Retired Models

Welcome ex-employees of Abercrombie!

This post is dedicated to any former Abercrombie employee who felt self-conscious, scrutinized, and judged during their employment. Whether you were working on the floor or working in the stockroom, you need to know that you have the potential to be a beautiful person on the inside. Abercrombie taught us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that beholder is Abercrombie. We were taught to rely on our outer appearance heavily and I would not be surprised if this has affected many of you, because it has definitely affected me. This post will give you inspiration to become or continue to be a beautiful person on the inside. Contrary to what Abercrombie believes, beauty is more valuable (and lasts longer) on the inside.

Inner-beauty inspiration from women to women: 

“No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt 


“The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,but true beauty in a Woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.” 
― Audrey Hepburn


"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched- they must be felt with the heart."
-Helen Keller 


Random acts of kindness demonstrate one's inner-beauty. I encourage you to commit one random act of kindness this week. You will see the world through a different perspective. This is prevalent to working on your inner-beauty. Seeing the world through different perspectives allows you to consider others before yourself. If you aren't sure what random acts of kindness are, please refer to the following website. There are plenty of ideas from cleaning up graffiti to returning a shopping cart.
http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-ideas

I have one more way for you to discover your inner-beauty. You need to become comfortable in your skin and with your talents. Abercrombie did not provide us with reasons to be comfortable in our own skin or ways to show our talents. A great way to discover this facet of your inner-beauty is to make a list of your favorite attributes you obtain. It can be difficult to make a list about yourself, so here are a few examples:
Eyes
Athleticism
Care for others
Motivation
Sense of humor
Work ethic
Ability to find happiness

After reading this post I hope you are on your way to finding your inner-beauty. As a former employee of Abercrombie I know it can be detrimental to self-esteem. Just walk away knowing you are a beautiful person both according to Abercombie's standards and according to inner-beauty standards. Each one of you has the potential to display your inner-beauty to the world.

World War Z

The whole zombie trend started in my last year or so of high school. Personally, I've never understood the appeal. Why would people be attracted to the idea of slow-moving dead people wanting to eat brains? For some I think they like it just because it's a trend. After reading World War Z however, I now can see the themes behind the gruesome vision that makes the "zombie apocalypse" idea so interesting. Brooks has many themes that translate to real world issues in this novel. He also conveys a lot of his opinions about the government through how the government reacts to the outbreak of the infection in the book.
It is obvious that Brooks believes the only way the US solves problems is with the military. Whenever the US verbalizes a solution to the outbreak, it always has to do with the military attacking another area. They have heavy artillery to accommodate for the fear of the unknown. For example the US has "lobos" that are designed specifically for close-up head shots. Instead of working on alternative methods of dealing with the outbreak, the US continues to spend money and time on the military. This is not far off from how many people think the US currently spends money.
There are so many different angles this book could be taught through for this class. Although I find the political aspect appealing, I would like to do a lesson on the survivalism theme in the novel. There is a quiz online that tells you how long you would survive in the zombie apocalypse. I would have students take that quiz and then have them write a reflection about the questions and how the do/do not agree with aspects in the novel. I also would ask them to write an argument about whether or not they agree with the amount of time they were given to survive.
Link to the quiz:
http://gamquistu.com/quizzes/zombie_apocalypse

Maus I and II

I read Maus I for English 110 and I remember not really liking the idea of a graphic novel, but I did like the cleverness in the choices of animals as characters. After re-reading the book and reading the second, I decided they were the only graphic novels I have ever read that I can say I somewhat enjoyed. I've always been interested in WWII and I think these are authentic yet creative and appropriate for younger audiences. These stories are both factual and emotional. Most WWII literature is emotional by default because whether you're reading a textbook or a novel you are still reading about people being killed for who they are, which is an emotional subject. Some novels, however, may not seem as factual because they are fictional stories about survivors or are "based on true stories" about WWII. Art Spiegelman does a great job of including enough facts about the war and showing us how the war not only affected the survivors, but also their families who weren't even around at the time (such as Art).
I would love to have both of these in my classroom library. I think kids who enjoy graphic novels could really learn something from these. If I were to teach a unit on WWII literature I would probably use this as a small group novel. Students would be engaged by the cleverness of the animals and also by the reality and truth of the story. Some might think it is a bit inappropriate to make a graphic novel about the Holocaust, but I think these are also tasteful novels. Spiegelman uses black and white instead of color which I think depicts the dark emotions in the novel. Although all the characters are animals, he keeps it consistent. No race is represented by a person, every race is a different animal. I think this is significant and I would consider asking students to write about why Spiegelman chose the animals he did for the different races and how the book would have been different if he had used people.

