I think the main thing that I learned over the course of the semester is that everyone interprets literature differently. The two times that everyone in our group had to write a paper, I do not think that one person had the same sort of idea for their paper. When we were writing about Boy Meets Boy Katie and I both ended up writing about religion, however the way that we interpreted the book was completely different. Especially in our discussion groups every week, I do not think there was a single time where someone said "I didn't even pick up on that" or "I didn't think of it in that way before." This will cross over in my teaching, because it reminds me that all students come from different backgrounds, and so they will come in with different experiences, different interpretations and different perspectives to bring to class discussions.
Also, one thing that I realized is that it is a lot easier to pick out negative components to childrens literature, especially in diverse literature in picture books. I would finish a book in this class, and think of how great a book it was. (Because I truly believed that all of the literature that we read was quality literature) However, in a chapter book, there are a lot more component so a reader is less likely to pick up on every single detail in a novel. However, in a picture book, you have 30 short pages of information where it is much easier to retain the details of the story. So I am using this bit as a piece of caution for picking out novels to read throughout my teaching years. When I read a novel through to see if it will be appropriate for my class, I know that I will not see every aspect of a novel. After taking this class however, I feel more confident in picking books out because I feel as if I'm better equipped to look at literature and diverse literature in a more nit-picky way. After having discussions, and reading the articles, there are different tips that I've picked up to look for. However, my one concern is that I will start looking at all literature in this way, and thinking that I have to find something wrong with it, because I do not think that there is a perfect piece of literature out there. I do have hope though, since I read all of the novels in this class, I enjoyed them as they were, so my hope is that I can continue this in the future.
While looking over the course readings in the coursepack, there is soemthing that I noticed. That in at least one article from every group of diverse people there are books that are examined. I'm really excited about this, because I will make sure to use these lists in the future. They not only give us positive books to look for, but I was also noticing (like in the Native American section) that there are books that we should avoid using in our classroom. I have often thought though, that it would be interesting to teach a book that has positive attributes of a culture or race and then a negative view on it. I think that it would be a great comparison and contrast lesson that you could teach. Also, students would be exposed to negative stereotypes, which would then make them cautious about using those stereotypes towards others. This would also be an opportunity to disucss that everything that we read is not necessarily a good book just because it was published. So these lists that we are given, both bad and good will come of good use to me in a classroom.
Overall, I'm glad that I took this class. Even though I have a decent background in children's literature, I had never focused on diverse literature before. This class gave me the tools to disect a piece of literature and not only look for the negative attributes, but the positives as well. It gave me a tool to look at literature in a different way that will be beneficial to me as a teacher in the near future.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Final Project Reflection
The literature that I chose to read about for my final project was African American literature. There were a few reasons for this. First of all, next year I will be doing my student teaching in the Chicago Public Schools and will be teaching predominantly African American students. For this reason, I wanted to read a few more books by insider authors to have more experience with this group of underrepresented authors. For my future students, it will be important to involve this literature into their lives, and I need to have more of a foundation besides reading Bronx Masquerade in class.
The second reason I chose these books was because they were all a part of my personal library. I had bought or received these books for various reasons over the past few years. I bought Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor and The Watsons go to Birmingham-1965 by Christopher Paul Curtis because I know that they are renoun books not only within African American literature, but in all aspects of literature. Roll of Thunder reveived the Newbery award, while Watsons won the Newbery Honor, which are the highest awards in children’s literature. The third book was given to me by a fellow teacher who teaches in the Detroit Public School system. I had heard of the author Jacqueline Woodson before, but never heard of the title Miracle’s Boys. Since I have enjoyed other books of hers, I wanted to read this book. All three of these books were also awarded with the Coretta Scott King Award.
Lastly, the main reason why I chose these three chapter books was because they are all set in different time periods and different settings. I wanted to look at the African American experience throughout from different decades to see how the stories changed, and how perspectives changed. Roll of Thunder is set in the 1930’s in Mississippi, Watsons takes place in 1963 in Flint, Michigan as well as Alabama, and Miracle’s takes place in New York City in the 1990’s.
