Nayra Seifi

Professor Warner

English 112B

5/12/11

Conformity versus Individuality

�The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.�

The Dawn (1881) by Friedrich Nietzsche

Who am I? What do others think of me? These are questions with which young adults wrestle throughout their teenage years. To answer these questions, sometimes they choose the easy way by following what others do. Unfortunately by submitting to conformity some young adults lose their individual uniqueness and potentials. Mark Twain says, �Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect� Notebook (1935).The power of Literature has the potential to give young adults the opportunity to develop the capacity to think critically while learning the literacy abilities. That�s why as an English teacher I�m choosing a thematic unit on individuality versus conformity. The goal is to share different pieces of literature that can help students have the courage to think for themselves and become who they really are.

To achieve this goal I have paired up the classic play Antigone by Sophocles (441 BC) with the contemporary novel The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams (2009) that have the same theme of individuality versus conformity. I Start with The Chosen One because it is a modern novel, and the students will be able to relate to it.  Also, it is an easier read, and the students will not have a hard time understanding the theme in it.  Once they read, discuss, and understand The Chosen one, they can easily make connections between the novel and the play. Teaching this unit is enhanced through the use of poems, books, videos, and related activities.

Williams demonstrates how challenging it is for a young girl named Kyra to express her individuality in her community. She conveys that when young adults accept everything they are told without question, they open the door to being manipulated.

The Chosen One is set in Utah, 2008. Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives, and she has twenty brothers and sisters. She is chosen to marry her own uncle who is sixty years old and has six wives. Kyra starts to secretly visit the County Mobile library to read forbidden books.

�The prophet�(p.2) tries to hammer down the individuality by demanding the community to comply with his orders and giving them false guilt, if they don�t obey. The community�s behavior is driven by a sense of guilt:

�I�ve doomed the family.

My father is pure. My mothers. My brothers and sisters. Emily for sure.

But me. Me!

I�ve planned to kill someone. No! not someone! I�ve planned the death of the Prophet. God�s Anointed. God�s Chosen.

And there�s more. So much more.

Without thinking, I stand. I�ve got to get out of here. I�ve got to run. Get to my secret place so I can be alone. Get away. Maybe make them safe from my unclean thoughts. From the things I�ve done.� (The Chosen One p. 15
)

She has to decide whether to conform to her closed community or to stand up for herself. Reading novels enables her to think for herself and evaluate who she really is.

� life is changing for me. I�m reading. I�m learning new things. I�m "getting out," I say into the evening air. I�m sure I�m the only Chosen One who has wished the Prophet dead and his body picked away by termites.� (The Chosen One
p. 6)

Antigone, a play written by ancient Greek writer Sophocles around 442 B.C. , tells the story of a young woman who insists on the honorable burial of her fallen brother in spite of the law of the land. The play illustrates the theme of non-conformity against the status quo.

LAUNCHING THE UNIT

Before reading and discussing � The Chosen One � consider these pre-reading activities in order to activate students� prior knowledge on this unit.

1-You can start by showing a music video on You Tube called � Fire Work � by Katy Perry from Teenage Dream Album(2010). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIwfrom

This helps grab their attentions on the theme you�re going to teach. This song is about teens trying to find their own ways in life and not let others bring them down. Play the music video once. Hand out the lyrics this time, and ask them to read the lyrics and underline the words or phrases that highlights the theme of the song while the music video is being played for the second time. Yoy can also play the lyrics on You Tube and ask them to write the words that catches their attention.

Katy Perry - Firework [ Lyrics ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HglRHEfXx6g

�Firework�

By Katy Perry

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag


Drifting throughout the wind


Wanting to start again



Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin


Like a house of cards


One blow from caving in



Do you ever feel already buried deep


Six feet under scream


But no one seems to hear a thing



Do you know that there's still a chance for you


Cause there's a spark in you



You just gotta ignite the light


And let it shine


Just own the night


Like the Fourth of July



Cause baby you're a firework


Come on show 'em what you're worth


Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"


As you shoot across the sky-y-y



Baby you're a firework


Come on let your colors burst


Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"


You're gonna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own



You don't have to feel like a waste of space


You're original, cannot be replaced


If you only knew what the future holds


After a hurricane comes a rainbow



Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed


So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road


Start a group discussion about the lyrics. You can ask these questions during the discussion.

