Kacy Perusina
Dr. Warner
Eng. 112B
11-30-05
Friendship:
An
Important Part of Young Adults� Lives
Friendship is something that is important to people of all ages. However, it is especially important for young adults. Adolescence is a time of growth and change as well as alienation and often rebellion. Many teenagers do not feel like their parents understand them. They are constantly being treated like children when they want to be treated like adults. In an attempt to establish independence many young adults try to distance themselves from their parents and other adult figures in their lives. They turn to their friends for support. Their friends listen to them without judging them and they understand and can relate to what they are going through. For many young adults their friendships are what they value the most.
This is my reasoning behind choosing a theme of friendship to teach to a high school English class (best for ninth grade but would also fit well in an American Literature course). Students can relate to stories of friendship and will therefore be more engaged in the curriculum and more likely to read the novels. This is a major problem for most teachers (especially middle and high school teachers) � trying to get the students interested. The �classic novels�, the books that are the most widely taught, do not successfully grab the attention of the average young adult. This does not mean that the �classics� need to be discarded. It means that teachers need to find a way to make them work, to get the students interested in them. The best way to do that is to pair the �classics� with young adult novels.
In this unit plan I have paired John Knowles� A Separate Peace (1961) with Chris Crutcher�s Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes (1993). The latter is a young adult novel about two high school outcasts who became friends because of their �deformities�: Sarah Byrnes� face and hands are covered in burn scars, and Eric �Moby� Calhoune is (was) fat. Since joining the school swim team Moby has lost weight and gained popularity. However, in his mind and heart he has stayed fat for Sarah Byrnes in order to hold onto her friendship. This mission of his gains importance when Moby finds out that Sarah Byrnes is in the psychiatric ward of the hospital because she has stopped talking completely. In A Separate Peace, Gene and Finny are best friends in prep school during World War II. �Finny is accomplished in the areas of sports and social interaction; he is a star athlete and a star trickster as well. Gene is nearly as good as Finny at sports and is in line to finish at the top of their class in academics.� (Alvine 165) Gene begins to feel competitive and even jealous of Finny�s athletic skills and achievements. These feelings lead to Finny�s fall from a tree that leaves him crippled. The novel is about their friendship, the ups and downs, how it affects each of them differently, and Gene�s ultimate search for forgiveness.
According to our text, Literature for Today�s Young Adults, A Separate Peace �was predicted to be a story that would be taught in high school English classes for generations, but interest in it has faded.� (Donelson 57) A good way to get students interested in this �classic novel� again would be to pair it with Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Start with Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes because it is a modern novel and the students will be able to relate to is better. Also, it is an easier read and the students will not have a hard time understanding the themes in it. Once they have read, discussed, and understand Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, they can easily make connections between the two novels as they read A Separate Peace and will therefore most likely enjoy A Separate Peace much more.
Launching the Unit
Before reading and discussing Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, consider using one or more of the following activities.
1.) Have your students do some journal entries on friendship. Either have them free write on friendship in general or have them answer questions. Some possible questions and topics:
1.) What does friendship mean to you?
2.) Write about a friendship, past or present, that was important to you. Why was it important? Why were you friends with that person?
3.) What makes someone a good friend?
4.) Write about your best friend.
Ask a few of the students to share what they wrote with the class. Encourage your students to continue the journal entries while reading the novel; either on their own or as a part of the unit. This can be tied back into Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes in chapter five when Moby talks about journaling and writing in general.
2.) Play one or two songs about friendship. You can either type up the lyrics and have the students read along as they listen, or you can play the music while they do their journaling. You can also have them write journal responses to the song lyrics. Sample songs include:
�I'll Be There For You� by The Rembrandts (Theme from �Friends�)
�Lean on Me� by Bill Withers
�With A Little Help From My Friends� by The Beatles (Theme from �The
Wonder Years�)
�You've Got a Friend� by Carole King
�You'll Be In My
Heart� by Phil Collins
�In My Life� by The Beatles
�Stand By Me� by Ben E. King
I have provided the lyrics for the first two songs in my list:
�I'll Be There For You�
by The Rembrandts, from the album �Just The Way It Is Baby�
So no one told you
life was gonna be this way
Your jobs a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,
or even your year
but..
I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
You're still in bed at ten
And work began at eight
You've burned your breakfast
So far... things are goin' great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these
Oh but she didn't tell you when the world has brought
You down to your knees that...
