Readings
Purves, A. (1993) Towards a reevaluation of reader response and school literature. Language Arts, 70, 348-361.
Holden, P. (1999) The great literature debate: Why teach literature in Singapore. In Chua, S. H. & Chin, W. P. (1999) Localising pedagogy: teaching literature in Singapore (pp. 79-89). Singapore: NIE Press.
Harold Bloom’s list of the Western Canon. Retrieved from http://sonic.net/~rteeter/grtbloom.html
Poon, A. (2007) The politics of pragmatism: some issues in the teaching of literature in Singapore. Changing English, 14(1), 51-59.
MOE Syllabi’s Aims and Outcomes.
Other Reference Texts
Wee, W-L. (2010). Culture, the arts and the global city. In Terence Chong (Ed.), The management of success: Singapore revisited (pp. 489-403). Singapore: ISEA
Greene, M. (1995) Releasing the imagination. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (excerpts)
Sinfield, A. (1998) How to read The Merchant of Venice without being heterosexist. In Cole, M. (1998) The Merchant of Venice: Contemporary critical essays (pp. 161-180). London: Macmilliam Press
Eagleton, T. (2001) Literary theory: an introduction (2nd ed.). London: Blackwell Publishing.
Read a text of your choice. What are the problems with using this text in the literature classroom? What are the possibilities?
ReplyDeleteNo..I didn't read Twilight because I didn't want to injure my eyes and brain.
Chose "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald to read because it was one of the thinnest books I have left unread on the bookshelf so this must be it. :D
On a very superficial level, "The Great Gatsby" (TGG it shall be) appears to be a love story between a number of parties in the book, how one failed to love and how relationships break apart. If we were to use this text in the literature classroom in a Secondary School, this would probably be the response from most of the students.
TGG is flooded with really beautiful language; while it is possible that students with a better command of English are able to read between the lines and beyond the literal meaning of those language, it is quite difficult for teachers to deliver the real meaning behind it if students aren't able to understand even the literal meaning in the first place.
Moreover, TGG really isn't about a love story/stories, but rather talking about the decline of the American Dream after WWI, corroded social/moral values with the respective characters, imagery and settings representing distinct features of that era. It is a commentary on the superficiality of the aristocrats, the shallow-mindedness of them portrayed through the party scenes at Gatsby's house, etc. Yes, it is possible to teach this in a literature classroom but will students be interested in the American history at all? That's debatable and really up to the teacher to make it interesting.
This text is definitely not suitable for lower secondary students - not so suitable even for the upper secondary but plausible. The themes and motifs behind TGG are quite deep and definitely not easy to spot by students who probably have not read enough to understand the background of TGG. A lot of scaffolding is required if this text were to be used in Secondary Schools.
Give this to a JC Literature class, or perhaps an entry-level Literature in NUS/NTU, it will be better appreciated in all aspects.
Since we were challenged to read a text that we would not usually read, I decided to sit down and read 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell. I never really had the impetus to read the text through and through, and always found the book to be rather dry and boring (despite being a History student, I never fully appreciated Russian History). I understand that 'Animal Farm' is currently used in the lower secondary Literature syllabus and well, what better time to get through the book then now.
ReplyDeleteOn the most literal take, 'Animal Farm' tells the story of a world where animals can talk, think and do. Manor farm is taken over by a group of pigs whole rule in a dictatorial manner. Man and animal trade and interact as equals - a result of the evolutionary process of the animals. Yet a detailed reading will provide the readers with a horrific tale of leadership gone wrong. A story of deceit, lies, terror, corruption, greed and wickedness - 'Animal Farm' is a satire of the lead up to the Stalinist era. Essentially a novel about political awareness, 'Animal Farm' warns of how political indifference can result in tragedy.
'Animal Farm' is a very short novel that can be completed in one sitting. For students new to literature, it will take no longer than a week or two to complete. This proves very useful for the lower secondary as the text (in terms of volume and length) will not be too daunting for the young. Furthermore, Orwell writes in a very simple, easy to understand language that carries the plot through very effortlessly without discounting the use of literary devices. The text provides plenty of opportunities to explore theme and characters, easing new students into the subject of English Literature.
Having said that, 'Animal Farm' is not without its challenges. The context in which it is written is extremely central in fully appreciating the text. This context is not easy to grasp. The various parallels can only be fully appreciated with a understanding of the events of the Stalinist era leading up to the War - something that 13 year olds find hard to connect with. Lower secondary students will also find it very hard to understand the various political agendas hidden in its subtext.
Rachelle (:
DeleteTG2: Read a text of your choice. What are the problems with using this text in the literature classroom? What are the possibilities?
ReplyDeleteI chose TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY by Jay Asher. No, not typos. This is the actual title of the book.
Since we were tasked to read a book which we would not normally read, who better to go to than to my extremely knowledgeable librarian friend who practically has a library in her head? This is her recommendation based on my instructions (something that is the complete opposite of my literary taste and for young adult / teenagers). I guess I am flattered?
