Wow! What a journey we have been on! Looking back I cannot believe all that we have covered and all that I have grown and changed. This class has been such a great experience that I wish it wasn't ending here. Reflecting back upon the course goals outlined in the syllabus makes me see clearly what we have accomplished.
I do have a much more in-depth appreciation of diverse children's literature and am still formulating all the ways in which to incorporate this important piece of a complete curriculum for my students. My awareness of what is "good" and what is "not-so-good" has grown exponentially through this semester. I had experiences outside of this class that I was able to directly use my learning in this class on. It helped me to think about why certain things stood out and bothered and what I could do about them. I was able to see, rather hear, an example of the power of literature. We listened in another class to how devastating inappropriate literature can be on a family. I wish I could remember the name of the NPR clip that we listened to so that I could share it with everyone. The program featured a family that had to completely changed their lives after 9/11 because the school they were in distributed a very negative and harsh book that blamed the culture of their family for the tragedy that had happened. The book was distributed district wide and a mandated use of it was implemented. When the daughter brought the book home, hurt by its contents, her mother protested the school board and received no support for her or her family once the teasing and brutality against the children in the school began. I was appalled by the way the school allowed this awful piece of literature into their classrooms and allowed the devastation and trauma to happen to a family as the result. I hope that by having this class I will be able to help prevent such things from happening in the future, even if I can be in only one place at a time. I will now be able to help others see the appropriateness of the literature and help them to think about the impact of using such works.
In consideration to the other outlined goals, I do continue to recognize the power of images and their impact on youth especially. I have become acquainted with a great variety of professional resources that I will be sure to keep track for my future work. I learned a lot about the new technologies of blogging this semester and see how they can be beneficial to a class. I feel that I need much more experience with this technology before I begin to implement it into my classroom. Additionally, my ability to read texts as basic literary tools and as a forum for discussing issues of diversity has been enhanced. I feel that I can now more critically analyze texts on the aforementioned merits, though I am not yet perfect. I do know where to look when I have questions about this though, which will be helpful in my teaching career.
One of my favorite parts to this class was the discussion of and focus on the idea of a window and a mirror in literature. Through the readings in this class, I was able to explore numerous windows but also find mirrors in places I thought unlikely. This is something that will stay with forever and I will try eagerly to give this same understanding to my students and colleagues.
I am so appreciative that my classmates were willing to open up and share their ideas. I wish that we had more discussion time in this class. Perhaps the class could become a two-day a week class to allow for these discussions. We would get so wrapped up in the issues and follow the tangents into so many other issues of diversity that we hadn't started the conversation with. These were usually very illuminating. I was so happy to see that others were as confused as I was, but that we were able to learn from each other and grow together and overcome our confusion.
I am going to miss everyone and I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for accompanying me on this journey!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Reflection on Jewish-American Literature Collection
Overall, I think that the collection of texts I used for this final project is a decent one, although incomplete. It would be impossible to believe that an outsider to the Jewish culture, or anyone for that matter, would be able to select a complete text set with only four books.
There were several themes that I discovered throughout all of the texts I looked at for this project. Although I tried to stay clear of Jewish-American texts focusing on the Holocaust or the holidays, it was nearly impossible. Three of my selected texts focused on World War II. Two of the books were survivor stories, actually survivor biographies, and the the third was a fictional piece about a Jewish-American family during the war. I found this to be an amazing contrast to the usually represented survivor stories. The fourth text in my collection was a true account of a Jewish family's history and tradition of passing a quilt through the generations.
After reading all of the texts in this collection it is clear that immigration to America has been a major factor in many Jewish-American families and that much of this illuminated immigration occurred during World War II. Family ties and morals are also illustrated through each of these texts which leads to the inference that Jewish families are very close knit within their own family and treat their friends and neighbors as family often too.
By reviewing the books in this collection, I also found that Jewish-American literature is and should be much more than just teaching outsiders about surviving and holidays. This set demonstrates that a Jewish family is like all others and that no one person should be fully defined by only one aspect of their identity. I found personal connections to these texts myself and I think that these books would be uplifting to all readers, and especially to the Jewish-Americans typically underrepresented in a positive and authentic way.
There were several themes that I discovered throughout all of the texts I looked at for this project. Although I tried to stay clear of Jewish-American texts focusing on the Holocaust or the holidays, it was nearly impossible. Three of my selected texts focused on World War II. Two of the books were survivor stories, actually survivor biographies, and the the third was a fictional piece about a Jewish-American family during the war. I found this to be an amazing contrast to the usually represented survivor stories. The fourth text in my collection was a true account of a Jewish family's history and tradition of passing a quilt through the generations.
After reading all of the texts in this collection it is clear that immigration to America has been a major factor in many Jewish-American families and that much of this illuminated immigration occurred during World War II. Family ties and morals are also illustrated through each of these texts which leads to the inference that Jewish families are very close knit within their own family and treat their friends and neighbors as family often too.
By reviewing the books in this collection, I also found that Jewish-American literature is and should be much more than just teaching outsiders about surviving and holidays. This set demonstrates that a Jewish family is like all others and that no one person should be fully defined by only one aspect of their identity. I found personal connections to these texts myself and I think that these books would be uplifting to all readers, and especially to the Jewish-Americans typically underrepresented in a positive and authentic way.
Children's Literature and the Holocaust - Article Review and Questions
Kremer, S. Lillian. Children's Literature and the Holocaust
Children's Literature Volume 32 (2004), 252-263.
Accessed VIA Project MUSE at Michigan State University, April 2008.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/childrens_literature/v032/32.1kremer.html
This article is actually a review of the works by two Holocaust literary critics "well versed in children's literature" (252), Hamida Bosmajian and Adrienne Kertzer. These critics, as well as Kremer, take issue with the lack of true Holocaust knowledge gained after reading literature intended for children. The article describes how both Bosmajian and Kertzer focus on multiple genres and topics related to the Holocaust in their critical collections which are intended to "influence educators to think more critically about contextualizing Holocaust readings available for young readers and should influence authors of children's Holocaust literature to produce better texts for young readers" (262-263).
This article discusses how German children's authors reconstruct their view of the events World War II and omit "the lures of Nazism that attracted prewar and wartime young Germans" (253) in an effort to keep Nazism taboo and depict the Hitler Youth as 'alienated, diminished' victims of the propagandist pull of the constructors of the atrocities of the war. The article also describes the differences between East German and West German focus in literature when the theme is surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. However, German writers were and still are not the only ones reconstructing this history or memory. Writers focusing on Jewish victims of the Holocaust tend to exclude the horrors and emphasize heroic survivals and ingenuity. This leads to "misleading emphases in narratives focusing on Christian rescue and Jewish escape and heroism" (254).
I found this review to be extremely thought provoking and very well-written. Although, I have not read the main texts being reviewed, I intend to find them. Kremer provided a very detailed look at multiple sides to the critical stances on Holocaust literature, particularly children's Holocaust literature from around the world with focus on American, German, Jewish, and Christian perspectives and authorship.
Though I did not come across this article until after selecting my texts, when I was reading the books for the TE488 final project collection, I was curious if the focus of the Jewish-American children's literature pieces pertaining to the Holocaust had the most appropriate focus in regards to the intended audience. How biased are these texts and do they really provide the most positive addition to a Jewish-American child's mental library and internalization with historical identity? Yes, I agree fully that the human will and survival is an important theme in helping to develop identity, particularly in contemporary generations of Jewish-American children, but how much so if what was being faced is a sugar-coated gloss over of the true events? How do we teach children the full truth "about the Holocaust without frightening them" (257)? How do we provide hope for the future but avoid the atypical depictions of the Holocaust in children's literature?
The overarching critiques presented in this article were that of the idea that "absent from Holocaust literature produced for young readers are pervasive virulent antisemitic propaganda, behavior of the perpetrators, and the concentrationary universe" (256). I would like to know what my colleagues and others think of this. Is this true? If so, what can we as future teachers and educated persons of multicultural and diverse literature do about this?
Children's Literature Volume 32 (2004), 252-263.
