the benefits of using "Perks" as a classroom text
One of the most beneficial aspects of reading young adult literature in the classroom is the fact that it can help create an environment where open dialogue about sensitive issues may take place. This open dialogue can help students in several ways, including allow them to be reflective on their own experiences, as well as to ask questions about certain things that may come up that they don't understand. According to Groenke and Scherff, for some students, hearing about things that they may struggle with or relate to on a personal level helps them to validate their own experiences and to feel respected (17).
Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower was first published in 1999. It is written in a series of letters and experiences of the main character, Charlie. Charlie is a freshman in high school who has some emotional troubles, which is an idea that is prevalent throughout the duration of the novel. The characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower struggle with a berth of issues that many adolescents deal with at one time or another. These issues include feeling isolated from peers, physical and sexual abuse, discovering and accepting sexual orientation and identity, sexuality, and drug and alcohol abuse.
According to Groenke and Scherff's reference to GLSEN's 2003 climate survey, more than 64% of LGBT identifying students feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. In Chobosky's novel, one of the main characters, Patrick, identifies as gay. There are many conflicts that are based in sexual orientation in the novel, such as an unhealthy relationship between Patrick and a closeted character, resulting in verbal and physical abuse. In the article “Watch What You Teach,” Laraine Wallowitz states that “remaining “neutral” – or silent –in the face of discrimination always condones the behavior of the oppressor (Sieban and Wallowitz 44). Sieben amd Wallowitz also suggest that teachers often avoid subjects pertaining to sexuality in order to make students comfortable, but this often results in some students feeling silenced or excluded from a heteronormative curriculum that they don't see their experiences reflected in (44). For these reasons, discussing Patrick's experiences as a class, an aspect of the book that could easily be overlooked for discussion purposes, would be beneficial to everyone involved. Introducing queer identifying characters into class discussion not only reflects the experiences of queer students, but also normalizes the discourse making it more accessible in the future.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower would also be a good book to discuss “at risk” behaviors with students due to the prevalence of drug and alcohol use. According to Groenke and Schereff's reference of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “48 percent of US female adolescents and 52 percent of US male adolescent use alcohol; 31 percent of these girls and 34 percent of these boys engage in binge drinking,” (16). Content such as this in a classroom text allows for the open discussion of these behaviors, as well as those relating to them, such as sex and substance abuse more so than most classical texts, due to students finding it easier to relate to a more current text, more similar to their individual experience.
The final aspect of Chobosky's novel that would be beneficial to discuss as a class would be the physical and sexual abuse that takes place. The nature of this material makes it possible to invite a guest speaker or a guidance counselor in to talk and inform students about these sensitive issues in a way that they might not get otherwise, especially if they don't have a health class, or counseling services directly available to them.
The issues discussed in Chobosky's novel are provide many opportunities for a necessary dialogue that might not be available in the discussion classical texts. While classical texts are important, the knowledge and self affirmation that novels such as Perks of Being a Wallflower provide to students is crucial.
Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower was first published in 1999. It is written in a series of letters and experiences of the main character, Charlie. Charlie is a freshman in high school who has some emotional troubles, which is an idea that is prevalent throughout the duration of the novel. The characters in The Perks of Being a Wallflower struggle with a berth of issues that many adolescents deal with at one time or another. These issues include feeling isolated from peers, physical and sexual abuse, discovering and accepting sexual orientation and identity, sexuality, and drug and alcohol abuse.
