Entry 10: Putting It All Together!

It has been a very interesting and eventful semester: full of innovative ideas, great books, interesting comments, and incredible dialogue. Yet, the semester is winding down and this will be the final blog for Education 320: Exploring Children and Adolescent Literature. Over the course of the semester we have read many books that have impacted my outlook on many different topics. I have learned from all of the books in some way, from my changing viewpoint on children’s book authors to my being exposed to a young adult novel that featured a gay female protagonist. Accordingly, I can certainly say that my thought process and opinion on certain categories of literature has certainly changed for the better. However, of all the books we have read this semester, the one that I can say has impacted me the most is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman. Sherman’s novel was a very different and interesting novel to me on many different accords. To even read a novel for young adults that blatantly talked about masturbation and used sexual and foul language was quite shocking to me, and it was a first, in terms of its content. However, Sherman’s novel was realistic; this is what drew me to it the most. It sensibly portrayed the story of a Native American boy growing up on a reservation, having to practically choose between his culture and that of White America. Thus, in a sense, Junior, represented Native American culture and heritage as a whole and this portrayal was quite interesting and new to me. In fact, in a lot of ways, his character represented many other suppressed groups of people. I mean how many realistic accounts do we encounter concerning the lives and struggles of Native American people or other races of people? I think that this book helps pave the way and ‘open the door’ for authors who are afraid to step out there and tell stories about marginalized groups in society. I can certainly say that Alexie Sherman did an amazing job writing this book and getting his point across; he opened my eyes to the fact that such novels are not usually written, at least from what I have read and I am a pretty avid reader. Thus, I am convinced that his award winning novel will lead to many more exciting novels that will verbalize the struggles and adventures of the many cultures of our nation.

Entry 9: Symbolism in a Culturally Aware Novel

Like most young adult books that we have read this semester, I did not really take notice of the underlying messages, meanings or symbols within them, rather I simply took this opportunity to read a book, as my time for pleasure reading. In fact, it was not until class discussions, most times, that I began to notice these things in the books that were or were not always inherently obvious. This was no different in my reading of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I really enjoyed this book and at this point in the semester, it was a good way for me to escape papers and read a good book, while also doing it for a class. After our class discussion, however, I realized and took more notice on the symbols and representations that are vaguely displayed throughout the story and I have given it a little bit more thought.

In Alexie’s book, one significant symbol that I noticed is in the character of Arnold “Junior” Spirit. Junior, to me, represents Native American people and their culture at large. I say this because I believe he shows that Native Americans in this country have essentially had to make tough decisions and endure cultural annihilation; they have had to choose between their own heritage and that of the ‘white world,’ often being ostracized, ridiculed and dismissed if they chose the former and did not conform to other cultural standards. This is represented by Arnold’s tough decision to make something of his life and leave his reservation, which was essentially killing off his heritage and the people of his tribe. Moreover, the struggle for respectability amongst Indians and Caucasians in their separate worlds is apparent in his character—he is a minority in this white town and school, trying to defy the odds and establish respect from both groups of people.

Another symbolic representation that I noticed in the book is that of poverty, which is shown through the struggling, dejected Spokane reservation on which Junior lives. To me, Alexie not only represents the struggle that Native Americans have endured through his imagery of the reservation, but he also makes this symbol a more worldly representation of the poverty situation in America. To me, the reservation he describes symbolizes the experiences of poverty-stricken families from all ethnic groups and its negative affect on them. Represented pretty blatantly, Alexie shows that poverty can lead to tragedies and unhappiness.

Entry 8: Wil You Remember This Too?

