Huma Saleem

Dr. Warner

English 112B

9 December 2009

Enlightening a Heart of Darkness:

Unit of Study

Why Plunge into the Darkness?

How enthralling can a book titled Heart of Darkness be? If even this morbid title is an initial turn off, can audiences penetrate it any further? And since it was written in 1899, is it even significant now? I�ve observed high school classes where students have called the experience of reading Heart of Darkness �painful.� Though these students were in AP English 4, they still struggled to connect to this seemingly outdated tale of ambiguity. Students are not alone in their alienation from this often required reading. Richard F. Abrahamson shares his ordeal with teaching Heart of Darkness to high school students in an article in the ALAN Review. He writes, �I bluffed my students, and they bluffed me. [�] I ordered young adult novels from one of the teen book clubs, put Conrad back on the shelf, and started teaching with books the class agreed on� (Abrahamson 3). Another educator, Lenard Davis, claims that �students usually felt the book to be either great or impossible� (Davis 90). While Heart of Darkness is not the most accessible of texts, it is still significant. Davis is lured by its �layers of narrative� (90). I suggest a unit of study aimed towards high school students (supplemented by art, political cartoons, photography, maps, music, film, news, other classic novels, young adult literature, plays, poetry, and technology) with Heart of Darkness as the centerpiece because it is such a versatile piece of historic significance and can be relevant to the lives of teens.

The story traces Marlow�s journey from Brussels to the center of Congo, which is a Belgian colony at the time. His symbolic physical journey mirrors changes in his psyche as he confronts the hypocritical brutality of the Belgian empire. His search for a man named Kurtz also reflects the empty savagery of imperialism. This classic should be studied because it exposes a historical injustice to the Congolese, which should never be forgotten. Another reason this work should be taught is because of its depth. Even many scholars who have been examining this work for decades are unable to explain the essence of the characters. This may be a valuable lesson for teens, showing them that no one can be neatly labeled. As Marlow studies Kurtz, students can also be encouraged to hear the �voice� of others, in order to come closer to a human understanding of one another (Conrad 1925). The �remote kinship� which Marlow recognizes in his journey may also motivate teens to ponder this theme of empathy (Conrad 1916). This piece offers something for a range of readers. Teens who may feel �hollow� might also be able to connect with the themes and characters represented (Conrad 1933). Besides stimulating sympathy, teens can also benefit from this text because it can teach them to view the world through different lenses. Heart of Darkness can be inspected through a colonial, feminist, modernist, and existential lens.

The Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960, which is fairly recent. Though this piece records a distant historical era of inequality, teens can still relate to the novel since oppression is not extinct in the current world. All around the world, there are still cases of oppression in terms of politics, economics, religion, race-relations, sexism, bullying, domestic violence, rape, child abuse, academic freedom amongst other issues. Furthermore, in terms of the environment, resource depletion and poaching still plague the world today, much like the ecological wastage depicted in Heart of Darkness. As future inheritors of the world, teens reading Heart of Darkness can be able to link events and themes in the text to current day tribulations. Hopefully, by reading this text, adolescents will be able to discern what happens when people stop caring about each other. This realization can inspire teens to be more empathetic individuals, who not only care about fellow peers, but also about their fellow humanity. Once teens comprehend that they are a piece of the jigsaw puzzle of the world, they can work on fitting in and completing the larger picture with their compassion: Ultimately interlinking with global issues and international citizens. Thus, not only can the Heart of Darkness be brightened, but global hearts of darkness can be enlightened.

Before Entering the Darkness:

Launching the Unit

Getting students interested in the types of themes that appear in Heart of Darkness is the first step in having them connect to the text. These pre-reading activities are aimed to make issues from Heart of Darkness relevant in present times, while also providing students with a historical footing of colonialism to set the context for the story.

