Assignment Details
You are tasked with writing a research paper about Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness. This paper will need to incorporate elements of literary analysis- or an argument about the work that expresses a writer’s personal perspective, interpretation, judgment, or critical evaluation of the work AND outside perspectives that inform how you interpret the literary devices, word choices, or writing structures the author uses within the work.
Before you begin writing, please read this NYT’s article about Heart of Darkness.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1995/11/06/the-trouble-with-heart-of-darkness
You will find that this article poses the important question-
Is Conrad’s work a critique of the colonization of Africa or an account of it?
This question will be at the center of your essay’s focus. Using the above article as a source, in addition to a historical or literary source that informs your essay, you will critique whether our author is merely relaying a history of abuses or is speaking out against them.
You will need to incorporate your research into an essay that considers all of the traditional elements of a literary analysis. This means:
meaning an introduction which mentions the author, the title of the work
and includes a brief summary of the plot
and lastly an arguable thesis that guides your thought process throughout the rest of the work.
Your essay should also include body paragraphs that have topics sentences that easily define your claims with supporting evidence and your interpretation of that evidence.
Lastly, it needs a conclusion that restates in new language the key elements of your essay in new language.
It must also include a Works Cited Page formatted according to MLA guidelines.
Students that do not take the time to format their essays per MLA guidelines can expect serious reductions in their final essay grades as this is one way of showing effort, and the easiest one.
Tips for Writing a Literary Analysis:
Think about what the author is trying to say. Why is this important? When viewing this work as a piece of art, what might a writer’s response be? What might a writer’s reactions be to the ideas presented in the work? Are these ideas truthful or relevant to today and how? If a writer were asked what they thought of this work how might they respond? What points might a writer make?
Brainstorm a list of potential topics. Highlight important passages in the text and take notes on these passages. Later, when writing the paper, these notes should help a writer to remember which aspects of the story caught his/her attention. The topic chosen should always be based on a writer’s interpretation of the author’s message.
Here are some things a writer may want to consider when brainstorming for a literary analysis:
Character: What observations might a writer make about the characters? Are there discrepancies in what they think, say, or do? Are the observations a writer makes different from what other characters say? How does the author describe the characters? Are the characters “dynamic” (a dynamic character is a character that undergoes important changes throughout the work)? Are the characters “static” characters (a static character is a character that stays the same throughout the work)? Are the characters “flat” characters (a flat character is a character that does not have vivid character traits) or “round” characters (a round character is a character that has vivid character traits)? Are the characters symbolic or representative of some universal quality? Is it possible that two characters in the text might be compared or contrasted?
Setting: Is there a relationship between the work’s setting and its mood? Does the setting reflect the work’s theme? How does the setting impact the characters? Does a change in the setting affect the mood, characters, or conflict?
Plot: How might the beginning of the work be interpreted? How does the plot build suspense? Does the author use techniques such as foreshadowing or flashback? Are there patterns of cause-effect relationships? Do events occur in a logical order? Examine the events that lead to the climax and determine how the work ends?
Theme: What is the major idea or theme of the work? How does the author relay this theme? Is there a greater meaning to the details given? How do the characters’ moods affect the theme? What allusions are made throughout the work? Are there repeating patterns or symbols? What does the title say about the theme?
Dialogue: What is the purpose of the dialogue? Is the dialogue appropriate in terms of word choice or sentence length? How does the dialogue impact the characterization? How does the author use the dialogue to show the mood of the characters? How does this aid the author’s message? How does the dialogue impact the plot?
Imagery: In what way might a specific image or series of images be analyzed? How might the development of images throughout the work be explained? Are the images important to the meaning of the work? How are images interrelated with other literary elements?
Tone: How might the attitude of the author or the tone of the work be described? Is the tone serious, playful, casual, formal, or somber? How does the author achieve this tone? How does the tone impact the author’s message? Does the author say one thing but mean another? Does the author take the subject seriously or treat it lightly?
Point of View: What point of view do the characters display? First, second, or third? How does this point of view affect the theme, plot, or conflict of the work? How might the author’s point of view impact a writer’s analysis? Might the character’s first person point of view draw a writer to feel as though he/she is hearing a personal account and cause him/her to feel an intimate connection with the character? Might the author’s third person account cause a writer to feel as if the author is acting as the narrator of the story? Or might it cause a writer to believe that the narrator is an omniscient being who is distant but knows the character’s thoug
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