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.
I also agree "A Hope in the Unseen" is a book that could show students that there can be success when they truly strive to achieve what they want in this life. And you are right about Cedric's mother. She is such a great influence for Cedric. She was the character I could most relate to. I hadn't thought of Cedric Senion as being an important focus in the story, as an example of the kind of life Cedric should not emulate. I thought it interesting though that Cedric Sr earned a couple of college degrees during his stints in prison. It became obvious that he was an intelligent man, but that the choices he made with drugs and crime did nothing to make his life more successful. As a matter of fact, he had to go to prison in order to earn those degrees. I feel that is a reflection of the realities that people face who aren't given the opportunities that come with attending a good school as a child and having more positive influences in their lives.
ReplyDeleteYou're blog is a breath of fresh air. You have a delightful way of writing that is just excellent to read. I really enjoyed how you were able to relate this book to that documentary because that would be a good thing to incorporate in the classroom if you were to use this novel. I would have to agree with your thoughts on Cedric's mother not being very appreciative of the things Cedric does, but in the same respect I would agree with you that maybe that has helped shape him to be who he is today. I also one hundred percent agree that this could stir up some very good conversations in class. I would say that only juniors or seniors would be ready for this sort of content. On the other hand, if I were to be teaching in an inner city school, I would say that younger kids would be able to handle the content due to the fact that some of them may be dealing with the very same issues that Cedric does.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your ideas on Cedric SR. He is definitely the negative example of what Cedric's life could turn out like.
ReplyDeleteGreat relation to the documentary you saw. I haven't seen the documentary, but you could bring the film into the classroom for students to view (at least some clips)? Or would it be inappropriate for high school students?
ReplyDeleteI also found Cedric Senior to be an interesting character. He was clearly intelligent but just couldn't find a way out of his situation. He knew he shouldn't be doing or selling drugs, but what choice did he have? Who would hire a former inmate? The issues that surface growing up in a setting where people don't expect success is an interesting topic for students to address. I definitely agree that presenting this to an older audience would be a cause for some great discussion!
-Allison