1. Tape pictures that capture present-day forms of oppression around the room. Many of these issues will keep popping up throughout the reading of the work, so it�s a good idea to expose students to them in modern-day forms (examples: political, economic, racism, sexism, religious, bullying, domestic violence, rape, child abuse, academic, environmental, poaching). Along with these pictures, post short news articles too. Have students walk around the room and stop at any 3 picture-and-article stations that captivate them the most. Students should record their reactions to these global oppression issues in a journal activity. Each of the 3 different entries should be formatted in paragraphs beginning, �I see,� �I discovered,� and �I feel.� (see Appendix A: 1-26)

2. Have students listen to Michael Jackson�s song, �We Are the World� from the album We Are the World. This song highlights that humans share an interconnected role on earth and need one another to make the world a better place. Some significant verses from Jackson�s song include:

We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let�s start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
its true we'll make a better day
Just you and me
Send them your heart so they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free

After students have listened to this song, have them read the �Universal Declaration of Human Rights� individually. Out of the 30 articles that comprise the document, students should choose 2 of the articles they feel are the most important to them. Students should write one of these articles on a green post-it note and the other on a blue post-it note. The class should then work together to stick these post-it notes on the board in the shape of the world, symbolizing the song �We Are the World.� This activity initially engages students through music, and then culminates with a visual symbol that everyone has contributed to. It reiterates the importance of humanity and concern for freedoms. (see Appendix B:1-5)

3. To set the historical context for Heart of Darkness, encourage students to either complete an online activity found at http://www.laredoclass.net/scrambleafrica.htm as a class at the school�s computer lab, or for homework. This website provides a concise history of the Belgian Congo, and explains it clearly through the use of maps, graphs, and political cartoons. Instead of lecturing about Belgian imperialism, this website makes this history lesson technologically interactive.

4. Reading Rudyard Kipling�s poem, �The White Man�s Burden,� may help contextualize the imperial era. This poem can either be read as a tribute to imperialism or as a critique of it. It depicts Eurocentric and colonial attitudes, which will come up again in Heart of Darkness. The class can discuss how imperialism is portrayed in this poem. (see Appendix C: 1)

5. Reading George Orwell�s short story, �Shooting an Elephant,� can also give students a quick glimpse into imperialism. In this short story, a colonial police officer continually shoots an elephant, which had been on a rampage, but had calmed down. The officer only behaves in this savage manner because he is spurred by a crowd to maintain a persona of authority.

This story can be read as an allegory for colonialism, since colonial officials also treated subjects brutally to maintain order and preserve a dominating fa�ade. This story relates to Heart of Darkness because it also exposes a lack of humanity, which surfaced with imperialism. After reading this story, students can also assess imperial depictions of elephant images from that era and explicate them as if they were texts. Furthermore, when students read about the ivory exploitation in Heart of Darkness, they can come back to this story about the elephant and compare and contrast both scenes. (See Appendix D:1)

6. Reading Alden R. Carter�s short story, �The Swede,� included in Donald R. Gallo�s collection, First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants is another beneficial pre-reading choice. Themes of oppression can be highlighted in this story, making a modern-day parallel to imperialism. Students can discover how the new Swedish student, Per-Erik, becomes a symbol of economic oppression for the people in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Would students consider this economic situation Swedish �imperialism� at some level? But, the bullying which occurs in this story shows an inhumanity of Green Bay residents. Understanding this multi-layered young adult story can help students dissect the theme of oppression before moving onto the more densely packed Heart of Darkness.

Lost in the Darkness?:

What to do While Reading

1. Because the language in Heart of Darkness is quite dense, students may feel �lost.� To counter this disorientation, students can keep a daily travel diary from the perspective of Marlow. A map can help students trace changes in the setting and allow them to recognize how it is a symbolic introspective journey into Marlow�s heart as well. In addition, keeping a daily travel diary is a creative way to take notes on the main plot action. Allowing students to make drawings or visual interpretations each day might also encourage them to follow along with Marlow. (see Appendix E: 1)

2. Since Conrad�s representation of the Congolese has stirred up lots of critical debate, students can also showcase their literary disputation skills as well. Students can read Chinua Achebe�s famous rebuke, �An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad�s Heart of Darkness.� Afterwards, the class can be divided for a debate, attempting to assess whether Conrad dehumanizes the Congolese or is pivotal in telling their formally ignored story. This debate activity might build critical reading skills, since students would have to re-read passages depicting the Congolese and analyze the diction.

3. Several high school students have a Facebook or Twitter account and use it to communicate with friends. For an in-class activity, students could read a segment of Heart of Darkness and then come up with Facebook statuses (one sentence phrases from a character�s point of view using an active third person narrative voice�example: Kurtz feels_______, Marlow is______, etc). Twitter updates are more linguistically flexible (example: Ummm, what are those bulbs on the fence around Kurtz�s hut?). This activity could modernize the characters a bit by bringing them into the 21^st century. Students may easily connect with characters if they thought of them as people with familiar Facebook and Twitter accounts. Sharing these updates in small groups could also be fun. Students could even �comment� on these mock-Facebook posts or reply to Twitter updates, as they would do online. And, teachers could sneak in a mini grammar lesson or point of view lesson.

