Janet Tinoco
English 112B
Dr. Mary Warner
Poetry/Drama/Humor
28 November 2007
The Importance of "The Outsider" in Teen Literature
Why I chose this genre/center piece work:
Every century brings changes. From the results of the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to the results of the 1965 Vietnam War. Each century has an impact on society, as a result many books usually reflect what society has experienced. Yet, a theme that remains constant during any historical event is that of "the outsider." This is the character who feels ostracized either by friends, family, school, society, or all of the above. It does not matter whether a new steam engine is being introduced or if anti-war demonstrations are in occurrence because in any instance, the outsider can be found.
At one point each individual comes to find himself to be the person on the opposite side of the window looking in to a reality of acceptance among society, which he does not have. Whether it lasts years, months, weeks, or days, the feelings that come with walking in isolation have a major impact on that person. A result of being treated like a disease by society are the feelings of hopelessness, depression, and at times rage. Hence, the theme of the black sheep is timeless.
Some consequences that arise from being shunned by peers can range from violence to suicide to turmoil. This outcast can be found in children's bed time stories such as, The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen to adult novels such as Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In any event, this character can be found at any point during our lives.
It is important that this theme be discussed, especially in high school because this is the time when students are the most susceptible to experiencing the dark emotions that the black sheep must face because this is the time when the pressure to fit in is most distinct. The novel, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson clearly portrays the affects of the outsider through the main character Melinda Sordino. This novel is important to read because many times one feels alone in the world and having such a novel will make it easier to deal with the situation at hand.
Launching the Unit:
Before reading Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, prepare students for what
the reading will be about by using some or all of the following works.
1) Play the song "Creep" by Radiohead, from the album Pablo Honey. (Make sure you have the edited version because profanity exists in the original song.) Have the students write down power lines and have them describe what they think it means. Some strong lyrics that deal with the "creep" are, "I don't care if it hurts/ I want to have control/ I want a perfect body/ I want a perfect soul/ I want you to notice/ When I'm not around/ You're so very special/ I wish I was special/ But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. / What the hell am I doing here? / I don't belong here." You can also have the students describe the feelings that the song invokes within them.
2) Discussion questions for journals and group work: a. Write about a time in your life when you felt out of place. How did this affect you? Did it change your personality? Did you decide that it did not matter what others thought of you?
b. Who, if anybody helped you get past this stage? Do you now consider this person a role model?
c. Has this situation changed the way you view others? Do you take the time to get to know someone before making them the outcast? Describe a situation when you had the opportunity to meet someone new, someone who is not like yourself. How did you treat them?
3) Read the following poems:
Make hand outs to give to the class and make each student read a line from the poem.
Have Mercy by Alesha Faulkner
Can't be who I am,
Gotta keep it all inside
I'm happy when I'm out,
But alone I sit and cry.
I smile to keep you happy
I smile when you're around
But all the time I know
My life's come crashing down
You've never looked into my head
and wondered if I cry
I bet you think I'm happy here
But I only want to die
So tell me if you see me
as you walk the halls today
I'm that girl that no one likes
and makes feel bad in every way
I'm the one forced in a group
when doing projects in school
You're the one who laughs at me
Cuz you think you're too cool
So next time you laugh at me
Just remember this poem
I'm a human being too
and I cry when I'm alone.
Loneliness by Little T
Loneliness is blue like sadness.
It tastes like a sour lime with salt on it.
It smells like rotten food and causes madness.
For fun it likes to do nothing but bad things.
While almost everything makes it angry
Everything makes it sad,
But nothing makes it happy.
Loneliness is smaller than you and me,
But bigger that peoples' minds.
Happiness is its enemy,
But nothing can be its friend.
Loneliness keeps its happy feelings a secret.
Its favorite place is in people's minds.
But it hates to be anywhere else.
Making people feel bad is its greatest success.
Loneliness makes me feel as sad as a deserted island.
These poems may help students understand the deep emotions of depression, anger, and loneliness that attach itself to the outcast. It may help them sympathize with the outsider, which will be important when they read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Most importantly, these poems will make them come to the realization that everyone needs someone they can look to for support and perhaps if an opportunity presents itself, they will be the ones to make a difference in someone's life.
a. Have your students discuss the poems. What is it that Alesha Faulkner and Little T are saying?
b. Have them list lines from each of the poems that stand out to them. Also, have them describe why these lines stand out for them.
