Emerging Scholars Book Choice

I honestly feel that all of these books would be good choices with the exception of Harry Potter and Twilight, simply because most students have probably already read the book, are are familiar with the story through the movies.
I think Esperanza Rising would be a really good choice since it tells the story of a girl put in a new location and dealing and overcoming her struggles there. I think this could relate to the students experience with the Emerging Scholars Program, as well, as with a college experience. Obviously Esperanza has to move to a new country and is put in a different social class, but the feelings of being lost and not fitting are still relatable.
Also since one of the main themes in Esperanza Rising is hope, I think this book is appropriate. The Emerging Scholars program is targeted at students who do not see college in there future with the hope of allowing them to change their dreams and expectations for the future. This book shows that things will all work out for the best, just like college would prove to be a good consideration, if not choice, for these students.
I think that Esperanza Rising also deals with cultural issues, allowing more students to relate to it. Culture is also a good place that research could come into the lesson.
Finally I feel that no matter the Emerging Scholar students' reading level Esperanza Rising would be a good choice for anyone in high school. It is a pretty simple read, yet has some deeper messages that could easily be discussed.

I think that Briar Rose would be another excellent choice because I feel the book combines English and Research in itself. It would be a great book to combine the subjects if that is how the course is taught.

Mulan

I think that Mulan has been Westernized. While I do not think this is necessarily right, I do think that it helps a wider audience relate to it. On the other hand I think that by introducing a character like Ailin viewers could learn more about a different culture. In the Chinese culture what Mulan and Ailin did was inappropriate which is partly what makes it an interesting story. By Westernizing the story it kind of makes the characters' actions seem less significant. While I understand the motives of making the movie more Western I think it would be better to stick to the traditional story because it would allow for a different perspective to be seen.
I like both the movie Mulan and the book Ties that Bind Ties that Break and think both tell stories of breaking away from their culture. Having to change the story in order to accommodate the audience is unnecessary. I think people would appreciate seeing a traditional Chinese story, rather than a Westernized one.

Black and White

I do not feel that Black and White exploits these true life experiences, but rather uses them to help point out the significance that race plays in our lives. I think by using these true situations Volponi makes the novel more creditable and demonstrates that white the book is fiction, situations like this really do happen in real life. I think that Volponi's experiences on Rikers Island proved to be some of the most valuable for him as well as this novel. There he noticed that most of the inmates were black or hispanic, thus giving him background from which to base Marcus's character. I think since Eddie was really the more guilty of the two, Volponi is making a statement that some of these inmates may have also been being punished for crimes in which they did not commit. The novel plays up racial and social class by giving evidence that because Eddie was white and more wealthy is the reason he was able to get off so much easier than Marcus. I think Volponi is playing tribute to these people from Rikers Island because he calls into question their guilty, just as Marcus's was in the book. This novel points to the ideas that the inmates at Rikers Island may not have had the means in which to defend themselves due to money, or that stereotypes against blacks and hispanics influenced to their conviction. In reality the inmates may have been innocent or simply just made a mistake despite the good people that they really were, like Marcus and Eddie.

Comparing Children and Adult Fiction

I felt that Through Children's Eyes? by Paul Thompson was an interesting study comparing the different word and grammatical differences between children and adult imaginative fiction. The study was also broadened to include newspaper articles in order to compare these differences to a different type of literature. The data found in the article suggests that the similar words are commonly used in both children and adult literature. However, I also feel this information is not extremely useful because the most common words were very basic, mostly consisting of pronouns and articles. It is very difficult to write a sentence without these types of words, so it proves very little as far as differences.
I think the real differences would be with the vocabulary, with adult fiction using a much broader selection of words. The comparison of the parts of speech did help to improve this aspect of the study because it showed that adult fiction used more adjectives, which would greatly add to the complexity of a sentence. On the other hand though, when comparing the most common adjectives between the two, almost all of the same adjectives were used in children and adult fiction.
It it also worth noting that newspaper articles use similar words as well. Only when looking at the adjective comparison did newspaper articles differ greatly. This is most likely due to having a different subject matter than fiction.
The article stated that this research "should help to shed light on the kinds of patterns
in language which younger readers may need to learn about as they progress
through their schooling." Overall I felt this study showed that the linguistics used in children and adult fiction are very similar, and therefore, a change in schooling is not necessary. Since they two are similar it seems to me that a child should be able to transition easily from children's literature to adult literature without many difficulties.

