- Pre-Reading Questions:
1. What prior knowledge do you have about the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th, 2010?
2. Can you recall where you were when you heard about the tragedy?
3. Have you ever dealt with tragedy? Has tragedy ever struck close to your house or the house of someone you know? Have you ever lost a loved one due to a tragedy? This can be any earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, tornados, Etc.
4. What countries can you name that have fought for their independence?
5. What does the term "darkness" symbolize?
6. There is a constant battle between good and bad. Can the two ever mix? Why or why not? Can something bad be done for good intentions?
Reader Response Questions:
1. Have you ever felt influenced by a major political authority as Shorty is influenced by Toussaint? This can be a president, senator, mayor.
2. Compare and contrast Shorty and Toussaint.
3. Think about the title of the book, “In Darkness”. What does this title mean? How about both Toussaint and Short in darkness?
4. Give a brief explanation of Shorty’s relationship with his sister. Does this sibling relationship compare to a relationship you might have with a family member?
5. On page 214, Shorty overlooks a hill and sees his home. He states, "On the other side of the car was the hill, and at the bottom of the hill was the sea, and the garbage heap that we lived in." If you had to describe the place where you lived in less than 5 words, what would those words be?
6. As Shorty as his pwen, do you have anything in particular that either symbolically or physically protects you from harm? For example, "My grandmother gave me a guardian angel pin that I keep in my car to keep me safe when I drive."
7. Put yourself in Shorty’s shoes, how would you react if you were in his position after the earthquake? How would you feel, what would be the thoughts running through your mind?
8. Why do you think that Nick Lake chooses to make hip hop inferences in this novel? By naming a character Biggie does this change the way we read this novel, rather than using a “regular name”?
9. Can you understand or justify Shorty's use of violence?
10. Have you ever had a similar story told to you by two different people? Did it change your understanding of the story?
11. Shorty and Toussaint react, initially, negatively toward vodou. On page 159, Shorty thinks, "that the men had been paid to do this," (to kiss at Dread Wilme's funeral). Toussaint acknowledges, on page 44, that he believes the vodou ceremony Boukman has brought him to was a trick. Did your opinion of vodou change with the characters? Do you think their views changed?
Interpretive Community questions:
1. On page 97, Toussaint reflects on the situation he is in. "Both wore suspicious expressions on their faces – Toussaint thought they had that look all white men get when they find themselves in a confined space with blacks they’ve never met before” — What does Toussaint mean by this? Why does this passage stress the racial segregation that takes place on the island? Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a situation where the color of your skin could get you in trouble?
2. What does it mean that this book is written from two points of view?
3. If Toussaint, and then Shorty, stands for Haiti, what is the implied future for Haiti?
4. On page 146, Toussaint comes to a realization about the similarities about the sea and human beings. “The sea, he realized, was not foreign at all. It behaved like humans. It took things – the driftwood, the drowned – and loved them, but always, like a person who dies and leaves behind their possessions, it ultimately abandoned them, casting them up onto short, and moving on” — From these thoughts that Toussaint has, what can we tell about his life in general? Does he have reason to doubt people and only see their bad side? Why?
5. Shorty and his twin were birthed by the leader of the country. Does that hold them above others? Why or why not?
6. How much of an effect does being able to read and write have on Shorty? How does that, in turn, help Toussaint?
7. “Haiti is on fault line, you should understand that. It’s like the whole country is cursed; we’re on a crack in the world, and everything in Haiti is cracked, too. We’re a broken country.” Pg. 287 Why does Shorty think that Haiti is cursed? What does this quote say about the tragedy in Haiti?
8. Towards the end of the novel, Shorty starts to really see the importance of the pwen, or the stone that Dread Wilme gave to him. What does this say about Shorty and Dread's relationship? What is the purpose of the stone and what does it mean that Dread gave it specifically to Shorty?
9. Shorty has a heartfelt moment with his mother in the hospital after he has been shot. After his mom tells him that his sister has been dead for years and that she was never actually missing, he thinks about telling her that his father was killed for openly disliking Dread Wilme. Why doesn't he tell her? What does this tell us about Shorty's relationship with his mother and as his only living family member?
