Suggested Reading for Emerging Scholars

I believe that the best book for the Emerging Scholars program would be Fresh Girl. In this story, the protagonist undergoes many struggles. She is forced to move to a new place and culture she is unfamiliar with. She also struggles to meet her parents rigid expectations. Most of all, she suffers from a secret-- something terrible that happened before she left Haiti. I think this would be a great story to read because Mardi is a strong black woman with a unique heritage struggling to overcome her past. It would be inspirational to anyone who read it, especially those who may have come from a rough background themselves.

Mulan

I'm glad our blog topic was on the American adaptation of Mulan. I've thought a lot about it actually.

First, I was upset that Disney altered the original epic. In the traditional version, is not caught masquerading as a man but rather reveals herself as a woman of her own free will. This makes a her a stronger character and more in control of her destiny.
Also, in the movie, Mulan is concerned about social roles. She worries about dishonoring her family by not being feminine enough. At the end of the film, Mulan chooses to go back home and likely wed, allowing her to fulfill the traditional role of a Chinese woman. The role she was so concerned that she did not fit at the beginning of the film.

At first, I was annoyed at the anti-feminist approach to the story. Then, I wondered, would I personally still find Mulan a compelling character if she was firmly and decidedly set against her gender and cultural norms? The truth is I, and many women, can better relate better to a woman struggling against her own desires and those of her family and society. If Mulan was extremely feminist, it would be a cultural misrepresentation of the Chinese during this time period as well as a weak Xena Warrior Princess like character.

I think, overall, Disney worked in many important elements to Chinese culture, such as the importance of honor, ancestry, dragons, traditional dress and social roles, and religion. Also, the fact that China allowed the film to enter as one of only a handful of Western films permitted per year demonstrates that the content must not have been too culturally offensive. Along with incorporating some Chinese culture, Disney also managed to create a compelling character and story line at the same time. Not so bad, Disney.

Park's Article

I really enjoyed Park's article about celebrity written children's books. I haven't read many of them to be honest, but now that I've read this article, I think I will read a few so I can better see what she is talking about. I recently read The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck, but it was great. (Likely because he does write a lot of books.)

I definitely agree with her point that celebrity written books should be, if anything, edited even more than an ordinary book. These books have such a great opportunity to impact children that they owe it to their readers to spend a lot of time on story and editing.

Reflection on Beach Article

I found the Beach article to be very interesting and extremely applicable to teaching today. It is important for all students, regardless of their own backgrounds to read multicultural literature. I think it is important to include diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, religion, socioeconomic, and even political affiliation. Often, in the South, I think we see a focus on primarily race and rarely explore wider conceptions of diversity.

Of course this doesn't meant the classic white male authors don't deserve a place in the classroom as well. If their work has a function in your classroom, teach it!

While the majority of students will have some types of diversity reflected in their classroom and community, they definitely do not have every type of diversity represented. Reading literature about a certain culture can allow students to gain a different type of understanding than just sitting in class with kids of different backgrounds. It is a more intimate experience, in which students can see what it would be like to be that character.

I thought the phrase describing students as having a "reluctance to explore issues of racism and white privilege" to be both true and troublesome. I believe it is good to expose children to new cultures and ideas. Yet, I would never want to perpetuate old problems or teach stereotypes. I think teachers need to be careful when exploring these issues not to shove it down their students throats and also not to accidentally present stereotypes. For instance, if you assign a piece of literature about illegal Mexican immigrants who work in landscaping or African American who talk in slang and wear baggy pants, then you may want to think twice about what you are teaching your students about other cultures! After all, each Mexican or African American may have a vastly different experience than others of that culture.

I think Harry Potter is a great way to teach about racism and prejudice in a way that is really subtle. Muggleborns are seen as being less than purebloods. Students will unknowingly learn something deeper from this in comparison to groups in their own world.

Of course, I also thought Esperanza Rising and A Single Shard are great representations of cultures without creating stereotypes. The character are relatable enough to students of any background to truly make a meaningful impact. Likewise, both of their stories feel like they could be true and have a basis in historical fact.

Research Paper Topic

I would like to write on the impact of World War II and Nazism on the Harry Potter Series. There are numerous similarities between the rise of Hitler and the persecution of Jews and the rise of Lord Voldemort and the persecution of Muggle Borns.

A few similarities I plan or discussing and researching:
- Nazi Swastika and Dark Mark
- Muggle Borns and Jews
- Voldemort and Hitler
- Death Eaters and Nazis
- Aryan Race and Pureblood Wizards
- "Dirty Blood"
- Registration of "Undesirables"
- Tactic of fear for family safety to gather support (Nazi's and Death Eaters)

I'd like to research some of these topics and read through the books to trace the development of the symbolism throughout the novels. I'd also like to research JK Rowling's background with these subjects. I hope to include a focused section on how these similarities can/do impact children's perception or understanding of Nazism and WWII.

Esperanza Rising

I really enjoyed Esperanza Rising! I hope that I will be able to teach it one day, if I have an age-appropriate class. Grapes of Wrath is one of my favorite pieces of American Literature, and I think Esperanza's story beautifully compliments the original tale. It creates a story involving the American depression and dust bowl and gives it a multicultural spin as well as a child narrator.

The style of writing was easy to read, and I enjoyed the Spanish terminology thrown into the story. To me, this is what true multiculturalism is about, languages and cultures and sayings. I believe there are pieces of the story that represent Hispanic culture, such as laying against the ground to feel the heart beat of the land and the inclusion of Miguel and Esperanza's status differences.

I believe the most important theme of this novel was that true riches are not material wealth but love and family. However, the story does keep this in perspective, including the necessity of money for these things, a place to live and the retrieval of her grandmother.