I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who knows
What it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with
Make it through all the rest with
Someone I'll always laugh with
Even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,
or even your year...
I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
'Cuz you're there for me too...
http://www.lyricskeeper.com/rembrandts-lyrics/224756-ill_be_there_for_you-lyrics.htm
�Lean on Me�
By Bill Withers, from the album �Still Bill�
Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me
So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Lean on me...
http://www.elyrics4u.com/l/lean_on_me_bill.htm
3.) Read and discuss the following poems and quotes about friendship. Provide the words on a transparency or handout and have the students respond to them in their journals. Afterward, assign to them for homework to find an example of friendship from the media (a song, poem, quote, book, short story, movie, or TV show episode, etc.) Have them bring it in and share it (read it out loud, show a clip, play a song, etc.) and explain it.
a.) Poems:
�FRIENDSHIP�
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
A ruddy drop of manly
blood
The surging sea outweighs;
The world uncertain comes and goes,
The lover rooted stays.
I fancied he was fled,
And, after many a year,
Glowed unexhausted kindliness
Like daily sunrise there.
My careful heart was free again-
O friend, my bosom said,
Through thee alone the sky is arched,
Through thee the rose is red,
All things through thee takes nobler form
And look beyond the earth,
The mill-round of our fate appears
A sun-path in thy worth.
Me too thy nobleness has taught
To master my despair;
The fountains of my hidden life
Are through thy friendship fair.
http://www.friendship.com.au/poetry/popular/pop3.html#one
�Love and
Friendship�
Emily Bront�
LOVE is like the wild rose-briar;
Friendship like the holly-tree.
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms,
But which will bloom most constantly?
The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again,
And who will call the wild-briar fair?
Then, scorn the silly rose-wreath now,
And deck thee with holly's sheen,
That, when December blights thy brow,
He still may leave thy garland green.
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/2000/b/ebronte51.html
�Everyone Needs
Someone�
Helen Steiner Rice
People need people
and friends need friends
And we all need love for a full life depends
Not on vast riches or great acclaim,
Not on success or on worldly fame,
But just in knowing that someone cares
And holds us close in their thoughts and prayers-
For only the knowledge that we're understood
Makes everyday living feel wonderfully good,
And we rob ourselves of life's greatest need
When we "lock up our hearts" and fail to heed
The outstretched hand reaching to find
A kindred spirit whose heart and mind
Are lonely and longing to somehow share
Our joys and sorrows and to make us aware
That life's completeness and richness depends
On the things we share with our loved ones and friends.
http://www.gagirl.com/friends/friends.html
b.) Quotes:
"The glory of friendship is
not the outstretched hand,
nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship;
it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when
he discovers that someone else believes in him
and is willing to trust him."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
http://www.gagirl.com/friends/friends.html
"My friends are my
estate."
- Emily Dickinson
http://www.friendship.com.au/quotes/quohis.html
"Walking with a friend in the
dark is better than walking alone in the light."
- Helen Keller
http://www.friendship.com.au/quotes/quohis.html
The
Novels
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a light novel and an easy read, so little discussion is needed. Students can be journaling as they read either as an in class activity or for homework.
1.) Here are some possible discussion/journal questions:
1.) Author Chris Crutcher dedicates this book "for all those who finally stand up for themselves." Which characters learn to stand up for themselves? What has to happen to get them there?
2.) Narrator Eric Calhoun ("Moby") seems to think of himself as Sarah's only real friend. But super loser Dale Thornton is the person she tells what really happened when she was burned. Why do you think she chooses Dale to confide in?
3.) Sarah Byrnes has spent a lifetime standing up for herself but it hasn't made her safe or happy. What additional lessons or skills does she pick up in the course of the book?
4.) After the abortion discussion in Contemporary American Thought class, Mark Brittain attempts to kill himself. Does the educational value of the class outweigh its risks-why or why not?
5.) Some readers find it confusing that the book skips back and forth between the narrator's middle school memories (such as publishing CRISPY PORK RINDS) and what's happening in the present time. Why do you think the author tells the story in this way-what does he gain?
6.) Why do you think the book ends with Carver, a Vietnam veteran, breaking the law to see that Sarah's dad is caught and punished?
7.) Moby's dad left the family before Moby was born and Sarah's mother runs out on her daughter not just once, but twice. Yet there are several strong adults-parents, a teacher, a minister-who help the kids and who have their respect. What qualities do you notice in the "good" adults? Do they seem realistic?