Accessed VIA Project MUSE at Michigan State University, April 2008.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/childrens_literature/v032/32.1kremer.html
This article is actually a review of the works by two Holocaust literary critics "well versed in children's literature" (252), Hamida Bosmajian and Adrienne Kertzer. These critics, as well as Kremer, take issue with the lack of true Holocaust knowledge gained after reading literature intended for children. The article describes how both Bosmajian and Kertzer focus on multiple genres and topics related to the Holocaust in their critical collections which are intended to "influence educators to think more critically about contextualizing Holocaust readings available for young readers and should influence authors of children's Holocaust literature to produce better texts for young readers" (262-263).
This article discusses how German children's authors reconstruct their view of the events World War II and omit "the lures of Nazism that attracted prewar and wartime young Germans" (253) in an effort to keep Nazism taboo and depict the Hitler Youth as 'alienated, diminished' victims of the propagandist pull of the constructors of the atrocities of the war. The article also describes the differences between East German and West German focus in literature when the theme is surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. However, German writers were and still are not the only ones reconstructing this history or memory. Writers focusing on Jewish victims of the Holocaust tend to exclude the horrors and emphasize heroic survivals and ingenuity. This leads to "misleading emphases in narratives focusing on Christian rescue and Jewish escape and heroism" (254).
I found this review to be extremely thought provoking and very well-written. Although, I have not read the main texts being reviewed, I intend to find them. Kremer provided a very detailed look at multiple sides to the critical stances on Holocaust literature, particularly children's Holocaust literature from around the world with focus on American, German, Jewish, and Christian perspectives and authorship.
Though I did not come across this article until after selecting my texts, when I was reading the books for the TE488 final project collection, I was curious if the focus of the Jewish-American children's literature pieces pertaining to the Holocaust had the most appropriate focus in regards to the intended audience. How biased are these texts and do they really provide the most positive addition to a Jewish-American child's mental library and internalization with historical identity? Yes, I agree fully that the human will and survival is an important theme in helping to develop identity, particularly in contemporary generations of Jewish-American children, but how much so if what was being faced is a sugar-coated gloss over of the true events? How do we teach children the full truth "about the Holocaust without frightening them" (257)? How do we provide hope for the future but avoid the atypical depictions of the Holocaust in children's literature?
The overarching critiques presented in this article were that of the idea that "absent from Holocaust literature produced for young readers are pervasive virulent antisemitic propaganda, behavior of the perpetrators, and the concentrationary universe" (256). I would like to know what my colleagues and others think of this. Is this true? If so, what can we as future teachers and educated persons of multicultural and diverse literature do about this?
Review Article - The Future of the Past: Countermemory and Postmemory in Contemporary American Post-Holocaust Narratives
Sicher, Efraim. The Future of the Past: Countermemory and Postmemory in Contemporary American Post-Holocaust Narratives. History & Memory - Volume 12, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2000, pp. 56-91 - Article
Accessed VIA Project Muse through Michigan State University, April 2008. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/history_and_memory/v012/12.2sicher.html
Accessed VIA Project Muse through Michigan State University, April 2008. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/history_and_memory/v012/12.2sicher.html
This article discussed numerous topics about Jewish identity and memory of the Jewish Holocaust during World War II. Sicher focused on literature and other media portrayals of this time in history to illustrate his points. The article described how Jewish identity is impacted and sought after by and through memories of the Holocaust whether first-hand experiences, generational knowledge passed down, or imagined through media. Sicher seems to hold a critical eye about how the legacy of the Holocaust is interpreted and passed on in today's generations.
Sicher contrasts narratives about and experiences of the diaspora of the Jewish people in Eastern Europe to other narratives and experiences of victims from such atrocities as domestic abuse, rape, and other war casualties to name a few. Sicher also discusses the Jewish Holocaust's place in history as "an open question whether the Nazi genocide is to be understood as exceptional, a hiccup in normalcy, or routine barbarism which exists cheek by jowl with high culture" (p59). Developing a personal idea about the place in history will ultimately impact how narratives are written and thus the impact on one's identity from writing or reading these narratives.
The article is well-written and very informative, although lengthy and rather wordy at times. Although this article did not focus on children's literature specifically, it did highlight many important ideas relevant to the current and future generations of Jewish people which ultimately affects children's literature with this focus. I found this article useful when I thought about the biographies I selected for my collection. This included Peter Lane Taylor's "The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story," for example. Sicher says that the obligation to tell the story of what happened is a stronger force in continuity than public memorials and ruins that "stand as mute" because these "sites of memory have been neglected, destroyed, or altered" (P61). In "The Secret of Priest's Grotto," those authors and site archaeologists take efforts to preserve the caves as best as possible, which combats the idea of a mute site of memory. This as well as the stories told "cannot revive the dead, but they can rescue them from oblivion" (P70). The victims of the Holocaust need to be remembered as truth and history and not just a fictionalized time that is used to sell movies, plays, books, and etc. "The Jewish writers of the second generation are in effect attempting a rescue of memory, and in the return to a past which they have not experienced they are reconstructing their biographies and life histories in narratives of identity which can then be transmitted to the next generation" (P70). The desired identity to be rescued and transmitted is one of "moral leadership and an almost heroic pride.. in a macho society that worships prowess and success (63)." This is an utterly significant idea to be portrayed through Jewish-American children's literature and I believe that it is in texts like "The Secret of Priest's Grotto."
The Journey that Saved Curious George - Review
Borden, Louise. The Journey that Saved Curious George. The True Wartime Escape of Margaret and H. A. Rey. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.
This book was a very interesting biographical tale into the complete lives of Margaret and H.A. Rey which payed special attention to their escape from Europe during the second world war. The book's title relates to the fact that the Rey's carried the Curious George manuscripts with them as the fled, although the story was called "The Adventures of Fifi" at the time.
The author of this book is not a direct Jewish insider, however, she did exquisitely thorough research into the Rey's lives and incorporated their personal journals, letters, photographs, illustrations, and manuscripts into this text. She also visited many of the places along the Rey's path through Europe and spoke with many who knew them well. The imagery in this book adds exponentially to the story being told. Although much of the imagery came from the personal estate of the Reys, the additional illustrator was able to maintain a Rey-ish form of illustration that flawlessly meshed into the surrounding text.
The book provides vast details into the lives and journeys of the Margaret and H.A. Rey that were unknown to many before this publishing. One interesting part of the text is that their last name was not originally Rey it was Reyersbach, but Hans changed it because his friends in Rio de Janeiro had difficulty pronouncing it. This text is very informative, however, slightly difficult to read. The author tried to share the biographies in a story-like manner that did not seem to work well. There were sentences that stuck out and had very little support in the rest of the text. For instance, Borden notes that Hans bought two newspapers one day, but then never says why this is significant enough to include in this book. Some of the text is also italicized but no explanation is given as to why. I was curious as to whether these were the thoughts of Mr. or Mrs. Rey or of the author directly. Furthermore, though the text followed a chronological pattern, it was often difficult to read flowingly.
This book did not focus heavily on the Jewish-ness of the Reys, but more so on the lives of two extraordinary people who have had a huge impact on the world especially in and through the realm of children's literature. Thus, the story of the Reys can be looked upon in a very positive manner by all who read it. Although the intent of the book was to provide a positive look into the lives of the Reys, I feel that it may have sugar-glossed over the devastating issues and impacts of the war the Reys survived. I do appreciate that the Nazis were not directly mentioned as being monsters as I have found is the case in many texts regarding World War II. Considering the positive and accurate portrayals of Jewish and other people within this text, I feel it can be considered a piece of quality diverse children's literature.
I also appreciated the text to self connections that could be made while reading this book. As a child, I was always a fan of Curious George and my experiences in schools tell me that the newer generations are also fans. This may be in part due to the motion picture that was made, but the children are still reading the books. Reading this text may encourage students considering a dream of theirs, like writing for example, to push forward and attempt their goals against all obstacles. If the Reys can do it, so can everyone else.
This book was a very interesting biographical tale into the complete lives of Margaret and H.A. Rey which payed special attention to their escape from Europe during the second world war. The book's title relates to the fact that the Rey's carried the Curious George manuscripts with them as the fled, although the story was called "The Adventures of Fifi" at the time.
