Today's lesson addressed inferring the meaning of symbols and identifying theme. I first placed four quotes on the board describing the jungle or wilderness setting of the novel. We then analyzed the figurative language and allusions within each description and placed interpretations on the language describing the wilderness/jungle . This discussion provided a good segue to theme, specifically the import of Kurtz' dying words,"The horror! The horror!" Nina addressed the possibility that Kurtz refers both to Colonial exploitation and his savage actions and greed. We then delved into the darker possibility that Conrad expresses a dark view of all humanity, not just Kurtz. I discussed how Conrad's characterizations of human behavior resemble Freud's but remarkably predate Freud by about 20 years. We then reviewed the study guide questions that explored the last moments of Kurtz ' life and why Marlow feels Kurtz' dark revelation was actually a moral victory as it least constituted an affirmation of something as opposed to total nihilism.