These discussion/journal questions are from: http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-stayingfat.html
2.) Play your students some of the music mentioned in the novel. Such as the Byrds, the Rolling Stones, Buddy Holly -- anything �recorded between the years 1956 and 1975� (Crutcher 32).
3.) In the novel, the �Christian Cruiser�, the car that Steve Ellerby drives, is a personification of Ellerby himself. Have your students make a poster of their version of the �Christian Cruiser.� What would their car look like? How would it personify them?
The novel, A Separate Peace might be harder for students to read and understand, so more discussion may be needed. Students can also continue to journal, and their journal entries could be used to start discussions.
1.) Here are some sample discussion/journal entries:
1.) Does
competition bring out the best or the worst in people? List some of the pros and cons of competition. Considering your
list, do you think competition is
healthy or unhealthy? How do you think
competitiveness affects a friendship between two teenagers?
2.) Describe Finny�s relationship with his teachers. What does the teachers� attitude toward Finny suggest about his personality?
3.) Gene believes blitzball is a perfect game for Finny. Explain how the game is played. How do the rules of the game and the skills needed to play it reflect Finny�s character? Describe the awards Finny has won. What record does he break? What do the awards and his refusal to make his accomplishment public suggest about him?
4.) How did Gene deal with his friendship with Finny after the accident? Would you have done anything differently? Why or why not?
5.) Contrast the mood at Devon during the summer session and fall session. What are al least three factors that might account for this change in mood?
6.) Why is it surprising that Elwin (Leper) Lepellier is the first Devon boy to enlist? In what ways is he different from the other boys who talk of enlisting? Would you enlist? Why or Why not?
7.) Do you think Brinker�s mock trial was a good idea? Why or why not?
8.) Do you blame Gene for Finny�s death? Why or why not?
These discussion/journal questions are from a study guide by The Glencoe Literature Library found at: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/separatepeace.html
2.) At the end of the novel Gene says, � . . . my war ended before I even put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there.� An essay in Time magazine about A Separate Peace states, �. . . one of the things the novelist seems to be saying is that the enemy Gene killed, and loved, is the one every man must kill: his own youth, the innocence that burns too hotly to be endured.� Have the students think about these quotations then answer the following questions:
1.) Do you believe that the writer of the essay and Gene are referring to the same enemy � innocence? Why or why not?
2.) Do you believe every person must leave his or her innocence behind in order to mature? Why or why not?
3.) What is an example of Gene�s innocence early in the novel?
4.) Does Gene �kill� his innocence? Explain.
5.) Does Finny lose his innocence? Explain.
These discussion/journal questions (as well as the prompt and quotes) are from a study guide by The Glencoe Literature Library found at: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/separatepeace.html
3.) Show students the movie version of A Separate Peace or just clips of it, either as they read or after. There are two movie versions, one filmed in 1972 and one filmed in 2004 that was made for TV. The 2004 version might appeal to students more than the 1972 version.
Young
Adult Literature Selections
The Moves Make The Man by Bruce Brooks: Jerome Foxworthy, who prides himself on his dedication to academics and to basketball, has recently transferred to an all-white school where he has difficulty fitting in. The �Jayfox� is teaching his strange new friend, Bix, how to play basketball until the lesson on �faking� brings up bad memories for Bix of having been tricked. Jerome teaches Bix about basketball; Bix teaches Jerome about life. (Alvine 169)
Princess Ashley by Richard Peck: Chelsey has a lot to deal with: a new school, a guidance counselor for a mom, and a burning desire to be just like Ashley, who is everything Chelsey could hope to be. During her high school years, Chelsey discovers much about her mother, herself, and the nature of true friendship. (Alvine 170)
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson: Although Louise and Caroline are twins, they could not be more different. Living in 1940s on a small Atlantic coastal island, Louise finds herself at odds with her family and the social expectations of her times. In order to discover her own path in life, Louise must overcome her jealousy of her beautiful and talented sister. (Alvine 171)
All Together Now by Sue Ellen Bridgers: Casey thinks the summer at her grandparent�s home will be the most boring ever, until she meets Dwayne, an adult with the mental capabilities of a child. Because she want to be his friend, even though she knows he hates girls, Casey lets him think she is a boy. Her struggle to keep secret and her new position within the family ass interest to her summer. (Alvine 172)
The Pigman by Paul Zindel: For
sophomores John and Lorraine, the world feels meaningless; nothing is
important. They certainly can never
please their parents, and school is a chore. To pass the time, they play pranks
on unsuspecting people. It's during one of these pranks that they meet the
"Pigman"--a fat, balding old man with a zany smile plastered on his
face. In spite of themselves, John and Lorraine soon find that they're caught
up in Mr. Pignati's zest for life. In fact, they become so involved that they
begin to destroy the only corner of the world that's ever mattered to them.