According to Groenke and Scherff's reference to GLSEN's 2003 climate survey, more than 64% of LGBT identifying students feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. In Chobosky's novel, one of the main characters, Patrick, identifies as gay. There are many conflicts that are based in sexual orientation in the novel, such as an unhealthy relationship between Patrick and a closeted character, resulting in verbal and physical abuse. In the article “Watch What You Teach,” Laraine Wallowitz states that “remaining “neutral” – or silent –in the face of discrimination always condones the behavior of the oppressor (Sieban and Wallowitz 44). Sieben amd Wallowitz also suggest that teachers often avoid subjects pertaining to sexuality in order to make students comfortable, but this often results in some students feeling silenced or excluded from a heteronormative curriculum that they don't see their experiences reflected in (44). For these reasons, discussing Patrick's experiences as a class, an aspect of the book that could easily be overlooked for discussion purposes, would be beneficial to everyone involved. Introducing queer identifying characters into class discussion not only reflects the experiences of queer students, but also normalizes the discourse making it more accessible in the future.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower would also be a good book to discuss “at risk” behaviors with students due to the prevalence of drug and alcohol use. According to Groenke and Schereff's reference of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “48 percent of US female adolescents and 52 percent of US male adolescent use alcohol; 31 percent of these girls and 34 percent of these boys engage in binge drinking,” (16). Content such as this in a classroom text allows for the open discussion of these behaviors, as well as those relating to them, such as sex and substance abuse more so than most classical texts, due to students finding it easier to relate to a more current text, more similar to their individual experience.
The final aspect of Chobosky's novel that would be beneficial to discuss as a class would be the physical and sexual abuse that takes place. The nature of this material makes it possible to invite a guest speaker or a guidance counselor in to talk and inform students about these sensitive issues in a way that they might not get otherwise, especially if they don't have a health class, or counseling services directly available to them.
The issues discussed in Chobosky's novel are provide many opportunities for a necessary dialogue that might not be available in the discussion classical texts. While classical texts are important, the knowledge and self affirmation that novels such as Perks of Being a Wallflower provide to students is crucial.
Works Cited
Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Pocket, 1999. Print.
Groenke, Susan L., and Lisa Scherff. Teaching YA Lit through Differentiated Instruction. Urbana, IL: NCTE, National Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print
Sieben, Nicole, Laraine Wallowitz, and Traci Gardner. ""Watch What You Teach": A First-Year Teacher Refuses to Play It Safe." Teacher Journals 98.4 (2009): 44-49. Web.
Groenke, Susan L., and Lisa Scherff. Teaching YA Lit through Differentiated Instruction. Urbana, IL: NCTE, National Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print
Sieben, Nicole, Laraine Wallowitz, and Traci Gardner. ""Watch What You Teach": A First-Year Teacher Refuses to Play It Safe." Teacher Journals 98.4 (2009): 44-49. Web.
The Fault In Our Stars, A Positive Portrayal of Disability/Illness
John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of protagonist Hazel Grace Lancaster's ongoing battle with cancer, as well as a few of the triumphs and hardships she encounters after meeting a boy named Augustus Waters at her weekly support group. In addition to Hazel's cancer, which requires her to lug around an oxygen tank indefinitely, many of her friends that she's met in support group are also inhibited by their illnesses. Her friend Issac has prosthetic eyes as a result of serious tumors, and her friend, and later boyfriend, Augustus has a prosthetic leg, due to his own battle with bone cancer. These character's illnesses, and disabilities as a result of their illnesses, effect their lives and their families lives in a myriad of ways which manifests throughout the text.
The Fault in Our Stars, as well as other young adult texts that deal with topics of illness and disabilities, would be a very useful resource in high school English classes. Many times topics such as illness and disability are shied away from because unfortunately some are uncomfortable with discussing the topic for personal reasons, such as they are unsure of how to facilitate the dialogue eloquently, or they don't think that students will react well or relate to the topics. According to Groenke and Scherff's reference to www.teenslivingwithcancer.org, “15,000 teens undergo treatment in the United States for cancer each year,” (16). Therefore, many experiences are left unshared and undiscussed simply because they are not found to be relevant to the content and texts chosen to be discussed in the classroom.
Another reason that The Fault in Our Stars could be considered an asset to English teachers is that it offers the opportunity for many dialogues regarding disabilities/illnesses/death which may not be so readily available or easily facilitated with a more formal text, such as a classic or a canon. Jen Scott Curwood's article, “Redefining Normal: A Critical Analysis of (Dis)ability in Young Adult Literature” examines the importance of accurately portrayed individuals with disabilities in young adult texts, as well as what implications these characters can force the reader to consider (Curwood 17). Curwood explains how the representations of disabled persons is changing in literature and media, and how this is beneficial for everyone involved. A change in representation from generally negative to complex characters able to achieve their goals is helping to change the ways we look at disability (18). In studying texts that focus on illness and disability, we are able to define and have discussions on what defines normal, and what normalcy is in the realm of disability. Once that is accomplished, by applying this thought to their own lives, an adolescent is able to define and examine how privilege affects and agency them (18). Conversations regarding privilege and agency are important to have with adolescents because it is something that affects almost every part of their lives whether they are aware of it or not.