One thing that was very apparent in this book was the different perspectives. There was the African American perspective, and outlooks on their oppression; and on the other hand there were glimpses of the white perspective as well. Even though it is told from the African American perspective, it shows their thinking and the way that they acted towards people of another race. Also, Roll of Thunder and Watsons seemed very real to me. They are both based on true stories, which makes them come alive to me more than they would otherwise. Besides oppression, the other aspect that jumped clearly out at me was typical stereotyping. In Miracle’s Boys one of the brothers was sent off to a teenage correctional facility, while the older brother was the primary caregiver of the family and worked so hard for barely anything. These are stereotypes and generalizations that we see often within this culture. In Watsons go to Birmingham- 1963 we see the stereotype of Byron who is the rebellious teen who gets in all sorts of trouble, and gets sent down to his grandmothers. And finally in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, we see the stereotypes of white southerners still angry about the Civil War and before the Civil Rights Movement. All three novels had different themes, but were also similar in certain ways. I think that all three overall are good representations of African American Literature, and would teach any of them in my future classroom.
The second reason I chose these books was because they were all a part of my personal library. I had bought or received these books for various reasons over the past few years. I bought Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor and The Watsons go to Birmingham-1965 by Christopher Paul Curtis because I know that they are renoun books not only within African American literature, but in all aspects of literature. Roll of Thunder reveived the Newbery award, while Watsons won the Newbery Honor, which are the highest awards in children’s literature. The third book was given to me by a fellow teacher who teaches in the Detroit Public School system. I had heard of the author Jacqueline Woodson before, but never heard of the title Miracle’s Boys. Since I have enjoyed other books of hers, I wanted to read this book. All three of these books were also awarded with the Coretta Scott King Award.
Lastly, the main reason why I chose these three chapter books was because they are all set in different time periods and different settings. I wanted to look at the African American experience throughout from different decades to see how the stories changed, and how perspectives changed. Roll of Thunder is set in the 1930’s in Mississippi, Watsons takes place in 1963 in Flint, Michigan as well as Alabama, and Miracle’s takes place in New York City in the 1990’s.
One thing that was very apparent in this book was the different perspectives. There was the African American perspective, and outlooks on their oppression; and on the other hand there were glimpses of the white perspective as well. Even though it is told from the African American perspective, it shows their thinking and the way that they acted towards people of another race. Also, Roll of Thunder and Watsons seemed very real to me. They are both based on true stories, which makes them come alive to me more than they would otherwise. Besides oppression, the other aspect that jumped clearly out at me was typical stereotyping. In Miracle’s Boys one of the brothers was sent off to a teenage correctional facility, while the older brother was the primary caregiver of the family and worked so hard for barely anything. These are stereotypes and generalizations that we see often within this culture. In Watsons go to Birmingham- 1963 we see the stereotype of Byron who is the rebellious teen who gets in all sorts of trouble, and gets sent down to his grandmothers. And finally in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, we see the stereotypes of white southerners still angry about the Civil War and before the Civil Rights Movement. All three novels had different themes, but were also similar in certain ways. I think that all three overall are good representations of African American Literature, and would teach any of them in my future classroom.
Review on Critical Review
I agree with the Horn Book review of The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. This is a review from a section of the publication that reviews new literature that they feel is worthy of writing about. The Horn Book is one of the most popular and well respected magazines focusing on childrens literature.
I enjoyed how this review focused more on the end of the story. It reads more in depth into the last few pages much more than the average reader would. It gives the imagery of death, and the “Wool Pooh” and how to a young persons mind, something so simple as Winnie-the-Pooh’s evil twin brother can be the grim reaper knocking on your door. This book does provide a lot of death imagery at the end with Kenny almost dying from drowning, the thought of Joetta being killed with a bomb in church, and being there while the four little girls were killed in the bombing, death is a very real thing for Kenny at the end of this novel.
The review also mentions something that I also talked about in my review of the novel, and that is Curtis’ ability to move from the somber movements into the humerous sections that make the reader laugh out loud picturing what he is depicting. I defiantly agree, especially for a first time author, this is something that he does seamlessly, and makes the novel more enjoyable to read.
From the way that this review has been written, it seems as if Martha Parravano, the critic enjoyed this story. This review is defiantly a representation of a pre-curser to this novel winning both the Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King awards.