In a nutshell, this book deals with extraordinarily thorny topic of suicide. A girl, Hannah Baker, decided to kill herself. It was a premeditated act; she had tape-recorded 13 sides of 7 cassette tapes (each dedicated to a different individual) which she termed the thirteen sides to her story (and hence the thirteen reasons why she decided to commit suicide). One the eve of her suicide, she mailed the whole shoebox of tapes out to the first individual on this list. The recipient should listen to all of the tapes and then anonymously mail the whole box of tapes to the person following him/her in the list. Hannah Baker did kill herself, and this book tracks the reactions Clay Jensen – one of the (un)lucky thirteen – when he listened to the tapes. His reactions are interspersed with Hannah’s 13 tapes which are reproduced verbatim in the novel. Tidbit: apparently, Universal Studios already purchased the film rights to this film, and Selena Gomez has already been cast in the role of Hannah Baker.
Problems, prospects, and possibilities of this text? I will start with the prospects and possibilities. First, the premise of the story is intriguing: you want to know why Hannah decided to off herself, so in this light, it is not just a narrative but more like a suspenseful thriller. The title of the book is itself may engage the students’ attention: it is written in teenage-speak! Additionally, since it tracks the reactions of Clay Jensen by way of internal monologue, it is a good tool to teach this literary device.
However, this is where the prospects and possibilities may end. First, the book deals with the touchy topic of suicide. It is not insinuated nor mentioned in passing: the whole book is focused on it by adopting the form of a suicide letter, which in this case take the form of 13 suicide tapes. The rants of Hannah Baker, while it may seem uncomfortably melodramatic to a mature reader, may hit uncomfortably close to home for the teenage reader (one of the reason why she decided to die is because of her teacher, presented as the last reason). Suicide is then presented as a Hobson’s choice, a last viable and disconcertingly logical option.
Second, other than the internal monologue, there seems no depth to the characters, so it would be hard to teach characterization. Since there is no real plot, it would be hard to teach the structure of a narrative to students. Also, the book is replete with sexual overtones and overt sexual imagery. Sex and sexual references can be necessary to a well-wrought text (like Shakespeare and Murakami), but sexual acts in this text seem gratuitous even though it is the chief preoccupation of teenagers. Lastly, while the interpolation of internal monologue and verbatim cassette tapes seems like a novel idea, it gets tired and repetitive really quickly.
Thus, since I believe we should not avoid the topic of suicide altogether, I think this text is not entirely unsalvageable (after all, suicide is a theme even in the canonical literary texts). Particularly, it could be feasible in the form of extracts for lower secondary classes to get them interested (and talking!) about literature and reading. The teacher can get the class to read one cassette tape, and that will probably exhaust all the teachable qualities of the text: internal monologue, intriguing premise, (shallow) characterization.
- Angela Tan
I have attempted to read Twilight with a great amount of perseverance and an open mind.
ReplyDeleteIt may be considered cheating that I had already watched the film, not by choice, rather for one of my essays in university. However that aside, I dived into the book immediately with a pint Udder's coconut sherbet (by the way you can't find it at Udders any more ::sad).
I was afraid that my perception of the novel may have been affected by my friends' opinions or the opinions I may have formed of the novel whilst watching the film. Thus I attempted to purge my mind by re-watching Star Wars IV: A New Hope but I digress.
The novel was quite easy to get into and I can see why many teenagers who have read it find it easy to relate with Bella. The ordeal was not as bad as I had imagined, so thankfully now I have both eyes and a non blood-soaked fork to write my analysis.
The key problem I might face if this novel were to be used in a literature class setting would be probably “I have watched the film, I don't really need to read the novel and I can smoke my way through”. Getting the students to actually open the novel and analyse it as a text instead of a film would be a difficult but not impossible task. Discussions in class might veer horribly off-track into god-forbid Team Edward and Team Jacob debates.
One thing which I did in university which I think can be scaled down to a secondary school level is to relate the evolution of vampires. From Dracula to Twilight. A more controversial topic, and I know Warren will like these, would be how sex is portrayed differently in 1897 and 2008. The image of the romantic and the Gothic could also be avenues that the class can look into. As this film and novel is being read by teenagers nowadays, I feel it could serve as a tool to contextualise the teaching of the Gothic as the perception students have of Goth these days are of emo punk rockers *cries inside*. Pique their interest in vampires, and maybe show them the glorious glory of Dracula or even Shelly's Frankenstein.
Another avenue without comparing texts would be to look at the novel from an author's response point of view. Was Stephenie Meyer putting to paper her innermost sexual frustrations? Is the novel anti-feminist? Would Bella be a good role model for teenagers today? I think there are many interesting questions and topics that can be drawn here and some which are very relevant to teenagers today.