Fairy Tales

I do not think of fairy tales having a big impact on my childhood. I was read lots of stories that are fairy tales and others that have similar characteristics, but I have never thought of fairy tales as effecting my behavior or thoughts as a child. The fairy tales that stand out the most to me are Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel.
After reflecting on the morals that each of these stories teaches, I think they did help to reinforce these lessons. In many of these stories the characters find themselves in bad situations. However, had the characters known the lesson the story teaches they would not have found themselves in that position at all. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a great example of this. The story teaches not to lie because when known as a liar, even when you tell the truth no one will be believe you. When the boy in the story finds himself in real danger, no one comes to help him. While I am sure I already knew not to lie, this story probably helped to emphasize the reasons why lying is bad.

Star Quality

“Star Quality” by Linda Sue Park brings up some very good points. Fame often brings celebrities many new opportunities, many times including writing books. However, it is unacceptable for these books not to be up to par with other children’s books. A book with a celebrity author is very likely to sell well just because the name is recognizable. It is unfair to the reader to have to read a book that has not fulfilled its potential.
To me it seems that celebrities want to be good at whatever they do; no actor wants to be known as a bad or untalented actor. So why wouldn’t the same go for the books that theses celebrities write? I would think that celebrities would want feedback and advice on their books, and that editors and publishers would not be too concerned to recommend changes.
Out of the books we have read so far, J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer stand out the most as celebrity authors. While both started out as unknown people, their creative stories have lead them to be very well known. I think most would agree that both book series could probably be written a little bit better. For me, I love the story-lines, and would love to see how much better the books would be with a little more editing and nit-picking.
Now that the Harry Potter and Twilight series have made such good names for themselves, and made celebrities out of their authors, I think that Rowling and Meyer could probably sell just about anything. As a reader, regardless of how good the book actually is, I would be willing to buy a new book by either author based on the experience I had reading their other works. I think both authors, and their editors and publishers could take advantage of their popularity and sell anything written by them. However, I don’t think this is what anyone wants. The authors do not want to be known as terrible writers, and unless their books continue to at least maintain average quality, readers will eventually catch on.
Celebrity authors should want to be associated with high-quality writing ability and subject matter, and should not settle for anything less just because their name will sell their books. In the end both the readers and celebrity authors will suffer if the editors and publishers do not do their job.

Research Proposal

For my research paper I want to discuss the issue of social class in literature, as it also relates to real life. The two books I want to focus on are The Outsiders and Pride and Prejudice. Although the stories are very different, the characters in both books come to the conclusion that social status is not as important as it is made out to be.
In The Outsiders there is a gap between the rich and poor characters most distinctly defined by the gangs, The Greasers and The Socs. Just the names of the gangs begin to show the difference in social status between the two groups. The difference in social class is the source of hate towards each other and reason they are constantly be at odds. Throughout the book, however, several of the characters in both groups realize that they are dealing with many of the same issues despite their social standing. People in both classes have family problems, strong friendships, and are figuring out who they are. By the end of The Outsiders this rift between the groups leads to death on both sides. The deaths are unnecessary and help to further show that social status does not have to divide people.
In Pride and Prejudice the social class divider is again very obvious, yet sets the people apart in a totally different way. The Bennets, a middle class family, still intermingle with the upper class, such as the Bingleys and Darcys but their inferior class causes issues on both sides. Although both Elizabeth and Jane end up marrying into the upper class, their social status works against them for most of the book. These marriages demonstrate that despite social class the characters can still relate and bring each other love and happiness. Distinct from The Outsiders, Pride and Prejudice shows characters, like Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham, that are trying to work their way into upper class or that truly believe they are inferior because of a middle class standing.
I plan to use both of these books as well as articles about how social class can affect people’s attitude towards others for my research paper. I chose this topic because I feel that it is important for adolescents to understand that different backgrounds do not have to divide people. Reading books such as these show two distinct examples of the problems that this sort of attitude brings. Even though these books tell completely different stories and are written with different styles, they share this similarity showing that social status is an label that leads to unnecessary conflict.

Multicultural Literature

“Bridging the Cultural Gap by Teaching Multicultural Literature” by Yu Ren Dong discussed the importance of teacher’s understanding the different cultures in order for the multicultural literature to “serve as an entry point to validate expression of cultural knowledge, perspectives, and differences that their diverse students live by every day.”
I thought it was interesting that the reason teachers often feel uncomfortable teaching multicultural literature is because they are not sure if students can handle the “racial and cultural issues.” Students, however, are always surrounded by different cultures, and even without cultural literature they are exposed to these issues in their every day life. Teachers should understand that discussing these problems through literature is in actuality good way for students to learn how to handle cultural differences.
In order for teachers to successfully help students learn about different cultures, they should expand their knowledge in order to be able to better discuss the issues and differing perspectives rooted in people’s cultures.
Copper Sun and Esperanza Rising are the most prominent examples of multicultural literature we have read in class. Despite the books’ happy endings and somewhat cliché plot, these books are both informative and a good way for students to see the effects of cultural differences in the world, and how they have been dealt with over the years.
I think the cultural response approach is a way in which teachers should consider teaching multi-cultural literature because it allows students to set aside preconceived notions about different cultures, and focus on the text. By discussing the ideas presented in the text students can better understand the characters identities and the motives for their actions. This allows students to understand different cultures without judging or being critical.

