Text Sets

Herz, S. & Gallo, D. From Hinton to Hamlet: building bridges between young adult literature and the classics.

Assorted Authors, Blackboard Readings and Handouts.

Probst, Response and Analysis.

Say:

One of the most important things that I feel I should be paying much more attention to prior to teaching is how to compile a text set that is equally challenging, yet accessible to my students. When I think about this course and all that it aims at teaching us, I am reminded that on the first week we discussed the importance of creating an environment in which students are able to have an authentic transaction with literature--Rosenblatt's theory shows that this is how we engage our students and keep them interested in the text. Although I completely agree with her, I do feel that I fall short as a pre-service teacher because I am not aware of the types of books that students who I will teach should be reading. In my internship, I primarily worked with books from the canon, and it was so easy to sit back and see how little students cared for those works. Someone like me however, I love (most of) them! One problem that I wanted  to address was how do I take those works that we are required to teach and make them not only interesting to my students, but allow them to genuinely transact wit the literature on a personal level? I believe that this week we are definitely able to answer that question.

Herz talks about how we are able to create this relationship between canonical text and contemporary works for students. Exactly the same thing we have been doing in this class! Having students work with a mentor text, for example Death of a Salesman, and pairing it with one maybe two other books is ideally the best way to get that type of engagement that we hope to see from our students. Students are without a doubt going to want to read books that they can relate to personally, and accordion to Herz, this is what will ideally spark an interest in students to continue to read. I believe that the purpose of this reading is to show us just how important it is to focus on the thematic unit as a whole. While definitely very true, I also enjoyed the Building Bridges article as this was the piece I think we should have been introduced to earlier. This article talks about the importance in being able to connect the two text but also asks you to consider what the bigger picture is for your unit plan. I couldn't help but think of the backwards planning approach when reading because I feel this is so ME! I have always been a bigger picture kind of teacher--I have grand ideas of where I want my students to be, and slowly start to work my way backwards with the text in mind to create a cohesive unit plan.

What I enjoyed about this week was thinking about how my resource collection fits into these thoughts. I'm pretty sure I have found that connection--first off, I love Death of a Salesman, it was one of my favorite plays that I read in high school...besides Othello of course. I can remember how my AP Lit teacher would always relate the play to the time that we were living in--connecting the canonical text to different YA lit, news articles, and discussions. This is what Probst wants us to think about--using the text as a guide to create an intertextual relationship which will spark discussion and creative thinking. I enjoyed doing my resource collection for the fact that I took an angle that I thought would captivate my students into wanting to have these fantastic conversations that we yearn for in our classroom. See below.

Do:

Resource Collection

Death of a Salesman

The Struggle to Achieve the Ultimate Goal:

The American Dream

Questions:

Is the American dream dead? Who's to blame?

Should the government help Americans in obtaining the American dream?

How has the American dream shifted from the early 1900's to today?

Who's dream is it anyways?

 



Core Text: 

Miller, A., & Weales, G. (1996). Death of a salesman. New York: Penguin Books.

Young Adult Novels:

Crutcher, C.  (1983).  Running loose.  New York, NY:  Laurel Leaf.

Creech, S. (1994). Walk two moons. New York: HarperCollins.

Franzen, J. (2010). Freedom. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Hosseini, K. (2003). The kite runner. New York: Riverhead Books.

Obama, B. (2006). The audacity of hope: Thoughts on reclaiming the American dream. New York: Crown.

Walls, J. (2005). The glass castle. London: Virago.

 

Song Lyrics:

Cox, J., & Smith, B. (1929).  Nobody knows you when you’re down and out.  [Recorded by Bessie Smith]  On Take it Right Back.  [CD] Columbia.  (1929).

Pink Floyd.  (1973).  Money.  [Recorded by Abbey Road Studios.]  On Money.  [CD] Harvest.  (1973).

Adele.  (2008).  Chasing pavements.  [Recorded by Adele] On 19.  [CD]  Eg White. (2007). 

Informational Texts (Articles):

Hoover Pittsburgh, B. (2013, May 10). 'The Great Gatsby' still challenges myth of American    Dream. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from

            <http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2013/05/10/The-Great-Gatsby-still-challenges-l          myth-of-American-Dream/stories/201305100196>

Kraus, M., Davidai, S., & Nussbaum, A. (2015, May 2). American Dream? Or Mirage?            Retrieved November 28, 2015, from             <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/opinion/sunday/american-dream-or-mirage.html>

Samuelson, R. (2012, September 23). The American Dream's empty promise. Retrieved           November 29, 2015, from

            <https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-samuelson-the-american-dreams-     empty-promise/2012/09/23/e630946c-0428-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_story.html>

Movies:

Korine, H. (Director). (2013). Spring breakers [Film]. Lionsgate.