4. Another way to incorporate technology when reading Heart of Darkness is to have students use blogs, which are essentially online journals. Students could write a blog post in the form of a letter to Kurtz�s Intended. They should imagine that they are writing this letter after Marlow�s visit as themselves. Would they try to incite an awakening? Or would they be curious about her personal life? After each student posts a blog letter to the Intended, students could comment on another peer�s letter from the perspective of the Intended, as if she were answering the initial blog letter. This activity can make the understanding of the Intended�s character more interactive and amusing. Furthermore, since all the entries would be on the internet, it would be convenient for students to observe what their peers wrote about.

5. Kurtz is a mysterious figure that even expert scholars can�t explicate completely. He is even described as being �hollow� (Conrad 1933). Have students draw an empty outline of a man. After each day�s reading, students can add one word they think describes Kurtz inside his hollow shell. This activity can not only motivate students to penetrate Kurtz�s enigma, but it can also enrich student vocabulary. At the end of this assignment, students can read T. S. Eliot�s poem �The Hallow Men� to see if they can connect it with Heart of Darkness.

6. Three films could be advantageous complements to the Heart of Darkness. First, students could watch the 1994 film Heart of Darkness starring Tim Roth and John Malkovich. Second, the 1979 film about the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now, could be shown. This film is about two US army special operations officers who are sent on a mission into a jungle to assassinate the presumably insane Colonel Kurtz. Third, Werner Herzog�s 1972 German film, Aguirre, the Wrath of God parallels Heart of Darkness. This film captures the tale of Spanish conquistadors as they journey down the Amazon River in search for the mythic city, El Dorado. Themes of madness, which occur in both works, could be compared. Student discussions and/or journal entries comparing the film(s) and text would be useful.

7. Marlow�s critique of imperialism is never blunt, but rather subtle. To recognize Marlow�s position on imperialism in other formats, students could be divided into groups and asked to review political cartoons on imperialism. Seeing a visual critique might help students understand anti-imperialist thoughts more clearly. Also, students could be introduced to the definition of parodies, because of the mockery anti-imperialist political cartoons encase. (see Appendix F: 1-8)

8. The Mercury Theatre on the Air, founded by Orson Wells and John Houseman, was a radio drama program of the 1930s. On November 6, 1938, a broadcast about Heart of Darkness was aired. Have students listen to this broadcast (available on http://www.mercurytheatre.info/) to give them an ear for Conrad.

9. Reflecting on the text at a personal level creates a memorable bridge between students and the text. The following quotes and topics can either be discussed in groups, in pairs, as a class, or in personal journal entries:

a) �Now when I was a chap, I had a passion for maps� (Conrad 1894). What future travel plans do you envision for yourself? Why?

b) �Yes; I respected his collars, his vast cuffs, his brushed hair. His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser�s dummy; but in the great demoralization of the land he kept up his appearance� (Conrad 1902). Why does Marlow take notice of the Accountant�s appearance? What might Marlow be trying to say about surfaces versus depths? Have you ever been judged by your appearance? Or have you ever judged someone on his or her appearance?

c) �Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch� (Conrad 1908). Can you think of a time someone you knew thought they were doing something right, but they were ignoring the damage they were doing?

d) �but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity—like yours—the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar� (Conrad 1916). Have you ever connected with someone or befriended someone who you thought was too dissimilar from you?

e) �I was seduced into something like admiration—like envy� (Conrad 1930). The Russian has a love/hate relationship with Kurtz. Can you remember a love/hate relationship you�ve had? Or, who is a legendary figure in your life who you admire and/or envy?

f) �It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core� (Conrad 1933). Do you think Kurtz behaves savagely because he is �hollow?� Why? Write about a time you felt �hollow� or empty. When you feel this way, what do you usually do?

g) �He was shamefully abandoned� (Conrad 1933). Do you feel any sympathy for Kurtz because he was �abandoned?� Why? Write about a time you were or felt �abandoned� too.

h) �My Intended, my station, my career, my ideas—these were the subjects for the occasional utterances of elevated sentiments� (Conrad 1940). What are Kurtz�s great ambitions? What are your life ambitions? During your last moments, what will you remember?