The author of this book is not a direct Jewish insider, however, she did exquisitely thorough research into the Rey's lives and incorporated their personal journals, letters, photographs, illustrations, and manuscripts into this text. She also visited many of the places along the Rey's path through Europe and spoke with many who knew them well. The imagery in this book adds exponentially to the story being told. Although much of the imagery came from the personal estate of the Reys, the additional illustrator was able to maintain a Rey-ish form of illustration that flawlessly meshed into the surrounding text.
The book provides vast details into the lives and journeys of the Margaret and H.A. Rey that were unknown to many before this publishing. One interesting part of the text is that their last name was not originally Rey it was Reyersbach, but Hans changed it because his friends in Rio de Janeiro had difficulty pronouncing it. This text is very informative, however, slightly difficult to read. The author tried to share the biographies in a story-like manner that did not seem to work well. There were sentences that stuck out and had very little support in the rest of the text. For instance, Borden notes that Hans bought two newspapers one day, but then never says why this is significant enough to include in this book. Some of the text is also italicized but no explanation is given as to why. I was curious as to whether these were the thoughts of Mr. or Mrs. Rey or of the author directly. Furthermore, though the text followed a chronological pattern, it was often difficult to read flowingly.
This book did not focus heavily on the Jewish-ness of the Reys, but more so on the lives of two extraordinary people who have had a huge impact on the world especially in and through the realm of children's literature. Thus, the story of the Reys can be looked upon in a very positive manner by all who read it. Although the intent of the book was to provide a positive look into the lives of the Reys, I feel that it may have sugar-glossed over the devastating issues and impacts of the war the Reys survived. I do appreciate that the Nazis were not directly mentioned as being monsters as I have found is the case in many texts regarding World War II. Considering the positive and accurate portrayals of Jewish and other people within this text, I feel it can be considered a piece of quality diverse children's literature.
I also appreciated the text to self connections that could be made while reading this book. As a child, I was always a fan of Curious George and my experiences in schools tell me that the newer generations are also fans. This may be in part due to the motion picture that was made, but the children are still reading the books. Reading this text may encourage students considering a dream of theirs, like writing for example, to push forward and attempt their goals against all obstacles. If the Reys can do it, so can everyone else.
The Secret of Priest's Grotto - Review
Taylor, Peter Lane and Nicola, Christos. The Secret of Priest's Grotto. A Holocaust Survival Story. Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Publishing, 2007.
This book is the true story about several Ukrainian Jewish families that survived the Holocaust through extraordinary means by hiding in caves and grottoes. This biography pays considerable attention to one family, the Stermer family, that lives mostly in Montreal and several parts of the US today. The story begins by sharing the details that led Taylor and Nicola to the discovery of the cave and the story of the survivors as well as to meeting the survivors. The rest of the book details the exploration and documentation of the cave by Taylor and Nicola while telling the entire story of the Stermer's survival as well as comparing it to the known world-record for human underground survival. Additionally, excerpts from a memoir written by one of the surviving matriarchs, Esther Stermer who was called the "hero of Priest's Grotto" (19), are woven into the text. Furthermore, this text not only portrays the families' survival in the Holocaust but shares the aftermath and longevity of such a journey with the readers.
It was difficult to fully distinguish whether or not to consider this book written by an insider or an outsider. The first author of the book, Peter Lane Taylor, is not Jewish, but the caving veteran, Christos Nicola is. Also, the family sharing their incredible story is obviously comprised of insiders. This book was well-received and honored by the Sydney Taylor Award Committee, which indicates that others, with far more experience that I, found this book to be of authentic, insider quality. Upon great reflection, I chose the authors of this text as discoverers and editors of the amazing story of the Stermer family and their fellow survivors.
This book was well constructed and exceedingly informative. However, its length and detailed scientific descriptions may be a challenge for children to initially read on their own. This book seems directed towards young adult readers than early and emerging readers. Though young readers would be overwhelmed by the amount of text, they would gain something from looking at the multitude of images present in this text. Real photographs of the Stermer family in the WWII era and modern photographs of the cave, its inhabiting artifacts, and survivors and their current families as well as photographs of camps during the war were used to provide more to the story than just the printed text. A visually literate person would be able to decipher the difference between the black and white family photographs in the beginning of the text with similar post-war photographs. Also, maps were drawn and used throughout the text to give a real sense of location for the readers.
I attempted to locate the memoir "We Fight to Survive" by Esther Stermer to aid in the details that may not have been covered in this text but was unable to find it because of its private publishing. Esther stated that she wrote the memoir so that the future generations of her family will be able to know her record of one of the darkest epochs in recent history. As this text is semi-autobiographical, there are no negative stereotypes against Jewish people. The comments made about Jewish as a whole were provided from a personal experience perspective and interpretation by insiders. However, there was one aspect of the reference to Jewish people that stood out to me. The authors repeatedly referred to the families in the caves and the survivors as "the Jews" or "Jews." I do not think that this was the wrong choice necessarily, but being an outsider, to me it seems as though a better word phrase could have been used as this could be rather offensive to some Jewish people. Furthermore, the attempt to portray the Nazi troops accurately throughout the war mixing with the personal statements of the survivors, may lead to some concern about the implications of those statements. When considering this, the bias in the writing becomes aware to the reader.
Overall, this book stands as a strong piece of diverse literature and can be used as both a mirror and a window text. The mirror would occur by any family or person that has survived such atrocity due to their own will and capabilities, especially a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. The book is also a window in numerous ways. For instance, it can be a window for the newer generations of Jewish people to into the history of their culture. Also, it is a window for anyone with no experience or knowledge of the events detailed by the text. On a different level, the text provides both the mirror and window effect by providing details about cave exploration and the desire to share those findings. The window opened up to people without caving experience to understand the depth and extremities faced by cavers. The mirror was provided in a similar instance but for cavers and authors that rarely see themselves in the extraordinary stories they unravel.
This book is the true story about several Ukrainian Jewish families that survived the Holocaust through extraordinary means by hiding in caves and grottoes. This biography pays considerable attention to one family, the Stermer family, that lives mostly in Montreal and several parts of the US today. The story begins by sharing the details that led Taylor and Nicola to the discovery of the cave and the story of the survivors as well as to meeting the survivors. The rest of the book details the exploration and documentation of the cave by Taylor and Nicola while telling the entire story of the Stermer's survival as well as comparing it to the known world-record for human underground survival. Additionally, excerpts from a memoir written by one of the surviving matriarchs, Esther Stermer who was called the "hero of Priest's Grotto" (19), are woven into the text. Furthermore, this text not only portrays the families' survival in the Holocaust but shares the aftermath and longevity of such a journey with the readers.
It was difficult to fully distinguish whether or not to consider this book written by an insider or an outsider. The first author of the book, Peter Lane Taylor, is not Jewish, but the caving veteran, Christos Nicola is. Also, the family sharing their incredible story is obviously comprised of insiders. This book was well-received and honored by the Sydney Taylor Award Committee, which indicates that others, with far more experience that I, found this book to be of authentic, insider quality. Upon great reflection, I chose the authors of this text as discoverers and editors of the amazing story of the Stermer family and their fellow survivors.
This book was well constructed and exceedingly informative. However, its length and detailed scientific descriptions may be a challenge for children to initially read on their own. This book seems directed towards young adult readers than early and emerging readers. Though young readers would be overwhelmed by the amount of text, they would gain something from looking at the multitude of images present in this text. Real photographs of the Stermer family in the WWII era and modern photographs of the cave, its inhabiting artifacts, and survivors and their current families as well as photographs of camps during the war were used to provide more to the story than just the printed text. A visually literate person would be able to decipher the difference between the black and white family photographs in the beginning of the text with similar post-war photographs. Also, maps were drawn and used throughout the text to give a real sense of location for the readers.
I attempted to locate the memoir "We Fight to Survive" by Esther Stermer to aid in the details that may not have been covered in this text but was unable to find it because of its private publishing. Esther stated that she wrote the memoir so that the future generations of her family will be able to know her record of one of the darkest epochs in recent history. As this text is semi-autobiographical, there are no negative stereotypes against Jewish people. The comments made about Jewish as a whole were provided from a personal experience perspective and interpretation by insiders. However, there was one aspect of the reference to Jewish people that stood out to me. The authors repeatedly referred to the families in the caves and the survivors as "the Jews" or "Jews." I do not think that this was the wrong choice necessarily, but being an outsider, to me it seems as though a better word phrase could have been used as this could be rather offensive to some Jewish people. Furthermore, the attempt to portray the Nazi troops accurately throughout the war mixing with the personal statements of the survivors, may lead to some concern about the implications of those statements. When considering this, the bias in the writing becomes aware to the reader.
