1. Gaines, E. J. (1983). A Gathering of
Old Men. New York: Knopf.
This novel set in Louisiana in the
1970s addresses the importance of community and problems of racial
discrimination. A woman discovers a dead white man who has been shot
in the yard of a black man named Mathu. Predicting a storm of
outrage, she gathers many of the black men to help defend Mathu. Each
of them claims to have been the one who killed the white man. The
sheriff tries to find a solution that would minimize the ensuing
conflict with the white Cajuns.
The novel shows how deeply ingrained
racial discrimination can be, and would fit into a unit focusing on
racial differences or specifically African-American literature. As
most of the writing is dialogue and it has fairly short chapters,
this novel would be more accessible to less proficient readers. It
would be ideal for reading aloud, and perhaps some acting.
2. Forster, E. M. (1952).
A Passage to India. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co.
The action of this novel takes place in India in the 1920s. The protagonists pursue friendship across cultural barriers. The British protagonists also seek to form an understanding of India. Yet cultural differences complicate both these aims. One crucial misunderstanding leads to a trial which forces into the open the undercurrent of tensions and preconceived notions present at the time. Through the trial and its aftermath, the friendships that had been formed are broken. When two of the protagonists meet years later, they understand each other better but also recognize the difficulty inherent in friendship across cultures.
E. M. Forster is one of the most important British novelists of the 20
th century, and as such this novel would be a suitable addition to any study of British literature. As colonialism is a major concern of the book, it would also fit into a study about colonialism or any study about different cultures. The text explores many questions that are vital to a cross-cultural understanding, such as how misunderstandings happen, what is the nature of truth, and how do we approach truth. Discussions about how these questions are considered within the novel should draw out similar personal experiences of the students, and how one can respond to difficulties in communication.
3. Persepolis.
Dir. Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parronaud. The Kennedy/Marshall
Company, 2007. DVD.
This is
originally a graphic novel that was adapted into an animated film. It
is an autobiographical account of the author's life growing up
Tehran, Iran in the late 70s and 80s. Through a child's eyes the film
portrays the political struggles of this era, such as the Iranian
revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Marjane, the child, and her family
participate in acts that are illegal under the new Islamic
fundamentalist regime, such as drinking alcohol and listening to
Western music. As she grows older, Marjane becomes more outspoken in
her resistance to the government, so her parents send her to Vienna.
During these high school years she experiences prejudice against her
nationality and thus lies about it. She returns to Iran eventually
and resolves to stay true to her identity. However, Iran continues to
stifle her, so after a couple of years she goes into exile again.
So many social issues are presented in
this film that it can be incorporated into a variety of topic
studies, including identity, racial discrimination, religion, and
politics. Furthermore, the sections are fairly episodic, so in the
classroom I can show any part of the film with only a little
background information. The animation is lively and imaginative, so I
think it will appeal to most students. Discussing the choices of
Marjane and envisioning how her story might play out in America would
benefit the students I think.
4. Potok,
Chaim. My
Name Is Asher Lev. New
York: Knopf. 1972. Print.
Asher Lev is a Hassidic Jew who grows
up in New York City. He wants to be an artist, but this aim goes
contrary to his father's expectations for him. His mother is torn
between the will of her husband and her son. Furthermore, because the
tradition of Western art is so haunted by Christianity, there are
certain barriers that the surrounding Jewish culture erects which
prevent Asher from becoming a full artist. This novel shows Asher
Lev's search for an identity that can reconcile his calling as an
artist with his Jewishness.
I think the students would relate to
this novel because many teenagers feel misunderstood by and at odds
with their parents, just like Asher. This novel would elicit
discussion about themes such as identity, cultural conflict, and
family conflict.
5. Lambert,
Mary, and Macklemore. "Same Love." By Macklemore and Ryan
Lewis. The
Heist.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis LLC, 2012. CD.
This is a hip hop song which presents
some of the difficulties that homosexuals face and also mentions some
stereotypes. It expresses dismay about the casual way that society
uses some words (such as “gay”) and it attacks the organizations
that hate homosexuality. The artist calls for progress and a change
of heart because it's all the “same love.”
The song addresses the topics of
stereotypes, religion, and identity. The main issue presented in this
song will certainly be immediate to students of this day. I foresee
that it will be difficult to generate two-sided discussion around
this, as in my experience youth tend to be in full agreement with the
sentiments expressed in this song. But I think focusing on more
subtle ideas might elicit more debate, such as “Can stereotypes be
true and how often if so? What other words do we use without thinking
of the consequences?” The responses can then be linked to the main
subject of the song.
6. Browning,
Robert. "My Last Duchess." Browning's
Complete Poetical Works.
Cambridge: Riverside, 1895. 252. Print.
