Humanities Core Course

(Nation and Empire)

Professor Haynes

Week II: Lecture I

Reading Questions for Discussion Section:

Rendering Africa in Heart of Darkness and Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

1. When were these texts published?

2. Who is the audience for these texts?

3. Although little more than a century separates these two texts, what do the authors have in common?

4. In what way or ways, does their circumstances or historical context shape their relationship to Africa?

5. How do these authors define civilization and savagery in relation to Africa?

6. Compare and contrast how these authors represent African and Africans, i.e. territorial space, time and cultural practices?

7. Why are their accounts of Africa and Africans so very different or alike?

8. In what ways does Equiano’s Narrative contribute to the representation of Africa as a “Dark Continent”?

9. Do you believe that Equiano would have supported European imperialism?

10. If the Heart of Darkness is a critique of imperialism, then why does Conrad use racism to make his point?

11. Does his racist representations of Africa make his critique of imperialism more compelling? Why or why not?