Overall, this book stands as a strong piece of diverse literature and can be used as both a mirror and a window text. The mirror would occur by any family or person that has survived such atrocity due to their own will and capabilities, especially a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. The book is also a window in numerous ways. For instance, it can be a window for the newer generations of Jewish people to into the history of their culture. Also, it is a window for anyone with no experience or knowledge of the events detailed by the text. On a different level, the text provides both the mirror and window effect by providing details about cave exploration and the desire to share those findings. The window opened up to people without caving experience to understand the depth and extremities faced by cavers. The mirror was provided in a similar instance but for cavers and authors that rarely see themselves in the extraordinary stories they unravel.
Love You, Soldier - Review
Hest, Amy. Love You, Soldier. New York, NY: Four Winds Press, 1991.
This story focuses on the numerous changes that happen within two Jewish families in New York City during World War II. Told from a small girl's perspective, this brief chapter book is quite a touching look into the life of Katie from seven to ten years old.
Katie's father goes to fight in the war while Katie and her mother continue on in the most normal way possible for them. They read and re-read all of her father's letters in an effort to keep him present in their lives. Katie's mother works extra hours at the local hospital and continuously knits items for the soldiers abroad. A pregnant family friend comes to live with Katie and her mother because her husband is away at war also. Katie ends up helping Louise, the family friend, get to the hospital and give birth. Louise's husband comes home, but Katie's father does not and they receive the dreaded telegram.
This book was honored by the Sydney Taylor Award committee because it provides a realistic depiction of Jewish families and neighborhoods in the World War II era. Though Jewish elements are very present in this text, it is not a teaching text. The events and actions described through Katie's eyes occur so casually, that if you were not seeking them out they would not stand out excessively as being Jewish. Some of these experiences included a mourning tradition, Katie learning to cook chicken soup, and about their community being like a family and celebrating the Sabbath together.
The text was well-written and free of negative stereotypes. Being an insider, the author was able to write using her own life experiences and perceptions of her culture. The style of writing from a child's perspective would be easy for any child to pick up, read, comprehend, and make some sort of connection to. Additionally, without the known fact that this story is set in WWII, this book can easily be read as a book about any war. Children experiencing the effects of the wars of today on their families would be able to effortlessly make personal connections to the characters and content. Additionally, Jewish children would be able to look to Katie's character and see a positive role model reflected back to them. For others, this book would provide a solid window base to look through into a Jewish family experience in World War II.
This story focuses on the numerous changes that happen within two Jewish families in New York City during World War II. Told from a small girl's perspective, this brief chapter book is quite a touching look into the life of Katie from seven to ten years old.
Katie's father goes to fight in the war while Katie and her mother continue on in the most normal way possible for them. They read and re-read all of her father's letters in an effort to keep him present in their lives. Katie's mother works extra hours at the local hospital and continuously knits items for the soldiers abroad. A pregnant family friend comes to live with Katie and her mother because her husband is away at war also. Katie ends up helping Louise, the family friend, get to the hospital and give birth. Louise's husband comes home, but Katie's father does not and they receive the dreaded telegram.
This book was honored by the Sydney Taylor Award committee because it provides a realistic depiction of Jewish families and neighborhoods in the World War II era. Though Jewish elements are very present in this text, it is not a teaching text. The events and actions described through Katie's eyes occur so casually, that if you were not seeking them out they would not stand out excessively as being Jewish. Some of these experiences included a mourning tradition, Katie learning to cook chicken soup, and about their community being like a family and celebrating the Sabbath together.
The text was well-written and free of negative stereotypes. Being an insider, the author was able to write using her own life experiences and perceptions of her culture. The style of writing from a child's perspective would be easy for any child to pick up, read, comprehend, and make some sort of connection to. Additionally, without the known fact that this story is set in WWII, this book can easily be read as a book about any war. Children experiencing the effects of the wars of today on their families would be able to effortlessly make personal connections to the characters and content. Additionally, Jewish children would be able to look to Katie's character and see a positive role model reflected back to them. For others, this book would provide a solid window base to look through into a Jewish family experience in World War II.
The Keeping Quilt - Review
Polacco, Patricia. The Keeping Quilt. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., by special arrangement with Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1988.
The Keeping Quilt is the true story of the author's family's heritage in America through a quilt. The story is told in first person and begins with Polacco's great-grandmother arriving in America wearing her favorite babushka. This babushka, along with other family articles of clothing, was turned into a quilt in honor of the family's 'backhome in Russia' that was passed through the generations of the family from mother to daughter to granddaughter and so on.
This is a warm story with positive reflections on Jewish families. It illustrates how the family's culture changed as well as remained the same through the years in America and highlighted many examples of experiences that were shared by many immigrant families. These initially included strong family bonds, the children learning English and being translators for their parents, and the creation of a supportive neighborhood community comprised of people who share cultural beliefs. Polacco's great-grandmother lived in a New York city neighborhood comprised mostly of fellow Jewish families. One tradition that remained in tact through all of the generations was the giving of a gift of gold, a flower, salt, and bread at a wedding or a birth. A tradition which changed, and was noted by the author, was that of who and how weddings were celebrated.
The concerns that I have with this text are primarily with the illustrations. Though craftily done with selective color, I am concerned that they present Jewish people in a stereotypical light. Almost every person has a rather predominantly large nose, including infants. The only exceptions to this occur in the last pages at the wedding ceremonies when it is noted that non-Jewish friends were invited. It could be assumed that these smaller-nosed people are not Jewish and that everyone is based on the rest of the book's illustrations. Other than the illustrations, I did not notice any other factors that could be considered to shed a negative light on Jewish people.
Overall, I feel that this text celebrates a Jewish family and places a positive emphasis on family togetherness and tradition. This text does not seem intent on teaching a lesson about the Jewish holidays or comparing a Jewish family to others in gray light as is often seen in Jewish-American books today. Additionally, I think that this book could be enjoyed by any young reader as well as those a little older and it would be a positive addition to any library.
The Keeping Quilt is the true story of the author's family's heritage in America through a quilt. The story is told in first person and begins with Polacco's great-grandmother arriving in America wearing her favorite babushka. This babushka, along with other family articles of clothing, was turned into a quilt in honor of the family's 'backhome in Russia' that was passed through the generations of the family from mother to daughter to granddaughter and so on.
This is a warm story with positive reflections on Jewish families. It illustrates how the family's culture changed as well as remained the same through the years in America and highlighted many examples of experiences that were shared by many immigrant families. These initially included strong family bonds, the children learning English and being translators for their parents, and the creation of a supportive neighborhood community comprised of people who share cultural beliefs. Polacco's great-grandmother lived in a New York city neighborhood comprised mostly of fellow Jewish families. One tradition that remained in tact through all of the generations was the giving of a gift of gold, a flower, salt, and bread at a wedding or a birth. A tradition which changed, and was noted by the author, was that of who and how weddings were celebrated.
The concerns that I have with this text are primarily with the illustrations. Though craftily done with selective color, I am concerned that they present Jewish people in a stereotypical light. Almost every person has a rather predominantly large nose, including infants. The only exceptions to this occur in the last pages at the wedding ceremonies when it is noted that non-Jewish friends were invited. It could be assumed that these smaller-nosed people are not Jewish and that everyone is based on the rest of the book's illustrations. Other than the illustrations, I did not notice any other factors that could be considered to shed a negative light on Jewish people.
Overall, I feel that this text celebrates a Jewish family and places a positive emphasis on family togetherness and tradition. This text does not seem intent on teaching a lesson about the Jewish holidays or comparing a Jewish family to others in gray light as is often seen in Jewish-American books today. Additionally, I think that this book could be enjoyed by any young reader as well as those a little older and it would be a positive addition to any library.