Hitler Youth

I normally wouldn't read historical nonfiction for fun. This book was interesting because I did learn things about WWII that I didn't know before. This was kind of surprising because I feel like I learned about WWII every year from 7th to 12th grade and throughout college. Classes have touched on the Hitler Youth group but never in great detail. I was unaware of the extent to which Hitler brainwashed youth. He established trust early on long before the war was in full force. It was interesting to read this after reading Night because it starts so much earlier. The reader gets a historical set-up of what was happening long before the camps and persecution.
I would not choose to use this novel in an English class. I think if a history class wanted to supplement a textbook with a novel this would be a good choice, but I don't think it's fitting for an English class. I want to use books with characters and people that my students can analyze. Though this novel contains stories of real people, there is more history in the novel than in-depth characters. We learn what the youths were thinking about the war and how they reacted to different elements of the war such as the concentration camps, but I think the fact that it is narrated by a 3rd party and contains so much historical nonfiction it would not be a novel I would choose to teach in a class. If it was between this novel and Night, I would definitely choose Night for a WWII unit. Hitler Youth could be used as a supplement for extra information, but not as a novel the class would read.

Night

I read Night in high school but it was nice to go back and re-read it. I would describe this story as cold and hard. Wiesel gives the reader the facts about what happened to the Jews in the concentration camps, but he does not ask the readers for pity. Eliezer experiences situations we could never imagine, such as running for 42 miles, removing dead bodies from trains, and watching his father die, and yet he never says "poor me." It is not lost that he does lose his faith, as I am sure many Jews did during this persecution, but he never pities himself. He is upset about the situation and that is how he explains it. He is angry with humanity and with his faith for allowing people to be treated this way.
I would definitely choose this book as a class novel. Many novels are difficult to use for the entire class but this is both educational historically but also for literature purposes. The writing is descriptive and true. There is no need to embellish his stories which gives them such a real feeling, and I always say that students appreciate the truth. I would be interested to see the student reactions to Eliezer's loss of faith and his "selfish" thoughts when his father contracts dysentery. These are two ways we see how the camps have changed Eliezer. I would like to see how students think people would change in the camps physically and mentally.

Warriors Don't Cry

I enjoyed Warriors Don't Cry and I think high school students would like it better than Kindred because it is about high school students. When I was reading it I kept thinking about how people are comparing integration then to how we react to homosexuality now. It will be so interesting to see if there is literature written about homosexual students in high school that will be implemented in schools in the future. I know there is some now, but it is more taboo than talking about integration. 

Like most people in the class when I read these novels I think about how I would teach them in a classroom of high school students. One of the issues would like to talk about in class is how to approach this book in different demographics. Would it be different to teach this in a classroom of all white children versus a diverse classroom? What about a mostly African-American classroom? Lessons need to be tailored to every classroom so I am just trying to decide how the approach would change. 

The great thing about this book is that it does not sugar coat how the little rock nine students were treated. I think high school students especially appreciate honesty so they will appreciate the honesty in this novel. It is okay to say that Melba was attacked by a mob every day because that's the truth. I  think they will also appreciate the fact that not EVERY white character in the book is bad. Link and Melba have a friendship despite their skin colors which is a great example of accepting people. Sometimes high school students need to be reminded that everyone needs to feel accepted. Not every student will be friends with every other student, but acceptance is something everyone can always improve. 

Kindred

I thought Kindred was an interesting concept. I haven't read a book about history with such futuristic elements. The idea of Dana time traveling from the 70's to 1815 is futuristic, but it is an element almost lost through the rich history of the novel. The theme of slavery is obvious. Dana is appalled yet she begins to realize people (like Weylin) are acting according to the norm for the time. This is true but the way people break norms are to act differently, which is how slavery was abolished. I understand how Dana would think this way despite the mindset she was in from her own time.
The relationship I would have students examine is the one between Dana and Rufus. I would ask students why they think Dana continues to forgive Rufus and save his life even though she has seen him do unspeakable things like raping Alice. Of course these topics and questions are for an upper level class. This book could be taught with a small group of AP English students. I would like to know what books are like this that could be taught along with it. If anyone knows any let me know!

