Nancy Dunne
Engl. 112B
November 30, 2005

Zoot Suit - A Perfect Fit For A Unit Plan

The goal of this Unit Plan is to bring literature to life. For many young people a reading assignment is a boring chore, turning page after page of words, words, words. They see words which lie flat and one dimensional on the pages and which have nothing to do with life once the book is closed and put on the shelf to gather dust. How can we present written works so that they excite the imaginations of the readers, so the characters become real living people in the readers' minds, so the words do not rest dead on the page? Drama is the form of literature expressly written to be brought to life. Each line of dialogue is written to be spoken aloud; each gesture, facial expression and movement is designed to be enacted before witnesses. For this reason, I have chosen a drama as the core work of this Unit Plan.
Zoot Suit, a drama written in 1978 by Luis Valdez, (a graduate of San Jose State) is based on actual events surrounding the arrest and trial of Hispanic gang members for a murder in Los Angeles in 1942 and the riots which followed their convictions. Issues of gang life and the way police and justice systems treat minorities are still very much a part of young adults' milieu today. Gang problems arise in schools, and choosing the gang lifestyle is exciting to many young people.

Zoot Suit is comprised of many levels with much that young readers today can relate to. The drama explores family relationships between parents and their children growing into adulthood, between siblings, between genders and generations. The social issues facing the young people in Zoot Suit include peer pressure, cultural conflicts, the oppressive justice and penal systems, tragic results of gang violence, and the power of the media to sway public opinion. Young men and women also face the choice of joining the military to fight for their country, although they may not be afforded all the rights that they are asked to fight and die for.

Finally, Zoot Suit has a most distinctive conclusion. The final lines offer three possible outcomes for Henry Reyna, the hero of the drama. The class can consider and each student make his/her own decision about which choice they feel Henry makes.

Young adulthood is a time for making many choices, and studying, performing and exploring Zoot Suit is a way to open up the dialogue with young people about life choices and their consequences. Because of the depth of issues within this play, there are numerous books, poems and other dramas which can be used in conjunction with it to enlarge on these themes. The final concept of making a choice about life is the issue I felt most strongly about, and which is what I chose for the core of this Unit Plan.

The opening setting of Zoot Suit depicts "The giant facsimile of a newspaper front page...as a drop curtain. The huge masthead reads: ZOOT-SUITER HORDES INVADE LOS ANGELES. US NAVY AND MARINES ARE CALLED IN" (Valdez, Zoot Suit. 24) and from behind it the play's narrator, The Pachuco, slices the paper open with a switchblade knife, and steps through. To launch this Unit, and bring Zoot Suit to today's world is as simple as presenting a current newspaper.

The San Jose Mercury News is now following the trial of the narcotics agent who shot and killed an innocent Hispanic man who was running from him. What will the jury decide in this case? What will their choice be? Will they determine that the officer is innocent and shot in "self defense" or judge him guilty of manslaughter? The papers are also filled with accounts of the gang killings in San Francisco and Richmond. In almost any city in America we can find something in the news which would relate to the issues in Zoot Suit, so the launching pad for this Unit is that phrase from current television dramas "ripped from the headlines" followed by a relevant news copy, and then lead into the play.

Students can be assigned to bring news clippings to class showing both positive and negative examples of current events and the consequences of choices made. They can present the same story told from opposing viewpoints and examples of an inconsequential event turned into a headline by the press.

The play is about 70 pages in length, and if possible students can pre-read it to obtain some familiarity with the characters and the action. The Pachuco, who introduces the play, fills the role of the Chorus, which originated in ancient Greek drama. A discussion about the structure of this play is helpful and informative, particularly relating to the history of drama as we know it in our present culture. This can be done by explaining that the Chorus has evolved into the current notes on screen which tell the background of the story and which students will recognize from films such as the Star Wars which opens with: "Long, long ago in a distant galaxy far away . . ." ( 11242005>http://www.starwars.com/episode-iv/bts/publishing> 11242005) and how the Chorus also serves as the voice of the protagonist's inner thoughts. The class can list examples of the Chorus in present day television shows and films.

Reading Zoot Suit aloud as a class participatory activity is especially exciting. There are about 34 parts, although some of them are very brief, and the longer parts can be shared among students. Much of the dialogue is in Spanish. Here in the Santa Clara County schools it would be most unusual to have a classroom without a Spanish speaker to translate that dialogue. This presents an opportunity for a student who may otherwise be reluctant to volunteer to take a speaking part to become an active participant in the oral presentation.

