Power

For this blog post I will be talking about Ching's article about multiculturalism and power. One of the main issues that was discussed in the article was that literature over looks the distribution of power. They do well with setting a story line that shows "cultural awareness and sensitivity. The author is attempting to educate teachers and how they present multicultural literature to their students and to promote equality by showing that there is power is voice. 

There are two types of multicultural literature, there is power and then there is pluralism. Pluralism shows pride for one's cultural and experiences held by that culture. They also emphasize the idea of harmony by accepting the differences between cultures. These types of books serve their purpose in educating the reader on the history of that culture they do not address power. The second type of book that Ching refers to as pluralism that manifests power, these books show the inequality of power in our society. 

The answer to the issue of power distribution education and motivation comes from understanding what type of multicultural literature you as the teacher are presenting to your students. 

I never gave multicultural literature in my mind a different category than the rest of the young adult novels I read, I always grouped them into the same box. It is an interesting take on the way he looks at what he thinks the two different types of multicultural literature are. I want to read an example of each and compare them so that way I too can understand his point of view. Because if there really is a difference then depending on which sub-type you pick to educate your students on a particular event in history needs to be taught in different ways. 

Bad Boy

So far I am sort enjoying the book Bad Boy, I like the style of writing from a past tense as if he is story telling. It makes me feel as if something big is going to happen later in the book versus when books are told in the present tense you already know something is going to happen. But now I have the background behind it instead of trying to piece together the puzzles myself. I like reading it but it doesn't excite me very much and is a little boring. And to be honest I cannot really answer yet what position this text places young adults, i probably won't be able to until after I finish reading the whole thing. I do not really resonate with the story either because culturally the narrator and I are very different. This difference can very much exclude people who not come from this background making the story hard to relate too. One thing that I did notice while reading was the parallels to the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Just like the main character in that book, they were both very violent. That may be just a young male thing, who knows. But I immediately made the connection when he threw his book at his teacher and their rational or reasoning behind it was the exact same, they didn't mean to actually hit their teacher. And they both had teachers who were concerned that they were going to fall into the traps of the negativity of their environments. Both the boys deal with their sister leaving and death in their family. They also both had "handicaps", the big head, and then the speech impediment. They also both have two parents who really care about them and do everything they can to give their boys a good life.These stories are exactly the same just told from two different cultures. I am going to wait on giving this book a grade because I do not feel like I am far enough along to give it a grade that I could support.

Wintergirls

Right now I am going through a period of life where I make decisions that most people cannot understand the meaning why. They do not understand why I am staying with my boyfriend who struggles with the abuse of powerful drugs. So when I was reading this book I really connected because it shows just how powerless someone can feel. The crossing out of Lia's real thoughts every time food was present really showed the inner struggle that her disease can have on someone. It explained anorexia from a point of view that people who do not struggle with anorexia could gain perspective from. Because I know many people who do not understand just think "well why don't you just man up and eat" but as Anderson shares it way more than that. Lia felt powerful and strong when she was able to control her body weight or what she ate. Because she had no other control in her life. She could make decisions when she was around her mother because her mother wanted to make sure she was the perfect child and she could not control her fathers many affairs with other women. It also shows her desire to be normal but then parallels that with the want to become the perfect size. I think she did a wonderful job setting up the text to really let the reader not develop a relationship per say but to know the character and understand her. Overall I think this book really positions young adults to take a different approach to looking at body image disorders. It can inspire compassion and understanding and maybe even to recognition in some teens. Just like I applied this to other aspects of my life since I do not struggle with an eating disorder but have my own demons I was really able to connect with the story. And I feel like other teens also do the same. I would give this book an A. It shows that in order for real change to happen it has to be because it is something you want, and while you can have help and support from others like Lia does with her family getting her all the medical help possible she still does not change. And that is because she needs to make the decision on her own, she needs to feel like she has the control over her life to make the decision to change, just like drug addicts. They will never stop using until the want too and it doesn't matter what anyone tells them. That I feel like is the biggest lesson that I took from this book.