10. Once we know the fate of Shorty and of Toussaint, how are their experiences in Haiti similar? How are they different? Why does Nick Lake create Shorty's story to go along with Toussaint's? How does Toussaint's leadership and perseverance compare to all of the troubles Shorty has faced?
Note: A study guide for this section is at the bottom of this page.
Critical Synthesis Questions:
1. Marxist:
Recall your knowledge on the Marxist theory. How is there power and justice struggles throughout the novel. Use examples form both Toussaint’s and Shorty’s stories.
2. Post-Colonial:
Using your knowledge from the post-colonial theory, how do Shorty and Toussaint deal with oppression? Compare and contrast the ways they deal with this oppression.
3. Gender Studies/Queer Theory:
With the Queer-Gender theory in mind, recall how Shorty thinks Tintin would react if Shorty were to stop and smell the flowers outside of The Site. "The whole place smelled like… I don't know, cos I'd never smelled such things before; it was all fresh and nice. If I'd been on my own, I would have stopped and smelled those flowers, but I knew Tintin would say that was some weak-ass shit, so I just followed him" (215). How does Shorty have to fulfill the male stereotype in this passage? How would Tintin harass him for smelling the flowers? What does this tell us about Tintin's view on male gender roles?
4. Historical/Biographical:
If we treat Toussaint's story as a slave narrative, how does it differ from other slave narratives?
5. Feminist:
Using your knowledge of the feminist theory, look closer into the character of Shorty's sister. Does he genuinely believe her to be above him in so many ways or are their deeper meanings being portrayed?
6. Moral:
Looking at moral/ethical criticism, what is Lake trying to say about gang members? Are they all bad? Do they all join gangs and do gang-related activities for all the wrong reasons?
Deconstruction:
Does the double narrative contained within In Darkness lead to multiple interpretations of each narrative? Investigate how each character might be viewed as both a positive and a negative influence on Haiti.
Archetypal:
Toussaint does not believe much in the vodou ceremony Boukman takes him to, and he lives a relatively comfortable life, albeit for that of a slave. Taking into account the archetypes of war and revolution, does Toussaint fit the role of revolutionary leader, brought into the fray as he is, somewhat passive, possibly reluctant?
Instructor Guide:
Marxist Theory:
Students should use prior knowledge of Marxist theory to answer this question.
"The political and economic philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in which the concept of class struggle plays a central role in understanding society's allegedly inevitable development from bourgeois oppression under capitalism to a socialist and ultimately classless society"
(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Marxist+Theory)
Students should talk about how both Shorty and Toussaint deal with the struggles of their "lower class" status. Society seems to be working against both of them and students can explain that through the many examples in the book. Some of these examples could be Toussaint being mistreated as a slave and Dread Wilme being shot and killed by other government officials.
Post Colonialism Theory:
As Students did with Marxist Theory, they will use prior knowledge of Post Colonialism Theory to answer this question.
Post Colonialism means the state of an area or country after it has been colonized. Students should look at how Shorty and Toussaint deal with colonization differently. Toussaint obviously does not agree with being colonized as he and his followers rebel and overthrow their owners. Comparatively, Shorty also rebels against the government in Haiti. His gang follows their own rules and not the rules the country has. In contrast, Toussaint is constantly telling his followers not to kill anyone that they don't absolutely have to. Shorty and his gang, on the other hand, are always getting in street wars with other gangs in the Site. Shorty and his friends have all killed before and have killed numerously.
Gender Studies/ Queer Theory:
Students should focus on the stereotype that Tintin thinks Shorty should fulfill because of this passage. Shorty explains he has never smelled anything like these flowers because they do not have any flowers in the Site. Shorty obviously acts correctly in the male stereotype by not sniffing the flowers. That could have been seen as feminine, especially by Tintin. Shorty knows enough about Tintin to know that he cannot act that way in front of him. Because of Shorty's predicted reaction by Tintin, we can tell that Tintin has to act a certain way in order to get by in Site Soley. He probably has to be tough and block out those simple pleasures of life. We know he has killed before and at this place in the book, he is breaking into a house. He is currently fulfilling the male stereotype to its fullest: tough, hard-exterior and concealing of his feelings. Shorty knows that while he is with Tintin, he must act as Tintin does.
