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Section 1 pp 65-80 (15)
1.Describe in detail the setting where the story begins. It starts in Gravsend Port on theThames River in a boat called the Nellie. Where captain Marlow is spinning tales.2.Who is the narrator of the story? Anonymous sailor on the ship.3.Describe Marlow’s physical appearance. Ascetic aspects, sunken cheeks, yellowcomplexion, and wind struck features.4.The narrator describes the recent history of the Thames. What are some of the activitiesof the men who have sailed out, from the mouth of the river? Treasuring hunting, pirates,and sailor.5.How does the narrator describe the River Thames? Tranquil, beautiful, peaceful, old.6.What effect does Conrad achieve by alluding to the pirates Francis Drake and JohnFranklin? He’s giving the reader an idea of an image of the people coming down theThames River.7.How is Marlow different from typical seamen? He’s a wanderer.8.What technique does Conrad start using once Marlow begins to speak? Quotations toshow that he is talking.9.What simile does Conrad use for the mighty river that Marlow wants to explore? Anuncoiled snake.10.As he travels on a French steamer to his new post, how does Marlow describe the coast?A mystery.11.On the steamer Marlow observes a French warship firing at the coastline. What does thisscene suggest about what the rest of the story will entail? Battle with unknown colonizingEuropeans12.How does Marlow describe the scene upon arrival to his Company’s station? “a waste of excavations” (19), desolate, and “inhabited devastation” (19). 
pp 81-99 (18)
1.Why does Marlow call the chief accountant a “miracle”? He was able to stay sane and notgo mental.2.What does Marlow learn about Kurtz from the accountant? He runs an ivory tradingcompany and is affiliated with the inner post.3.How does Marlow get from the first station to the Central Station? He walks.4.What does Marlow learn about his steamboat when he arrives? Sunk to the bottom of theriver.5.How does Marlow describe the general manager at the Central Station? Ordinary butmade Marlow feel uneasy.6.What does Marlow like about his hard work repairing the steamboat? Keeps him fromletting in the “darkness.”7.How is the Eldorado Exploring Expedition a contrast to Marlow’s mission with thesteamboat? Lacking morals.8.What is Conrad suggesting by calling the rival company the “Eldorado” expedition? Theywanted to find the lost city of gold.
 
9.What does Marlow need to complete the repairs on the steamboat and why is this sofrustrating to him? Rivets because he couldn’t get enough to transport.10.What rhetorical device is illustrated when Marlow says of the Eldorado Expedition, thatthey were, “reckless without hardihood, greedy without audacity, and cruel withoutcourage” (99)? Antithesis and parallelism.11.
 Heart of Darkness
was originally published in three installments. On what suspensefulnote does Conrad end this first installment? The suspense of what will happen next nowthat this strange company has been introduced. 
Section 2 pp 99-128 (29)
1.On what suspenseful note does this second installment begin? The talk about Kurtz.2.What does Marlow learn when he overhears the station manager talking to his uncle?He’s sick and plans to become manager.3.What is significant about the image Marlow begins to develop of Kurtz? He begins toappreciate his craziness and sanity and respects him.4.What is the prevailing metaphor Marlow uses to describe traveling up the river? Liketraveling back to the earliest ages of time.5.How do the African crew members help Marlow? They push the boat and help it keeprunning.6.What metaphor is used for the steamboat as it moves up the river? A sluggish beetlecrawling on the floor of a lofty portico.7.How does Marlow characterize the fireman on his boat? Look closely at the diction, toneand attitude of Marlow conveyed in this description. What is the fireman compared to?What does “a parody of breeches” suggest about Kurtz’s attitude toward this man (106)?He thinks of the firemen as a well trained animal who knows his tricks well. He compareshim to a dog and he sees him as a clown-like figure.8.How is the steamboat attacked? Arrows from natives on the shore.9.Who is the only person to die and how is he killed? The helmsman is hit with a spear inthe side by a native because he tried to fire at them.10.How does Marlow frighten the Africans on the shore and stop the attack? He blows hiswhistle over and over and over again.11.How does Conrad treat the speech and communication of African characters in the novel?When do these characters speak? To whom? Concerning what? (Track the three distinctoccurrences, beginning with the dialog found on page 111) He treats them likeuneducated human beings who don’t know how to communicate. They only speak toMarlow when there are no movements or “grunts” to express what the important thingthat is going on. One of the cannibals jokes around about catching and eating the peoplethat attack them, they tell him when Mr. Kurtz is dead.12.Why does Marlow dispose of the helmsmen’s body so quickly? He wants to save himfrom being eaten by the cannibals.13.What mysterious book does Marlow find at a station fifty miles below Kurtz’s station?An old book with weird writing in it about seamanship.14.Describe the man who greets Marlow at the Inner Station. Russian trader.
 
15.Marlow thought there were notes written in code in the book he found. What was this“cipher”? Russian16.Why do the surroundings seem prehistoric to Marlow? Because they are uncivilized witha lack of any technology.17.The steamboat anchors for the night eight miles below Kurtz’s station. What troublingevents happen in the morning? The fog was impairing their visions.18.What does Marlow mean when he says that women must be helped to “stay in that beautiful world of their own” (121)? He thinks the masculine things they do will scarethem.19.How does Marlow describe the death of the African helmsmen? How does hecharacterize their relationship? Helmsmen’s fault, he thought they were working together.20.Kurtz wrote a pamphlet for what organization? The International Society for theSuppression of Savage Customs.21.What surprising sentence did Kurtz add to his pamphlet long after he wrote it? Whatmight have motivated him to write it? “Exterminate all the brutes!” He wanted to impressthe people he was writing it for.22.On what suspenseful note does Conrad end the second installment of the novel? Finallymeeting Kurtz.
Section 3, pp 129-144 (15)
1.The Russian says, “I had gone so far that I don’t know how I’ll ever get back” (129).What does this mean literally and symbolically? He’s in so far over his head that all hecan do now is keep moving forward.2.When Marlow asks what Kurtz had traded for ivory, what does the Russian reply? Crops3.Why did Kurtz threaten to shoot the young Russian? Small amount of ivory.4.What does the Russian tell Marlow about Kurtz’s recent activities? Been deathly sick.5.What does Marlow suddenly realize about the knobs on the posts by the building and thesymbolic meaning they may have? The knobs are actual human heads.6.As Marlow talks with the Russian, a group of men suddenly appears with a stretcher.What happens next? Natives charge them to protect Kurtz but he talks to them and they back down.7.Describe the physical appearance of the woman who walks up along the river anddescribe what she does. She is decorated with beautiful beads she frolics along theshoreline and stops to look at the boat and then retreats back into the forest.8.How does Marlow characterize the African woman who enters the story on page 138?What relationship does she seem to have had with Kurtz? Why do you think Conraddraws this character in considerably more detail than other African characters? Wild andgorgeous, proud, savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent. She seemed to be amistress to Kurtz / to be in love with him. As a contrast to “the Intended” later in the book.9.When Kurtz is very ill, Marlow says that the manager “considered it necessary to sigh, but neglected to be consistently sorrowful” (138). What does he mean? He should have been sadder.
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