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553263218/002-5566309-0755264?v=glance&n=283155)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares: This book is a coming-of-age story in four parts. Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen have been �best friends� ever since their mothers took the same aerobics class for pregnant women. By the time the mothers began drifting apart, the girls were old enough to maintain their own close friendships, and the book opens with their getting ready for the first summer they will be apart. (Donelson 139)
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick: Max--an oversized, learning disabled, middle school student-- becomes Freak the Mighty when he befriends an extremely small, yet highly intelligent, boy named Kevin (a.k.a. Freak) who has a physical disability called Morquio's Syndrome. The story is filled with humor, action, and drama, but more importantly, filled with important life lessons. (http://www.moraga.k12.ca.us/JM/Teacher/Forster/Projects/Mighty/indexFreak.html)
Any book from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Concluding
Activities
By the end of this unit students should have a clear understanding of both novels. They should also have gained helpful insights into their own lives and friendships. One possible concluding activity could be to have students write a paper about the differences and similarities between A Separate Peace and Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Another possibilities would be to have students do a project on what they have learned about friendship and present it to the class. They can use their journal entries as well as references from the texts. They can also talk about their best friend, or a friend that has had a significant impact on their life, and they can invite that friend to come to class to watch their presentation. The point of either activity is to help students put together what they have learned from this unit and to look inside of themselves, not just inside the novels.
Works
Cited
Alvine, Lynne and Devon Duffy. �Friendships and Tensions in A Separate Peace and Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes.� Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the Classics, Volume 2. Ed. Joan F. Kaywell. Norwood, MA.: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1995. 163-174
Amazon.com. Book information page for The Pigman. November, 23, 2005
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553263218/002-5566309-0755264?v=glance&n=283155
Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. New York: Delacorte Press, 2001
Bridgers, Sue Ellen. All Together Now. New York: Bantam, 1990
Bronte, Emily. �Love and Friendship.� Poet�s Corner. November 21, 2005
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/2000/b/ebronte51.html
Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make The Man. New York: Harper & Row, 1984
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York: Harper Tempest, 2003
Donelson, Kenneth L. and Aileen Pace Nilsen. Literature for Today�s Young Adults. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2005
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. �Friendship.� Popular Friendship Poems from The Friendship Page. November 23, 2005
http://www.friendship.com.au/poetry/popular/pop3.html#one
Forster, Patti. Home Page � Lesson Plans. May 2002. November 23, 2005
http://www.moraga.k12.ca.us/JM/Teacher/Forster/Projects/Mighty/indexFreak.html
Glencoe Literature Library. Glencoe Online: Literature � A Separate Peace. November 1, 2005.
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/separatepeace.html
Kaywell, Joan F. Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the Classics, Volume 1. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc., 1993
Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. New York: Macmillan, 1959
Multnomah County Library website. Discussion Guide for Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. November 21, 2005
http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-stayingfat.html
Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved. New York: Avon Flare, 1981
Peck, Richard. Princess Ashley. New York: Delacorte Press, 1987
Philbrick, Rodman. Freak the Mighty. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1993
Rembrandts, The. �I�ll Be There For You.� East/West Records. 1995. LyricsKeeper.com. November 1, 2005
http://www.lyricskeeper.com/rembrandts-lyrics/224756-ill_be_there_for_you-lyrics.htm
Rice, Helen Steiner. �Everyone Needs Someone.� Georgia Girl�s Friendship Poems and Quotes. November 23, 2005
http://www.gagirl.com/friends/friends.html
Friendship Quotes: Famous and Historic from The Friendship Page. November 23, 2005
http://www.friendship.com.au/quotes/quohis.html
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1997 - Present
Withers, Bill. �Lean On Me.� Raven. 1971. elyrics4u.com. November 1, 2005
http://www.elyrics4u.com/l/lean_on_me_bill.htm
Zindel, Paul. The Pigman. New York: Bantam, 1983