King Lear, “Papa Doc” Duvalier, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz and Anse Bundren? Imagine a unit that examines the tragic hero and patriarchy in King Lear, As I Lay Dying and Apocalypse Now. To liven the brew, learners are asked to include in their study a modern political leader who rules or ruled paternalistically. An active modification to the plan could detail how the writer can take his/her findings, address their political leader, and express their leadership concerns with those of King Lear, "Papa Doc", and Col. Kurtz.