i) �The horror! The horror� (Conrad 1941). What do Kurtz�s last words mean to you? Marlow appreciates that Kurtz has some last words, and claims that he would be wordless. What do you wish your last words would be?

j) Which 5 people does Marlow meet after Kurtz death? Does Marlow�s meeting with these people change your perception of Kurtz? Students can read Walt Whitman�s poem, �Song of Myself� and reflect on the line, �I am large. I contain multitudes� (Section 51). Have students write an �I am� poem to express who they are using only 20 words. Have them repeat this exercise from Kurtz�s point of view (using information from his relationships with the 5 people at the end of the novel).

k) ��And all of this,� she went on mournfully, �all of his promise, and of all his greatness, of his generous mind, of his noble heart, nothing remains—nothing but a memory� (Conrad 1946). The Intended has persevered her own memory of who Kurtz was. Write about a memory that you have preserved of someone special whom you have lost.

Alone in the Darkness?:

Complementary Novels

These works would be ideal to pair with Heart of Darkness. Students could either read these books for homework, for an individual book report, or in small groups as a part of a literature circle. Encouraging students to choose �power lines� to share with their peers could inspire other students to broaden their reading lists. Using these books in a book pass activity may also persuade students to read one of these selections. The young adult selections would make notable complements to Heart of Darkness since many of the stories are narrated by an adolescent that high school populations may be able to connect with more than the older characters of the classic. In addition, while some of these texts are not stories of colonialism, they are still stories of modern day oppression. These tales might be more relevant to the lives of teens, who may be aware of these issues already, or who may face them in the future.

Young Adult Works to Pair:

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher—This novel is narrated by a teenager named Tao Jones. Tao Jones, along with other high school misfits, encounters bullying. He starts a swim team, which results in unlikely friendships. In addition to racism and bullying, this book also presents issues of child abuse and domestic violence. These modern-day forms of oppression may be more familiar to students. Also, the way some coaches in the story ignore bullying parallels the way colonial officials turned a blind eye towards imperialistic mistreatment of natives.

Witness by Karen Hesse—The ugliness of racism comes across in the free verse vignettes of this work. Twelve-year old Leanora Sutter, and six-year old Esther Hirsch are central to the plot as they encounter Ku Klux Klan attitudes in 1924. Students will be compelled by this powerfully concise story. The Ku Klux Klan�s exclusionary attitudes can be compared with Kurtz�s form of racist ideas.

Harry Potter series—These fantasy novels can be paired with Heart of Darkness because of the present-day theme of bullying between Malfoy and Harry. Bullying is a serious form of oppression that many adolescents face. Tracing how Harry and his friends deal with bullies throughout the series can spur bullies to undergo a realization. Young adults who are bullied can observe ways to outwit this unjust behavior. Perhaps students could also analyze Kurtz as a sort of bully.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ismael Beah—Reading this novel can give students a glimpse of contemporary problems in Africa. Beah�s life unfolds amidst political turmoil between the government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front during the 1990s. It is during this violent time that Beah is conscripted by RUF soldiers, becoming a boy soldier. His transformation into a being who is capable of heinous carnage parallels Kurtz, who has also lost his civility.

After the First Death by Robert Cormier—If colonialism seeks to control a group of people through aggression, then the theme of this book is fitting for that context. Miro, a teenage terrorist, mindlessly follows the orders of his possible father, Artkin, and takes a bus of children hostage. The son of an army general, Ben, becomes disillusioned by patriotism when he is purposely sent to the bus as a messenger to be tortured. Ben parallels Marlow, and the terrorists parallel the colonial officials in Heart of Darkness.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie—Junior is the teenage protagonist of this novel who faces bullies and criticism when he transfers from the school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to an all-white school. Current day Native American issues can be viewed as remnants of American imperialism. Thus, this book can be read as a post-colonial (though humorous and accessible) piece. Themes of bullying and oppression can be linked to Heart of Darkness.

Sold by Patricia McCormick—Forms of slavery didn�t end after the fall of imperial empires. This book tells the story of human trafficking in Nepal. Lakshmi, a young girl, is sold to a brothel, where she is raped. At the brothel, she also meets other girls who have been abused. This modern day story of sex slaves shows that international oppression hasn�t ended.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson—Though sexual exploitation can occur at a national level (as in Sold), in Speak, it is a more personal story. The protagonist, Melinda, is an average high school freshman with one secret; she has been raped. This is an important read for teens since it illustrates that oppression doesn�t just happen �somewhere else.� We are surrounded by people who battle domination no matter where we live. Sexual tyranny is an issue that needs to be combated through awareness since it is a form of physical and mental imperialism.