Ross, G. (Director). (1998). Pleasantville [Film]. United States: New Line Home           Entertainment.

Winter, T. (Director). (2013). The Wolf of Wall Street [Film]. Blitz Film & Video Distribution.

Art:

Bosch, H. Death and the Miser. 1492. Oil on canvas. National Museum of Art, Washington, DC.

Gast, John. American Progress. 1872. Oil on canvas. Museum of the American West, Los       Angeles.

Wood, Grant. American Gothic. 1930. Oil on canvas. Art Institute       of Chicago, USA.

Informational Texts (Essays):

Bewley, M.  (1986).  Scott Fitzgerald’s Criticism of America.  In H. Bloom (Ed.), Modern critical interpretations:  F. Scott Fitzgerald’s the great Gatsby (p. 11-28).  New York, NY:  Chelsea House Publishers. 

Poems: 

Coffin, T..  The Secret Heart.  In All Poetry.com.  Retrieved Nov 29, 2015, from

            < http://allpoetry.com/The-Secret-Heart>  

McGiney, P.  First Lesson.  In Poem Hunter.com. retrieved Nov 29, 2015, from

            < http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/first-lesson-3>

Hughes, L.  (1938).  Let America Be America Again.  In Information Clearing House.  Retrieved Nov 21, 2009, from <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4004.htm>

Hughes, L.  (1922).  Mother to Son.  In Family Friend Poems.com.  Retrieved Nov 29, 2015, from < http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/mother-to-son-by-langston-hughes>

Short Stories:

O’Brian, T.  (1998). Ambush.  In The Things They Carried. Retrieved Nov 29, 2015, from

            <http://www.gilbertschools.net/cms/lib3/AZ01001722/Centricity/Domain/874/Ambush%20by%20Tim%20O.pdf>

O’Conner, F.  (1955).  The Life You Save Maybe Your Own.  In BetterLessons.com. Retrieved Nov 29, 2015, from

            < http://betterlesson.com/community/document/390310/the-life-you-save-may-be-your-own-full-text-doc>

Poe, E. A.  (1843).  The Black Cat.  In Poe Stories.  Retrieved Nov 29, 2015, from

            < http://poestories.com/read/blackcat>

Picture Books:

Senzai, N.H..  (2010).  Shooting Kabul.  New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books.

Play: 

Hansberry, L.  (1959).  A raisin in the sun.  New York, NY:  Random House.  

Perfect Chemistry 2

What character do you most dislike?

As much as I have to admit that I liked this book, I will also say that Alex pisses me off the most. I like him so much as a character, but his personality is so upsetting. He is obviously the gang character who has to prove his street cred so he does things that he knows are morally wrong. Alex deep down has a good heart—he is kind and caring, but on the outside he is so afraid to let anyone see that person. What I hated most about him was his interaction with Brit in the beginning of the book. From the initial interaction on the first day of school where he blatantly objectifies her by looking her entire body up and down in front of a group of guys to prove a point—he doesn’t stop at this. When Alex finds Brittany extremely drunk on the beach, he considers having sex with her to win the bet. In the end, he decides not to, since he’s drunk and high and wants to be at his best when he finally hooks up with Brittany. Seriously. Not because it would be wrong to take advantage of a girl, but because he’s drunk. Anyone else would see this comment as a play on his crude character, but again, I believe he is better than that and perhaps he just didn’t want his true morals that he sets for himself to be lost. Brittany is also someone who I had mixed feelings about in the beginning. The one thing that I disliked most about her was the fact that she felt she had to hide her sister who has CP. She admitted that only her best friend had ever seen her sister Shelley, and I hated that. I initially thought that she was embarrassed of Shelley and didn’t want people on the outside to see what their family is like, but later we realize that she does it somewhat intentionally. Brit does it to protect Shelley—she fears that Shelley will be teased if people know about her, and for that I can understand her reasoning for wanting people not to know about her. Even though these two characters have their fatal flaws, I feel they can be justified because there is usually an underlying reasoning on why they act the way they do.

Perfect Chemistry

Do you feel there is an opinion expressed by the author through this work?.