Thus as I paste this into the blog, I am glad I took the time to read something I would have normally avoided like the plague. In fact just two days ago, I would have walked into a plague than pick up this book from my dear brother's book shelf. Looking through the novels that effects, interests and excites students is a good way of approaching the teaching of literature to students who have a misconception of the classics. If you can be bothered to be interested in what they like, maybe they will be interested in what you as a teacher like to teach. * shrugs *
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green deals impressively with cancer, dying and love in a realistic and painfully humorous way.
ReplyDeleteIt has a lot of potential as a text, because it's written in a believable voice. It's marketed as a young adults novel anyway. The narrator is 16 and she sounds snarky and vulnerable enough to be 16 and dying. Hazel admits at one point, for example, that she 'wanted to make my parents happy. There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from
cancer when you’re sixteen, and that’s having a kid who bites it from cancer.'
She goes on to talk about how embarrassing it was to see her parents so broken and desperate when she thought she was on her deathbed, and it sounds exactly like what a teenager would feel. And as she goes on this journey of falling in love with Gus, we're with her every step of the way.
The activities the teenagers are concerned with in the novel are incredibly relevant: Hazel loves watching reruns of America's Next Top Model, her boyfriend(-to-be) Augustus plays video games like The Price of Dawn obsessively, and their friend Isaac is very into his girlfriend and PDA even while dealing with going blind. And when one of the characters dies, his wall gets flooded with condolences.. exactly how our generation, I think, deals with death on Facebook.
The title itself would make for interesting discussions. To what extent are these characters creating their own fate, and to what extent has this all been decided for them? Do they let their conditions get the better of them, and resign themselves to it all? They're young teenagers who have gotten the short end of the stick, but somehow they're not powerless.
Our protagonist is also fascinated with this work of fiction called An Imperial Affliction (AIA), and it would be interesting to talk about the author's book within a book technique. Is the author drawing parallels between our reactions to the book and the characters' reactions to AIA? Can we talk about the meta involved by highlighting the act of reading and being affected by a work?
We can take it further by evaluating our own reader response and how it relates to Hazel and Gus's responses to AIA. They track the author of AIA down in Amsterdam, and find that the novel was triggered by personal traumatic events. This might be an opening for discussing the author's biography and intentions, and how that relates to one's reading of the text.
Finally the theme of wanting to make your mark in the world before dying (so you are not relegated to oblivion) vs wanting to be as quiet and careful as possible so you hurt fewer people is a good and pressing question. We go about wanting to be immortalised somehow, and we forget to ask at what price this immortalisation comes.
Some problems with the text might be its use of words - there are words that students may never have encountered, e.g. hamartia, literality, sobriquet.. and there is also an extensive use of slang that Singaporean students may not be familiar with. Though I suppose we come into contact with American English a lot nowadays, so that might not be so much of an issue. The bigger problem, therefore, would be the level of language used. It's slightly advanced I think, for secondary school students, unless their standard of English is very good. Otherwise it might be a struggle to get through the book. So I'd suggest doing this book only with upper sec students who have a better grasp of the language, or JC students. And when you encounter difficult words, it would be worth going through definitions with the students, and even discussing the relevance of using such words in the book.
But the language used in the book is really quite beautiful for a narrator who is so young: 'My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations'. It would be lovely to be able to share this with students.
(And I would really really like to share this book, so let me know if you want to read it! :))
And also the very interesting Author's Note:
Delete'This is not so much an author’s note as an author’s reminder of what was printed in small type a few pages ago: This book is a work of fiction. I made it up.
Neither novels nor their readers benefit from attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea that made-up stories can matter, which is sort of the foundational assumption of our species.
I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.'
Kar Mun, your book sounds fantastic. I wish I was reading stuff like that, instead of the brainless fluff I’ve been catching up on lately – which, in my defence, is currently part of my reading arsenal only to counter the massive amounts of stress that seems to be the companion of students worldwide …
DeleteBut anyway!
I myself am entirely intrigued by what you’ve posted about the book; I think I might just want to beg it off you the next time I see you. :D
That being said, based purely on what you’ve posted about it, even though the themes and somewhat difficult language might make it more appropriate for upper sec or JC students, I think the book might just prove to be an interesting text for the more adventurous lower sec classes.
Yes, I might be spouting idealism at this point – but hear me out.
In dealing with emotionally-draining themes, you mentioned a “painfully humorous” type of narrative. Admittedly, the notion of pain in connection with humour is somewhat paradoxical by nature – but in the strangely twisted minds of young teenagers these days, that might just be a key factor of appeal. At any rate, it might even be a different way of exposing lower sec classes to controversial issues; there’s no law which states that the intense always has to be introduced in a heavy-hearted or depressing light.
Moreover, it sounds to me that the main character is quite relatable – in terms of interests, if not so much in personality. On the surface level, at least, I think a lot of the younger generation would be able to connect with the protagonist. So even if most of the students aren’t able to delve deeper into the underlying tones of the book, for their age and general learner profiles, at least it is a good start for them to breach the surface before delving into the underlying tones and messages.