Why I chose to focus on Jewish-American Literature
My initial choice was to focus on Persons with Disabilities in children's literature, but by the time I was able to sign up it was already rather full. I also wanted to learn more about a literature that I was more unfamiliar with as well as a culture that I have always been interested in knowing more about. I have always wanted to know more about the Jewish religion and culture as it has often been compared to Catholicism, which is the religion I identify with. I have had many Jewish friends and even dated a few Jewish people, but for some reason these experiences still never gave me the full understanding I was looking for. I wanted to know more and I thought that by exploring children's literature, I could get at least one step closer.
Additionally, I was in the Sydney Taylor Award research group, and I thought that by finding those books I would have a starting place to look for quality pieces of Jewish-American literature. This was accurate, however I discovered that it is very hard to find a large collection of books about this culture, even in our local libraries. I also found that it was difficult to find substantive articles relating to Jewish-American children's literature. This encouraged me to look further and in many other places. I now also feel that though the books have received an award, the merit of the book should still be reviewed and not revered simply because it has an award. The award criteria may not stand as the appropriateness of the book to be used in one's classroom.
Additionally, I was in the Sydney Taylor Award research group, and I thought that by finding those books I would have a starting place to look for quality pieces of Jewish-American literature. This was accurate, however I discovered that it is very hard to find a large collection of books about this culture, even in our local libraries. I also found that it was difficult to find substantive articles relating to Jewish-American children's literature. This encouraged me to look further and in many other places. I now also feel that though the books have received an award, the merit of the book should still be reviewed and not revered simply because it has an award. The award criteria may not stand as the appropriateness of the book to be used in one's classroom.
Literature VS other Medias
So, recently, there have been several reality TV shows about dating and focusing on cultures. One of these shows is "Tila Tequila's Shot at Love." This show is about a bisexual celebrity looking for love and having competitions between straight men and lesbian women (as they state it). For some unknown reason, I tend to watch this show and every time I do I become more sickened by the sheer ignorance of many people. For example, on the first episode of the new season, one of the male competitors says that "all women crave the wang bone. Why else would they have dildos, vibrators, and things of that nature. I'm going to win because I come stocked with wang bone." I could not believe that someone would go on national television and say something like this. I found it offensive on the part of women and of the LGBTQ community but really didn't know what to do about it. I was more concerned with the youth that watch this channel throughout the day and what images and messages they receive from such shows.
Another appalling example of reality TV is contained within the show "My Big Fat Redneck Wedding." This basis of this show is to put on display the most stereotypical "redneck" families and couples there are in America. This show in no way flatters the couples. It shows them doing the most stereotypical actions, like making a camouflage wedding dress, and the way the footage of their dialog is cut, they sound very unintelligent. The host of the show even pauses the footage to make fun of these people. This show airs on the country music channel and as a fan of country music, I've often been asked if I am a redneck. I have rarely been able to answer that question and now with this show I wonder if they are trying to tell me to use this show as a role model if I do identify as a redneck. Sadly, I see how this show represents reality by ignorant people laughing at others' cultures, however, I desperately wonder how can this be turned positive.
I hope that literature in schools can combat this growing amount of disgustingly offensive reality TV. Is it possible though? If we teach our students about why such statements and moments should not happen through exploring diverse literature, will it change this realm of TV. Perhaps in the future? I fully believe that we can change the look of tomorrow by using diverse literature in schools and teaching students the importance of respectful diversity, but what can we do about the older generations that just don't seem to care as much?
Another appalling example of reality TV is contained within the show "My Big Fat Redneck Wedding." This basis of this show is to put on display the most stereotypical "redneck" families and couples there are in America. This show in no way flatters the couples. It shows them doing the most stereotypical actions, like making a camouflage wedding dress, and the way the footage of their dialog is cut, they sound very unintelligent. The host of the show even pauses the footage to make fun of these people. This show airs on the country music channel and as a fan of country music, I've often been asked if I am a redneck. I have rarely been able to answer that question and now with this show I wonder if they are trying to tell me to use this show as a role model if I do identify as a redneck. Sadly, I see how this show represents reality by ignorant people laughing at others' cultures, however, I desperately wonder how can this be turned positive.
I hope that literature in schools can combat this growing amount of disgustingly offensive reality TV. Is it possible though? If we teach our students about why such statements and moments should not happen through exploring diverse literature, will it change this realm of TV. Perhaps in the future? I fully believe that we can change the look of tomorrow by using diverse literature in schools and teaching students the importance of respectful diversity, but what can we do about the older generations that just don't seem to care as much?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Connections to Confessions of a Closet Catholic
Being able to read "Confessions of a Closet Catholic" helped to solidify my choice of a final project. I accidentally read this book out of order and over spring break. I was able to see both a window and a mirror through this book. Justine's confusion was so much like mine at that age, but it was in reverse. I was the Catholic girl wanting to know more about this "Jewish-thing" I had heard about. However, Justine's journey was a bit easier than mine. My hometown provided nothing for me to experience anything about the Jewish culture other than reading it in textbooks. There were some books in our public library that I read, but looking back from this class, I think that they were trickled with negative implications and stereotypes. I do not think they stayed with me so much, but they must have impacted me somehow. Since learning about Jewish culture was only a slight interest of mine at the time, it slowly faded to near black because of all the walls I hit trying to learn more. This desire to know more was rekindled once I came to MSU though. I feel that Justine's journey into self-discovery will continue throughout her lifetime as well.
Justine's relationship with her grandparents and their identities was one that I was easily able to relate to. My mother's parents are Catholic and thus raised my mother Catholic who in turn continued the religious tradition to her children. I was born and raised Catholic and tried to hide my curiosity of other religions from my grandparents especially because I did not want them to think I was disrespecting them. My Catholic affiliation actually allowed me to be a large part of my grandfather's funeral ceremony. Of his 20 odd grandchildren, only myself and one other cousin remained active members of his church and so we were asked to assist in the ceremony. In the last year or so, I found out my grandmother was not raised Catholic but converted. This surprised me as I had never thought about that possibility before. I tried to ask her why she did this and her answer was very vague but along the lines of it felt like the right thing to do in my heart. This to me is the real life example of Justine's journey. I also connected to the physical representations of identity, namely the necklaces in this story. I have a cross necklace that I wear often because my grandfather gave it to me and it not only connects me to my religion but to him, much like Bubbe's star did for Justine.
Thinking about these necklaces made me question how much of one's identity should be displayed and in what ways. There are always those comments about how much you can tell about a person by looking at their bathroom or something, but how true is it? How much does wearing a cross or a Star of David really indicate about a person? Perhaps that person just likes the way it looks on them and has no identifying stakes laid into it. I have not fully processed these ideas, but am interested to know what others think.
Justine's relationship with her grandparents and their identities was one that I was easily able to relate to. My mother's parents are Catholic and thus raised my mother Catholic who in turn continued the religious tradition to her children. I was born and raised Catholic and tried to hide my curiosity of other religions from my grandparents especially because I did not want them to think I was disrespecting them. My Catholic affiliation actually allowed me to be a large part of my grandfather's funeral ceremony. Of his 20 odd grandchildren, only myself and one other cousin remained active members of his church and so we were asked to assist in the ceremony. In the last year or so, I found out my grandmother was not raised Catholic but converted. This surprised me as I had never thought about that possibility before. I tried to ask her why she did this and her answer was very vague but along the lines of it felt like the right thing to do in my heart. This to me is the real life example of Justine's journey. I also connected to the physical representations of identity, namely the necklaces in this story. I have a cross necklace that I wear often because my grandfather gave it to me and it not only connects me to my religion but to him, much like Bubbe's star did for Justine.
Thinking about these necklaces made me question how much of one's identity should be displayed and in what ways. There are always those comments about how much you can tell about a person by looking at their bathroom or something, but how true is it? How much does wearing a cross or a Star of David really indicate about a person? Perhaps that person just likes the way it looks on them and has no identifying stakes laid into it. I have not fully processed these ideas, but am interested to know what others think.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Same Difference?