The Pachuco style of clothing, with its excess of fabric used in the long baggy jackets and pants was a statement of protest against the form fitting clothes used due to fabric rationing during World War II. This could open a discussion of "protest styles of clothing" and that this dress style is also the precursor of the current droopy pants and long chains which today signify "gangsta style" clothes. At this time there could be an in-class discussion of possible benefits and consequences of choosing to wear gang attire.

Zoot Suit describes, but does not glamorize, the gangs and the rivalry which exists between Henry's 38th Street Gang and the Downey Street Gang and is not unlike the current Sureno and Norteno rivalry. When the police come to make arrests for the Sleepy Lagoon murder, they do not distinguish between the rivals, but take them all in.
Depending on the grade level and maturity of the class some additional reading about gangs and gang life can be assigned or offered for extra credit. Several novels which discuss life choices to be made are Gary Soto's Buried Onions, in which a young Hispanic man tries to break away from the gang life, but the "poverty, crime and unfulfilled dreams" (Harper Children's catalog http://www.harperchildrens.com/catalog/book10282005) make it a struggle for him. Jess Mowry's novel, Way Past Cool, tells the story of teenaged Blacks in Oakland who struggle with a rival gangs and is "ultimately hopeful" and "a testament to the renewing power of love." (Barnes & Noble http://barnesandnoble.com/booksearch10282005). For mature readers in the upper grades there is James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk. This book frankly depicts the harsh realities of racism and street life, and contains sexual scenes which while "not appropriate for a younger audience, ... do not cheapen sexuality in any way." (McPhillips, Kara. http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jkb3y/project/ifbeale.htm 10282005). A written review as well as oral presentation to the class can be a way that students can share their feelings about the books with the rest of the group.

The action in Zoot Suit gets underway when the protagonist, Henry Reyna, is among the gang members arrested and interrogated for murder just as Henry is about to join the Navy and fight in World War II. The Pachuco asks him why he wants to go and fight for his country, "Because this ain't your country. Look what's happening all around you....the mayor of LA has declared all-out war on Chicanos. On you! Te Curas?" (Valdez 30).

To compliment this element of the play, reading of Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers relates the life of a seventeen year old young Black man who volunteers for the military during the Vietnam war, hoping it will enable him to gain skills so he can return home, go to college, and improve his life's opportunities. The outcome is his maturation in a manner he did not expect. ( http://www.galileo.org/schools/strathmore/english/english_33/index.html 10282005). To enlarge on this theme, having the class discuss both positive and negative aspects of a military career can be done by using the philosophical chairs model.

The police interrogation and the trial of Henry and his fellow gang members shows the preconception of guilt before the trial even begins. Their lawyer objects: "The District Attorney has absolutely forbidden the Sheriff's Office to permit these boys to have clean clothes or haircuts. Now, it's been three months . . ." The Judge denies the request stating that they defendants should be left in their dirty clothes "for purposes of identification." (Valdez 53).

The novel Black and White by Paul Volponi is a good companion piece to read as it describes two high school basketball stars, one Black and one White, who become involved in robberies and how each is treated when caught. The story is told "in their two voices" (http://www.galileo.org/schools/strathmore/english/english_33/index.html) and shows the realities of the urban criminal justice system. For younger readers The Trial by Jen Bryant recounts the Lindbergh kidnapping trial in which Bruno Hauptmann, a German immigrant, was convicted and later executed. This story is told in a series of poems written in the voice of a 12-year-old girl.

(Junior Library Guild 11222005).

Without any deliberation, the Zoot Suit jury reaches guilty verdicts and Henry and the gang are sent to prison. An interesting class assignment about choices to be made by jurors can be taken from You Be The Juror by Nathan Aaseng. As a class exercise, they can form juries and deliberate verdicts from the facts which Aaseng outlines and which are taken from actual famous trials, including the Lindbergh case.

To accompany this theme, Audre Lorde's poem "Power" (Attachment A) evokes the gut reaction of a minority to an unjust verdict such as this one against Henry and his gang.. This poem describes her feelings upon learning of the exoneration of a White officer who fatally shot a Black youth in the back. The actual events of the Zoot Suit riots, as described in the newspaper headline which opens the play, were the result of the community's reaction to the guilty verdicts. A brief historical recap of the Watts riots and the Rodney King riots could also be included at this point. This discussion of inequalities in the justice system poses the question of why young people choose to join gangs, when they know the penalties will be harsher for them? Some challenging essay questions might be: If they knew a card game was stacked against them would they play? Why do so many make the gang choice? What would be a better decision for young people who feel marginalized?