The Fault in Our Stars would be a good text to facilitate a dialogue regarding disability and privilege because the characters are multidimensional, and have lives and personalities that exist outside their illnesses, which is an area where some texts fall short. This would enable students to look into the lives of someone living with a disability or illness and define normalcy, and privilege, and then have an opportunity to examine both the characters, and their own. Additionally, due to its popularity, many students would probably be interested in learning what “all the fuss” is about, and be more willing to read it for themselves. Lastly, the more positive portrayals of illness and disability are circulated, the more positive the general outlook on them will be, making it possible for society to stop dehumanizing people on a large scale.
The Fault in Our Stars, as well as other young adult texts that deal with topics of illness and disabilities, would be a very useful resource in high school English classes. Many times topics such as illness and disability are shied away from because unfortunately some are uncomfortable with discussing the topic for personal reasons, such as they are unsure of how to facilitate the dialogue eloquently, or they don't think that students will react well or relate to the topics. According to Groenke and Scherff's reference to www.teenslivingwithcancer.org, “15,000 teens undergo treatment in the United States for cancer each year,” (16). Therefore, many experiences are left unshared and undiscussed simply because they are not found to be relevant to the content and texts chosen to be discussed in the classroom.
Another reason that The Fault in Our Stars could be considered an asset to English teachers is that it offers the opportunity for many dialogues regarding disabilities/illnesses/death which may not be so readily available or easily facilitated with a more formal text, such as a classic or a canon. Jen Scott Curwood's article, “Redefining Normal: A Critical Analysis of (Dis)ability in Young Adult Literature” examines the importance of accurately portrayed individuals with disabilities in young adult texts, as well as what implications these characters can force the reader to consider (Curwood 17). Curwood explains how the representations of disabled persons is changing in literature and media, and how this is beneficial for everyone involved. A change in representation from generally negative to complex characters able to achieve their goals is helping to change the ways we look at disability (18). In studying texts that focus on illness and disability, we are able to define and have discussions on what defines normal, and what normalcy is in the realm of disability. Once that is accomplished, by applying this thought to their own lives, an adolescent is able to define and examine how privilege affects and agency them (18). Conversations regarding privilege and agency are important to have with adolescents because it is something that affects almost every part of their lives whether they are aware of it or not.
The Fault in Our Stars would be a good text to facilitate a dialogue regarding disability and privilege because the characters are multidimensional, and have lives and personalities that exist outside their illnesses, which is an area where some texts fall short. This would enable students to look into the lives of someone living with a disability or illness and define normalcy, and privilege, and then have an opportunity to examine both the characters, and their own. Additionally, due to its popularity, many students would probably be interested in learning what “all the fuss” is about, and be more willing to read it for themselves. Lastly, the more positive portrayals of illness and disability are circulated, the more positive the general outlook on them will be, making it possible for society to stop dehumanizing people on a large scale.
Works Cited
Curwood, Jen S. "Redefining Normal: A Critical Analysis of (Dis)ability in Young Adult Literature." Children's Literature in Education 44.1 (2013): 15-28. Web.
Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Dutton, 2012. Print.
Groenke, Susan L., and Lisa Scherff. Teaching YA Lit through Differentiated Instruction. Urbana, IL: NCTE, National Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print
Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Dutton, 2012. Print.
Groenke, Susan L., and Lisa Scherff. Teaching YA Lit through Differentiated Instruction. Urbana, IL: NCTE, National Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print
The Earth, My Butt, and Other big round things under the feminist lens
In Deborah Appleman’s chapter regarding feminism, she encourages students to be critical of gender relations and the power relations that coincide with them., and how it effects the world (76). Appleman presents several ideas that make it possible to compare power relations between the genders in different circumstances, and a variety of activities that would be useful in a classroom in order to do so. By teaching students about feminist theories, they were able to evaluate “traditional” statements and find more realistic meanings for them (78). While some might shy away from teaching feminist thought as part of their curriculum due to the wide held misconceptions that it is a radical idea, rather than just seeking basic equalities, it is important to teach students how they can examine texts in a critical way, using a feminist lens to observe different power relations.