During our last class I began to think about a common phrase that is used quite often. This is "same difference." To me this statement seems completely contradictory. I believe it is actually an oxymoron, though I have never fully understood the purpose of these. I started to question how this phrase impacts thought processes when people are trying to categorize others. For example, in Project Mulberry, Mr. Dixon calls Julia Chinese though she is of Korean heritage. She goes on to mention how people often assume that she is either Japanese or Chinese as if those "are the only kinds of Asians anyone has ever heard of (140)." Her thoughts about why she thought someone like Mr. Dixon who was African American and had probably felt the effects of prejudice and racism would make such a careless mistake.
This moment in the book referred me back to a scene in a movie called "The Replacements" where this happens with adult football players in the lunch room. One player, an African-American, is commenting on the weight of a teammate that used to be a sumo-wrestler and calls him "Chinaman."
Player 2 responds: I'm Japanese, not Chinese.
Player 1: Same Difference
Player 2: What?
Player 1: It's the same difference man, all that woo-ka-chow (imitates Asian Languages).
Player 2: You do know that China and Japan are two different countries, right?
Their confrontation continues for a moment and starts to get physical, until a third and fourth player intervene and try to physically separate Players 1 and 2. Player 3 has an English accent, and Player 4 is the brother of Player 1. Player 3 gets the first two to calm down by reminding them that they are on the same team.
Player 4: The Mick's right, man. Chill out!
Player 3: I'm not a Mick! I'm bloody Welsh!
Player 4: What-ever man!
I shared this moment because I think it highlights the fact that such false assumptions can be made on numerous levels in regards to this idea of "same difference." The only sense I can make of this term is that it indicates that two things or people share something in common but have more pervasive differences but the viewer refuses to acknowledge the differences and lumps the two together. As we have seen and discussed, this is a very negative thing to do. It's harsh and makes the heritage of someone feel like it isn't important, as with Julia in project Mulberry.
I really appreciated her questioning of whether the intention of the assumption mattered or not. I think she is right, that not knowing and not bothering to ask is just as bad as voicing a deliberately hurtful negative assumption.
I wonder if this phrase "same-difference" should be one to pay careful attention to when we hear our students or friends saying it. Should this become one of the taboo phrases that should not be used when discussing others' identities? I am not sure, but I am trying to figure this out for myself. Please let me know your thoughts on this, as well as other phrases or words that stand out to you in a similar manner.
This moment in the book referred me back to a scene in a movie called "The Replacements" where this happens with adult football players in the lunch room. One player, an African-American, is commenting on the weight of a teammate that used to be a sumo-wrestler and calls him "Chinaman."
Player 2 responds: I'm Japanese, not Chinese.
Player 1: Same Difference
Player 2: What?
Player 1: It's the same difference man, all that woo-ka-chow (imitates Asian Languages).
Player 2: You do know that China and Japan are two different countries, right?
Their confrontation continues for a moment and starts to get physical, until a third and fourth player intervene and try to physically separate Players 1 and 2. Player 3 has an English accent, and Player 4 is the brother of Player 1. Player 3 gets the first two to calm down by reminding them that they are on the same team.
Player 4: The Mick's right, man. Chill out!
Player 3: I'm not a Mick! I'm bloody Welsh!
Player 4: What-ever man!
I shared this moment because I think it highlights the fact that such false assumptions can be made on numerous levels in regards to this idea of "same difference." The only sense I can make of this term is that it indicates that two things or people share something in common but have more pervasive differences but the viewer refuses to acknowledge the differences and lumps the two together. As we have seen and discussed, this is a very negative thing to do. It's harsh and makes the heritage of someone feel like it isn't important, as with Julia in project Mulberry.
I really appreciated her questioning of whether the intention of the assumption mattered or not. I think she is right, that not knowing and not bothering to ask is just as bad as voicing a deliberately hurtful negative assumption.
I wonder if this phrase "same-difference" should be one to pay careful attention to when we hear our students or friends saying it. Should this become one of the taboo phrases that should not be used when discussing others' identities? I am not sure, but I am trying to figure this out for myself. Please let me know your thoughts on this, as well as other phrases or words that stand out to you in a similar manner.
Monday, March 17, 2008
A Brief Philosophy
As a MSU student issues and ideas of diversity have been ever present both inside and outside the classrooms. Prior to attending this university, I had rarely given much in depth thought to diversity in the way it is discussed here. As a strong believer in the importance of an equal and fulfilling society for all, I feel the by discussing the issues, negative and positive, surrounding diversity will help me to help create this society. As a future teacher I believe in the power of literature and what better way to break the ice for discussion with students than to have them read about issues, directly or indirectly. Literature will be so fully entwined in my future classroom that students may not be able to distinguish when we are focusing on just the literature or when we are using it in other ways, hopefully. I also know that my class will be vastly diverse and including literature that appeals to and represents my students is important to me as I know it will be to them. However, after taking the TE 348, I realized that there is so much more to selecting a piece of quality literature for students to work with. When I heard about this course, I continued to think about how much I didn't know. I sort of asked myself: "Well, if you didn't realize how much was entailed before the 348 class, and now there is an entirely separate class dealing with diversity and multiculturalism, this probably means that you know even less and will benefit from TE 448." I came to this class to learn more about how to select and use appropriate children's literature. This meant learning more about my future students and about myself to do this. I believe that a diverse and compassionate person has a much higher chance of success in today's global society than anyone else. It is also immensely fulfilling to know one's own self and to know enough about others to be able to recognize and connect through similarities or appreciate and respect the differences. I want to help my students achieve such successes and the first door to them is through literature. In short, I believe that multicultural education is the best type there is and that it exists even if it is not blazingly obvious. This type of education needs to be enriched in diverse ways and considering that literature has a hold on practically every academic subject that exists currently, and those yet to be implemented, this seems like the most logical way to provide such enrichment. One of my biggest concerns for the future is that my students will not be as responsive to diverse literature and ideas as I am and I wonder how much of a challenge this will bring about in my teaching. Now that I have a greater aptitude to locate quality resources, or at least to look for them, I am interested to see how the literature of traditionally underrepresented groups changes and grows in time. I hope that it proceeds forwards and is never halted, and perhaps I can influence one of these future writers by showing them that they do exist in the literature and it is important to tell their story.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Does reclaiming a label work?
Recently I have heard a lot about different groups of people reclaiming words that have been used offensively towards them or tends to be considered derogative. I wonder whether or not this actually works.
I know that naming and labeling can be crucial when self-identifying, so how does saying that a group is “reclaiming” a term affect the group, those affiliated with the group, and anyone else that might not be directly affiliated? How does saying that a word is being reclaimed empower the person?
The first big reclamation of a label was during a writing class about women my freshmen year here. We read “The Vagina Monologues” and watched a portion of the HBO special in class. There was an entire monologue about reclaiming the word “cunt” as a positive term for females. Even though after learning the true origins and meaning of the word and trying very hard to share this with others, I personally still do not feel that the word “cunt” is positive. If I were to poll most of my classes this semester about whether or not they feel the term is positive in either describing the female reproductive organs or a female herself, I highly doubt any would say so.
Other reclamations of terms I have heard include the terms “queer” and “fag.” People within the LGBTA community have been attempting to reclaim these terms. However, I still do not feel comfortable using these terms. Why is that? Though I would be using the terms in the newly constructed positive way, how would I be viewed by others. I consider myself an outsider to this culture/group of people, so is it okay for me to use these terms rather than the terms “homosexual” or “gay.”
After we read the excerpts from Simi Linton's “Claiming Disability,” I thought more about the terms “handicap” and “disabled people.” Through all of my classes here at MSU I have been taught to use the people first method when using labels, but these excerpts totally changed my thoughts on this. I still feel that using people first is important, but reading these really reiterated my ideas of asking people what their individual preference is. Does a community of persons with disabilities reclaiming the label “disabled” actually affect them or the community or is it still all a personal identification?
Also, the word “invalid” surprised me when I read it in the article “ . I am sharing my own ignorance to the term right now. I had heard the word pronounced by never connected it to how it was spelled for some reason. It is rare that that happens with me, but it did. When I saw the word spelled out, I started to consider how many other words have implied meaning in the spellings but are pronounced slightly different in hopes maybe to distract from these implied meanings.