The Center Piece:
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a powerful book that captivates its audienceÕs heart. According to Amazon.com, it is full of "cruelty and viciousness that pervade much of contemporary high school life, as real as today's headlines." It is a story about how at one point life may be going according to planned and then with the blink of an eye, Melinda Sordino's world comes crumbling down. One day she is miss popular and the next she is cast out by her so-called-friends because she called the police to a party which had under age drinking. Ever since that night when she called the police to the house party, Melinda has become ostracized. Accused of being a snitch, Melinda becomes everyone's favorite punching bag. For example, "I have entered high school with the wrong hair, the wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don't have anyone to sit with. I am Outcast...The kids behind me laugh so loud and I know they're laughing at me...It's Rachel, surrounded by a bunch of kids. Her eyes met mine for a second. "I hate you," she mouths silently." (Anderson, 4-5) Anderson builds on the idea of being physically and mentally abused my classmates. This causes Melinda to retreat to a shell inside her mind that prevents her from feeling or finding closure for what occurred to her at that party that terrible night. However, in her art class Melinda finds an escape that allows her to finally be free if only for a moment. Her teacher, Mr. Freeman explains this feeling when he says, "If you don't learn art now, you will never breathe!!!" (Anderson, 11) Through her art, Melinda is finally able to breathe and cope with what occurred to her. She was raped at the party that she attended last year. Her victimizer attends her school and she finds him to be a threat. "I can smell him over the noise of the metal shop and I drop my poster and masking tape and I want to throw up and I can smell him and I run and he remembers and he knows. He whispers in my ear." (Anderson, 86) The memory of what happened that night constantly haunts Melinda. She cannot seem to tell anyone of her ordeal until the day when she has another encounter with her rapist. Melinda finally faces him and speaks! It is the point in the book when she takes her power back and her reputation when he is finally found out.
After reading the book, have students choose one of the following questions to write an out of class essay on:
1) How is Melinda treated by classmates, family, and even teachers in this novel and how does it affect the way she acts?
2) How does art help Melinda cope with her feelings of depression, loneliness, and anger? Can you relate? Is there a hobby that helps you deal with your problems?
3) Compare and contrast the popular crowd to the unpopular, Melinda. What makes them so different from one another?
4) Write about a scene from the book that is most powerful to you and explain your reasons behind it.
5) Why do you believe that Melinda could never find the courage to tell anyone about what happened to her? If you were in her place would you handle the situation differently?
To help tie in the unit, a final project can be to show the movie Speak and then have the students write about what the movie portrayed accurately as it relates to the book and what could have been different. Ask the question, "Does the movie give justice to the book?"
Extending the Unit:
There are many books that deal with the outsider. It may be useful to incorporate these books so that the students can get a different perspective from outsiders who are experiencing different situations.
* Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli: This novel is about Stargirl who goes to highschool and changes it by giving it spirit. Her different ways give life to a once dull school. As time progresses, she is shunned for being too different. Her ultimate challenge is to choose to be different or to conform to what her classmates expect.
* Where the Lilies Bloom by Bill and Vera Cleaver: This is a story about the struggle of a family. They are different as different can get. Because they come from a small, town they stand out like a blinding light. The Luthers are a desolate family who struggle for every penny they get. They must stick together and stand out or risk being split apart by the town and turned into the people they are not, those who fit in.
* The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier: Jerry Renault is the first boy at his school to refuse to participate in the annual candy fund raiser. For this, he is ostracized. His dilemma is whether to give in and receive acceptance from peers and teachers or to stand in isolation with his convictions by his side.
* The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton: This novel is about the life of greasers. Automatically, from the name of this gang it is evident that they are different. Through this novel, we learn about the lives of Ponyboy, Sodapop, Johnny, Steve, and Two-Bit. It is about living with the name that is placed on them, the name that portrays everything that rebels do. From theft to death. Will these boys ever be able to get rid of this name?
* A Step From Heaven by An Na: Young Ju's family moves to America from Korea. her family finds that they are struggling to survive and her father begins to take out his frustrations on the family. Ju finds herself hiding her two worlds from one another, her school life and home life. As the novel progresses, Young Ju is seen as the source of family problems. Consequently, she turns into the black sheep.
* Blue Girl by Charles de Lint: This is a novel about trying to fit in. Imogene is a seventeen-year-old girl who tries to change the person she is so that she can fit in with the rest of her classmates. Later, she discovers that in order to survive in this harsh environment, she must not change who she is, but simply be true to herself.
* Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters: This is a novel about the lives of Jazz and Tone, two girls from total opposite sides of the world it seems. As the novel progresses they come to find that they are both going through the same troubles that consist of family and social problems with friends. They begin to respect each other, even sympathize with one another's situation. But, their two different social roles will not let them become friends. The underlying question is whether they should become friends and submit to ridicule by the school or be true to themselves and become friends despite what everyone thinks.
Works Cited:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. 1999.
Cleaver, Bill., Cleaver, Vera. Where the Lilies Bloom. Harper Collins Publishers Inc. 1969.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. Dell Laurel-Leaf an imprint of Random House, Inc. 1974.
Donelson Kenneth L. and Aileen Pace Nilsen. Literature for TodayÕs Young Adults. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc., 2005
Lint de, Charles. Blue Girl. Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. 2004.
Na, An. A Step from Heaven. Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. 2001.
Peters, Julie Anne. Define "Normal." Little, Brown and Company Boston New York London. 2000.
Radiohead. Pablo Honey. Capitol Records, Inc. 1993.
Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. Alfred A. Knof, a division of Random House, Inc. 2000.
Warner, Mary. English 112B: Literature for Young Adults. [Accessed November 18, 2007]
[Accessed November 22, 2007]