Heart of Darkness …………. And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays and without heat, as if about to go out suddenly, stricken to death by the touch of that gloom brooding over a crowd of men. Forthwith a change came over the waters, and the serenity became less brilliant but more profound. The old river in its broad reach rested unruffled at the decline of day, after ages of good service done to the race that peopled its banks, spread out in the tranquil dignity of a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth. We looked at the venerable stream not in the vivid flush of a short day that comes and departs for ever, but in the august light of abiding memories. And indeed nothing is easier for a man who has, as the phrase goes, "followed the sea" with reverence and affection, than to evoke the great spirit of the past upon the lower reaches of the Thames…………………………. …………………The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore. The Chapman light- house, a three-legged thing erect on a mud-flat, shone strongly. Lights of ships moved in the fairway -- a great stir of lights going up and going down. And farther west on the upper reaches the place of the monstrous town was still marked ominously on the sky, a brooding gloom in sunshine, a lurid glare under the stars. "And this also," said Marlow suddenly, "has been one of the dark places of the earth." ( A fragment from Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad ) Ø GLOSSARY: forthwith (adv), immediately. mud-flat (n) , a stretch of muddy land left uncovered at low tide. fairway (n) , a navigable channel in a river… 1) WORKING WITH THE TEXT: Match the words from the text in column A with their synonyms in column B: A B glowing dazzle dull remotest gloom shining profound not disturbed broad pale unruffled not bright uttermost nursing abiding darkness brooding deep lurid enduring glare wide 2) JUMBLED TEXT Reorder the text so that you will get a brief summary of the plot. a- However, Marlow manages to catch him and takes him to the steamboat .While still on the river, Kurtz dies. A year later, Marlow returns to England and visits Kurtz´s sweetheart who is still in mourning. She reminds Kurtz as the great man he was before he left, and Marlow doesn´t feel like telling her the truth. He gives her Kurtz´s letters and leave. b- They don´t attack till the fog rises. And then , neither the savages´ arrows hurt Marlow´s men nor the guns of the crew have any effect on the others. Meanwhile, Marlow and his men are really scared , but mysteriously everything changes when Marlow blows the whistle. Now the savages retreat in fear. c- The narrator introduces a group of men on a ship sitting on the Thames. One of them, Marlow , begins to speak about a life experience in Africa which gave him a terrible glance of colonization. Then Marlow becomes the main narrator. d-On the other hand Marlow describes how badly the blacks are treated by the whites. Then Marlow continues down the river on his steamboat with a crew of several whites and about 30 cannibal blacks. As he travels down the river ,he discovers a hut where he picks up wood, and finds a note warning him to be careful. He goes on in the dark fog and eventually they are surrounded by savages. e- He explains how his aunt gets him a job as a captain of a steamboat of an ivory company. In a few days he travels to Africa and arrives at the Central Station where he meets the accountant who keeps track of the funds in a company run by a mythic man named Kurtz. Marlow considers the accountant interesting because he has spent three years in the Congo , but he is still clean and smart. f- Soon afterwards, Marlow reaches the Inner Station where he meets a Russian man who looks like a harlequin. The Russian Fool tells him that Kurtz is ill. Then he meets Kurtz himself and Marlow realizes he needs to be taken to England. But Kurtz has become part of the tribe and doesn´t want to leave. Kurtz entrusts Marlow with his papers and letters and tries to escape. 3 ) WRITING NARRATIVES. Read the text again and discuss the following questions: § What is the time of the day ? How do you know? § And the season of the year? § In how many different ways is the river refer to? § In which way the narrator is preparing us to the story? § Could you guess who “followed the sea” ? Ø Narrative writing implies different types of writing. When writing such an essay you will have to be aware of facts, creative style, choice of vocabulary ,description of places and people...as well as a balanced use of linkers to show sequence, addition, contrast and so on. Ø Remember :-write down all your ideas -order ideas into different paragraphs. -reorder ideas in each paragraph. -try to change words ( look for synonyms, suitable pronouns…) not to sound repetitive. -revise the use of linkers and punctuation. -make sure the beginning and the ending are effective ones, your feelings and even opinions can be clearly understood. Write a composition. Choose one of the following. Ø The life of a teenager in ……………..(name of hometown ) Ø A scary / dangerous experience. Ø A journey to ……………..( free choice of destiny ) |
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