The Giver is a very intriguing, coming of age novel that seems, based on its history, to be very impactful for both adolescents and adults. Full of powerful scenes that seem to evoke deep emotions even when you see them coming, the detailed text and content of The Giver is still questioned based its powerful scences that seem to be disturbing, troubling, and that contain inappropriate practices. Thus, five years from now, these are the scences that will resonate the most in my mind. I will definitely remember the scene where Jonas’s father enthusiastically helps kill the unwanted child while Jonas watches and the scene where Rosemary, who was chosen as the Receiver of Memory, requests release and chooses to euthanize herself as opposed to living with her newfound knowledge—that she is The Giver’s daughter. Both scenes are appalling and unnerving; to think that in this society where the individuals of the community are never sad, hurting, or feeling pain, for something like this to occur is pretty chilling and hurtful. Other scenes from The Giver that I will remember years from now are the scenes where The Giver gives Jonas painful memories of poverty, pain, lonliness, and death in order to unload some of the pain that he, himself, is carrying. The scenes where he shares memories of excrutiating pain with Jonas are particualarly memorable. For example, the scene where The Giver transmits the painful memory of Jonas breaking his leg while riding on a sled is difficult to read about because, like all of the other memories given to Jonas, he has never before experienced pain, and this hurt is not just emotional—it is excrutiating physical pain. Lastly, I will also continue to think about one particular scene that is a little bit more optimistic and happy in a way. This scene is the one in which Gabriel is about to be released because of his sleeping difficulties. Yet, having grown attatched to Gabriel, Jonas risks his own life and takes Gabriel and runs away, searching for a place where there are colors, love, happiness, and even pain. These scenes are all affecting because, like Jonas, I want to be able to enter into this ‘utopian’ society and save Jonas and the others in the community from themselves and their desire to remain in this world of “sameness.” Moreover, the scenes are affecting because Lowry’s descriptions are very vivid and lyrical, eliciting strong instinctive reactions.

Entry 7: Feminism in Literature

Given the narrow focus of Paul Zindel’s The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, in that all of the characters that appear are women (this is excluding the mention of Mr. Goodman, whose responses and voice are filtered simply through the female character Beatrice), one could assume that a feminist critic would begin her investigation into this play by focusing on Zindel’s rationale behind why male characters are essentially insignificant and absent in his play. If I were a feminist critic, I would initially be a bit shocked at this notion because, giving my inadequate knowledge on this subject, I would sort of expect the play to marginalize women, especially since the author is male. But, that is not the case here, in fact, it seems as if Zindel switches things up a bit, but why?

Feminist literary theorists mainly aim at understanding the position of women and gender conflict by evaluating how the proportion of gender based material affects our everyday lives end existence. One aspect of this hierarchical relationship between males and females includes the aforementioned idea concerning the binary category of presence versus absence. With this relationship, Zindel switches things up a bit by marginalizing men and having them be the absent characters and women the present characters. While men (Mr. Goodman and Beatrice’s father) are mentioned in the play, they are neither heard nor seen, causing their significance to be a bit puzzling. Mr. Goodman does seem to want to help, as shown by his constant phone calls about Tilly and questions concerning the family’s disheveled and unsystematic home life. A feminist critic may view this as Zindel conveying the idea that a man or father figure is needed to establish order and eliminate the alienation that seems to be familiar to this family.

Another thing that I noticed in the play that may catch the attention of a feminist critic is the relationship concerning activity versus passivity. In the play, Tilly is portrayed as a very submissive and eccentric outcast who seemingly complies with the mistreatment she endures at the hand of her mother. Her character throughout the play, then, seems to comply with the active/passive relationship that is often discovered by feminist theorist. She takes the position of being the character who possess the qualities of the more devalued term—passivity. Mr. Goodman, on the other hand, is depicted as taking an active role in Tilly’s life, by working to genuinely support her educational dreams, and by also having Ruth work for him, perhaps to “save her from herself or her mother?” Either way the male character, Mr. Goodman, although essentially silent, does seem to be superior to the female characters in the play.

Lastly, a feminist critic may also take notice to the fact that Beatrice’s character fits the traditional, stereotypical female character role. She is portrayed as an irrational, angry and unscrupulous woman who seduces men. Thus, given the false, stereotypical roles concerning men and women that arise in the play, it leads me to wonder about Zindel’s aim and thought processes in such a work of fiction.

Entry 6: And the Winner Is...

After reading the novel What I Saw and How I Lied, all I could say was wow! The novel was completely different from any book that I would generally read, but I was extremely pleased with is originality, its enthralling nature, and its ability to keep my engaged the entire time. What I Saw and How I Lied is worthy of the National Book Award because Blundell does a fabulous job of evoking the 1940s in such a way that she allows the reader to feel as if they are a character in the novel or someone watching a movie. In fact, I often felt as if I was watching an old black and white film unfold. The novel is also worthy of the aforementioned award because it is intriguing and it resonates as a phenomenal piece of historical fiction that speaks to the bookworm’ in all of us, teenagers who are having issues within themselves or their social lives, and individuals who are just vying for a stimulating read. Overall, this novel is a work of many facets that is able to evoke emotions within its audience and it leaves them craving for more, asking questions, and hoping that Blundell will follow up with a sequel. What I Saw and How I Lied was a hit with me and I believe that it possesses the characteristics that a novel should possess in order to be honored with the National Book Award.

