In Darkness | Nick Lake | Haiti
Bloomsbury Press | 2012 | ISBN: 1599907437
Synopsis
In Darkness tells a harrowing tale of Shorty, a young Haitian boy trapped in the rubble in a hospital in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. The book chronicles Shorty’s experience and thoughts as he is trapped in complete darkness and slowly dying of thirst. Shorty begins with a reflection on his life growing up in a Haitian ghetto, called Site Soleil. His troubling childhood included the deaths of his parents and the harrowing separation from his twin sister, with whom he was incredibly close. In “the Site,” corruption was rampant and rival gangs held all of the political, social and economic power. Strangely blessed by Dread Wilhelm, a powerful voodoo and political leader, Shorty quickly begins to rise to power with his gang, and becomes engulfed in the violent gang life. Shorty is shot in the arm and is in the hospital when the catastrophic earthquake hits Haiti.
The longer he goes without food and water, the stranger his thoughts become and he begins to have hallucinations of the rebel slave leader, Touissaint L’Ouverture, who led Haitian slaves to freedom. The similarities between Shorty and L’Ouverture become more pronounced and the line between the past and present becomes increasingly blurred, begging the reader to ask the inevitable questions “Was the rebellion worth it? Is Haiti any better off than it was before?”
Rationale for Use in the English Classroom
In Darkness is an extremely interesting historical novel, and is unlike most texts taught in ELA classrooms. It combines recent world history (the earthquake in Haiti) which many students will be familiar with, and the more antiquated history of the Haitian slave rebellion. The plot structure is dynamic using flashback and hallucinations to drive most of the action. The setting is vividly described and provides a literary exemplar of how setting affects the plot. The three predominant settings: the hospital rubble, Site Soleil and pre-rebellion Haiti all drive the plot forward and offer the reader chance to examine how environment and society influence individual choices.
Before/During/After Reading Activities
Before Reading Activity
Instruct students do a little research on Toussaint L’Ouverture and have them complete a short biographical sketch. Students will need to understand some background on the Haitian Slave rebellion and L’Ouverture’s role to understand the parallels between
During Reading Activity
Students will use a marking the text strategy to identify the shifts in time in a novel using post-it notes. When students notice that the text is going into a flashback, students will mark the text with a certain color post-it note. When the text begins the hallucination/dream sequences, the students will mark the text with a different color post-it note. Students will be able to understand the unique organization pattern of the novel by engaging in this activity.
After Reading Activity
Students will write an essay on the topic of who is a better survivor, Shorty or Toussaint L’Ouverture. Students must use textual evidence and explore the issue of survival in their essay. Students must compare pre-Rebellion Haiti and post-Rebellion Haiti as a part of their essays.
Connections to Other Content Areas
While In Darkness would most likely be used in an English classroom, it would work very well in a world history classroom. The literary plot structure elements are interesting; however, I think the historical descriptions reveal the greatness of the novel. Due to the unique nature of the hallucination/dream description of past events, the reader sees Toussaint L’Overture in a unique way and his character is rich and dynamic, like a protagonist in a novel instead of a biographical figure. The novel would be a great supplemental novel to primary sources while studying the Haitian Revolution, or slave revolts in general and their after effects.
In Darkness tells a harrowing tale of Shorty, a young Haitian boy trapped in the rubble in a hospital in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. The book chronicles Shorty’s experience and thoughts as he is trapped in complete darkness and slowly dying of thirst. Shorty begins with a reflection on his life growing up in a Haitian ghetto, called Site Soleil. His troubling childhood included the deaths of his parents and the harrowing separation from his twin sister, with whom he was incredibly close. In “the Site,” corruption was rampant and rival gangs held all of the political, social and economic power. Strangely blessed by Dread Wilhelm, a powerful voodoo and political leader, Shorty quickly begins to rise to power with his gang, and becomes engulfed in the violent gang life. Shorty is shot in the arm and is in the hospital when the catastrophic earthquake hits Haiti.
The longer he goes without food and water, the stranger his thoughts become and he begins to have hallucinations of the rebel slave leader, Touissaint L’Ouverture, who led Haitian slaves to freedom. The similarities between Shorty and L’Ouverture become more pronounced and the line between the past and present becomes increasingly blurred, begging the reader to ask the inevitable questions “Was the rebellion worth it? Is Haiti any better off than it was before?”
Rationale for Use in the English Classroom
In Darkness is an extremely interesting historical novel, and is unlike most texts taught in ELA classrooms. It combines recent world history (the earthquake in Haiti) which many students will be familiar with, and the more antiquated history of the Haitian slave rebellion. The plot structure is dynamic using flashback and hallucinations to drive most of the action. The setting is vividly described and provides a literary exemplar of how setting affects the plot. The three predominant settings: the hospital rubble, Site Soleil and pre-rebellion Haiti all drive the plot forward and offer the reader chance to examine how environment and society influence individual choices.
Before/During/After Reading Activities
Before Reading Activity
Instruct students do a little research on Toussaint L’Ouverture and have them complete a short biographical sketch. Students will need to understand some background on the Haitian Slave rebellion and L’Ouverture’s role to understand the parallels between
During Reading Activity
Students will use a marking the text strategy to identify the shifts in time in a novel using post-it notes. When students notice that the text is going into a flashback, students will mark the text with a certain color post-it note. When the text begins the hallucination/dream sequences, the students will mark the text with a different color post-it note. Students will be able to understand the unique organization pattern of the novel by engaging in this activity.
After Reading Activity
Students will write an essay on the topic of who is a better survivor, Shorty or Toussaint L’Ouverture. Students must use textual evidence and explore the issue of survival in their essay. Students must compare pre-Rebellion Haiti and post-Rebellion Haiti as a part of their essays.
Connections to Other Content Areas
While In Darkness would most likely be used in an English classroom, it would work very well in a world history classroom. The literary plot structure elements are interesting; however, I think the historical descriptions reveal the greatness of the novel. Due to the unique nature of the hallucination/dream description of past events, the reader sees Toussaint L’Overture in a unique way and his character is rich and dynamic, like a protagonist in a novel instead of a biographical figure. The novel would be a great supplemental novel to primary sources while studying the Haitian Revolution, or slave revolts in general and their after effects.