There are many terms and labels that I have not included in this, but I am sure I will be coming back to this idea again in the coming weeks. There were also many other ideas in the Linton readings that I will likely be referencing. The article was well written and provided a basis for numerous topics related to names and labels.
Mapping the Beat
This year I am part of a traveling children's theater group called Kinetic Energy that performs educational pieces that are based in the Michigan Curriculum Standards. The piece we are doing this year is called "Mapping the Beat: American History from 1776-1865 through music, geography, and social studies." I love being a part of this show and applaud what we are trying to do, but when this semester began and I started my American history class and my diversity in children's literature courses I started to question many elements of the show. The show is aimed at 5th -6th graders, although depending on which school we are at we actually perform for students ranging from pre-k through 7th grade (so far). The show relies heavily on audience participation. I am getting great practice dealing with incorrect answers from students even though every now and then they throw a new response out that we have not heard before.
One of the most prominent elements I have questions about is our portrayal of Native Americans. We did take precautions to use the most appropriate terminology for every group we discuss or mention in the show. There is a section of the show in which we discuss “typical” and “traditional” Native American things like clothing, living arrangements, and music. I now know more specifically that there is no such thing as “typical” to portray Native Americans in early America. Though many Tribes had similarities, and these increased when tribes were forced to ally and merge when Europeans took more and more land, there seem to be more defining differences than similarities.
The living arrangements we describe break the Native Americans into two categories. One is sedentary and the other is nomadic. The issues I have with this is that many tribes, I now know, were a mixture of these two types. The other issue I have is that we describe the nomadic tribes as moving in pursuit of buffalo herds. Though I think this is true, I think there were other reasons for nomadic nature.
Also, we play “traditional” Native American music. When I hear the music it is what I think of when I think of traditional Native American music but I wonder if I am correct. Our director selected all of the music and I wonder how much research he did into what he chose. I hope that we are not playing something that will offend the heritage of anyone in the audience, or elsewhere, or something that perpetuates a stereotype that I was unaware of.
We also present “typical” Native American clothing. This I know is not accurate at all. Our costume designer did not seem to research anything and went with her stereotypical notions of “Indian Dress.” Student from the audience wear these pieces. I fear that we may be offending someone by this portrayal. I wonder even more after seeing the effect of Chief Illini on the family in the film “In Whose Honor.” Even though our section about Native Americans is so brief, I question what its underlying impact might be on the students. We are trying to educate them and teach them new ideas, but are we simply reinforcing some stereotypes?
I am in a personal debate about this because I know that there is no way for our show to teach these students everything about these topics. We cover so many things in an hour, that I hope that their teachers will discuss the material further with students and bring out any questions or simplifications of our topics. I think that it is important to teach about these topics and I know that they should be initiated early in an educational career. I guess I wonder mostly if its okay to allow the students to dress in this manner since we are simply trying to shed light on the topic and not necessarily saying that all Native Americans were like this. Since we are presenting to elementary students, I question whether it is acceptable to present something in a stereotypical-ish manner even if there is no offense implied. I know that I feel that if someone is offended, even if it is unintentional that it is not okay. However, since this situation is a little different, I just don't know. I am not sure that I am making any sense with my question.
One thing I was pleased about when we were editing through this script was the removal of a pow-wow and war dance demonstration for the Native Americans. They were removed because we could not find a demonstration to learn and share specifically. However, after being in my children's diversity in literature class, I feel much better knowing that we did not attempt those dances because they could have been considered sacred and would could have strongly offended some people.
Another area that I question is our references to slaves and the slave trade. We added a line that defines what an abolitionist is, but we barely make note that abolitionists were fighting for something positive. We also ask the audience to look at a map and share where most slaves were being shipped from in Africa. We do not share that Africans were being kidnapped and sold all across the continent even though the departure points to the Americas were only in the western countries. I feel that this is important for people to know because this impacted the entire continent of Africa and not just a few countries. It completely changed all of the cultures there and the effects can still be seen and felt today there. I just don't know if the students need to learn everything all at once, or if I can leave it in the hands of them and their teachers to learn more about what we present to them.
Please don't get me wrong, like I said I think we are attempting to do great things with this theater program and have had a positive impact on our audiences. I just question more because I think it is my responsibility to do so. I wish that my entire diversity class could see the show and share feedback.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Autobiographical Poems
When the assignment for autobiographical poems was presented the first week, I was very interested but also a little nervous. I have been learning about myself in so many ways over the past few years and this is in part to classes like this one that force me to think alternatively. Well, alternatively in regards to my original thinking. I was not sure what to write, but I knew that I wanted to share all I knew about myself. I found it hard to narrow it down to what others might think are the most important aspects of myself. When I thought about it even more as I was writing, I reminded myself that it did not matter what someone else thought was important about me, but what I found important and telling about who I am that matters. I really enjoyed writing the poem and could have continued, but since I had a deadline, I had to stop. I truly enjoyed and felt privileged to hear my classmates' and instructor's poems. There were several surprising pieces of my classmates that I was unaware of.
After submitting my poem, I reflected on the process and what I was feeling as I wrote. As I wrote, I had to think about everything that I thought I was and even about what other people thought I was or was not. This poem was like a declaration of self. It was remarkably empowering. It helped me to think about what I wanted to share with others as well as areas where I could or want to improve or change.
One of the biggest obstacles I faced when writing this was which style to use. In another TE class, I was asked to write another autobiographical poem. However, this time the style was explicit. Thus, I was able to write a second poem that was actually completely different than my first one. I was much more impressed by my second poem than my first though. I did not post them in this blog because they are both 3 typed pages long, but if you are interested in reading them, message me and I will send them your way. My first poem presented my frustrations while my second one dug more into my past that has helped me to develop into who I am currently. I feel that both methods I have seen for structuring this assignment are useful. I think that if I were to use this with children, I would give an explicit style to work in, while allowing those that wanted to stray to do so as an extra part. I think that by having everyone complete the same style, everyone will be thinking similarly. Oh boy, now I'm not making any sense. I think I am trying to say that focusing on the same style will focus on the same aspects of each person but provide the opportunity to see the differences and similarities. For example, the first poem I wrote was the depiction of one side of a typical conversation. This focused on the questions I am asked all the time and some of the are just plain silly, but people ask them. The second poem was in the context of where I was from, and this I interpreted as childhood, as many of my classmates did based on the examples. Both of these poems expressed who I was, but in different ways and I think that is key for others. This writing helped me to feel empowered and as I have said I am not one that is typically thought of as underrepresented, although if you read my poems you will see that that is not necessarily true.
You might be asking yourself: What does all this have to do with our class themes? Well, I thought a great deal about my own diversity. I never really thought of myself in the "majority" standard when being labeled. But through our class discussions, I realized that I do fit in some places of that large category. I believe that the mixed feelings about self-exploration and positive feelings about expressing this written piece of myself that I had can be applicable to everyone. I thought about how to connect this assignment to other aspects of my life and how to use this to increase the multicultural understanding of others around me. I definitely fill the role of perpetual teacher and try to share everything I find value in and think is important to helping others develop, though sometimes it might not be appreciated. I believe that this assignment of writing and autobiographical poem would be beneficial for literally everyone to do. I believe that by writing about your own identity you start to think about that of others in relation to yourself. When you share these pieces you may be completely surprised and some of your unfounded assumptions may be erased and you will likely also find many commonalities that you never knew or even thought existed. I've actually sent both of these poems to some of my family members, particularly my stepfather, and have asked them to write their own. I hope to receive some interesting pieces. I will also be using this with several staffs that I am a part of in the Department of Residence Life, which will hopefully then be used on various floors across campus. Additionally, I feel that it is acceptable to explore children's literature written by children that is not published, such as in class work.
This connected when we read Bronx Masquerade. It was an amazing novel that explored the identities of several students through essentially autobiographical poems. Although the book was a work of fiction, each poem was well developed and different. If taken out of context, I think that many of those poems could have applied to the same person at different times in his or her life. This idea also indicates to me that writing a poem like this should be done more than once at different times.
After submitting my poem, I reflected on the process and what I was feeling as I wrote. As I wrote, I had to think about everything that I thought I was and even about what other people thought I was or was not. This poem was like a declaration of self. It was remarkably empowering. It helped me to think about what I wanted to share with others as well as areas where I could or want to improve or change.
