Kelly Flynn
Mary Warner
English 112B – Section 1
10 December 2008
The Power of Nonfiction as a Tool for Teaching Tolerance
Rational
There is an increasing need to teach racial and cultural tolerance in the American classroom. The population of first generation Americans is steadily increasing, creating a more diverse classroom and a need for understanding and embracing that diversity. For example, according to a study by the United States Department of Justice, immigrants were responsible for fifty-four percent of the population growth in the 1990s. Immigrants are currently responsible for over seventy-five percent of the population growth in the United States. Thus, the United States is becoming significantly more diverse as time goes on. As the classroom becomes increasingly more diverse, especially in coastal states and larger urban areas, students should be taught tolerance in order to maintain a peaceful, respectful, and understanding atmosphere in the classroom, allowing learning to remain a positive experience for all involved. The high school classroom is an especially relevant space for teaching tolerance because, at this age, students are being prepared to become adults, where they will independently interact with diverse populations in college and in the work place.
Literature is an effective way to address the increasing need for racial and cultural tolerance within the classroom. Although high school students are taught about various cultures in history classes, literature encourages a more intimate understanding of diversity because students can better relate to characters with universal human experiences than to concepts and historical figures that are fact-based. As the place where literature is taught, the high school English classroom is an important space for teaching global understanding. Young adult literature contains characters that are the same age as the students and, although they may be from different cultural or racial backgrounds, experience many of the universal challenges of young adulthood that students experience. Thus, young adult literature is an especially effective tool for teaching tolerance. Nonfiction is a useful genre within young adult literature because it allows students to identify with someone who is different than them, but is additionally real. Students can relate better to someone who has had real experiences than to someone whose experiences, while mirroring realistic ones, have been created, as in fiction. Tolerance will be most effectively taught if students can recognize that real people have written stories about the need to accept others' differences. Nonfiction presents tolerance as something attainable, rather than as an ideal.
The Central Work
The curriculum that I suggest uses Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl as a central canonical work and suggests several other poems, texts, and activities to include in the unit that would be effectively tied to the themes of the central work. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is a widely taught text that is useful for a variety of ages and that would be applicable to almost any high school English classroom curriculum. However, the proposed curriculum would be most useful in a ninth grade English classroom because I have included several different genres in the "extending the unit" portion, giving the students a grasp of the variety of literary forms, while teaching them a valuable lesson on a universal issue. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl introduces students to the power of story-telling through the use of a journal. This should be a unique reading experience for the students, offering them something outside of the traditional novel.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is a series of true journal entries from June 1942 to August 1944, written by Annelis Marie Frank, better known as Anne Frank, a teenage Jewish girl who lives in Amsterdam with her family during World War II. When the city becomes occupied by Nazis, many of the Jews are taken to concentration camps, but some, like Anne's family, go into hiding. The Frank family escapes to the building where her father worked before the Holocaust. They live in the building's secret annex with another Jewish family, the Van Daans, and a dentist named Dussel. Anne and her family successfully stay hidden in the annex for two years. The diary ends shortly before Anne and her family are discovered and taken to a concentration camp.
Anne Franks's diary, which she calls Kitty, contains daily entries that illustrate some of the universal aspects of being a teenager, such as being irritated with parents, having hopes and dreams for the future, struggling with identity, and having first time romantic encounters. Here is a quote that demonstrates how Anne Frank is similar to many young adults today:
"And finally I twist my heart round again, so that the bad is on the outside and the good is on
the inside, and keep on trying to find a way of becoming what I would so like to be, and could
be, if there weren't any other people living in the world" (282).
Anne Frank mirrors the experiences of teenagers today because she struggles with finding the courage to become the person she wants to be. She mentions that her goal would be easier if there were not "any other people living in the world". Like Frank, many young adults feel as if the world does not believe in their abilities because they are too young to be taken seriously.
The diary additionally illustrates the consequences of an intolerant world and expresses the need for a transformation into tolerance. Frank illustrates that intolerance is a universal trait and that many people suffer because of it:
"There is an urge and rage in people to destroy, to kill, to murder, and until all
mankind, without exception, undergoes a great change, wars will be waged, everything that
has been built up, cultivated and grown, will be destroyed and disfigured, after which
mankind will have to begin all over again" (237).