Publication Info: Parravano, Martha. "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963." The Horn Book Magazine Mar/April 1996: 195
I enjoyed how this review focused more on the end of the story. It reads more in depth into the last few pages much more than the average reader would. It gives the imagery of death, and the “Wool Pooh” and how to a young persons mind, something so simple as Winnie-the-Pooh’s evil twin brother can be the grim reaper knocking on your door. This book does provide a lot of death imagery at the end with Kenny almost dying from drowning, the thought of Joetta being killed with a bomb in church, and being there while the four little girls were killed in the bombing, death is a very real thing for Kenny at the end of this novel.
The review also mentions something that I also talked about in my review of the novel, and that is Curtis’ ability to move from the somber movements into the humerous sections that make the reader laugh out loud picturing what he is depicting. I defiantly agree, especially for a first time author, this is something that he does seamlessly, and makes the novel more enjoyable to read.
From the way that this review has been written, it seems as if Martha Parravano, the critic enjoyed this story. This review is defiantly a representation of a pre-curser to this novel winning both the Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King awards.
Publication Info: Parravano, Martha. "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963." The Horn Book Magazine Mar/April 1996: 195
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis is a novel that takes place in the middle of the Civil Rights movement, in 1963. This is a story about a family from Flint, Michigan who has been having a rough winter. The main character Kenny’s older brother Byron has been getting into trouble. He isn’t listening to his mom, and she is at her wits end with him. Throughout the story we hear about Momma growing up in Alabama, and so when her and Dad decided that there was nothing more they could do, they pack up and take a trip to see Kenny’s grandmother. However, while they are in Alabama, something horrible happens. While at church, someone threw a bomb into the Sunday school classroom, and it ended up killing four little girls. Luckily, Joetta (Kenny’s little sister) was not one of them. However, this changed the family, and their outlooks on life. In Flint, they had not experienced this kind of hatred. This novel shows how one event can change your life.
I really liked this book. I found myself laughing out loud while reading it. This is one of the aspects that made it a quality piece of diverse literature for me. Even though there were humerous parts, there were also very serious parts and they intertwined beautifully and made a seamless story. Apparently the critics thought so as well because it won a Newbery honor award and the Coretta Scott King award. I think this is a quality piece of diverse literature because it highlights a true event that I had never heard of before. The climax of the story is when a bomb is thrown into a Sunday school classroom and kills four innocent children. Usually when we think of the Civil Rights movement we think of Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, or the Dr. Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream” speech. It’s little events like this church bombing that affected more people than we know, and it has historically been dropped from teaching, if it ever was taught. I liked that Curtis included an Epilogue that gave a little history on the time period in Birmingham so that children that read this have a context for the story. The epilogue ends “And one of them could be you” talking about people who will change the world. I think that it ends the novel on an optimistic note.
One thing that the book does however is stereotype the “typical black thug”. Kenny’s brother Byron was always getting into trouble, whether it be at school, or out of school, it always seems as if Byron is getting into a scuffle. However, on the other spectrum of that, Kenny’s character is a positive role model for young students. He is ahead in his class in academics, is a great reader and is enthusiastic about school. I thought that this was a good counter balance for the characters in the books. This way Curtis is representing a few different character types into the story. The balance of these characters enhances it’s appeal and the audience that it reaches.
Book Info: Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963. Scholastic Inc, 1995.
ISBN: 0-590-69014-0
I really liked this book. I found myself laughing out loud while reading it. This is one of the aspects that made it a quality piece of diverse literature for me. Even though there were humerous parts, there were also very serious parts and they intertwined beautifully and made a seamless story. Apparently the critics thought so as well because it won a Newbery honor award and the Coretta Scott King award. I think this is a quality piece of diverse literature because it highlights a true event that I had never heard of before. The climax of the story is when a bomb is thrown into a Sunday school classroom and kills four innocent children. Usually when we think of the Civil Rights movement we think of Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, or the Dr. Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream” speech. It’s little events like this church bombing that affected more people than we know, and it has historically been dropped from teaching, if it ever was taught. I liked that Curtis included an Epilogue that gave a little history on the time period in Birmingham so that children that read this have a context for the story. The epilogue ends “And one of them could be you” talking about people who will change the world. I think that it ends the novel on an optimistic note.