Is this book a little too difficult for the untrained and uninitiated? Perhaps – but then again, why not assume that there are actually some clever students out there? I know the generalisation is that kids these days lack a certain level of intelligence – and while I’ve seen too many instances of where this proven to be true, let’s be radical for a change. Not all fourteen-year-olds are complete idiots – so, on the off-chance that we might come across them in our forays as beginning teachers, let’s see if we can challenge those budding intellects with a text that doesn’t involve sparkling vampires and mind-numbingly annoying teenage girls.
Dear comrades in education,
ReplyDeleteI have chosen the amazing, glorious work of the illustrious Deborah Harkness' "A Discovery of Witches".
It is a vile, monstrous book and I do not wish to inflict it upon anyone.
However, I recognize that it may prove an exciting book for nubile teenage females, and if it can serve as an introduction into reading, then it may very well serve its purpose.
This book is basically Twilight Remixed. It falls into the same trap of Mary Sue-ness. The character is not only a charming hippy with a "photographic memory", she is also a young professor from Yale spending a year in Oxford. Oh, how quaint. An intellectual in a romance novel. With vampires. And witches. And apparently she is also the spawn of two of the most powerful witching families in America.
She then meets an old, possessive vampire who falls in love with her and they go for yoga classes together. Very 21st century. Then a bunch of things happen and apparently witches and vampires can't consort and people want to kill them but since she is so awesome and brassy and feminist I suppose everyone backs down and all's well ends well, exeunt stage left.
While I will next to never use this in the classroom for literature, I think I can sort of recognize its charm... Kind of. Maybe. I wouldn't put it in a booklist for students, but I guess I wouldn't look at my students with sad and uncomprehending eyes if I see them reading this book either. What I'm trying to say is, No as Literature text, but Okay if they want to read it in their own time.
I suppose there are tons of other books I'd recommend to my students - Diana Wynne Jones, John Green (Hi Kahmun!), Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, mayyyybe Orson Scott Card, etc) but this isn't one of them.
Over and out, comrades in education.
So I was one of the crazies who attempted the impossible(s)-- reading and finding literary merit in...Twilight! (My eyes and brain survived, but barely.)
ReplyDeleteIt was really quite an excruciating experience-- the obsessive detailing of Edward's scorching gaze, perfect body and amazing breath was only part of the fun. Needless to say, this text is not an instance of solid prose. The awkward phrases and cliched style reek of juvenile chick lit, a far cry from Fittzgerald or Orwell. The overtly erotic nature of vampire-human lust/love may also pose as a moral hazard of sorts. Besides the inevitable objections from parents and moral authorities, students may struggle to overcome the giggles, much less grasp the point of gothic eroticism.
That said, the appeal of the text to young adults (or more accurately, girls) is worth our consideration. The themes of alienation, familial complications, teenage angst, and first love no doubt resonate with this particular demographic. The cultural capital of the Twilight enterprise also fosters the text's relevance. At the risk of 'selling out', it is definitely possible to use the inherent and incidental merit of the text to garner interest in Lit. After all, isn't it better for them to have read the crappy text, then not have read anything at all?
The prose in this text also works both ways, because there are actually well-written moments in the midst of cringe-worthy cheese (surprise!). I would analyze this text in a non-conventional way, to valorize the good stuff and tear down the bad bits. This latter element also lends itself to more writing-- in the vein of fan-fiction, students may be encouraged to re-write passages or insert extensions. In a sense then, the text offers the opportunity of creative writing, which is something that the usual lit text does not inspire.
Finally, Twilight can serve as an introduction into the literary study of popular/genre fiction, and Gothic Fiction (as Ben has suggested). The former involves the investigaton of 'literariness' and filmic adaptation, while the latter deals with an entire canon of accessible material (Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, True Blood, Dracula, Buffy). This may only be appropriate to higher-level readers though, because it demands metacognitive and more sophisticated comparison skills. It will, however, broaden students' understanding of lit, to bridge the divide between 'school lit' and 'real life lit'. If we want to produce readers for life, it would be perhaps be instructive to reshape their conception of Literature.
Of course, it would take an adventurous lit department and principal to allow all this, but it could very well a fascinating educational experiment! (;
So I was one of the crazies who attempted the impossible(s)-- reading and finding literary merit in...Twilight! (My eyes and brain survived, but barely.)
ReplyDeleteIt was really quite an excruciating experience-- the obsessive detailing of Edward's scorching gaze, perfect body and amazing breath was only part of the fun. Needless to say, this text is not an instance of solid prose. The awkward phrases and cliched style reek of juvenile chick lit, a far cry from Fittzgerald or Orwell. The overtly erotic nature of vampire-human lust/love may also pose as a moral hazard of sorts. Besides the inevitable objections from parents and moral authorities, students may struggle to overcome the giggles, much less grasp the point of gothic eroticism.