Just from having only read the first few chapters pages of the book, I have to say that first of all I am in awe at how much I actually like this book. The title is so fitting only because of how ironic the book is. We have two completely different people, Alex and Brittany, who come from two totally different worlds—they eventually begin to collide. What I am mostly intrigued about is the hidden message I think the author is trying to make here. Brittany comes from a very affluent family and can afford anything she wants. On the outside, she looks like she has it all—money, popularity, and friends. We know this is certainly not true. When I read the first few chapters about her life, I was very much so relieved when I learned first that she somewhat dislikes her mother—she certainly has a mental condition that needs to be checked, but also because we see that Brittany is living in a family that has their own set of issues. Brittany has a sister who is special needs and requires around the clock care—though this is untypical, I enjoy the fact that we are almost given such exclusive access into her world, but we also see just how much people don’t know. Even her best friend doesn’t know the entire truth about all that Brittany goes through. Alex, on the outside your typical bad ass who is in a gang but resents ever joining it. He’s the heartthrob, but everyone is afraid to do anything crazy around him in fear that he would somehow “off” them. In the first interaction with Brittany where she almost hits his bike, she is so afraid to approach him and apologize because of the reputation that he holds. Having this image on the outside protects Alex, but in the inside, I am also glad we are given a true understanding of him. Alex loves his little brothers so much, and in the first interaction with his family unit, we see that he is forced to be the “man” of the house because his father died. Alex’s mother works hard to support the boys and only wants them to get an education. Alex is torn because he knows that he is capable of doing so much more, yet feels limited. He threatens his brothers that if they ever join a gang he would do much more harm to them—yet he is in one himself. What I feel the author is trying to do here is show us that in two completely different worlds, problems exist. People no matter where you come from will face situations that they cannot control and will find ways to hide their true identity—this is what I like most so far about this book. I would definitely use it in my classroom if I had the opportunity—if even only for the first few chapters. So far, so good.  

 

Eleanor & Park (40-80)

Eleanor & Park (Compare/Contrast)

Compare Eleanor to Juliet. We are often told that this is a modern day RNJ story, but I am not so sure. Based on what we have read so far, I made a simple comparison chart highlighting the two. 

I do not believe that Eleanor resembles Juliet as much, but then again, we have not gotten too far in the novel. I am curious to see how her and Park's relationship grows. Will they continue to be afraid to show their affection? 

Eleanor	Juliet
In love with Park even though she will not admit it to him	Falls in love with Romeo even though she is forbidden to see him
Does not stand up for herself to Richie when she notices that he is doing something to hurt her. Like when he “slut shames” her for talking to Park. She takes it and cries about it later.	Very defiant to her parents. When she is told to do something that she does not like, she is often very rude and disrespectful. She lies to her parents and goes behind their backs.
Described as someone who isn’t very attractive. She’s somewhat overweight, has very messy red hair, does not have the best sense of style, and often is made fun of for the way she appears.	Very beautiful with long, dark hair. She is described almost like a young version of Desdemona from Othello. Someone who could have any suitor she desired—even though she’s 13.
Is very shy and nervous about her feelings for Park. Though we understand that she is almost in love with him, she often is afraid to show the affection because she doesn’t know if he feels the same. It takes a while for the two to actually get to the level where they can even look at each other let alone hold hands.	Curiosity gets the best of her—we know that she refuses the suitor her father selects for her. She secretly has sex with Romeo even though she was forbidden from being with him.

Eleanor & Park Argument Posting

As we begin to read this book, I am very intrigued at how fast the book is moving already. Eleanor in so many ways is someone who I feel can identify with many of the students I work with today. She isn't popular, well liked, attractive nor does she have a high level of self-esteem. But what we do know about her is the fact that she feels alone. Eleanor is introduced first by us learning about Park, an asian student who encounters her on the bus when no one would let her sit next to them. The first question I thought of as I was reading this book was what qualities does she have that just doesn't seem to fit in with others? The author describes her as somewhat overweight, with her own sense of "style unlike anyone else". But don't most teenagers today have these same characteristics?

The thing with Eleanor that I find the most troubling is the fact that her home-life is so difficult. She practically feels like she's a burden when she's at home with her mother, siblings, and "step father" Richie. As we go deeper in the story, we are beginning to get more and more hints of his convoluted her home life really is. Eleanor was kicked out of her home by Richie for a little over a year, but we do not know exactly why. There is evidence that shows that the relationship between her and Richie is very much strained--afterall, when she does move back in the home, she tries to stay as far away from him and he barely acknowledges her existence. The book picks up with giving subtle hints that she feels uncomfortable around Richie, almost as if she resents him (maybe for coming into their lives and kicking her out?). Her siblings barely remember her and all but one seem like they don't know who she is.

