The Underground Railroad

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “A Hidden Message”

A major challenge to the Underground Railroad was communication. Slaves were kept on plantations and far from visitors or visits to town. News of the Underground Railroad traveled in whispers and through songs slaves would sing while at work on the plantation. Plantation owners and managers didn’t suspect the real messages behind these “slave songs” or “spirituals,” thus music became a valuable way to send messages between slaves and the Underground Railroad.

Part A: Listen to "Wade in the Water" twice. In your first listen, focus on the feelings evoked by the song. What moods, tone, and feelings do you experience while listening? In your second listen, focus on the words. What is the coded message in “Wade in the Water,” and how is this coded message brought to life in The Underground Railroad?

Part B: Choose a scene from The Underground Railroad in which Cora or another character are using or constructing the Underground Railroad. Imagine you must deliver a secret message to someone whose life depends on finding the setting and context of this scene. Write a poem (that could be sung) where you subtly code instructions for someone seeking sanctuary with the Underground Railroad. Rely on metaphors that could work as both a literal instruction and a poetic thought to avoid suspicious ears.

Teaching Suggestion: Students may feel intimidated by writing a song, but they don’t need to be able to perform it or write the music. What’s most important is to capture the Underground Railroad in subtle metaphors. With this activity, students can develop a deeper appreciation for the difficulty of communicating about and around the Underground Railroad. You can switch up the “poem” or “song” and make it more contemporary as well. For example, students can write a series of coded text messages with the same purpose or challenge themselves even more by writing Tweets that are direct but subtle enough for some people—but not all people—to know how to find the Underground Railroad.

Paired Text Extension:

Other Spirituals to Listen to and Learn From:

• "Steal Away"
• "Follow the Drinking Gourd"

ACTIVITY 2: “Cora’s Next Chapter”

The Underground Railroad ends with an implication that Cora will find her freedom at last, but it’s not clear what happens to Cora, nor is it clear if her nemesis Ridgeway is dead.

Part A: Write an ending for Cora. Use Whitehead’s third person POV or focus on Cora’s first-person narrative voice. What happens to Cora in the moments, weeks, years after fleeing the attack on the Valentine farm? Write at least three pages with a resolution, whether happy or unhappy.

Part B: Conduct a writer’s workshop in which students read their work out loud in small groups and receive feedback from their peers.

Teaching Suggestion: Students should consider the way Whitehead warps history in his novel. Their narrative doesn’t necessarily need to be perfectly in keeping with historical likelihood, but it shouldn’t be distractively anachronistic. That sense of focus will help students understand the creative process Whitehead engages in as a professional author. The writer’s workshop should be structured with a worksheet to elicit feedback and a discussion on “Glows” (what the writer did well) and “Grows” (what the writer can do next).