That said, the appeal of the text to young adults (or more accurately, girls) is worth our consideration. The themes of alienation, familial complications, teenage angst, and first love no doubt resonate with this particular demographic. The cultural capital of the Twilight enterprise also fosters the text's relevance. At the risk of 'selling out', it is definitely possible to use the inherent and incidental merit of the text to garner interest in Lit. After all, isn't it better for them to have read the crappy text, then not have read anything at all?
The prose in this text also works both ways, because there are actually well-written moments in the midst of cringe-worthy cheese (surprise!). I would analyze this text in a non-conventional way, to valorize the good stuff and tear down the bad bits. This latter element also lends itself to more writing-- in the vein of fan-fiction, students may be encouraged to re-write passages or insert extensions. In a sense then, the text offers the opportunity of creative writing, which is something that the usual lit text does not inspire.
Finally, Twilight can serve as an introduction into the literary study of popular/genre fiction, and Gothic Fiction (as Ben has suggested). The former involves the investigaton of 'literariness' and filmic adaptation, while the latter deals with an entire canon of accessible material (Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, True Blood, Dracula, Buffy). This may only be appropriate to higher-level readers though, because it demands metacognitive and more sophisticated comparison skills. It will, however, broaden students' understanding of lit, to bridge the divide between 'school lit' and 'real life lit'. If we want to produce readers for life, it would be perhaps be instructive to reshape their conception of Literature.
Of course, it would take an adventurous lit department and principal to allow all this, but it could very well a fascinating educational experiment! (;
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ReplyDeleteHohoho! Well I, too, attempted Twilight and this is my 2nd attempt. I am proud to say that I DID IT. I do admit that I went into the novel with a preconceived bias. The movie was horrid. Slow, jerky and I kept going 'w.t.h??' Even abs and a moody, sparkly lead couldn't save me from the Zs.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. I think the way J.K Rowling thought and fleshed out the series was extraordinary (except that last 19 years later thing-.-). All the little clues here and there! That in later books you realize hold great significance!
I couldn't help comparing HP to Twilight. In HP, it's about facing your fears, fighting the most powerful evil and saving everyone. In Twilight, to borrow a phrase from 9gag (i think), it's about a girl pining for her undead boyfriend. Yes, it might be slightly unfair because there IS evil that is fought in Twilight but perhaps I am just not a fan of Meyer's writing style.
Coming back to the topic, I would say the biggest problem with using Twilight in my literature classroom is that I am biased against it (yes I know, Lit teachers should be open to all texts). I just feel that Bella is so.. annoying. Another potential problem would be that lots of students actually dislike Twilight (most of those I spoke to were). Those who do like it were fixated on how hot Edward/Jacob/Bella/random other vamp was -.-.
That aside, I DO see potentially fruitful discussions that could arise out of the themes in Twilight. Like Evelyn mentioned, the themes of "alienation, familial complications, teenage angst, and first love no doubt resonate" with the youth. I totally agree with Ben too that a look into the evolution of vamps from Dracula to Twilight would be cool! We all know that Bram Stoker's Dracula was amazing and is seen as a bonafide Lit text so there is a wealth of possibility there!
I do think that Twilight is anti-feminist in the sense that Bella basically just sits and waits for her (undead) knight in sparkly armor. *yawn* Gimme Hermione any day!
In a nutshell, I wouldn't choose Twilight as a text for my Literature class but i would harness its potential in English class for close reading purposes perhaps. Or as a reference text for class discussions/debates!
(HM. I realize half of this post is about HP, whoops. I apologize.)
Peace out!
HP FTW! :D
DeleteI read 1984 by George Orwell early last year, a book which I wouldn't usually read since it's arguably a classic and I'm a bigger fan of contemporary works.
ReplyDeleteProblems:
In the first place, I'm really not sure if MOE would approve 1984 as a literature text (assuming it hasn't already). It's clearly a controversial book that makes a reader think about issues ranging from citizen rights to propaganda and government policies. Although Singapore isn't run like a totalitarian state, our government isn't exactly known to be liberal either. I mean, if I was the Prime Minister of Singapore, I would definitely prefer all secondary school students in my country to examine The Little Prince instead of 1984, so to speak. So if I had to use 1984 as a literature text, I would definitely be concerned about whether I would get into trouble by getting my students to see if they can draw any parallels between what they read in the book to what they can observe in Singapore.
Another problem would be the issue of whether the book would be too complex for secondary school students to understand. When interpreted literally, the narrative of 1984 is definitely engaging and even movie-like (think V for Vendetta), but I think the historical references and allusions to politics and various forms of governance might be difficult for even upper secondary students to grasp.
Possibilities:
On the other hand, I think choosing 1984 as a literature text would open up many possibilities. My students would be able to expand their vocabulary by learning phrases that originated from the book, such as 'Big Brother'.
1984 is also a great resource for teaching students to consider connotative and symbolic meanings of a text, as well as to question the status quo of society as they see it. I can already imagine lively class discussions about topics such as 1) how much of our local newspapers can be considered government propaganda? 2) what disturbs you most as a Singaporean?