Classic Works to Pair:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding—What happens when authority figures disappear, and anyone has the power to rule? This novel follows the lives of a group of British schoolboys when they are stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. Heart of Darkness is a fitting pair to this work since the colonialism portrayed matches the thirst for power which appears in Lord of the Flies. Both works provide a sketch of the breakdown of civility as chaos ensues.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe—Unlike the Congolese in Heart of Darkness who don�t have a voice, the Nigerian villagers in this piece are central to the work. Though they don�t make up a chain gang, like the Congolese did in Heart of Darkness, the Nigerians also face tribulations brought upon by British colonials and missionaries. Instead of physical imperialism, the Nigerians in this story confront cultural imperialism as they begin to lose indigenous traditions. It can be argued that this book picks up where Heart of Darkness leaves off.

A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul—Even after colonialism is over, post-colonial subjects continue to live with colonial baggage. Mr. Biswas is a tragic character who struggles to own a house in post-colonial Trinidad. Still, the invisible social hierarchy that cages the island prevents him from being a success. If one wants to be successful in Trinidad during this era, one must leave the island. Characters who either go to America or England are the only ones who achieve anything. This book presents the post-colonial notion that the �West� is still the site of power, creating people who are �hollow� (which can also reinforce themes of hollowness from Heart of Darkness).

Cities of Salt by Abdelrahman Munif—As in Things Fall Apart, this novel also tells the story of native people who lose their cultural traditions because of colonialism. This novel takes place during the oil boom in a fictional area on the Arabian peninsula. As American geologists and drillers arrive, the Bedouin way of life begins to dissolve. A good way to pair this novel with Heart of Darkness is to compare the impact that westerners have on the physical land of the locales they �invade.�

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe—This classic adventure novel examines the life of Robinson Crusoe who shipwrecked on an isolated island near Venezuela for 28 years. Crusoe�s role as a plantation owner, as well as his ascendency over Friday is crucial in a colonial framework. Students can compare how Crusoe speaks about and treats natives with how characters in Heart of Darkness discuss and behave towards the Congolese.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare—In this dramatic piece, a sorcerer named Prospero becomes shipwrecked on an island. There, he meets two natives, Ariel and Caliban. This play could be interpreted through a colonial lens, where Propero is representative of colonial powers, while Ariel and Caliban denote the colonized. Students can analyze the colonizer-colonized relationship in this work with that in Heart of Darkness.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson—A fantastical split personality creates confusion and fear in this novella. This book reinforces the allegory that humans have both evil and good tendencies. During the Victorian setting, where civilization and decorum were of utmost importance, savage slips were daunting. It can be argued that Dr. Jekyll represents civilization, while Mr. Hyde is a symbol of wilderness (such as �unknown� locales). Since Kurtz is also a character who is split between good and evil, students can compare these two characters.

Reaching the End of Darkness:

Extending the Unit

During the SJAWP workshop on November 7, 2009 titled, �Responding at the Micro and Macro Levels: Grammar and Scholarly Citations,� the presenter, Tina Golaw, stressed the importance of giving students options. When her students near the end of a novel or a unit, she gives them several choices for the culminating project. She has observed that giving students multiple preferences allows them to do a project that they will enjoy, rather than one that they are all forced to do. The following list of projects would be ideal to assign when the class has finished reading Heart of Darkness. Students should have the freedom to choose one or more of these concluding assignments, which should be shared with peers either through a class website, or by class presentations.

1. Write your own creative piece of historical fiction (from any time period) which includes at least two of the themes from Heart of Darkness. This creative piece must be turned in with a bibliography of historical research that you used as background for your writing.

2. Write a sequel to Heart of Darkness from the perspective of any of the characters (can be a minor character too). This creative piece must be turned in with a bibliography of historical research that you used as background for your writing.

3. Perform or videotape a play version of the novel. You must include a brief commentary on why you chose to depict the scenes you did.

4. Create a �Heart of Darkness CD� of at least 12 songs. You must write about why you chose each song. You must also make a decorative CD cover.

5. Design 10 illustrations that you would add to Heart of Darkness if it was published again. Each picture must have a caption. Also, you must write a paragraph for each illustration explaining why it is significant.

