A cura di Paola Della Valle 
 
 A historical overview of the largest empire of all time, from its origins to the decline and then the Commonwealth, through five stories from the five continents, told by: Joseph Conrad (An Outpost of Progress), keen observer of European colonialism in Africa; Rudyard Kipling (Lispeth, India); Henry Lawson (The Drover’s Wife, Australia); Henry Rider Haggard (Long Odds, South Africa); Gilbert Parker (A Man, A Famine and a Heathen Boy, Canada).
 Stimulating in-depth analyses enrich each story. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Transcripts - Summing-up Activities
 
 Uno sguardo storico al più grande impero di tutti i tempi, dalle origini al declino e al Commonwealth con cinque storie per i cinque continenti narrate da: J. Conrad (An Outpost of Progress, acuto osservatore del colonialismo britannico in Africa); R. Kipling (Lispeth, India); H. Lawson (The Drover’s Wife, Australia); H. R. Haggard (Long Odds, Sudafrica); G. Parker (A Man, a Famine and a Heathen Boy, Canada).

History of the British Empire: Birth and Decline

Joseph Conrad

Story 1 – An Outpost of Progress

Extension – From Heart of Darkness to Apocalypse Now

History of the British Empire: Colonial India

Rudyard Kipling

Story 2 – Lispeth

Extension – The voice of non-violence: Mahatma Gandhi

History of the British Empire: Colonial Australia

Henry Lawson

Story 3 – The Drover’s Wife

Extension – Australian identity: the bush and the Aborigines

History of the British Empire: Colonial South Africa

Henry Rider Haggard

Story 4 – Long Odds

Extension – From lost worlds to psychoanalysis

History of the British Empire: Colonial Canada

Gilbert Parker

Story 5 – A Man, a Famine and a Heathen Boy

Extension – Canada’s indigenous peoples

Summing-up activities

Glossary

A Man, a Famine and a Heathen Boy Story BEFORE READING 1 5  The story is set in Athabasca, an area located north-east of Edmonton in the province of Alberta (Canada), marked red below. Add the following places to the map. Quebec   Arctic Ocean   Ontario   Atlantic Ocean   North Pole   Hudson Bay   Montreal   British Columbia   Pacific Ocean   Toronto 2 Choose the right definition for these two words from the title: famine = heathen = c hunger c religious c lack of food c Christian c lack of water c pagan 3 You will find some French words used in the story. Why do you think the author uses them? 4 Match the French words with their meaning a. poudre c 1. On the way, travelling. b. avoirdupois c 2. Licensed fur traders in 18th century North America. c. en route c 3. Weight of a person or heaviness. d. voyageurs c 4. Elevated hut for food storage or the food inside. e. cache c 5. Snow powder. 86 

The British Empire A A Man, a Famine and a Heathen Boy Story 5 Athabasca in the Far North is the scene of this story. It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world in summer, but a bare1 land in winter. Fifty degrees below zero is really cold, and July strawberries in this wild Northland are hardly compensation for seven months of ice and snow. Some days, the sun may not be seen even when there is no storm, because of the fine, white, powdered frost2 in the air. A day like this is called a poudre day and you must be careful, because that powder bites the skin: you can lose ears, noses or hands under its sharp caress3. But when storms come, then neither man nor beast should be out, not even Eskimo dogs. The long winter in Athabasca is spent chiefly indoors with savages and half-breeds4 as the only companions. You are out of touch with the world, letters coming only once a year, and eat the same frozen fish or meat every day. In this endless monotony, sometimes men go mad. People wonder if all this must be endured5 just because in the short summer the air is heavenly, the rivers and lakes are full of fish, fruits and flowers are at hand, good business can be done with the fur-hunters coming down the rivers in their canoes, and all is happy and pleasant. This is the question that William (Billy) Rufus Holly was asked u once. Billy Rufus, also called Averdoopoy6 and sometimes Sleeping Beauty, had had a good education. He had been to university, and had even taken two or three prizes en route to graduation7. But he was actually famous for being one of the laziest men at college. He ate quite a lot and loved reading, which is not to say that he loved studying. He hated getting out of bed and more than once he had sweetly fallen asleep over examination papers. This is not m are from different ethnic groups. 5. endured: experienced without complaining. 6. Averdoopoy: the way  avoirdupois  (heaviness) is pronounced in English. 7. graduation: successful completion of university course. 1. bare: desolate, with no plants or trees. 2. frost: thin layer of ice that forms when the temperature drops below 0 °C. 3. caress: a gentle touch. 4. half-breed: a person whose parents 87 

Una prospettiva storica sull'Impero britannico con cinque storie rappresentative dai cinque continenti: Africa, India, Australia, Sudafrica e Canada.

The British Empire - Collana Rainbows

Level B2 • Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

The British Empire

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