All while we are learning about the person Eleanor is and where she comes from, we are also learning about Park as well. Even though the only interaction that the two have with each other happens to be on the bus (indirectly), we do get a clue that when she wasn't sitting next to him on the bus, Park didn't like the idea that she was forced to fend for herself in the back of the bus. Eventually in chapter 6, Park decides that even thought she is weird for the way she dresses, it is more weird to not talk to her. What i do find to be interesting is the fact that even though Park finds her weird, he begins to start to like little things about her--beginning of a romance? We aren't sure yet, but what we can infer is that Park too has a somewhat down-headed view of himself as well. When Cal tries to tell him he's going to ask out Kim, he claims "she's too cool for me". What I am able to draw as a conclusion for what we've read thus far is that yes these two are somewhat different in their own regard, and even though Park doesn't like her now, I argue that because of these interactions that he is having with Eleanor, eventually he will come to rely on them as a sense of self-worth and self-confidence. How? Well in the book we notice that when he sits with her or in front of her, not only does he, but Cal also notices that she is paying more attention to him.  She's reading his comics from behind, and eventually he tries to accommodate her by holding the book more widely open, but also reading slower so she can "catch up". Why else would he do this? I also argue that despite Park knowing that his friends wouldn't approve of this relationship, he will be tested to move past their thoughts and move on to thinking about how he can engage with Eleanor. These two have definitely got a weird attraction for each other, even if neither will try to talk to one another.

I am curious to know more about Eleanor's home-life. I would love to know more about Richie and where he has come from, and also why she hates him so much. We do know that when Eleanor's mom came to bring her home, she had little bits of evidence that she was abused. Coincidence? (thanks for planting that seed, Alyssa).

Son of the Mob (Existential Thoughts)

"There's nothing wrong with what dad does!" page 95

I am going back and revising this post on SotM. From the pages of the book that I actually read, I feel this quote is one that really resonates with the purpose of the book. We all know that Vince's dad is in the mob and that Vince doesn't approve of what his father does. The problem between Vince and his father is the fact that both have judgments about the other. Vince hates what his father does, and is also resents it as well. But why does this matter? After going back over and thinking about this, it is apparent that Vince is scared of what will happen to his family if/when his father is caught. Now that he is dating the daughter of THE agent who could end everything for them , Vince has more to lose. What is ironic is that we know that the reason Anthony wants Vince to be ok with what he does is the fact that he wants his son to be the one to take over his business once he dies. For me personally, there would be no way I could take over a business I resent! I believe that for Vince his problems grow immensely when he realizes that he is the sole person responsible for carrying his fathers truth and is also the keeper of that truth. Kendra's relationship between the two is what drives this change in Vince. Now, because he wants to continue to see her, he has no choice but to accommodate his fathers business because he knows that if he doesn't and he's not too careful--it could all be gone and his father could be in prison. But can we blame Vince for his feelings in the first place? When Vince was 16 for his birthday he was given a car from his father--and was later arrested! He found out that the car was stolen and this sparks a rage of disgust for what his father does. This makes me think of my grandfather and what it was like growing up with him--he had a number of businesses, one however was illegal. He ran a number house and I can remember him getting arrested one day because it was illegal! From that day forward I hated going to visit because I knew he wouldn't stop, and like Vince, we both had to carry a truth that we knew could eventually hurt our families.


I give this book a 4.3/5

What would happen if...(Son of the Mob)

Son of the Mob

What would happen if Vinny continues seeing Kendra and their parents found out? I believe this is what will happen in the story as we are progressing in Vinny seems to be a lot more attracted to Kendra. They seem to both be going through great links to try to avoid each other in the public eye, but when they are apart from those around them, they seem to have an intense attraction for each other. I have a very serious feeling that the two will somehow run into someone who knows a little more about their secret. We,  the readers, know that their fathers are polar opposites of each other. One is in the mob–-one is "the" FBI agent. I am very interested in finding out how this story will progress as it is inevitable that the two can continue to see each other and have no consequences. This story is one that I really like so far! The two are going through great lengths to keep their "secrets" from those around them. One thing that we discussed in our first book club meeting was how Venny was the character who was just not attracted to the life that his family had--but once he has met Kendra, he seems to now be doing the same thing that they do--lie. Now, I wonder what will happen if one of the their fathers finds out about the other. Who will "off" who? To be continued...

Update: I was absolutely right. Vinny's uncle totally caught the two at a club one night, and although they tried to hide it, their secret could not be kept much longer.