Reading skills: Pre-1900 unseen fiction - Heart of Darkness
Reading skills: Pre-1900 unseen fiction - Heart of Darkness
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- In this lesson, we will examine an adapted extract from the novel 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. We'll start by locating the text within its context of writing and then thinking about how the issues it raises around colonialism can be considered today. Whilst reading the extract, we will be following our reading strategy routines. You will be provided with prompt questions to help you track your way through the text systematically, thinking about what happens - first / next / then and finally. It is also an opportunity for you to start making your own observations.
Licence
This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.
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5 Questions
Q1.
Which option is not true of the function of an ending?
a logical resolution is provided
it culminates in a moment of change - physical or mental
it delivers a message
it delivers a sense of the inevitable
it provides a sense of justice
Q2.
What is a parallel narrative?
where the end links back to the beginning
where there is a jump in the timeline
Q3.
Which definition best matches a narrative story?
a piece of writing that focuses on a set moment in time or at different times
a piece of writing that has a clear line of argument
a piece of writing that instructs you on what to do in your life
Q4.
What is a third person limited narrative?
the narrator is omniscient
the story is written from an outsider point of view
there is a narrator who can follow the action from multiple perspectives
Q5.
What is it called when the main character is telling the story?
monologue narrative
second person narrative
third person narrative
5 Questions
Q1.
Where is the Congo River?
Asia
Oceania
South America
Q2.
What was the item the westerners wanted from the Congo?
diamonds
gold
oil
Q3.
What was the role of the Christian missionaries?
to find out about other cultures
to help with medical supplies
to teach people to read and write
Q4.
Conrad was originally born where?
Germany
Italy
Poland
Q5.
Conrad suggests that the "heart of darkness" is within us all. If so, what sort of conflict is he suggesting?
man v man
man v nature
man v society