One thing that the book does however is stereotype the “typical black thug”. Kenny’s brother Byron was always getting into trouble, whether it be at school, or out of school, it always seems as if Byron is getting into a scuffle. However, on the other spectrum of that, Kenny’s character is a positive role model for young students. He is ahead in his class in academics, is a great reader and is enthusiastic about school. I thought that this was a good counter balance for the characters in the books. This way Curtis is representing a few different character types into the story. The balance of these characters enhances it’s appeal and the audience that it reaches.
Book Info: Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963. Scholastic Inc, 1995.
ISBN: 0-590-69014-0
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, is a story about Cassie Logan and her family. Living in the south during the Great Depression was not a good time for African Americans. It was hard to find work, which is apparent in this story by her father having to leave and work on the railroad in Louisiana; and it was lucky if you had work at all. A large portion of the African American families in this story are sharecroppers, so they work the land for someone who literally owns them. They are still slaves in a sense, since they never see a penny of the money that they earn. This story takes place over a school year where Cassie and her brothers, Stacey, Christopher John and Little Man grow up a lot emotionally. They have to deal with the bus splashing them every day on the way to school, and the realization that the white bus drivers and children (except for Jeremy) do not care about them at all. They also have to deal with their mother getting fired from her job since she teaches accurate portrayals of history, of which the school board does not approve. I think that the biggest event in the story however is then T.J. robs the store over in Strawberry and as readers we get to see the brutal mentality of the “white man” towards the “black man” over nothing. These children have to grow up quickly to protect themselves from the times around them, and the year that we view in this story shows an immense amount of growing up.
This novel in my opinion is a great piece of literature. This is a story that has been passed down by Taylor’s own family, and she felt the need to share it with others. The novel is set in the 1930’s in the midst of the Great Depression in rural Mississippi. In this novel, the focus to me seemed to be the unfair treatment of African Americans by some of the white population in their town and surrounding areas. I think that this aspect of the story made it a true quality piece of literature. Cassie, the main character was naïve in a variety of ways to the world outside her house, especially when it came to dealing with children her own age, and not realizing why a white girl was considered better than her. I liked how Taylor included the white population, such as Mr. Jamison and his family in the book. This shows the perspective that not everyone thought that African Americans should be oppressed, and that they should be treated fairly. So in this way I think that the novel has been quite authentic, and culturally accurate because it encompassed all perspectives. This novel has won both the Newbery Award for excellence in children’s literature, and the Coretta Scott King award for excellence in African American literature by an insider author.
Book Information: Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Scholastic Inc, 1976.
ISBN:0-590-98207-9
This novel in my opinion is a great piece of literature. This is a story that has been passed down by Taylor’s own family, and she felt the need to share it with others. The novel is set in the 1930’s in the midst of the Great Depression in rural Mississippi. In this novel, the focus to me seemed to be the unfair treatment of African Americans by some of the white population in their town and surrounding areas. I think that this aspect of the story made it a true quality piece of literature. Cassie, the main character was naïve in a variety of ways to the world outside her house, especially when it came to dealing with children her own age, and not realizing why a white girl was considered better than her. I liked how Taylor included the white population, such as Mr. Jamison and his family in the book. This shows the perspective that not everyone thought that African Americans should be oppressed, and that they should be treated fairly. So in this way I think that the novel has been quite authentic, and culturally accurate because it encompassed all perspectives. This novel has won both the Newbery Award for excellence in children’s literature, and the Coretta Scott King award for excellence in African American literature by an insider author.
Book Information: Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Scholastic Inc, 1976.
ISBN:0-590-98207-9
Miracle's Boys
Miracle’s Boys by Jaqueline Woodson is a true story of brotherhood. This is a novel about three brothers Ty’ree, Charlie, and Lafayette who have lost both their mother (who died in her sleep from insulin shock as a result of diabetes) and their father when they were much younger when he was attempting to save a woman who fell through thin ice. We find out later in the book that Ty’ree was there to witness his fathers death, and the youngest brother Lafayette was the one who found his mother dead in bed. After Ty’ree admits this to Lafayette that he saw his father die, they became a lot closer. These two were also a lot closer because Charlie was not at home. He was sent away to a juvenile delinquent center. Charlie is the stereotyped “thug” of sorts, and was beat up by a gang, and his trouble on the streets sent him away. There is conflict between the brothers as well since Charlie blames Lafayette for not catching his mother before she died. This book overall is a coming of age story of three brothers who have to learn to live without their mother, and learn how to take care of themselves as well as one another.
