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.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
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.
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.
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