Cheers,
Colin
I love 1984!!! it was my JC lit text so yeah maybe a bit complex for sec sch(; but dystopia lit FTW!!
DeleteI read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It is such a famous novel. I wouldn't normally read it because I thought it would probably be overhyped; and every other person has read it so.. where's the novelty in that.
ReplyDeleteThe Alchemist was kind of inspiring- it is about a boy who became a shepherd so he could travel the world and realize his Personal Legend. It is very Bohemian I feel; values of Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love being valued, finding yourself and setting foot on your journey. It is relatively easy to read and I think upper secondary students will be able to handle it. They are at an age where they are beginning to be mature, yet they are still idealistic. Reading such an idealistic book might give them lofty ideas and rebel against our pragmatic school system. Hahaha.. it might. Just that this book isn't that persuasive. I feel that I couldn't really relate to the book because I wasn't familiar with Egypt (where the plot is set) and it all felt very far away and distant to me. This might be a good thing for the kids though... they can sieve out themes and ideas and discuss them objectively because it seems quite far-fetched.
This book also has a positive message - that "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." It encourages whoever who reads it; easily influenced young minds especially, to dream big and to never give up. All in all, pretty good secondary school lit text material.
Jillyan
What I read was The Giver by Lois Lowry. I'd read it once and only once before when I was 13, and it'd made an impression on me then strong enough for me to want to revisit and re-read it for this forum posting.
ReplyDeleteThe Giver is a dystopic novel, not unlike The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood or Brave New World by Aldous Huxley or even 1984 by George Orwell, but where it differs from these other texts is its protagonist is a 12 year-old boy named Jonas instead of one or a few adult citizens. This is how the complexity of the issues Lowry attempts to surface is somehow simplified - by telling it through the innocent unknowing perspective of a child - and this is how I think it becomes accessible and enjoyable to teenagers.
Some issues in the text:
(1) Uniformness/"sameness" of death: people don't die; they are "released" by means of lethal injection
(2) No such thing as individuality: everything (clothes, hairstyle, etc) is uniform across the board for people of the same age before 12 years of age
(3) Manicured society: people are assigned their roles in society after 12 years of life as decided by the elders; everything is neat and orderly with no social transgressions like theft
(4) The unhuman human: there is no such thing as love; natural primal human instincts, or "stirrings," are to be medicated through the consumption of pills
Problems of discussing it in class: The issues might be too complex even with the strategy of using a 12 year-old as protagonist. Without the lenses of life experience and general knowledge, the richness of the text might not be appreciated fully.
Possibilities of using the text: It's excellent for putting things into a different perspective for the kids, especially the more materialistic ones of this day and age. The theme I might want to highlight to them is the lack of individuality and choice, which they so take for granted nowadays.
TG2: Read a text of your choice. What are the problems with using this text in the literature classroom? What are the possibilities?
ReplyDeleteI could not locate the movie tie-in for V for Vendetta so I had to settle for the graphic novel. I am a huge fan of the movie not so much for the themes that it espouses but more importantly, the prose and dialogue that characterizes its key actors.
Possibilities: The novel has some themes (like utilitarianism) that run parallel with popular Literature novels like Charles Dickens' Hard Times; thus, the conceptualization of the novel should be fairly straightforward, both from a teaching and learning perspective. The movie tie-in might also allow for a more comprehensive and multi-modal comprehension of the novel.
Problems: I have to be honest; I have no idea if there exists a movie tie-in for this book. So yes, that's problem numero uno. Secondly, some of the language used is relatively colloquial; thus, students might not be able to fully grasp what the characters are attempting to state.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThere's one at
Deletehttp://www.amazon.com/V-Vendetta-Stephen-Moore/dp/1416516999
Only caveat is that it seems to follow the film's script to a T. So you're better off watching the film and reading the graphic novel instead... IMO.
Cheers... A.
Read a text of your choice. What are the problems with using this text in the literature classroom? What are the possibilities?
ReplyDeleteI read The Life Of Pi, an interesting tale of a Hindu-Christian-Muslim (yes seriously) 14 year old boy from Pondicherry who found himself lost at sea aboard a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a tiger called Richard Parker. Even though the story gets a little draggy in the middle, something that is expected since there is very little to do when you're floating in the middle of the ocean, the story is inspiring as we see Pi's will to survive and his unwavering faith in God. We also see how he uses his knowledge of zookeeping (his father ran a zoo) to cope with cohabiting with a tiger. The story is written in a simple and humorous manner making it delightful to read.
Possibilities:
- The novel is a blend of fantasy and adventure making it a very interesting read. Students might also find it easier to relate to the story as the protagonist is also a teenager.
- The style of writing is also simple and easily understood thus students may find it more accessible than something like Shakespeare. It is also humorous, making the text more enjoyable for students.
- It touches on topics like embracing all religions (good for nation-building? ties in with our government's emphasis for racial harmony) and overcoming the odds. Wonderful values to impart in our students. It also gives us a glimpse of the human condition where human beings (the Japanese reporters) would rather not believe something that they deem unbelievable.