After Henry and the other men spend months in prison the verdicts are reversed on appeal, and all are released to resume their lives. The effect of the prison experience, however, and the effect it has on their families, is irreversible.

At the conclusion of Zoot Suit Henry Reyna sees a situation in which he again wants to confront the law but his father, Enrique, intervenes to deter him from this. Henry tells him: "Get out of my way, jefe!" and Enrique demands: "You will stay here!" Valdez tells us that Henry pauses and then embraces his father "to keep the family bond intact"(Valdez 93). As for Henry's future actions, however, Valdez offers three options: 1) He goes back to a life of crime, to prison, and early death. 2) He joins the military, becomes a hero, dies in action, and posthumously receives the Congressional Medal of Honor. 3) He marries Della and has a stable family life with five children, three of whom are university graduates.

What did Henry decide to do? Which path did he choose? This ending provides an opportunity for the entire class to decide which is the most likely conclusion based on what we know from the play. They can do a written assignment to explain their reasons for the conclusion they choose or write Henry a letter giving advice on what would be his best decision.

No drama in the English language can escape the long shadow from Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shakespeare as written an account of another conflict between fathers and sons named Henry. The English language of Shakespeare's time can be a forbidding barrier to the enjoyment of his plays for many adults as well as young people. In the attempt to excite a classroom about the story of King Henry IV and his wild son, Prince Hal, I created a Plot Game for King Henry IV Part 2 (Attachment B) and presented it to Middle School students. An explanation of some terms, such as "costermonger" being a junk dealer, and "bearherd" a type of zookeeper, can help the students with the meaning of the scene. I asked for a volunteer to draw scenes for a graphic novel or play sets using the action in Act 4 Scene 3, but basing it on the clothing style of Zoot Suit or contemporary gang clothing. If a crown was not suitable, he/she could choose another object of high value or status for the son to take. The results were spectacular. Nine students used their imaginative skills and drew detailed and creative scenes of Prince Hal and Henry IV. (Attachment C)

The final lines of Shakespeare's play leave no doubt about Prince Hal's choice, and open the door for a discussion about his further heroics recounted in Henry V. A class session on Shakespearean drama can tie in the Pachuco/Chorus character with Rumor, who represents the Chorus in Henry IV Part 2. Because Shakespeare wrote primarily to sell tickets to the theatre, he wrote plays with sequels, similar to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and many current films. As an epilogue to Henry IV Part 2 Shakespeare included the promise of a forthcoming play about the popular, dissipated, fat knight, Falstaff. That fat knight is equally popular in 2005, and a reading, or plot game of the Merry Wives of Windsor could accompany this Unit as a light hearted treat at its conclusion.

For the class to view these dramas as brought to life by professionals, a video version of Zoot Suit is available starring Edward James Olmos as the Pachuco; to see the outcome of Prince Hal's choice to turn his back on gang life, Kenneth Branagh's version of Henry V on video has some exciting action sequences to accompany the verbal drama. Having students act out scenes from the plays themselves, however, and drawing their own sets, creating their individual concept of the characters, and participating by personally speaking that written text out loud are far more powerful tools to awaken a young person to the richness and possibilities which literature contains.

Western literature, as we know it today, has its roots in oral histories, and drama evolved from that spoken tradition long before it took on the written form. Just as drama sparked people's interest and brought written literature into being, it can still excite and capture the imaginations of students today. A Unit Plan using Zoot Suit as its centerpiece can create just that spark.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful for the assistance of librarians, co-workers and students in helping me to prepare this Unit Plan.

Works Cited

Aaseng, Nathan. You Are The Juror. Minneapolis: Oliver Press, 1997.

Baldwin, James. If Beale Street Could Talk. London: Michael Joseph, 1974.

Bryant, Jen. The Trial. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.

Lorde, Audre. "Power." The Black Unicorn: Poems. New York: Norton, 1978.

Mowry, Jess. Way Past Cool. New York: Harper Collins, 1993.

Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels. New York: Scholastic, 1988.

Shakespeare, William. Henry IV Part 2. New York: Washington Square, 1999.

Soto, Gary. Buried Onions. New York: Trophy Harper Children's. 1999.

Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit And Other Plays. Houston: Arte Publico, 1992.

Volponi, Paul. Black and White. New York: Viking Children's, 2005.