Entry 5: A Poetic Novel?

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about Virginia Euwer Wolff’s Make Lemonade. This is the first novel that I have read or that I can recall reading that was written in verse, and I while the story was pretty good, I am not sure I liked the book that much. As you can see my feelings over this novel are pretty mixed. I can say that, however, that I find a novel written in this style to be very interesting in that the poetic style of writing helps emphasize the flow of the character’s thoughts and language. Moreover, I often forgot that I was reading poetry because the story, in a way, flowed. This is not to say I did not have any difficulties reading the novel because I did. In fact, I was did get confused due to the wording of the novel and I had to reread pieces over in order to ensure that I understood what was going on, causing me to feel sometimes as if the novel did not flow that well after all—the exact opposite of what I have felt over the course of the semester as we have been reading other works.

A novel written in verse is certainly new and sort of strange for me, in that, based on this one novel, I feel as if takes away from other aspects of the novel such as the development of the characters, the setting, and the overall plot, similar to what we discussed in class. Additionally, I did feel at times that the novel seemed a bit careless in comparison to other books we have read this semester; this make s me think that maybe verse-novels are sometimes written in such a manner simply due to the constant line breaks and the cutting of words out so that the style reflects that of poetry.

Despite both my criticisms and my acclaim for a verse-novel, I believe a book written in this manner says a lot about the author of that text. To me it says that that individual is aware of his or her targeted audience and knows how to creatively capture their attention. An author of a verse-novel makes the appropriate choice because they realize that in a way it creates strong images in the minds of the reader—they may not have much to go on so they are forced to come up with their own description and mental image of the characters or the setting. Also first person point of view is cozy; it allows the reader to get to know the narrator and even question things about him or her, leading to a closer reading of the novel or story in question. Based on Make Lemonade, verse novels seem to be realistic, revealing tough issues that young readers face daily, and that quality in a book is something that attracts young readers. Other characteristics that may attract young readers is that verse novels seem to focus on raw emotions and they are less intimidating due to the increase in white space that tends to cover the page. It is for these reasons that I feel verse novels are and will continue to be a hit with young readers.

Entry 4: Can I Get a Round of Applause for Ms. Heavenly Faith Simms?!

In my opinion, Heavenly Faith Simms (H.F.) is undoubtedlythe most awesome and dynamic character that has entered the young adult world of literature! In Finding H.F., Julia Watts' female protagonist is a very realistic and relatable character—someone who possess the characteristics of an individual that we all know or seem to have met. She is a very comical but strong-willed, wise and out-spoken protagonist. H.F. is a teenage girl who is going through her teen years very unsure and often times mystified—questioning the world around her and questioning love, similar to the way many of us did when we were teenagers. I could often relate to her character because I have often been in predicaments and situations where I felt as if I did not belong and as if I were an outsider to everyone around me—where I was the misfit. Thus, reading about H.F. and her life, as she appealingly reencountered the events of her life and shared her most inner thoughts, I often asked myself, “Where can I find myself an H.F.?” “Where can I find an individual like her?” I asked this because she is a very loving, loyal and witty character who seems to be anything less than an amazing confidant and friend. It is beacuse of these personalities traits and qualities that I loved the character of Heavenly Faith Simms and effortlessly became engrossed in her world.

Entry 3: Homosexuality in Teen Novels: Good Idea or Not?

Anytime a book can “speak” volumes to its readers by being that realistic representation of what that individual considers their reality, I believe it has served its just purpose. In this case, Finding H.F., is a book that speaks to those teenagers whose reality is living with being homosexual in a society where it may or may not be openly accepted. Finding H.F., to many, especially the religious “holier-than-thou” types, may seem a bit much for teenagers, for it may seem to be sending the “wrong” message—whatever that may be depends on the individual. However, I believe that by highlighting a young female lesbian, Watts hits home with many teenagers, both male and female, because they face many of the same internal and external struggles that the characters in her novel face; through this novel she explores several issues including tolerance of homosexuality in America and what it means to be "different" in our society.
Often homosexual teens are afraid to admit being homosexual and consequently they try to change themselves, live secret lives, or they even take drastic measures that they feel will “end” their feelings of inadequacy by doing such things as committing suicide. Thus, Finding H.F. teaches that it is okay to love and accept yourself even when others do not. This book teaches strength, character and respect. I admire this novel book because Watts’ is able to reach many adolescents who are at a place in their lives where things seem to be confusing and helpless, and Finding H.F. seems to be just the right little thing that may possibly change, or even save some lives.

