Response to Mrs. Davis
Written on 10 Jan 2002
Mrs. Davis,
Perhaps even I am not exactly sure what my objection is to Conrad's The Heart of Darkness, and even The Secret Sharer for that matter. However, I do feel that at least one of my peers has a similar viewpoint towards one of both of these books
My objection, I think, is that I do feel that these literary works are too difficult for even some of the most adept English scholars to comprehend. Even for those who do understand these books, The Secret Sharer and The Heart of Darkness must have been two of the most difficult novels for them to understand despite their brevity.
My suggestion to you and other teachers, even those in other school systems, who are coerced into teaching these two books if they are not doing so already is to discuss the plot and the intricacies of these books BEFORE a quiz or test is given over the material.
Cordially yours,
Matt Cross