One young adult book that would be a good contender for this type of close observation would be Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. This book would be an obvious choice for this type of dissection because of the range of issues it deals with stemming from diets, to body shaming, to eating disorders, to date rape. Currently, many young feminists are interested in these issues and fighting for equality through them, to end body shaming and placing value in appearances, as well as to stop the victim blaming of rape victims. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Large Things would be a good text to examine with a feminist lens because it presents at least two different perspectives on all of these issues taking place, for instance, you see the protagonist Virginia’s internal struggle with her weight, between hating her body and being upset with her mother for making her feel even worse about it, in contrast with her mother’s strict dieting and harsh comments regarding her daughter’s weight.
Another issue that could be examined is the instance of date rape, which although some might be reluctant to discuss in a classroom setting, is something that is once again very important, and a very interesting discussion. According to Groenke and Scherf’s information from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, “44 percent of women raped in the United States are under age 18, and 15 percent are under age 12; two thirds of teen sexual abuse is committed by known assailants” (16). Unfortunately it is not difficult to find news stories to support these statistics, which students should be aware of. By ignoring this very sensitive topic, once again, the experience of some is ignored. Additionally, this book once again presents compelling arguments about the rape that would be a good discussion topic, as well as good to examine using the critical feminist lens; what is rape?, what punishment is appropriate for it? How it effects the involved parties, etc.
Books such as The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things make it possible to introduce the feminist lens to younger students by giving them a less complex text to relate it to, and therefore become fully immersed in the ideas before they are forced to examine more difficult texts with more complex issues. It would be difficult to find a classic text that encompasses all the ideas and broad range of issues to apply the lens to when introducing readers to the topic, making Mackler’s book a strong choice.
One young adult book that would be a good contender for this type of close observation would be Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. This book would be an obvious choice for this type of dissection because of the range of issues it deals with stemming from diets, to body shaming, to eating disorders, to date rape. Currently, many young feminists are interested in these issues and fighting for equality through them, to end body shaming and placing value in appearances, as well as to stop the victim blaming of rape victims. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Large Things would be a good text to examine with a feminist lens because it presents at least two different perspectives on all of these issues taking place, for instance, you see the protagonist Virginia’s internal struggle with her weight, between hating her body and being upset with her mother for making her feel even worse about it, in contrast with her mother’s strict dieting and harsh comments regarding her daughter’s weight.
Another issue that could be examined is the instance of date rape, which although some might be reluctant to discuss in a classroom setting, is something that is once again very important, and a very interesting discussion. According to Groenke and Scherf’s information from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, “44 percent of women raped in the United States are under age 18, and 15 percent are under age 12; two thirds of teen sexual abuse is committed by known assailants” (16). Unfortunately it is not difficult to find news stories to support these statistics, which students should be aware of. By ignoring this very sensitive topic, once again, the experience of some is ignored. Additionally, this book once again presents compelling arguments about the rape that would be a good discussion topic, as well as good to examine using the critical feminist lens; what is rape?, what punishment is appropriate for it? How it effects the involved parties, etc.
Books such as The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things make it possible to introduce the feminist lens to younger students by giving them a less complex text to relate it to, and therefore become fully immersed in the ideas before they are forced to examine more difficult texts with more complex issues. It would be difficult to find a classic text that encompasses all the ideas and broad range of issues to apply the lens to when introducing readers to the topic, making Mackler’s book a strong choice.
Works Cited
Appleman, Deborah. "A Lens of One's Own: Of Yellow Wallpaper and Beautiful Little Fools." Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents. New York: Teachers College, 2000. 74-98. Print.
Groenke, Susan L., and Lisa Scherff. Teaching YA Lit through Differentiated Instruction. Urbana, IL: NCTE, National Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print
Mackler, Carolyn. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, round Things. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2003. Print.