Launching the Unit
Before the students read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, consider using the song, "Imagine" by John Lennon as an introduction to the unit on tolerance. Once attendance and all other beginning classroom business has been taken care of, play the song for the students with the lyrics either written on the board or shown on an overhead slide so that they can easily follow along. Have the students listen to the song twice, generally listening to it the first time and trying to understand the deeper concepts and themes the second time. Here are the lyrics:
"Imagine" by John Lennon
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Keep the lyrics on the board or overhead slide so that students can refer back to them. Have them do a fifteen to twenty minute sustained silent writing on the ideas and themes conveyed in the song. Some sample questions might be
After students have completed their sustained silent writing, it would be useful to give them a brief lesson on the Holocaust, so that they will be familiar with the historical relevance and importance of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Students should be generally aware of Germany's role in World War II, fascism, Hitler's vision of a "Third Reich", his tactics used to eliminate the Jews during the Holocaust, and the factors that played into the eventual ending of World War II and the Holocaust. Depending on the depth of the lesson, this may take two class sessions. However, there is no need to go into extreme detail. Students should just be generally aware of the history so that they can appreciate the fact that there were many Jewish families with experiences similar to the Franks.
Once students have begun reading Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, have them keep a diary where they write responses either in class and/or as homework. This should be a creative process where students imagine that they are a teenager keeping a diary during the Holocaust, as Anne did. The diary will help them connect with Anne Frank because they will be imagining themselves in the same position. It would be useful to have a prompt for each diary entry that corresponds to the reading for the day. Here are some ideas for prompts:
1. Response corresponding to the beginning of the text: Have students write a response as if they were just told that their family was moving into an annex in a few days. What would they bring with them? How would they feel?
2. Response corresponding to the middle of the text: Ask students to imagine that they are living in the annex and that they need to come up with a way to creatively manage the limited space. How would they divide the space? Should it be divided so that everyone could have their own portion or would this cause arguments? What solutions could they come up with so that everyone in the space could live comfortably and peacefully?
3. Response corresponding to the end of the text: Ask students to imagine that they have found Anne's diary after her family has been captured. They should write an imaginary letter to Anne about their discovery. What would they want to say to her? How has her diary affected them or made them think differently about the Jewish experience during the Holocaust?
After students have completed the entries, have them make a cover so that their diary looks like a real diary from the Holocaust. They might want to additionally make the pages look old or include imagined scraps that they saved during their time in the annex. Display the students work around the classroom so that students can be reminded of how they connected with Anne Frank's story.
After students have finished reading Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, they should read two or three chapters from Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in America (information taken from Teaching for a Tolerant World by Carol Danks and Leatrice B. Rabinsky). This book contains fourteen chapters, each of which tells the story of an innocent or oppressed person throughout the history of the United States. Suggested stories are "Untamed Border", which illustrates the suffering of Mexican Americans in modern day Texas and "A Rose for Charlie", which tells a story about a gay man being killed by hateful teens. These stories are excellent choices because they illustrate more recent acts of intolerance in America, allowing students to understand that intolerance is still an issue today.
After reading these stories, students should do a sustained silent writing or an essay about Anne Frank's message of tolerance and how it is still applicable today, making connections between Anne Frank's message and the stories in Us and Them. This will allow students to understand that, even though Anne Frank's journals were written in the 1940s in Holland, her message is applicable in present America.
Extending the Unit
Young adult literature can easily be incorporated into this unit of study. I have included works that explore several different genres, giving students a variety of forms to connect with and offering alternative options for those students that do not enjoy reading. While parts can be discussed and re-read in class, these works should mostly be read outside of class as homework.
1. Persepolis and Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi
These graphic novels illustrate the story of Marjane Satrapi's coming of age during the Iranian Revolution. Marji (the protagonist) deals with many universal adolescent experiences, such as struggling to fit in with friends, succumbing to peer pressure, using drugs, and encountering sex for the first time. The Persepolis novels would be effective ties to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl because both illustrate the story of a young girl's self-discovery during a time of war. In addition, each story deals with a protagonist who is an outsider in her society. The Persepolis stories are especially relevant because they allow students to connect with an adolescent from the Middle East. After 9/11, many students may have prejudices against people from the Middle East and these stories would help them understand that adolescents in the Middle East have experiences that are similar to those of adolescents in America. The Persepolis novels would be a great alternative for students who do not enjoy reading because they use excellent illustrations and are often funny.
You may want to give students a brief lesson on the Iranian Revolution as in introduction to the story so that they can better understand the historical events referenced in the text.
While students are reading the Persepolis books, have them write a "Where I'm From" poem based on the poem by George Ella Lyon (taken from Literature for Today's Young Adults) as if they were Marji. The setting of revolutionary Iran is crucial to the understanding of the story and having students write the "Where I'm From" poem will help them understand how setting plays an important role in Marji's story. After finishing the novels, spend about two or three days in class showing the 2007 film "Persepolis", directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi and staring Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, and Danielle Darrieux as the voices behind the animated characters. This film is an excellent adaptation of the story and provides beautiful illustrations that mirror the style of the graphic novels. In a sustained silent writing response, have students indicate how the movie aided in or changed their understanding of the text.