� What is the Theme of this song?

� What were they celebrating in the video? Why?

� What do you think it means to be an individual?

� Do you feel pressured to conform to certain standards?

2- Show a clip from the movie Dead Poets� Society (1989) by Touchstone Pictures on You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiKM6g-dfBo. It is the story of a group of boys in a prep school who get inspired by their English teacher to change their lives of conformity through poetry and literature.

�We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life! of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?�

(Dead Poets� Society, 1989)

SSW and Discussion: Tell them to write a SSW answering this question

� What does the teacher mean by �the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse�?

Tell the students that we are going to read our SSWs in class followed by a discussion. Have them read the their SSWs and start the discussion afterwards.

� Why do we study Literature?

� How Can Literature help us find our identities?

� Does anything or anybody hinder you to be an individual?

3- Display the following poems on power point or hand out the lyrics. Read the poem, or have a volunteer to read the poem. Ask these questions after you read the poem.

� What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an individual?

� Which part of the poem expresses resistance to conformity?

� Is it easy to be non-conformist? Do we have to pay a price for it? Is it worth it?

�Identity�

By Noboa Polanco (2004)

Let them be as flowers,

always watered, fed, guarded, admired,

but harnessed to a pot of dirt.

I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed,

clinging on cliffs, like an eagle

wind-wavering above high, jagged rocks.

To have broken through the surface of stone,

to live, to feel exposed to the madness

of the vast, eternal sky.

To be swayed by the breezes of an ancient sea,

carrying my soul, my seed, beyond the mountains of time

or into the abyss of the bizarre

I'd rather be unseen, and if

then shunned by everyone,

than to be a pleasant-smelling flower,

growing in clusters in the fertile valleys,

where they're praised, handled, and plucked

by greedy, human hands.

I'd rather smell of musty, green stench

than of sweet, fragrant lilac.

If I could stand alone, strong and free,

I'd rather be a tall, ugly weed

�Individuality�

By R.K. Cowles (2009)

I become

Who I am

Not who

I want to be

I am no man

No woman

No child

I am me

I am not masculine

Nor feminine

I am not mature

Nor childish

I'm no animal

No planet

Nor mineral

I am me

Won't be

What they want

I am no god

Nor goddess

I am no saint

Nor sinner

I am not life

Nor death

Nor spirit

Not whom they hope me

To be

I am not camouflaged

Nor open

I am not evil

Nor good

I am not lost

Nor found

Nor a problem

I exhibit

These characteristics

I am not well

Nor ill

I am not human

Nor of the Earth

Have no breath

No body

Nor soul

I am not a character

I am not animal

Nor Earth itself

I am not a star

Nor a no-body

Have no discrepancy

No fluctuations

Nor similarities

I am me

With characteristics

I am a

Unique individual

Use these poems to help students understand the value of individuality expressed in literature. Also ask them to find some more poems with the same theme. Have them bring the poems to class and read them to class. Put all the poems on the wall in one section with the big title that says, �Celebrating Individuality in Literature�.

Class Reading Of The Chosen One

Play the first chapter of Audio Excerpt of the The Chosen One on macmillan.com at

http://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage.aspx?isbn=9780312627751#Excerpt.

While the students are following the excerpt on their books. The story is read by a teenage girl and grabs students� attentions. Students must get involved in activities during the in class reading of the novel to understand in what ways Kyra�s community promotes conformity.

1-Have the students keep record of the following questions in their writing journals:

� What are the clues or incidents that show how her community defines the female identity?

� Who makes decisions in the family or in the community? Can the members question the decisions? Why?

� Are the young adults in that community allowed to read any types of novels they like?

2- Have a class discussion about the above questions. Have them read the rest of the book at home.