6. Produce a �Heart of Darkness graphic novel.�

7. Craft a collection of 10 poems written through the perspectives of either Marlow and/or Kurtz.

8. Craft a collection of 10 poems written through the perspective of the minor characters that appear in Heart of Darkness.

9. Invent a �Heart of Darkness board game.� The game must be accompanied by a set of written rules.

10. Make a �Heart of Darkness website.�

11. Create a poster project or a power point presentation about the history of colonialism in the Congo or in another international location.

12. Write a review or a critique on Heart of Darkness that you would submit to a magazine, newspaper, or journal.

13. Compose a rap about Heart of Darkness.

14. Write a literary essay on Heart of Darkness. You can either come up with your own thesis (must be approved), or ask the teacher for essay suggestions.

Enlightening Hearts of Darkness:

Concluding Activity

After reading Heart of Darkness, students should be motivated to end current-day forms of oppression. For a concluding activity, students can conduct research on a current-day issue where someone or something is being oppressed. This issue should be one that they feel strongly for. They must include a statement explaining why this issue is important to them and why it must be improved. Students should create a bibliography of at least 8 items about this issue (using news, magazines, the internet, journals, books, documentaries, etc). Then, students should formulate a campaign to alleviate this oppressive problem. Students should be focusing on these types of questions in their campaigns: How should knowledge about this issue be disseminated? How can others be inspired to assuage this domination? What materials will be needed to launch a large scale international campaign? Students can create a mock-campaign and bring any creative materials to share with peers. This project might inspire students to become active international citizens. They might become more humane beings who try to understand one another instead of tyrannizing others. Not only will the hearts of students be enlightened, but through this project, they will also be able to enlighten other hearts of darkness.

Works Cited

Abrahamson, Richard F. �An Educator Who Changed Lives.� The ALAN Review 31.2 (2004).

Achebe, Chinua. �An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad�s Heart of Darkness.� http://kirbyk.net/hod/image.of.africa.html. n.p., n.d. Web 23 Nov 2009.

---. Things Fall Apart. New York : Modern Language Association of America, 1991.

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York : Little, Brown, 2007.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York : Penguin Group, 2006.

Beah, Ismael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Carter, Alden R. �The Swede.� First Crossing: Stories about Teen Immigrants. Ed. Donald R. Gallo. Somerville, Massachusetts Candlewick Press, 2007. 137-157.

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Norton Anthology of English Literature, Eighth Edition, Volume 2. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. 1891-1947.

Coppola, Francis Ford, dir. Apocalypse Now. Zoetrope Studios, 1979. Film.

Cormier, Robert. After the First Death. New York : Pantheon Books, 1979.

Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2001.

Davis, Lennard J. �The Value of Teaching From a Racist Classic.� Chronicle of Higher Education 52.7 (2006): 89-92.

Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. New York, Heritage Press, 1930.

Eliot, T. S. �The Hallow Men.� http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/tseliot/1076. Gunnar Bengtsson. 2000-2009. Web 23 Nov. 2009.

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Philadelphia, PA. : Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

�Heart of Darkness.� The Mercury Theatre on the Air. 6 Nov. 1938. Radio Broadcast MP3.

Herzog, Werner, dir. Aguirre, Wrath of God. Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, 1977. Film.

Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York: Scholastic Press, 2001.

Jackson, Michael. �We Are the World.� We Are the World. Columbia, 1985.

Kipling, Rudyard. �The White Man�s Burden.� http://www.online-literature.com/kipling/922/. The Literature Network, n.d. Web 23 Nov. 2009.

McCormick, Patricia. Sold. New York : Hyperion, 2006.

Munif, Abdelrahman. Cities of Salt. New York : Random House, 1987.

Naipaul, V.S. A House for Mr. Biswas. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1961.

Orwell, George. �Shooting an Elephant.� http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/887/. The Literature Network, n.d. Web 23 Nov. 2009.

Roeg, Nicolas, dir. Heart of Darkness. Chris/Rose Productions, 1994. Film.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter series. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1972.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New York : Heritage Press, 1952.

�The Scramble for Africa.� http://www.laredoclass.net/scrambleafrica.htm. n.p., n.d. Web 23 Nov. 2009.

�Universal Declaration of Human Rights.� http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/. UN, n.d. Web 23 Nov. 2009.

Whitman, Walt. �Song of Myself.� http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/logr/log_026.html. Princeton University. n.d. Web 23 Nov. 2009.