Copper Sun

There are so many opportunities to connect English with other classes and Copper Sun is one of those opportunities. I believe I learned about the slave trade sophomore year of high school which is about the age I would recommend for this novel because Amari and Polly are about 15 years old. It would be really interesting to teach this novel while the students learn about the slave trade in History because it gives more detail to the hardships of the slave trade than a textbook ever could.
The hardships discussed in this novel were more detailed than anything I have ever read about the slave trade. It is hard to imagine what Africans went through on the ships and in America but Draper paints a picture of disease, starvation, and of course the beating like how Mr. Derby beats Amari. Even though these are difficult to read about, it is good for students to see more than a textbook description of slavery.
With all of these adolescent novels we tend to discuss who the students will be able to relate to. There are elements about these characters that students will be able to relate to like how Polly has a crush on Nathan, but I think there is a deeper element that students can learn from in this novel. Most of us will teach in classrooms that have some sort of diversity, and I think African-American students would especially appreciate learning about their ancestors in this novel (even though it is fiction). Like I said before this novel gives more detail than a history book ever could which is what makes it interesting.

The Maze Runner

This book was difficult to get into because of the language just like Feed was. After getting used to the terminology the story was quite interesting. To me it seemed very similar to The Hunger Games and I'm sure young adults would think so too. The difference between this story and The Hunger Games lies in the character profiles. I don't think Thomas is a character that students can easily relate to because I didn't feel the story gave him enough of an emotional side the way The Hunger Games does with Katniss.
I don't think I would use this book in my classroom, especially not after reading Feed. Feed had many themes that I think would be more interesting to discuss with a classroom of high school students. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with The Maze Runner, I just think the issues in Feed are more interesting and would lead to better discussions.

Feed

Feed was definitely a breath of fresh air after the novels we have been reading. It was nice to read about something that wasn't just another teenage drama. Of course Feed has elements of a teenage drama but it also has complex themes like consumerism, data mining, privacy issues, and the future of technology. I think it would be interesting to explore these themes with students of any high school age.
Students use technology more than the average person because they are young enough to know what's new, and smart enough to use it to every advantage possible. If I were to teach this to a high school class I would want students to discuss their use of technology and how it is different or similar to Feed. I explored this idea more in-depth in my webquest as just a simple two page reaction, but it could be lengthened to an experiment. Students could see how much they rely on technology by pledging to spend twenty four hours "unplugged." I think this would not only be a great lesson to go along with Feed, but it would also clear their minds for a discussion about the role technology plays in their lives.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I really enjoyed The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I think students would be able to relate to some of the characters, but I think the most important aspect of this story is that students can learn about how people think. Charlie might not be a character everyone can relate to on account of his being a wallflower. Students who are outgoing might see Charlie as people in Charlie's class see him at times--a freak. Since the story is told from Charlie's point of view I think students would be able to at least understand why he is the way he is if they are unable to relate to him. This teaches students that everyone has a story and no story is the same.

I have something I would like everyone to weigh-in on. Why does Charlie choose to name some characters and not others? Charlie's sister, his parents, and his sister's boyfriend remain nameless in his letters. Charlie has no problem naming almost everyone else in his life so it is not on account of remaining anonymous. He even chooses to name insignificant characters like people he sees when he is out and about who are only mentioned in one letter. As I sit here writing this I am trying to rule out the reasons for Charlie's nameless family. It can't be because they are the closest to him because he would probably argue his friends are the closest and they all have names. The only reason I can think of is Charlie does not refer to his parents by their first names because he does not do that in real life, and he mentions that he writes like he speaks. His sister remaining nameless is not explained by this however because most siblings refer to each other by name (most of the time).

The Grass Dancer

I enjoyed The Grass Dancer more than The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I think I liked that it had more mysticism and history of the American Indian culture. The book is written in a confusing way. I am not sure how students would react to the style of writing. When starting each chapter I was unsure of exactly who I was reading about, as there are many many characters in this book.