2. "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller
"The Crucible" is a play by Arthur Miller that examines the mass hysteria and persecution that ensued during the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials. Miller extensively studied the witchcraft trials before writing the play so that his characters would be realistic representations of the people involved in the trials. "The Crucible" will introduce students to the genre of plays, giving them an appreciation for an alternative form of literature. "The Crucible" is an excellent pair for Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl because it similarly portrays the horrific possibilities of intolerance. In addition, the story provides a glimpse of intolerance in America, giving students a chance to connect the events in Germany, portrayed in the Anne Frank story, with events in U.S. history. This play provides an excellent opportunity to use a reader's theatre in class. This exercise will make the reading process more enjoyable for the students and will give everyone a chance to participate in class as they read the various parts in the play. You will have to let students read characters for only certain scenes in the play because there will most likely be more students than parts.
3. Always Running: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis Rodriguez
Always Running: Gang Days in L.A. is the true story of Rodriguez's adolescent experiences with gangs in Los Angeles, California. This story explores the themes of self-determination and of personal choice, actions, and consequences. Always Running would be an excellent choice for the classroom because it takes place in the eighties, giving students something more recent to connect to. In addition, this novel is a powerful illustration of the struggle of Chicano adolescents, making it a great choice for possible Chicano students. This novel would pair well with Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and the Persepolis books because it additionally deals with the challenges of being an adolescent outsider. This novel is a good choice for a unit on tolerance because it illustrates that young Chicano men often turn to gangs because they do not have opportunities for college or a well-paying career, as many American adolescents do. Rodriguez's story encourages tolerance because it will help students to understand the struggles that Chicanos and many other American minorities encounter.
If you are teaching in a classroom in the Bay Area of California, Luis Rodriguez is known for making appearances at the University of California at Santa Cruz and at high schools around Santa Cruz. If possible, after reading Always Running, have Rodriguez come to the classroom to give a presentation about the writing of his novel and his struggles with growing up as a Chicano in California. In addition, the students could take a field trip to the location of Rodriguez's organization, Barrios Unidos, in Santa Cruz. This organization is aimed at giving Chicano adolescents an alternative to gangs and at helping them strive for goals like attending college. This organization is an excellent demonstration of the power of tolerance in making positive changes because Rodriquez did not demonstrate intolerance by acting violently, but instead used his struggles to encourage tolerance for minorities in the form of equal opportunities.
Young Adult Literature Selections
Jessie de la Cruz: A Profile of a United Farm Worker by Gary Soto (information taken from The Alan Review, Fall 1998)
Jessie de la Cruz: A Profile of a United Farm Worker is the biography of Jessie de la Cruz, a Chicano female who played a significant role in the United Farm Workers movement. Jessie was born in 1919 and grew up in Anaheim, California, where she never had a bed to sleep in. When she was in her early twenties, she met Cesar Chavez and began working with him to change conditions for migrant farm workers. She eventually became known as the "mother" of the United Farm Workers movement. This story is an excellent choice for a unit on tolerance because it demonstrates how minorities in America struggle for equality, giving students an opportunity to connect with someone who suffers from the consequences of intolerance. In addition, the issues surrounding migrant farm workers in America are still relevant today, as the majority of farms in America depend on their labor.
Anne Frank: A Hidden Life by Mirjam Pressler (information taken from The Alan Review, Fall 1998)
Anne Frank: A Hidden Life would be usefully paired with Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl because it provides information about Anne Frank's childhood prior to the Holocaust and about her eventual death in a concentration camp. Thus, if students have questions about Anne Frank's life after reading her journals, this would be an excellent source. This work additionally provides insights on the eight other people who Frank lived with in the annex and the people who helped them in hiding. The book concludes with stories from Holocaust survivors. This would be a useful addition to a unit on tolerance because, especially through the stories from the Holocaust survivors, it illustrates that the issues of the Holocaust are still alive and relevant today.
Sitting Bull and His World by Albert Martin (information taken from The Alan Review, Fall 1998)
Sitting Bull and His World is a biography about one of America's most famous Native Americans. Through narrative, Martin illustrates how Sitting Bull was able to bridge the different worlds of native and white Americans. This book additionally provides insights on Native American customs and how they compare to standard American customs of Sitting Bull's time. The book provides information on Sitting Bull's life and his contributions to the survival of his people, up until his death in the Battle of the Wounded Knee. This biography is a useful lesson in tolerance because it demonstrates the differences between standard and minority cultures in America, giving students a better understanding and appreciation of those whose cultures are different from their own.
Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin (information taken from The Alan Review, Fall 1998)
Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement chronicles the life of Ida B. Wells, who was a teacher, writer, publisher and civil rights leader. This biography demonstrates how she worked together with Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas for African American and women's rights. She dedicated significant effort towards preventing the lynching of African American people at the hands of intolerant white Americans. This book will especially appeal to students because it contains photographs of Ida B. Wells and her involvement in the civil rights movement. This story is an excellent demonstration of the consequences of intolerance and the power of the individual in fighting intolerance.
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr. (information taken from Brenna Dimas's Unit of Study)
I Have a Dream is an illustrated version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech with pictures by 15 Coretta Scott King Award and Honor Book Artists. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech is a classic example of the power of one person's vision for a tolerant world. Students will be able to experience first-hand how one man's words had the ability to inspire a movement towards tolerance and equality. In addition, the illustrations and minimal length of the book will make it more appealing to those students who do not enjoy reading. This book provides an excellent opportunity for a teacher to read to his/her students during class time. I Have a Dream would make an excellent companion to the Ida B. Wells biography because both contain information about the civil rights movement.
Witness: Voices from the Holocaust by Joshua M. Greene and Shiva Kumar (information taken from The Alan Review, Fall 1998)
Witness: Voices from the Holocaust is a collection of twenty-seven people's stories about their eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust. The people represented include Jewish Holocaust survivors, American soldiers, a Hitler Youth member, and a Jesuit priest. This book also contains photographs that will allow students to see realistic documentation of the horrors of the Holocaust. Witness provides narratives about life before, during, and after the Holocaust, demonstrating that the issues of the Holocaust are still relevant today. This book would be an excellent compliment to Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and/or Anne Frank: A Hidden Life and would provide further insights on one of the most well-known demonstrations of extreme intolerance.
Concluding Activities
At the end of the unit of study, the students should understand the importance of tolerance and should be able to appreciate and celebrate others' differences rather than fear them. They should have a greater understanding of various cultures and should understand the horrific consequences of intolerance, as illustrated in the books that take place during historical times of intolerance, such as the Holocaust or the Salem witch trials.
As a means of wrapping up the unit and returning to the introduction, have students again listen to "Imagine" by John Lennon. Have them do a sustained silent writing on how their interpretation of the song has changed or how it has been enriched by the works they have read. How do the works they have read tie into John Lennon's vision?
After they have finished their sustained silent writing, indicating what they have gained from the unit, have students write their own version of "Imagine" and sing it to the class. Students should be broken into groups and given several days to work on the project in class and as homework. The song should be about their own vision of tolerance and a united world. Students should sing their lyrics to the tune of a familiar song or feel free to make up their own tune. If there are any musicians in the classroom, encourage them to bring instruments to enhance their performance. This assignment will allow students to bring the lessons of the unit together and to demonstrate, through their song, how they will use tolerance in their lives.
Works Cited
Carnes, Jim. Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in America. Montgomery: Southern Poverty Law Center, 1995.
Danks, Carol, and Leatrice B. Rabinsky eds. Teaching for a Tolerant World. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1999.
Fradin, Dennis Brindell, and Judith Bloom Fradin. Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights
Movement. New York: Clarion Books, 2000.
Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. New York:
Bantam, 1997.
Greene, Joshua M, and Shiva Kumar. Witness: Voices from the Holocaust.
New York: The Free Press, 2000.
Kaplan, Jeff ed. "Young Adult Books in Review: Recently Published Titles." The Alan Review 26.1 (1998). 29-37.
King, Jr., Dr. Martin Luther. I Have a Dream. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997.
Lennon, John. "Imagine." Imagine. Parlophone, 1971.
Marrin. Albert. Sitting Bull and His World. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2000.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York: Heinemann, 1992.
Nilsen, Alleen Pace, and Kenneth L. Donelson. Literature for Today's Young Adults. Custom ed. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008.
Pressler, Mirjam. Anne Frank: A Hidden Life. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2000.
Rodriguez, Luis. Always Running: Gang Days in L.A.. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Paris: L'Association, 2003.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis 2. Paris: L'Association, 2004.
Soto, Gary. Jessie de la Cruz: A Profile of a United Farm Worker. New York: Persea Books, 2000.
United States. Dept. of Justice. Projected Population Growth . 2006. 25 Nov. 2008
<http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/index.htm >