In “My Last Duchess”, the speaker
discusses the painting of his most late wife. He complains about how
she was “too soon made glad”. He finds her reverence toward him
insufficient and thus commands her to stop smiling. At the end we
learn that he is pursuing marriage with the daughter of the
listener's master. He also proudly displays another piece of art in a
similar fashion to the painting of his late wife, suggesting that
they have equal value and that wives to him are something of an item
to be collected.
This is the first text that truly
showed me how much implicit information can be found in a poem. It,
along with some other poems by Browning, demand a critical reading.
One can't take what the speakers in the poems say at face value.
Browning is a very important British poet of the 19th
century and thus would fit in with any study of British literature.
It would serve as a good introduction to a poetry study, because it
would demonstrate clearly how the students need to look for implied
information.
7. Keyes,
Daniel. Flowers
for Algernon,.
New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966. Print.
This
relatively short novel tells the story of Charlie, a mentally
disabled man. Charlie volunteers for an experiment to artificially
improve his intelligence. The experiment is successful to some
extent, and Charlie's life changes from his intelligence. He becomes
aware of how it feels to be smarter than someone else. His new
intelligence causes him problems with the people in his life.
Eventually his intelligence deteriorates and he returns to his former
condition.
As
the entire book is written in journal format, this is not a typical
novel. Furthermore, surely everyone has wished to become more
intelligent, so this novel is appealing in that it explores the
possibility of this wish. Seeing the world through the eyes of a
mentally disabled person should be enlightening for the students and
give them more sympathy and understanding. As Charlie's identity
seems to change, this would be an appropriate text for studying
identity.
8. Wilder,
Thornton. Our
Town.
New York: Avon, 1975. Print.
This is a rather unique play which
takes place in a small, ordinary town in Massachusetts. In the first
act we see the everyday lives of the inhabitants. The stage manager
who directs play even while participating in it emphasizes the lack
of distinction about this town. In the second act, three years later,
we see that despite the time progression very little has changed in
the town. Two of the characters are going to get married and are
intimidated by the change, feeling unprepared. They go through it
anyway almost as if it is a fate that they cannot escape. In the
third act we see the funeral of the bride taking place nine years
later. The recently dead Emily goes back in time to see her twelfth
birthday and bemoans how she has squandered the precious time she had
while living.
This play uses a lot of simple
language, everyday events, a fairly simple plot, and asks questions
in a straightforward manner. As such, it is an ideal text for the
English language learner because it requires thinking about
literature without an overwhelming language hurdle. Furthermore, it
can easily be acted out in the classroom because it requires no props
and little preparation. Doing so would enhance the English language
learner's ability to understand it. The play handles the themes of
maturity, love, and time, all of which are frequently found in
literature and are thus relevant to its study.
9. Welty,
Eudora. "Livvie." The
Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New
York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. 228-39. Print.
Livvie is a young black girl who is
married and taken away from her home by a much older man named
Solomon. Solomon is very strict and does not allow Livvie to do many
things, including leave the property. One day while Solomon is
sleeping a saleswoman comes to sell cosmetics and entrances Livvie
with some purple lipstick. She can't buy the lipstick though because
she has no money, so the saleswoman leaves. Livvie goes out for a
walk and meets an attractive young man named Cash. She has a feeling
that Solomon will die so she runs back to the house and finds him
still sleeping. Cash follows her back and then Solomon opens his
eyes. He says that Livvie has been hoping for Cash to take her away,
and then dies.
One of the central themes of this
story is that of confinement, the lack of freedom that Livvie feels.
Many students should be able to relate because they might feel that
their parents or teachers are restricting them like Solomon does to
Livvie. Like many of Eudora Welty's works, “Livvie” contains a
rich repository of symbols and deeper meaning. It would be an
excellent text to use to learn about symbolism.
10.
Frank, Anne, Otto Frank, Mirjam Pressler, and Susan Massotty. The
Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition.
New York: Doubleday, 1995. Print.
This well known autobiographical
account tells the story of a teenage Jewish girl living in the
Netherlands during the second world war. It begins as an ordinary
diary of a girl that age talking about her classmates and a boy that
she meets. However, the entries soon change dramatically when her
father decides that the family should go into hiding. The Frank
family goes to live with another family in part of the warehouse
where her father used to work. Their lives are quite different as
they cannot allow anyone to suspect that this part of the building is
occupied. The diary ranges from describing their daily activities and
quarrels to later focusing more on struggles with human nature and
the character of the author.
The age of the author is close to that
of the students and so they should be able to relate with her coming
of age, butting heads with adults, and loneliness. Like many
teenagers Anne grapples with issues of identity, but she is also
keenly aware of social injustice, specifically discrimination, both
of which are valid topics for studies of literature. The book is
intensely historical as well, so it would fit into the study of
literature around that time period. I hope to use the book to inspire
my students to write journals or diaries considering issues that are
relevant to them, just as Anne Frank did.