I think some students would enjoy the multitude of characters because there is a better chance they would identify with one. Students also might enjoy having the opportunity to learn about so many different character types. An assignment idea could be contrasting ancestors such as Charlene's great great aunt with the younger generations, such as Charlene. This teaches students about how the culture has changed and how it has stayed the same.

Lately I have been looking at books from all points of view because I will need to see how my students view the books. While I think some students would enjoy the multitude of complex characters, I think some students might get left in the dust. It would be a good idea to give advanced students this book and students who don't like to read complex novels The Absolutely True Diary because it has less characters to keep track of.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Oh boy where do I start with this novel? Well I'm doing the genre presentation for this week but I might as well just play devil's advocate with myself and talk about what I didn't exactly enjoy about this novel (since I already wrote a paper on everything I did like). This is not the first work I have read by Alexie. I read a collection of his poems/short stories in English 110 my freshmen year. I liked some of that collection, but I think I liked this novel more. It was easier to understand.

That being said I think Alexie writes from a place of negativity and angst that is not always enjoyable for the reader. It's obvious he feels Native-Americans have been treated badly in the past and present (and possibly he has a right to think this). I am really unsure about how I feel about the way he writes about the oppression of Native-Americans. For example, when Junior punches Roger in the face and Alexie makes it out to seem Junior was only ever taught violence so he doesn't know any better. This is contradicting, however because Junior's parents are not violent people. He only learned that violence is acceptable from his peers. He knows it's wrong to punch people in the face because he gets upset when he throws his book at the teacher.

It seems throughout the novel "white people" are always the sign of oppression for the Native-Americans. The teachers in the reservation school are white and they are not committed to the students on the reservation supposedly because they are Native-Americans. I don't mean to sound like an "ignorant white person" but I think I would have enjoyed Alexie's novel if it was more realistic, and less about blaming white-people for everything.

Refresh, Refresh

Graphic novels are difficult for me to read. I know that sounds odd because you would think they would be easy, it's basically a picture book! There is just something about them that makes it hard for me to really connect with the story. It might be because I really enjoy the "movie" that plays in my head when I read, and I don't get that same feeling with graphic novels because the images are on the page (literally). This graphic novel, Refresh Refresh, was no different. However I  think it's important as an Educator to expose myself to different types of literature in the interest of my future students.

Refresh, Refresh  was not only difficult to read, it was difficult to swallow. I can't image young boys feeling the expectation to join the army. In small towns I understand that tradition is important (tradition is important in my family too) but I really do not think that kids should decide their futures based on expectations of family and friends.

I would want to keep this in my "classroom library" just because it is a unique piece of literature. This would be especially interesting for young boys to read. I teach a creative writing class in St. Peter and I have had several male students who are very interested in the military for various reasons. I think this would be a great novel for them to see other sides to joining the military that they might see in movies or on TV.

Something Like Normal

When we discussed this book ahead of time in class I wasn't sure what I would think. I've never read a story about a young man who went to war, and this was actually the first literature I've read about the war in Afganistan (other than some non-fiction poetry). After reading this I have to say I did enjoy the story. There are so many elements to discuss between the "broken" main character Travis and his issues, to the strong female character Harper Gray. What I really want to focus on is the way Travis tells the story so honestly.

There is a lack of young adult literature written from the male perspective. There are books written about boys (Harry Potter, for example) but not many that are written from their perspective. That being said, we don't get to see into the mind of the young male character very often. In this book, Travis gives us that insight. We see into his visions of Charlie, his thoughts about his father (that's another can of worms that I'm sure we'll open in class) and his progressing love for Harper Gray. The honesty he writes with is refreshing. Not only do we see the male perspective, but he makes the story so real and believable.

I think young adults would enjoy the honesty of this story. Kids are the most honest people in the world so I think they appreciate honesty as much, if not more, than adults. I wouldn't choose this as a class novel but I would suggest it to students in my classroom if they were interested into books that allow you to be apart of the story.