Historical/Biographical:
Students answering this question should take into account the examples of slave narratives they may have read or heard about in their English or History courses. This will, most times, lead to a discussion of Frederick Douglas' narrative. There are significant differnces to these tales: Toussaint tells mainly of the revolution, not often does he speak of life as a slave, except to outline the brutality he witnessed. Douglas, on the other hand, writes to persuade the world of the wrongs of slavery, and uses the written word as his sword. If students have not been exposed to slave narratives, they could develop hypothetical reasoning based on their knowledge of slavery and those who suffered under it.
Deconstruction:
Students should approach this question as a reporter might a story: without bias. The deconstruction school of criticism relies on close reading of the text to unpack meanings that may run counter to the commonly understood interpretation of a text. Students may look at how the narrators describe their understanding or interactions with vodou, and whether or not these passages reveal something different about the characters' stated acceptance or rejection of vodou and its powers.
Moral/Ethical:
Students should approach this question similar to the way he/she should approach a deconstruction question, without bias. Not all things are done with bad intentions, and sometimes it's hard to see that. Something may be deemed by society as "bad" but if a person does the action to achieve a greater outcome, is it still bad? You may want to refer students to the story of the man stealing drugs for his sick wife. He is indeed stealing the drugs, which is illegal, yet he is doing it to help his family. in this particular novel, you see the gang influence and how not all members in a gang, which is "bad" do not fit the mold.
Feminist Theory:
Students should approach this question with a bit of background the this literary theory. This theory looks closer at the roles of females within a piece of literature. Shorty's sister, whom he always says is better than him in everything, is a very interesting character. It could be read that he is telling the truth about his sister, and that she really is this great human being. However, why is Shorty so protective over her? She more than likely could do everything alone when trying to save the young, abandoned child. Is this a stab at the weakness of women? Feminist theorists would say yes. The fact that Shorty felt the need to always help his sister made her seem like a weaker character, even with all the hype.
Archetypal:
When answering this question, students could look to any number of revolutionary leaders throughout history, those that came before or after Toussaint's time. There are historical figures to fit each extreme, and leaders may be used as examples whether they were good or bad influences on the world and society. Generally, a revolutionary leader shows a drive and passion for the cause they champion; whether or not the archtypal revolutionary is reluctant or not can be understood somewhat of an open-ended question - this could be left to personal opinion of justification, tactics, etc.
Student Discussion Activities:
We have 3 activities that will engage students to come up with their own discussion questions.
- The first activity will be to have students focus on one particular character. Even though there are only two main characters in this novel, the other characters could also be focused on. Once students choose one character to follow and critically think about, students will create a character sketch similar to the ones on this website. This character sketch will be about 200-250 words. After completing this character sketch, students will create 5-7 discussion questions that are specific to their character. They will use their character sketch to help them come up with these questions. For example, if a student writes in their character sketch, "Shorty has witnessed a lot of death in his short life" a potential question could be, "How has witnessing death affected Shorty? Has it made him impartial to death as he has killed before or does it make it sympathetic towards it?"
- The second activity correlates with the literary theories. Each student will be given a literary theory (gender, marxist, etc.), research it's elements and then come up with questions that pertain to the novel and that theory. We have listed our own literary theory questions above that you may use as a guide. This has students learn information on their own and apply their newly acquired knowledge to the novels themes/characters/events/etc. Once the students have come up with a discussion questions for their theory, come back to a whole class discussion and have each student share his/her question.
3. Question the Author. The third activity will engage students in what they decide may or may not be a part of the author's decision-making process.
As they read the text, students should make note of phrases, passages, or words they don't understand. They should then use these prompts to ask the author why or how these elements are important to the overall story, or what they may be missing that would help them better understand the portion in question. An example question could be: "Are the passages spoken in Haitian not translated for a reason? If I knew exactly what the passages said, would it help me better understand the story or that specific part?"
As they read the text, students should make note of phrases, passages, or words they don't understand. They should then use these prompts to ask the author why or how these elements are important to the overall story, or what they may be missing that would help them better understand the portion in question. An example question could be: "Are the passages spoken in Haitian not translated for a reason? If I knew exactly what the passages said, would it help me better understand the story or that specific part?"
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