- A movie with the same title, based on the book, will be released in Dec 2012. Can allow the students to watch the movie after learning the text.
Problems
Well this is tough, I found the book so enjoyable that I really see no problems teaching it. Well let me try.
- There is practically only one character, not allowing for character comparisons and analysis of relationships.
- People who have a very firm grip on reality may find the book utterly nonsensical and ridiculous thus students and their parents might feel that the story is a complete waste of time.
Okay, that's about all the problems I can find with it. It is a wonderful book. It made me wish that the story wasn't fictional because it would be quite something for someone to have gone through such obstacles and lived to tell the tale.
Great minds think alike, Josh! The language used in V for Vendetta is exceptional, from the names (Adam Sutler – definitely a reference to Adolf Hitler) to V’s monologues (see http://www.whysanity.net/monos/vendetta.html). I find the theme of political control and how governments manipulate the people for their own benefit intriguing as well. (Warren will like this theme too, methinks. Haha.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, for my text, I chose to read a graphic novel, Frank Miller’s 300. I don’t normally read graphic novels as I prefer their on-screen counterparts – think V for Vendetta, Sin City, etc. For the uninitiated, 300 is a graphical retelling of the historical Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held off a far superior Persian army for seven days before they were wiped out – and only because they were betrayed by a fellow Spartan!
This is also the graphic novel that the (in)famous THIS IS SPARTAAAAA!!!!! movie was based on.
Now, onward! To the problems and possibilities of this text.
First and foremost – this text is a graphic novel, and when was the last time we saw such a text used in the Literature classroom? That’s right, probably never. However, we all know that the current push is to have more visual stimuli in the English classroom, and this is one area where this graphic novel may prove to be an excellent resource.
Take a look at these images and you’ll see what I mean:
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/217/464040190_5524ff0071_b.jpg
http://littledailyprophet.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/300-095.jpg
The attention to visual detail is remarkable throughout the entire graphic novel, and this might open up the possibility for us to move from an imagery-to-text reading of the novel, rather than the traditional text-to-imagery reading.
Secondly, the content of this graphic novel is extremely violent (it’s about war, after all). Hence, before we even attempt to use this in the classroom, we will have to consider if our students are mature enough to be exposed to, or even understand, this content in the right historical and literary context.
That said, however, there is no shortage of character values that we can pick out from this text – some examples are courage, resilience, persistence, etc. The traditional themes of betrayal, love, and loyalty are present as well, as well as a detailed development of the main characters, e.g. the wise King Leonidas vs. the playground bully (of sorts) Xerxes. A whole unit plan could be developed around this graphic novel – and this is another possibility that this text provides.
Lastly, I’ll leave you all with something to think about… We all know this scene from the movie. It's in the graphic novel as well. How would we teach it?
Persian: Choose your next words carefully, Leonidas. They may be your last as king.
Leonidas: "Earth and water"?
M: Madman! You're a madman!
L: Earth and water? You'll find plenty of both down there.
M: No man, Persian or Greek, no man threatens a messenger!
L: You bring the crowns and heads of conquered kings to my city steps. You insult my queen. You threaten my people with slavery and death! Oh, I've chosen my words carefully, Persian. Perhaps you should have done the same!
M: This is blasphemy! This is madness!
L: Madness...?
L: THIS IS SPARTA!!!!!
- A.
Ok sorry Shao and Shar! I’m a very slow reader.. perhaps because I was carefully and purposefully digesting each word and sentence in Invisible Trade by Gerrie Lim, reveling each image they conjured as they are some of the most salacious images I have encountered in print. I mean what do you expect, the book was never banned by the government and has assumed the role of porn by proxy. Ok, Invisible Trade is a book on Singapore's sex industry, particularly high-class international prostitutes posing as "escorts" and catering to a global clientele with kinky tastes and money to burn. Basically the book talks about the lucrative escort agency business in Singapore and how it balances between legal and illegal.
ReplyDeleteGroup sex, bondage, asphyxiation, necrophilia, and the list goes on. Obviously, the book is too ‘graphic’ to be used in schools and I don’t see how it can be used as a literary text other than the fact that the book correctly identifies Singapore’s reputation as the “Nanny State of Asia” where tame men’s magazines like Playboy still cannot be sold and people are under constant surveillance, whether from the authorities, family or the expectations of a conservative and rigid society.
I read "Prince Roman" a short story by Joseph Conrad. It might not be a good read for Lit classroom in the secondary level because the English is slightly "archaic" hence a little dry and tough for the kids to understand.
ReplyDeleteIt is a story within a story- frame narrative. A narrator is telling a story and the protagonist in the story is quoted so as to give the appearance that he is telling the story. This might seemed a little difficult for the kids because they might not be use to that many quotation marks in a story.
The frame narrative is an interesting concept to explore and a good literary technique to learn. Perhaps, we can choose a simpler text that employs this technique for the classroom.