The Feed

I enjoyed reading this text especially for its language style. I thought it was very engaging the way the author wrote it was as if I was speaking directly with one of my friends with all the “likes” he threw in there and all the simplistic vulgarity. It made the text have a more realistic feel or connection to my youth and even though this book was written some time ago I feel like that is still how young adults talk to one another. I also liked how this book positioned young adults. By challenging them to evaluate the control that technology is having over their lives. I feel like it is really applicable now-a-days as well because how often do you see someone without their cellphone, never. If you look around you while you are walking to school or to the coffee stand you will see almost everyone especially if they are by themselves glued to their cell phones. It makes me question, could society live one day without advanced technology or would we completely lose our minds. Are we going to become eaten alive just like the lesions that are invading the bodies of the characters in the story? I also think that incorporating a love story into it helps as well. Because it shows the growth that love can have on someone and how it can cause a person to see things in a different light and grow as a human. Overall I would rate this book an A. If I grade my students papers anything like I grade these books I will be giving out a lot of A’s. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I am going to start this blog different than all of my other blogs and rate it on the grading scale first and then give my reasoning’s behind the grade. I am giving this book, like many other books, an A (I love mostly all books). I am giving it an A because even though it was talking about the culture differences between white kids and Indian kids I felt that it was very polite about it and respectful. I was not once offended while reading this book. In fact I enjoyed how he gave both sides of the story showing that the kids from Reardan had problems of their own. They may not have been life threatening like drunken parents or going hungry but they did have their own problems to deal with. Like fathers who ignored them, and girls who puke to feel in control of their life; and by setting the story in a somewhat humorous manner I did not feel uncomfortable reading the story and was able to have a greater appreciation for the severity of what was going on because I was not guilt tripped into it or made to believe that it was my fault. But rather I was made more culturally aware that it was happening and that people were suffering from it. Through-out the novel Arnold or Junior which ever you prefer developed into becoming my friend, I wanted to be his friend, and so listening to his complaints about life did not bother me. I do not feel like it leaves anyone out gender or culture wise because the author does such a nice job of not having a bias that you can just appreciate the story. This text appeals to young adults because it shows the struggle of identity and discovering who you are and what your purpose is in life. But it puts it in a perspective that is enlightening. It shows how the process of discovering yourself is a positive and can be joyous and it is not as depressed or horrible as everyone wants you to believe it is. Because even after the many struggles Arnold went through like losing three members of his family he was still able to find happiness in life and strive for his goals. That is why I gave this book a perfect score.

Looking for Alaska

The novel looking for Alaska by John Green is a story about a group of teenagers living at a boarding school where they are considered the social outcasts by themselves and by the “weekday warriors” the wealthy student population. I admire the language style that was used in this text. It depicted exactly how I would imagine awkwardly smart and devious teenagers would speak. Making the first half of the book very enjoyable and humorous to read, even after the transition from the “before” section of the book to the “after” section (after the death of one of the main characters, Alaska) the language did change from awkwardly smart and humorous to awkwardly smart and dark. However I found it fitting because he still keeps within the dialogue style through-out the characters. Suffering from the pain of the loss of one of their dearest friends the humor from them was replaced with a deep dark depression. However I found it fitting because well for one they just lost their friend and two they are teenagers who are still trying to deal with their everyday emotions so dealing with a death I can assume would change their attitudes. I really enjoyed the fact that there was a whole section of the book dedicated to “before” the event. It really allowed the read to connect with the characters and learn who they were, so when reading the “after” I could understand why they were behaving in such a manner or they thought process. And it was a nice transition instead of just throwing it at the reader hey this girl is dead. By having the before and after you are prepared for a change. I also enjoyed the use of symbols that were presented through-out the novel. Although they were pretty mild once you figured out what they were and what they stood for it made a lot of sense. For example the use of the white flowers that were found with Alaska at the scene of the accident given to her by her boyfriend is a symbol for purity. Which is very ironic because nothing about Alaska screams pure or innocence but yet at the same time she still is. She had to endure something that most children never have to, witnessing your mother die in your own arms. Carrying around that guilt from her past makes her act out and rebel. So how is she innocent? Because she still cares. I am unsure of how this text is supposed to position adolescents but if I had to take a guess I would assume that it is meant to encourage young adults to live. To experience life and have fun, but at the same time be ready to suffer the consequences so make smart decisions. This text appeals to the young adult population because of its vulgarity and humorous dialogue. It tells the story of rebellion which is something all youth fantasize. My own personal grading of this text is an A. I thought it was very well written with a nice transition from making choices to suffering consequences.  

13 reasons why

For a young adult literature novel I feel that in the traditional literacy terms sense this novel encompassed them very well. The plot was detailed but not too hard for someone to comprehend what the message of the book is. I liked how even though Hannah is no longer apart of this world the reader can still form a connection with her and her story through her tapes. Almost making one believe that she is still alive. I also liked how through tragedy there was still a coming of age component to it through the character of Clay. Although I enjoyed reading this book I could see how this text could be harder for male readers to connect to because the issues that Hannah was going through were very female related and not really things that males go through or in the same manner anyways. It also plays on the typical new girl comes to school and instantly has a reputation which may or may not be true. The culture verisimilitude of this novel could be hard for some readers to overcome. Young beautiful girl becomes slut shammed based on rumors, when the scope of bullying is much larger than that. But overall I fell like it does a good job of showing how even minor acts can build because not everyone knows what is going on in different people’s lives. This text positions readers to really consider that smaller things have larger impacts than can be expected. It also encourages teens to really be more observant of their behavior and more aware of their actions and how they could affect other people. It challenges young adults to really take a reflection and critique themselves, “have I been treating someone like this”. This text appeals to adolescents because bullying and the thought of suicide have become a major epidemic in our culture today. Bullying is now a national issue that affects everyone. And by making teens look at the bigger picture of bullying it could really instill a change in the way they treat people. On a grading scale I would give this novel an A- because I applaud the idea of getting young adults to reflect on themselves especially around a topic that is very prevalent in our society today. With bullying being such an issue reading about it and creating a connection with a different perspective on the situation could be their very own coming of age. If you haven’t already, check out the website page for this book, it actually has a recording of Hannah and all the tapes. It really can give a better insight and connection to the story. http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/