3-In the discussions that follow the reading have the �I Am� poem (Mee,1986) activity. Give them an example of �I Am� poem and explain to them how it works. They can write an �I Am� poem about themselves and then about Kyra , Jashua , Kyra�s mom, and the prophet. Here is template for the students:

�I Am �

I am (two special characteristics)




I wonder (something you are actually curious about)




I hear (an imaginary sound)




I see (an imaginary sight)




I want (an actual desire)




I am (the first line of the poem restated)




I pretend (something you pretend to do)




I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)




I touch (an imaginary touch)




I worry (something that really bothers you)




I cry (something that makes you very sad)




I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I understand (something you know is true)




I say (something you believe in)




I dream (something you actually dream about)




I try (something you make an effort to do)


I hope (something you actually hope for)




I am (the first line of the poem repeated)


Here is an example :

�I Am�

By Deirdre C (2007)

I am one of a kind


I wonder that if I were not myself, who would I be

I hear all the time to be myself

I want to be able to be myself

I am one of a kind


I pretend not to care what people think about me

I feel loved at times

I touch things that I think should be think about


I worry about what people think about other people

I am one of a kind


I understand in myself

I say things that are not always right

I dream about my future

I try to understand others 


I hope that one day everyone accepts each other


I am one of a kind

http://smithenglish9.blogspot.com/2007/02/i-am-poem.html

Students can read their poems and you can put them on the wall next to the poems they found about individuality. You can give another title to this section: �I Am�

4-Here are some more questions for discussion/papers:

� How do you think Literature changed Kyra�s life? Has Literature ever helped you?

� What price did Kyra pay to embrace her individuality?

� How do you relate to Kyra? Have you ever been under the influence of conformity?

Class Reading of Antigone

Sophocles wrote "Antigone" for it to be performed. Students should be actively involved in reading this play.

1-Have students read the work aloud. Antigone has 15 characters. Assign each student a character or rotate readers every couple of pages. Hearing the work read aloud helps students focus and make sense of the play's action. Students may relate more deeply to characters as they speak words themselves from the character's perspective.

2-Heighten this activity by assigning groups of two or three students specific short scenes from the play. Allocate in-class or out-of-class time to allow students to memorize lines and block the scenes themselves before presenting them to the class.

3-Encourage them to gather props and costumes and ask them about the significance of the choices they made in the scene.

4-Flash cards come in handy, even at the high-school level .

Play a game after reading "Antigone" to solidify the facts of the story in students' minds. Task students with making flash cards with a question on one side and an answer on the other based on the theme of individuality versus conformity. Try separating the class into two teams. For example Antigone versus Team Ismene . Let them ask their questions from the other team and have the other team answer. Start the class discussion based on the answers.

5-Ask them to write �I Am� poem for Antigone. Have them underline the qualities that they share with Antigone in the � I Am� poem.

Extending the unit

The goal of this section is for the students to come to a deeper understanding of embracing their individuality through Literature.

1-You can watch the whole movie of �Dead Poets� Society� produced by Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt, and Tony Thomas (1989) . Have the students write an essay about how Literature changed the boys� lives in the movie in a SSW activity.

2-Ask students to present a dramatic monlogue for expressing Kyra�s individuality inspired by Antigones play.

3- Use some Young Adult books to deepen understanding of individuality versus conformity. These books can be used either in small groups or a class discussion setting.

Chains by Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2008). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Isabel has to pay a price for her individual freedom. As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. She is encouraged to on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to her sister, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, (2008). New York, Scholastic.

Just as the Nazis are rising to power, Helmuth H�bener, a German schoolboy, is caught up in patriotism of his time. He serves for the purpose of a bright new world full of promise and hope. But every day the rights of people all over Germany are diminishing. Jews are threatened and their businesses are being destroyed. Patriotism means denouncing others, love means hate, and speaking out means treason. How much longer can Helmuth keep silent? Helmuth dares to stand up against the Nazi regime, and says no to them.

The Choclate War by Robert Cormier. (1986). New York. Laurel Leaf.

In a Catholic school setting students are encouraged to earn money and fame . Students struggle to survive the forceful assignments given to them by � The Vigil�. A bold, defiance freshman starts to question the assignments and resists conformity.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt.(2006).New York: Random House Children�s Books

In 1912, Turner Buckminster and his parents have just moved to Phippsburg, Maine. Reverend Buckminster has been appointed the pastor of the First Congregational Church. Life is stifling and unbearable until the boy meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart African-American girl from nearby Malaga Island. They form a close friendship in spite of disapproval by Reverend Buckminster and the townspeople. They decide to think for themselves without the influence of the adults.