A Hope in the Unseen

I thoroughly enjoyed A Hope in the Unseen. When I first read what the novel was about it made me think of the documentary "Waiting for Superman" because it deals with children who strive for success, but they are in rough high schools. This novel forced me to revisit thoughts I had when I saw that film. I thought about the school system and how it is in desperate need of change in some places of our country, namely Washington D.C, parts of New York, and Los Angeles. A Hope in the Unseen made me think more about where students like Cedric get the ambition to want more out of life.

Cedric's mother is not the most stable character in the novel, but she is certainly a protective and encouraging mother. An example of her being protective is when she shows Cedric where all the drug dealers live when he is so young just to show him where he should avoid walking on his way home from school. Although she is protective of Cedric, she makes him an independent man. He cooks their dinners and washes their dishes every night. I don't think she is appreciative enough of this, but maybe it is better than her handing Cedric everything he needs.

Cedric's father is an important focus in the novel. He is a heroin dealer and addict and therefore someone Cedric should not idolize. It is possible that Cedric's father contributed to his success as an example of how not to live. His mother keeps her distance from Cedric Senior, but does not forbid the two from seeing each other (except when he wants to take him to the concert). I think it is possible she does this knowing Cedric Senior will show Cedric what he will become if he does not strive for success.

I would really enjoy teaching this novel in my classroom. I feel it would create great discussions about race, classes of people, and striving for success. This is a novel I would like to read with older students because I think the discussions about these topics could get heated (which is sometimes great!) but I would want them to be able to discuss these topics in full.

Story of a Girl

Story of a Girl is a book I'm sure many teenage girls would enjoy, but I'm not so sure I would want to teach it in my classroom. That being said, I want to make it a point to say I don't think there is anything wrong with reading this novel. I think kids should read whatever interests them!

I would like to focus on defending why I would not want to read this in my classroom. Story of a Girl has a title that definitely does it justice, it is a story of a girl. Deanna has major internal and external conflicts and I don't think the boys in my class would be able to relate to her as a character. Deanna has major family dynamic problems. Her brother and his girlfriend live in the house with their child which is not necessarily a "problem" but it is an unstable environment for a teenager. Deanna's father is clearly her big issue because they cannot communicate with one another after what he witnessed. These are just two of the major issues Deanna has. Many children would not be able to connect their life to the novel which could pose interest and discussion issues in the classroom.

I will say the one theme adolescents could look at in this novel is the fact that is takes so long for Deanna to forgive herself for what she did with Tommy. This could repercussion of her father's attitude about the situation in combination with her own remorse. Adolescents should know that they will make mistakes, but it is not going to ruin their life. Every mistake is a lesson and mistakes make you a stronger person. Deanna's relationship with herself grows stronger because she is eventually able to forgive and move on with her life.

Stupid Fast

Stupid Fast is a great book for middle-school children. It is written through the mind of an adolescent. What I mean by that is the ideas in the book move quickly which is how children think and speak. The only criticism I have is that young adults might not see the "point" to the book because it takes a while to set up the entire plot. I had a hard time explaining what the book was about when I was halfway through! 

My favorite theme in Stupid Fast is the idea that Felton can change his life on his own. His mother and brother have "gone crazy" while he spends the summer getting friends, a girlfriend, and discovering his passion (running). Felton feels accomplished in the idea that he can establish a life outside of his crazy family; "I liked being somebody I'd never been before; someone not connected to what was happening at home; somebody who is obviously not a Reinstein" (158). This wouldn't be considered his "Aha moment," but it is certainly the result of acting on his Aha moment. He realized he could accomplish these goals and he did. 

This is certainly a coming-of-age story. The way I would incorporate this into my classroom is to see what parts of Felton's life relate to my students. Students are interested in ideas they can understand; so what better way to guide their understanding than by connecting the book to their life? Felton goes through struggles in the book with his family, friends, and Aleah, but he deals with them like many adolescents would. I would want my students to know that it is okay to get angry, like when Felton finds out the truth about his father. When the anger subsides, they need to know their will be peace. 

This book can reach a wide variety of adolescent audiences from all walks of life. I also think it's great for male students because there are many books highlighting female struggles but not many that are from the point of view of a boy. 

Welcome!

Hello English 463!
My name is Anna Tschida. I'm looking forward to exploring your blogs this semester. This is my first blog so hopefully I can make it easy to explore mine as well! See you all next Monday.
-Anna