Two short stories

Tonight I am blogging about two different short stories I read. the first short story is "Words" by Curtis Regan. Although this story was short somehow within the 20 or so pages I was able to connect with the characters. I think because the subject was so serious so sudden the character development happened very quickly allowing the reader to become close to the characters of Andy and Mellisa. At first I did not think that I was going to like the story because lets be realistic here, what teenagers actually address their siblings as "big brother" and "little sister". That to me is so cheesy because real brother and sister do not do that, at least no one I know. But as I got farther along in the story I began to have compassion for the children learning that their mother had died. I wanted to know why Andy was so upset. And I was glad that by the end Andy's perfect reputation wasn't actually so perfect. Because it makes him more relate-able to adolescents. And gives a good message that telling the truth always prevails over living a lie. Although I did like the story, I can see how maybe some cultural differences could make this story hard to identify with. The children come from a wealthy family, where the sons biggest concern was winning and not letting anyone down. The children complain about the apartment they live in because it is on the wrong side of town, even though in the brief description that is given of the apartment it is not small and sounds beautiful. And unlike most children, they wont have the luxury of choosing to either take an inheritance or do what they want to do. But is that such a bad thing? Does every piece of text that is published have to worry about whether or not it can relate to everyone's cultural differences or stereotype? I do not believe so, and for that reason I give this short story an A. Because even though it was based on one specific "stereotype" the message that it ultimately conveys is great.

The second short story I read was by Lisa Rowe Fraustino called "FRESh PAINt". my favorite thing about this short story was how descriptive it was. It was able to paint (see what I did there) a clear picture in my head what each character looked like and what they were doing. I could see the story playing out in my mind like a movie as if I was Susie. The story was heartfelt but I am still unsure of what the message of the story was. Maybe there isn't a message at all, maybe the whole point of the story was simply that, that it was a story. And I am okay with that. I don't need their to be an underlying message in every story I read, most of the time I read to be entertained, not to learn a life lesson. The only position that I could see this text giving to young adults is the curiosity to explore their own family background and get to know their elders. And the mystery of Mamie, Mamie Ellis could pull adolescents into the story. Although now that I think about it, I guess there is a message at the end of the story. How when she returns from college and goes to visit Mamie she has to make the hard decision of doing what is best for Mamie even though she herself will be sacrificing a few brief moments of happiness. Overall I give this story an A as well. Because even though the message was small and at the end the actual concept of being just a story really appealed to me.

Eleanor and Park

My overall feeling of the story is that I loved it. I feel in love with the characters, who they are as individuals and what they stood for. I only have two negative comments about the book. The first comment being that from a writers point of view I personally did not care for the jump in the story line of how Eleanor and Park went from not speaking and just exchanging items to being in love at first physical touch. For as the reader I found myself having to flip back and forth between the two pages because the transition was so sudden I felt myself become lost and confused. My other critique is on the ending. I wanted more from the ending, I felt that the author did such an amazing job through out the whole story of answering all of the readers questions by having the two view points, but that the transition from not talking to each other one moment to being in love the next, one moment she was there and the next she was gone was very sudden. And that Rowell did not answer my question as to why Eleanor was not responding to Park's letters or what happened to her family. Besides those two comments I did feel that the book gave (although maybe slightly exaggerated) an accurate depiction on high school bullying. A quote that kept appearing into my thoughts when reading this book was "be nice to everyone. you never know what someone's story is". Just a random quote that I read on the internet but I felt that this book really encompassed that feeling really well. Because all the students that Eleanor went to school with who bullied her had no idea about her home life and what she was going through. But once they did know however, they ended up lending her a helping hand. For example Tina hiding Eleanor in her garage once she knew who her step father was. The author really showed that quote. That you should think before you speak because you have no idea what someone goes through outside of school. Putting young adults in a position to be more thoughtful before they speak. This text appeals to adolescents because it does talk about the stereotypical bullying but then gives a background of the characters. By telling the story of each character, allowing the reader to walk in their footsteps a connection is formed between the story and the reader. My own personal rating/grade for this text would be an A-. Not fully an A because the transitions between some of the major developments was too fast but the moral of the story and the message that it is sending to teens is very well done and easy to pull out of the text.