| Come to class with a short essay on one
of the following topics. Try to be as specific as you can. (1) In both cases, the protagonist (Marlow in Conrad's novella, Captain Willard in Coppola's film) are on a mission up a river in a "wild" place, looking for a man named Kurtz. But their missions with respect to this man are quite different. How so? The personal histories leading up to these assignments are also different. How so? How do these differences (along with others you find relevant to discuss) contribute to important differences in our conception of the kind of individual each is — their character (in the psychological & ethical sense of the term), their personalities? (2) Each protagonist is in for a big surprise when he finally arrives at where Kurtz is — a surprise that alters the nature of the fascination Kurtz holds for him. What is similar, and what different, in the moral corruption that the respective Kurtzes have fallen into? Be sure to spell out in as much detail as you can the differences in the nature of this corruption, and in the factors we are led to attribute this to. Neither Kurtz wants to return to civilization with the protagonist. But the outcome is different in each case. How so? How do the factors to which we attribute these outcomes affect our conception of the overall character of these two individuals (Kurtz in the novella and Kurtz in Coppola's film)? |
Bring your final draft with you to class. It should be typed or printed out. Shoot for at least a half-page, single-spaced.
Expect to show it to 2 or 3 other students in your section, as the basis for small-group discussions that will then be the basis for whole-class discussion at the end of the hour.