Is it worth teaching?

In “But Is It Good Enough To Teach?” Foster points out that teachers tend to teach the same literature that they were taught.  This creates a constant cycle and teachers choose not to find new material to add to their syllabus.  When teachers automatically assume that the Norton Anthology has already found the best literature, a lot of interesting or even better works are left out. 

The three books we have read so far have all been about different cultures in different places.  While I feel Copper Sun is most likely to be taught in school because it teaches about history, I also feel that Harry Potter and Twilight are both worth teaching.  I would not say that either book is especially well written, however, the story lines are fascinating, and would most likely get every students attention.  As two of the most read books of the time, there has to be a reason for their popularity, and this is definitely something to take into consideration when choosing books for a class.  After all isn't it the well read works of a particular time that make it into the anthologies?  

As Foster concludes, one of the most important things about choosing books to teach is “do you really want to teach it?”  Depending on the course goals, any of these three these books could be good choices.  Books like Harry Potter and Twilight teach lessons like friendship and acceptance of others, while Copper Sun teaches about one aspect of American history.  If full class participation is one area that a teacher expects, these are all books in which I feel a class would be willing to talk about.  From my experience many or the pieces of literature that are regularly taught can be somewhat boring or challenging, and for students who do not especially enjoy reading, this could prove to be a problem.

Overall, I felt that Foster wants teachers to expand and try to understand multicultural literature, so that the same thing is not always taught.  Even if a teacher does not choose to include Copper Sun, Harry Potter or Twilight in their class syllabus, teachers should look at all of their options, and choose the literature that is best for them and their class.    

Copper Sun

Overall I really liked the book Copper Sun.  I felt Sharon Draper combined an interesting story with historical information to give insight into the evils of slavery.  By giving the story a happy ending, however, it helped to balance out the terrible details for young readers.  By making the book fictional, instead of just facts, I think teens are probably more interested because not only are they learning, but they are also following the life of someone close to their age.  

After looking at the Draper's website, I noticed that she said “In order to bring immediacy to the subject, I chose a character who undergoes the humiliations of slavery and who survives to pass of her history to the next generation. I think it's real important to remember the past and never forget those who came before us. It is our job to tell their stories.”  While Copper Sun is a demonstration of this, Draper also shows this belief through Teenie telling Tidbit never to forget the stories she told him.  I think with this insight from Draper it is easier to understand why she chose to end her book the way she did.  While the happy ending makes the story more predictable in comparison to other teen stories, it also allows us to know that some slaves were lucky enough to escape to freedom, and that they understood the importance of keeping each other's stories alive.  

In class we talked about different possibilities of what the copper sun could represent.  After finishing the book I felt it was a symbol for unity because it seemed to act as a connection between different characters, as well as between characters and their past.  The copper sun was present in Amari’s memories, as well as Teenie’s stories.  It was visible in Amari’s former life in Africa, and she was surprised to discover the same sun in America.  She seemed to always notice the copper sun when her situations were turning out better than expected, showing that maybe her life would eventually be good again, like it was in Africa.  No matter where you were the characters always knew they were looking at the same beautiful sun.  In this I think the copper sun also represented hope. 

I noticed hope as a main theme in this book.   Amari always seemed to carry the message of hope and determination which is important for a teen audience.  Even surrounded by slavery and terrible situations, Amari manages to find a better life for herself.  Amari seemed to have a lot of good luck in her escape making the book somewhat unrealistic.  However, I also think it helps to keep the readers attention because most times stories about slavery do not have good endings.  With hope being a continuous theme in Copper Sun, I think it allows teens to relate it back to their own lives as inspiration to never give up and do what you feel is right. 

While I knew about most of the things presented in this book already, I was surprised to learn about using slaves' children as alligator bait.   After watching the video it turned out that Tidbit did not have it as bad as most.  I have no idea how someone would even think to feed a baby to an alligator.  I think that this shows that Draper’s goal really was to show how bad slavery was, even though she did it through a fictional work with a happy ending.  I also thought it was important that Draper had many kind white people throughout the story including Mrs. Derby, Polly and the Doctor because it showed that not all white people were evil and supporters of slavery.