I enjoyed this story, but did not love it. It took me a while to get into it, and I was not able to relate to it. However, this novel has gotten critical acclaim, won the Coretta Scott King award, and was even turned into a T.V. movie. This novel defiantly qualifies as a piece of diverse literature. The boys mother is Puerto Rican while their father is African American. Therefore the brothers come from two different backgrounds. However, there is not much discussion in the novel about how this affects them. We do occasionally see other people’s reactions to them when they go out, but other than that, the focus of the book is their lives, their history according to them. Even though Woodson portrayed a negative stereotype in the story (Charlie), she also made Ty’ree a positive role model. Ty’ree was extremely smart and would have gone to college, but had to stay home, get a job, and take care of his family when his mother died. His dream is to work for NASA, and plans on continuing those dreams ones Lafayette grows up. However, the character Charlie is a stereotypical troublesome African American teen. He gets in trouble by joining a gang, because he feels that it is his family. We hear so many times that this is why young adolescents get involved with gangs, so that they can feel as if they belong. This is why he gets sent to a juvenile delinquent center. However, when he gets out, he has changed a bit, and tries to be a positive member of his family. I think it’s important that she included both in the story, so that she is more representative of a group than just one stereotype.
Book Information: Woodson, Jaqueline . Miracle's Boys. Puffin Books, 2000.
ISBN: 0-698-11916-9
I enjoyed this story, but did not love it. It took me a while to get into it, and I was not able to relate to it. However, this novel has gotten critical acclaim, won the Coretta Scott King award, and was even turned into a T.V. movie. This novel defiantly qualifies as a piece of diverse literature. The boys mother is Puerto Rican while their father is African American. Therefore the brothers come from two different backgrounds. However, there is not much discussion in the novel about how this affects them. We do occasionally see other people’s reactions to them when they go out, but other than that, the focus of the book is their lives, their history according to them. Even though Woodson portrayed a negative stereotype in the story (Charlie), she also made Ty’ree a positive role model. Ty’ree was extremely smart and would have gone to college, but had to stay home, get a job, and take care of his family when his mother died. His dream is to work for NASA, and plans on continuing those dreams ones Lafayette grows up. However, the character Charlie is a stereotypical troublesome African American teen. He gets in trouble by joining a gang, because he feels that it is his family. We hear so many times that this is why young adolescents get involved with gangs, so that they can feel as if they belong. This is why he gets sent to a juvenile delinquent center. However, when he gets out, he has changed a bit, and tries to be a positive member of his family. I think it’s important that she included both in the story, so that she is more representative of a group than just one stereotype.
Book Information: Woodson, Jaqueline . Miracle's Boys. Puffin Books, 2000.
ISBN: 0-698-11916-9
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Boy Meets Boy
I just finished reading the novel Boy Meets Boy. It is an interesting story in where may of the characters within the high school and town are gay, or transvestites, and it is considered completely normal. Outside of the town however, it's not so perfect. This story, and the Utopian has made me think about whether or not this situation is possible in our lifetimes? Sure there are communities that are gay accepting (think of cities like San Francisco) but there are always those people who are closed minded, and will not accept homosexual lifestyles no matter what. Even Tony's parents were more progressive than some people that we find in our society today.
Another interesting thing that I thought about after I finished reading the novel was that this story is overall just a love story. All of the aspects of a teenage love affair were there. In my mind this should just go to show to everyone who is against gay relationships that they are just like their relationship that they have with their significant other. They should be able to see that if you were to substitute one of the two main characters in the book into a female, that it would be like any other. I think that this novel would be a great book to open people with closed minds. It would make them see that we are all the same, no matter what sexual preference we have
Another interesting thing that I thought about after I finished reading the novel was that this story is overall just a love story. All of the aspects of a teenage love affair were there. In my mind this should just go to show to everyone who is against gay relationships that they are just like their relationship that they have with their significant other. They should be able to see that if you were to substitute one of the two main characters in the book into a female, that it would be like any other. I think that this novel would be a great book to open people with closed minds. It would make them see that we are all the same, no matter what sexual preference we have
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