Entry 2: Changing Thoughts?

Thinking back on my previous views of literature written for children and young adults, I must say that I stand corrected on many of my previous thoughts. I have always appreciated and noted the importance of all literature, yet I realize that I have been quite close-minded and bias in my ways of thinking, often unknowingly. But, first I must correct myself on my previous entry. While writing and responding to the previous prompt, I stated that, “children’s literature certainly lacked the complexity and verbal sophistication that most types of literature tend to contain”. Well as we have all come to find out, The Invention of Hugo Cabret refutes this statement in its entirety. While writing and responding to that topic, though, at many times I mentally equated children’s books to be short, picture books with relatively a few sentences, which is certainly only a piece of children’s literature; they do not define or encompass children’s literature. Thus, this leads me into this blog posting.

Previously, I only looked at children books from the perspective of only being short and simple books, which is certainly one way that my view has changed about literature. Only a month into the semester, I have already realized that there are a vast number of books that I have never even considered. I have always considered myself an avid reader, but I was certainly shocked when I realized that I had not been exposed to certain authors and titles that I definitely would have appreciated. Children and young adult literature have so much substance, they are little lessons wrapped in up in a mural of words that connect with their targeted audiences.

Prior to this course, I can only recall seeing and picking up what many people would refer to as “silly or simple” picture books; those books, that I mentioned below, that contain more pictures than words or that have single sentences per page. While there were undoubtedly exceptions to this type of book that frequently caught my eye, this seemed to make up the majority. It was for this reason that I often viewed the author’s of children’s books as individuals who were creative enough to leave behind their adult thought processes and dive into the imaginations and thoughts of young children. But that was it—to me, they really were not doing anything spectacularly besides providing children with a tool for enrichment. With this being said, I thought that, while children’s literature is an important art form, in that it appeals to young children, I did think that almost anyone could write these types of stories. Nonetheless, this thought was changed the moment we began reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It is a very intricate and complex children’s book that certainly opened my eyes and broadened my way of thinking; not only is it creative and has a unique storyline, but it also has the ability to draw readers of all ages.

Young adult literature, on the other hand, has always been one of my favorites. But, already, I have also learned something new about this genre of literature. A theme in young adult literature that I did not know was so popular is the theme of homosexuality in the teenage community. This has become a very popular topic in young adult novels, unbeknownst to me, yet it is extremely relevant and it serves to teach a lesson to all adolescents—both homosexual and heterosexual. The current book we are reading, Finding H.F., falls under this category and it is a very good read. It is comical and it embraces that sense of reality that most teens want to encounter and relate to in their readings.

This course have already taught me a lot and opened my mind up to broader aspects of literature forms that I thought I were already familiar to me. I must say, however, that my views have changed for the better and as a future teacher I will not make the mistake of not exposing my students to different types of literature. It is important that they are exposed to all literature so that they can form their own opinions and have the opportunity to appreciate its art as they grow and mature.

Entry 1: Literature is Art!

How can anyone classify any spectrum of literature as inferior to the other? Literature is a very creative work of art that allows a person to freely explore other realms of their mind and soul that they may not otherwise be able to capture and dive into. Thus, there are many different genres of literature that are targeted to many different age groups. Children’s literature, more often than not, is viewed as the more simple and effortless form of them all; for, it certainly lacks the complexity and verbal sophistication that most types of literature tends to contain. Children’s books may contain one-sentence pages, or they may even be filled with more illustrations than words. Nevertheless, despite their “lack” of substance and a mature, erudite vocabulary, these books are necessary and just as pertinent as other literature that is valued by society.
Children’s literature is the building block to young adult and adult literature. Similar to everything in life, you have to start somewhere, and this type of literature is the author’s way of exposing young children to the art of reading and literature in general. Plainly put, children’s literature is the foundation to what is to come later. Analogous to a house needing a sound and sturdy foundation in order for it to be built properly, a child needs the same; the child is the structure, literature is the foundation for higher learning, and the author’s talent that is displayed through children’s books is simply one of the tools that is essential to help the child’s growth and development into a intelligent individual.
After all, the entire realm of literature is like a mural that has been collectively worked on by many authors. Still, far from complete, its many genres and targeted audiences are just some of the hues on its palette, making it a masterpiece for all ages to enjoy. So who is to say that children’s literature is minute and inferior to other literature? It should be embraced, appreciated and enjoyed like all other art forms.