The Missing girl by Norma Fox Mazer.(2008): New York: Harper Teen.

In Mallory, New York, as five sisters, aged eleven to seventeen, deal with assorted problems, conflicts, fears, and yearnings, a mysterious middle-aged man watches them, fascinated, deciding which one he likes the best. The girls have to decide to stand up for themselves and not let the man manipulate them.

Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett. (1998). New York. Laurel Leaf .

Lara is 16 and everything in her life seems to be perfect. She is popular and beautiful. She develops a syndrome that makes her gain a lot of weight. She finds who she is, and starts to find her real identity. She loves herself the way she is although her family and friends reject her.

The Giver by Lois Lowry. (1993).New York .Bantam Doebleday.

In the communal lifestyle Jonas and others experience, everything is the same. While all the regulation can present an aura of security for them, the young people in Jonas's world face the deprivation created by sameness. The ultimate horror of the sameness is release of anyone different. At the coming-of-age Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas was selected to become the new Receiver of Memory. As the giver transfers memories of the past to him, a whole new world opens up for the boy. After he discovers the terrible truth about his community, Jonas has to fight conformity

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.(1999). New York: Farrar Straus Giroux

Melinda Sordino is traumatized after a boy rapes her at a party .It affects her family life, her friendships, and she stops talking. She loses her identity. Melinda overcomes this tragedy and finds her identity by speaking.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.(2009). New York : Viking,

Lia and Cassie have been best friends for a long time.  And now Cassie is gone Because of the pressure of conformity.  She was found dead and alone in a motel room.  After leaving Lia 33 messages that Lia ignored. Lia doesn't even recognize the self-destructive tendencies in her own life which are the result of conforming to society. Even after lots of therapy and threats from her parents, Lia is still obsessed with her weight.

Concluding Activities

1-Have them create a script for a play in which they all can express their individualities. You can have a special night for all school and parents to come and watch the performances of your students who are celebrating their individualities.

2- Have students make an artwork that shows who they are. Make an exhibition of their artwork and their �I Am� poems in the night that parents and school are coming to watch their play.

The goal is by the end of the unit the students should learn to not let their identities get lost through conformity and to celebrate their ownindividualities by exploring the lives and choices of others through Literature.

Works Cited

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2008). Chains. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Anderson, Laurie Halse Speak.(1999). New York: Farrar Straus Giroux

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls (2009). New York : Viking,

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell.(2008).The Boy Who Dared. New York, Scholastic.

Bennett, Cherie. (1998). Life in the Fat Lane . New York. Laurel Leaf.

C, Deirdre. �I Am Poem�. (2007). Smithenglish9. Web. http://smithenglish9.blogspot.com/2007/02/i-am-poem.html

Cormier, Robert. (1986). The Choclate War. New York. Laurel Leaf.

Cowles,R.K.�Individuality�.(2009).poemhunter.com.Web.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/individuality-9/

Dead Poets� Society (1989) Touchstone Pictures. Directed by Peter Weir. Produced by Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt, and Tony Thomas. Starring Robin Williams. DVD.

Dead Poets� Society Part 3.You Tube. DPSmember3. Web. Apr 5, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiKM6g-dfBo

Katy Perry-Firework. You Tube. KatyPerryVEVO. Web. Oct 28, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw

Katy Perry – Firework Lyrics. You Tube. lyriczgo. Web. Aug 25, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HglRHEfXx6g

Lowry, Lois. (1993). The Giver. New York .Bantam Doebleday.

Mazer, Norma Fox .(2008). The Missing girl: New York: Harper Teen.

Mee, Suzi. (1986). �I Am Poem�. Scholastic Voice.

Nietzsche, Friedrich . (1881) The DawnFirst .German Publication.

Perry, Katy. (2010). Firework. Teenage Dream Album. Capital records.CD.

Polanco, Noboa � Identity�.Web.

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34260

Schmidt, Gary D. (2006). Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.New York: Random House Children�s Books

Twain, Mark. (1935).Notebook. New York. Harper & Bros.

Williams, Carol Lynch. (2009). The Chosen One. New York. ST.Martin�s Griffin