One of the biggest obstacles I faced when writing this was which style to use. In another TE class, I was asked to write another autobiographical poem. However, this time the style was explicit. Thus, I was able to write a second poem that was actually completely different than my first one. I was much more impressed by my second poem than my first though. I did not post them in this blog because they are both 3 typed pages long, but if you are interested in reading them, message me and I will send them your way. My first poem presented my frustrations while my second one dug more into my past that has helped me to develop into who I am currently. I feel that both methods I have seen for structuring this assignment are useful. I think that if I were to use this with children, I would give an explicit style to work in, while allowing those that wanted to stray to do so as an extra part. I think that by having everyone complete the same style, everyone will be thinking similarly. Oh boy, now I'm not making any sense. I think I am trying to say that focusing on the same style will focus on the same aspects of each person but provide the opportunity to see the differences and similarities. For example, the first poem I wrote was the depiction of one side of a typical conversation. This focused on the questions I am asked all the time and some of the are just plain silly, but people ask them. The second poem was in the context of where I was from, and this I interpreted as childhood, as many of my classmates did based on the examples. Both of these poems expressed who I was, but in different ways and I think that is key for others. This writing helped me to feel empowered and as I have said I am not one that is typically thought of as underrepresented, although if you read my poems you will see that that is not necessarily true.
You might be asking yourself: What does all this have to do with our class themes? Well, I thought a great deal about my own diversity. I never really thought of myself in the "majority" standard when being labeled. But through our class discussions, I realized that I do fit in some places of that large category. I believe that the mixed feelings about self-exploration and positive feelings about expressing this written piece of myself that I had can be applicable to everyone. I thought about how to connect this assignment to other aspects of my life and how to use this to increase the multicultural understanding of others around me. I definitely fill the role of perpetual teacher and try to share everything I find value in and think is important to helping others develop, though sometimes it might not be appreciated. I believe that this assignment of writing and autobiographical poem would be beneficial for literally everyone to do. I believe that by writing about your own identity you start to think about that of others in relation to yourself. When you share these pieces you may be completely surprised and some of your unfounded assumptions may be erased and you will likely also find many commonalities that you never knew or even thought existed. I've actually sent both of these poems to some of my family members, particularly my stepfather, and have asked them to write their own. I hope to receive some interesting pieces. I will also be using this with several staffs that I am a part of in the Department of Residence Life, which will hopefully then be used on various floors across campus. Additionally, I feel that it is acceptable to explore children's literature written by children that is not published, such as in class work.
This connected when we read Bronx Masquerade. It was an amazing novel that explored the identities of several students through essentially autobiographical poems. Although the book was a work of fiction, each poem was well developed and different. If taken out of context, I think that many of those poems could have applied to the same person at different times in his or her life. This idea also indicates to me that writing a poem like this should be done more than once at different times.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The "insider vs outsider" debate
Prior to reading anything pertaining to this controversy, I had my own semi-uneducated (on the topic) opinion about the matter. I felt that regardless of whether or not a person defines him or herself as an insider or outsider to a culture, both could write quality, meaningful, and realistically authentic literature for children. I did not feel that the label of insider or outsider really defined the book. In other words, I do not think a piece of literature should be validated on the basis of the author claiming "insider" and those books by "outsiders" be disregarded. I think that writers from both categories can be quite flawed in their writing. The first example that pops into my mind is a book discussed in previous class readings and in class. This book is "Ten Little Rabbits" and is claimed to be written by someone with a deep, almost insider, experience to the Native American culture. With any sound knowledge of Native Americans, a reader of that text would find numerous flaws with its depictions. Writers from both categories can also write wonderful literature though.
Initially I feel that one should think that an "insider" should be more easily praised and found worthy to write, since by claiming insider-ship they have lived some of the experiences they intend to write about and thus, would be writing from their true lives. However, I do not believe that simply because someone is an insider they or their work should be placed to speak about an entire culture, especially if that is not the desired goal of the work.
I guess it actually depends on who places the label of insider and outsider on an author, why they do so, and how many other people agree with that label. I may not be able to fully explain my thoughts here, but I shall try, and I will continue to revise my ideas. If someone is labeled as an insider from a large group, particularly from the group being discussed, their work should likely hold more instantaneous credibility than someone labeled as outsider. However, I feel that overall both insiders and outsiders can write amazing work if they seek out the information they lack and present it truthfully, whether they are trying to write about an entire culture, one specific experience, or attempting to create a piece of writing that is universal in its experiences and content.
Through the readings this week and in the course, I feel that my ideas about this controversy are fairly sound, though could use some touching up and clarification in certain areas. I will attempt to address this in a future blog.
Initially I feel that one should think that an "insider" should be more easily praised and found worthy to write, since by claiming insider-ship they have lived some of the experiences they intend to write about and thus, would be writing from their true lives. However, I do not believe that simply because someone is an insider they or their work should be placed to speak about an entire culture, especially if that is not the desired goal of the work.
I guess it actually depends on who places the label of insider and outsider on an author, why they do so, and how many other people agree with that label. I may not be able to fully explain my thoughts here, but I shall try, and I will continue to revise my ideas. If someone is labeled as an insider from a large group, particularly from the group being discussed, their work should likely hold more instantaneous credibility than someone labeled as outsider. However, I feel that overall both insiders and outsiders can write amazing work if they seek out the information they lack and present it truthfully, whether they are trying to write about an entire culture, one specific experience, or attempting to create a piece of writing that is universal in its experiences and content.
Through the readings this week and in the course, I feel that my ideas about this controversy are fairly sound, though could use some touching up and clarification in certain areas. I will attempt to address this in a future blog.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Welcome to my Blog!
Hello! Welcome to my Blog! My name is Rashel, but a lot of people call me Munchkin. I am an undergraduate student at Michigan State University in the College of Education. This blog is a part of my professional development within the college of education and I will be posting here throughout the spring semester as a part of my Diversity in Children's Literature class. Please be aware that I am still a student and make no claims to be the "all-knowing" person on any subject. My posts here will be my thoughts and ideas that are bound to be modified as I continue to learn. Please learn along with me and add your thoughts to help broaden mine.
I am enrolled in this class because I see and feel the need for diverse, multicultural, and multi-ethnic literature in the realm of children's literature. I hope to be a great teacher one day and want to provide the very best education possible for my students. I hope that this class will help me to explore and understand what makes books considered diverse "good" or "not so good" as well as the best ways to incorporate this literature meaningfully into my classrooms. I believe that children need to be taught in a multicultural, or at the very least a multiculturally appreciative and sensitive, environment. All societies and people are interconnected so deeply today that it seems absolutely ridiculous to me to not have a rich and meaningful education in a diverse manner. Additionally, I know that I was raised in a somewhat homogeneous community. I want to become better informed about other communities and ways of life so that I do not unintentionally offend or deeply hurt someone else. As much as I would like to travel the world and use that experience to inform my knowledge of people that may be different from myself, I know that this is unlikely to be the best approach. I definitely see literature as a window into the lives and cultures of other people.
At the present moment I cannot think of many specific questions that I would like to explore in this course, but I am sure this will change over time.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my blogging!
I am enrolled in this class because I see and feel the need for diverse, multicultural, and multi-ethnic literature in the realm of children's literature. I hope to be a great teacher one day and want to provide the very best education possible for my students. I hope that this class will help me to explore and understand what makes books considered diverse "good" or "not so good" as well as the best ways to incorporate this literature meaningfully into my classrooms. I believe that children need to be taught in a multicultural, or at the very least a multiculturally appreciative and sensitive, environment. All societies and people are interconnected so deeply today that it seems absolutely ridiculous to me to not have a rich and meaningful education in a diverse manner. Additionally, I know that I was raised in a somewhat homogeneous community. I want to become better informed about other communities and ways of life so that I do not unintentionally offend or deeply hurt someone else. As much as I would like to travel the world and use that experience to inform my knowledge of people that may be different from myself, I know that this is unlikely to be the best approach. I definitely see literature as a window into the lives and cultures of other people.
At the present moment I cannot think of many specific questions that I would like to explore in this course, but I am sure this will change over time.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my blogging!
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