Moral Vision

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   Read the essay question you'll be tackling today: 'Conrad uses Marlow's journey into the Congo to reveal the moral void at the core of European imperialism.' To what extent do you agree? Start by writing a one-sentence thesis that captures your main argument, then outline three pieces of evidence from different sections of the novella that you'll draw upon. You have five minutes, and feel free to reference your annotated text.

   Teacher input

   Model the construction of a counter-argument in an essay introduction, drawing from the opening of Part I — the Thames at dusk, the unnamed narrator's respect for Marlow, and Marlow's complicity in accepting the job. Guide students on how to write an introduction that acknowledges a point — 'Conrad does reveal imperial cruelty, yet his narrative voice, seen through the admiring unnamed narrator and Marlow's own fascinated connection with Kurtz, risks reinforcing the very ideology it critiques' — and clarify how this acknowledgment strengthens the overall argument instead of diminishing it.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a complete essay consisting of four to five paragraphs (around 600–800 words) in response to the question: "Conrad uses Marlow's journey into the Congo to expose the moral emptiness at the heart of European imperialism." To what extent do you agree? The essay should include: an introduction that presents a clear, nuanced thesis and recognizes a counter-argument; a paragraph discussing the Thames opening and the frame narrative (Part I, Chapter 1), analyzing how Conrad employs temporal layering and narrative distance; a paragraph on the grove of dying workers (Part I, Chapter 1), responding to Achebe's critique; a paragraph focusing on either the fog and helmsman's death (Part II, Chapter 2) or the upriver journey as a psychological descent; a paragraph addressing Kurtz in Part III — specifically the severed heads, the postscript, and "The horror! The horror!" — exploring how Kurtz serves as Conrad's moral judgment on imperialism; and a conclusion that revisits the thesis and refines it based on the evidence presented. Students are required to incorporate at least six quotations, each followed by an analysis of a specific word or structural feature. They will write silently in their exercise books.

   Exit ticket

   Re-read your thesis sentence from the do-now and your conclusion as you have now written it: in one or two sentences, explain how your argument developed or changed during the essay, and identify one quotation you used that surprised you by revealing more than you expected when you analysed it closely.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can articulate the function of the double frame narrative in one precise sentence, distinguishing it from simple first-person narration.
• Lesson 2 PEAC paragraphs: checks whether students can sustain a reading against the grain — holding Conrad's apparent sympathy and Achebe's critique in the same analytical frame without collapsing into one position.
• Lesson 3 annotation task: checks whether students can identify Conrad's techniques of disorientation (withheld information, shifting tone) in a specific passage and connect them to the novella's larger symbolic logic.
• Lesson 4 three-paragraph response: checks whether students can read a character through their surroundings and language rather than through stated authorial judgement, and whether they can hold multiple interpretations of an ambiguous phrase open simultaneously.
• Lesson 5 do-now thesis sentence: checks whether students can formulate a qualified, arguable claim — not a statement of fact — before writing begins, and whether they can identify supporting evidence across all three parts.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g. satire, irony, or understatement).

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about an interpretation of literature and explain its significance.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including connotation, metaphor, and symbol.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view and narrative distance, including the effect of an unreliable or embedded narrator.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of a character, including how complex or contradictory characters contribute to the meaning of a literary work.
• Contextual Connections (CC-1) — Explain how historical, cultural, or critical context shapes the meaning of a literary text.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, including analysis of language, form, and structure.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received (specifically: Belgian colonial exploitation of the Congo; Achebe's postcolonial reception).
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations (specifically: Conrad's apparent anti-imperialism set against Achebe's 'An Image of Africa').

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts through language, form, structure, and literary context.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including the relationship between a text and its critical and cultural reception.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Demonstrate understanding of the literary text and its context, including authorial choices and their effects.
• Criterion B — Analyse the use of literary features (imagery, narrative voice, structure) and their contribution to meaning.
• Criterion C — Develop a focused, well-supported literary argument that engages with alternative interpretations.