The novel could be extremely relevant in classrooms today due to the current economic recession, the continued influx of Mexican immigrants, and the focus on family values.

Are Harry Potter and Twilight Worth Teaching?

For class, I read Frances Smith Foster's article "But, Is It Good Enough to Teach?" I believe the greatest thing I am taking away from this article is a 4 question criteria that will help each teacher to answer this question for themselves. I have copied the criteria verbatim below:

1) What are you trying to teach?
2) What are the course goals?
3) Why do you want to teach it? and even
4) Why are you teaching?

I believe whether or not something is "good enough to teach" is dependent on these questions. For instance, I believe that while Twilight and Harry Potter are not considered multicultural lit that this does not make them any less worth teaching than Copper Sun. Each of these selections has its own function in the classroom. I believe most books can be fit into a curriculum as long as the teacher knows and understand the material well and has a well-thought out plan for why the selection is important to the class.

Harry Potter could function to introduce children to British lit and humor. It could also serve to help students find and understand themes and symbols as well as generating a greater interest in reading for many students.

I consider Twilight to be much lighter reading than Harry Potter. There are fewer themes and symbols worthy of noting. However, it is worth examining this book because of its widespread popularity for teenagers. What makes it popular? This is a great thing for teens to thing about. It will also boost readership in reluctant younger audiences. Twilight could also make an excellent foil to Romeo and Juliet and other classic literature.

Copper Sun is a worthy piece to include for younger audiences when the teacher would like to cover African American slave literature. It covers the topic of slavery and middle passage in a way that is real and poignant; yet, the story maintains a sense of safety in its ending and in the lack of emotion Amari shows. There is also a little African culture included.

I think it is important for a teacher to include the literature they think best covers their purposes. For instance, in a British lit course, perhaps there will be less multiculturalism, and that is okay. In an American lit course, perhaps African Americans will receive a large spotlight, but other groups may have less page-turning time, and that is okay. What is important is that teachers take the time to consider why some works are on their syllabus and why others are not. Multicultural lit fits nicely into most curriculum, and is certainly worth teaching!

Copper Sun and the American Slave Trade

As an English major, I have read many slave narratives, including the works of Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Phillis Wheatley, Olaudah Equiano, and Harriet Jacobs. So I went into Sharon Draper's novel Copper Sun with a lot of preconceptions about what I was going to be reading.

There were elements I both liked and disliked in this novel. For instance, I really liked that Draper offered a unique perspective of the American slave trade. Her inclusion of the Middle Passage is rarely seen in slave literature. Likewise, her use of a female main character is also unusual. After reading this book, I researched the topic and learned that approximately 15% of the African passengers died during the voyage. I had a hard time finding a lot of facts or firsthand accounts about the frequency of rapes on board these ships but read some interesting material regarding the multifaceted purpose of this. One historian offers the idea that the rape of African women was for more than sexual desire but for the oppression of both the women and the men aboard the ship, to break their spirit.

One inaccuracy of this novel is the fact that the ship captain seems to make few attempts of keep his "cargo" alive. Yet, in reality, each of these slaves was worth a good deal of money in the market and were hence valuable to the captain. In fact, I read that slaves who attempted to commit suicide by not eating were either tortured or forced to eat with the use of a speculum orum which held the mouth open. Slaves were seen as merchandise, and thus a cost-benefit analysis was behind all considerations. Unfortunately, this meant that poor conditions and cruelty were not only tolerated but supported.

I learned a lot about this often glossed over part of history. Growing up in the South, education about the slave trade and civil rights was something that was accentuated in our curriculum. However, the focus was rarely on the Middle Passage and the capture from Africa. Rather, it was more about those African born into slavery and their experiences. I suspect this is because this is part of history is easier to chronicle, due to the high volume of slave narratives from this time.

There were a few things I disliked about this novel. There are portions that seemed a little too perfect. For instance, the use of really obvious points like "we would never judge people simply by how they looked- that would be uncivilized" and "Some of the people looked at the group of enslaved captives with pity as they were marched through the center of town, but no one made any move to help them." Also, the fact that a rattle snake comes just in time to save Amari from the necessity of killing Clay, which would be justified at this point, is a little too perfect. I think the novel would be more compelling if the narrator was omniscient, allowing us to see more of Amari's inner thoughts.

I really liked the inclusion of Polly, an indentured servant. I think it offers an interesting perspective on the whole piece. When she tells the story of her father's life, it creates an illuminating mirror of the experience of an indentured servant as compared to a slave. It is easy to see why Polly does not pity Amari's condition at first. There are many similarities in their tales. Yet, with time, Polly is able to see the crucial differences.

I feel like this novel would be a lot to handle for preteens. I wouldn't recommend it for that age range. The common element of rape and the honest representation of conditions on the slave ship are intense. I think 8th grade or 9th grade would probably be good grades to read this.

After our class discussion, I thought about the term "Black Holocaust," and I have decided I dislike the comparison of the slave trade to the Holocaust. While both are extreme tragedies and degradation of the sanctity of human life, the intention behind each are similar yet decidedly different in my opinion. The purpose of the Holocaust was a government run (not just acceptance) extermination of an entire race of people. Africans were not being taken for the purpose of extermination but slavery. Over 60 percent of the Jewish population of Europe was lost during the course of a mere decade. In 10 years, 6 million Jews were dead. Over the course of two hundred years, 8 million Africans died as a result of the movement and arrival in the Americas-- an irreversible stain on the fabric of world history.

Adolescent Literature Blog

This is my first blog post for my Clemson University Engl 386 course!