English with Mrs. Lamp

Check out this comprehensive unit plan; it’s the perfect guide to teaching Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness! Perfect for AP Literature classes, homeschool educators, and high school English instructors, this blog post is designed to enrich your students’ understanding of Conrad’s profound novella through a multifaceted approach. (Grab My Full Unit Here!)

Pairing Heart of Darkness with iconic Victorian poetry from Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and others, my curriculum emphasizes thematic connections and literary analysis across diverse texts. Explore themes of imperialism, existentialism, and the human condition through poetry like Tennyson’s “Ulysses” and Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” and connect these insights to Conrad’s exploration of colonialism and morality once you start reading HoD.

Enhance classroom discussions with passage-based, text-dependent questions that encourage critical thinking and analytical skills. Delve into literary lenses such as Freudian and Jungian analysis, post-colonial criticism inspired by Chinua Achebe’s “An Image of Africa,” and more, providing advanced students with robust frameworks for interpreting Conrad’s narrative complexities.

Whether you’re preparing for essay assignments, classroom lectures, or engaging group activities, my HoD materials—from lecture slides to essay prompts—provide comprehensive support for teaching Heart of Darkness effectively. Let’s navigate Conrad’s narrative together and empower students to truly understand this complex text AND uncover timeless truths about humanity and society.

Unlock the potential of your literature curriculum today with my integrated approach to teaching Heart of Darkness alongside Victorian poetry and critical analyses. Prepare your students for literary excellence and meaningful exploration with resources curated since 2011!