Hello all! This will be my first post ever on the blog. For some reason I wasn’t able to load this last night, so this is me bright and early in the morning. Apologies to everyone for being MIA, but you know better late than never. For this week’s assignment I decided to read Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which I am sure many have picked up eons ago, but somehow or another this book escaped me and I thought what better opportunity than now to finally get through it !
ReplyDeleteI must say it was an easy read, and a very heartwarming novel indeed, and would definitely be something that can be used as a text in the literature classroom. Some of the themes that are definitely worth exploring and that are prevalent in the book would include that pertaining to social class and hierarchy, friendship, family, love, war, the haunting past, politics; all of which are definitely manageable and something that everyone would enjoy I think.
There are several controversial issues that could be problematic in the classroom. Such as discussing rape, homosexuality and so on, which is why I think this book would be better suited for an older audience- perhaps at upper secondary or junior college.
After typing this post however, I realized that this book is probably used as a text already in some places given its infamy, so I offer another book that’s really off the radar.
I’m not sure if anyone has read “Sam Patch: The amazing Jumper” by Paul E. Johnson? It’s a book set in 1820s America, detailing the life of a one, Sam Patch, who would go on to become one of America’s leading daredevils, jumping off bridges, proving to be somewhat of a moral hero of sorts, in the early throws of American urban planning and construction. It would be a good book to analyze, provides a rich depth of historical narrative, and in fact is somewhat of a biography of a real daredevil jumper in America in the 18th Century. This book would be good as a text as it offers some insight into American social class and urban environments, and I think its also interesting as its an era/time that not many would study or look at in great depth, so the book offers a great new perspective in that sense.
However, it’s very much a chronological narrative, with rather unimpressive language- so there’s not really much to analyze or extract from the diction and style of writing. Also students may be bored outta their mind reading about this random dare-devil jumper, in the day and age when bungee jumping is becoming a common experience- guess that’s a way to relate it to a “real world context”? hahah. Ok see you all in class !
Thought of attempting to read twilight for this...and then thought better about it because I couldn't quite make it past the first page.
ReplyDeleteI tried to read Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and only made it to about chapter three or so this weekend (but I finished the book previously!! A long time ago)~ wherein lies the problem- the length. The book is nothing short of a monstrosity which does not quite cater to the reading tastes of the masses, which I guess is both a good and bad thing.
While I myself used it as a literature text back in university, it is definitely not a book I would use in the classroom at the secondary or junior college level. Firstly because its length makes it difficult to complete at one sitting, secondly the language used by Tolkien takes awhile to get used to as he uses a rather archaic form of English that most modern day readers are not used to, and finally because his writing style is horrendously long-winded (reminiscent of another book that put my entire class to sleep at JC level).
The text does has it plus points, the writing style though ancient, outdated and no longer use makes for interesting analysis and gives character to the book. In addition there are strong themes of brotherhood, good vs. evil, etc. running through the story which facilitates exercises in fishing out the big ideas, in addition there is a wealth of references and biblical analogies in the text.
In conclusion, it's a great text but not quite suitable for the Singaporean secondary school classroom (so we should just stick to the movies :D)
LOTR (the movies) rocks my socks!
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ReplyDeleteVery interesting selection of texts by some of you so far. I've been straddling between reading Othello and Catherine Lim's Little Ironies.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the two texts seem to offer their own set of problems and possibilities. For me, Othello allows the exploration of various themes such as isolation, envy, the fear and apprehension for "the Other" and etc. I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare but the themes discussed in this text can relate to our everyday lives. It has great relevance. Furthermore, to put it simply, if I need to teach Shakespeare to my kids, I would have to be interested in the type of Shakespeare to teach. On the other hand, Othello may be quite a daunting task from a student's perspective and may not have a connection with the text unlike myself. Students may not enjoy reading such a lengthy text and pondering about some of the abstract themes and symbolism present .
In my reading of some of the short stories from Catherine Lim's Little Ironies, I found the texts relatively of a more comfortable length. The themes discussed, in a more local setting, may allow students a better opportunity to relate to them. Some stories are absolutely scathing in their description of ordinary Singaporeans who pursue a certain goal or ambition, yet in the process inadvertently, they lose sight or grasp of the things that matter the most. Lim’s sarcasm is clearly evident, in her mockery of individuals who are self-indulgent or overly-pragmatic, and sadly distance themselves from their beloved families and friends. Such a perspective could be a springboard to explore and develop for a good classroom discussion. Discussing the strict education system present in Singapore in the story of Adeline Ng Ai Choo is an example of one and in my view would be something hard to turn down and debate about. The rigidity of the system and circumstances stifles ours students, and does not provide sufficient avenues or platforms for students to speak up and express their emotions. Teachers and parents should not just focus on results and academic performance per se, and concern themselves more sincerely with the emotional development and growth of their students or children.
Even so, I've had students who complain and drag themselves over the reading of such texts.
For me, the choice of a reading text is very subjective - one man's meat is another man's poison