Sexism in the 1940's

Something I noted in my Reading Response Log about Code Name Verity was the importance of female protagonists participating in male-dominated careers. Honestly, men were so weary of allowing women to become pilots, that they would rather fly young, inexperienced males than women more than capable of completing the job. If you think about it, a lot of lives may have been saved had this sexism not existed. Being a female pilot herself, Elizabeth Wein knew how important it was to include the subject of sexism in her book. These videos explain Wein's reasoning.

Was it important to have women protagonists?

Was there a difference between male and female roles in the 40's?

Reading Response Log

Reading Response Log

Rational: Students in high school today are concerned with how a subject will help them outside of school. They wonder what the point of literature is and what relevance it will have to them. Reading takes commitment, so why would they want to make it all the way through a novel if they believe it will not benefit them in their future? That fact is exactly why many students choose to not read. My goal with the books I chose was to not only spark interest in non-readers, but to also prove to them that literature does have an important place in their lives. The books I chose include different races, cultures, and religions and belief systems. I even included books that take place in the past to prove that many lessons can withstand time. All of these books will make students more aware of their environment and how they are living their own lives. They will be forced to examine some of the decisions they have made in their past, and hopefully they will put more thought into how they will live their future. I want to prove to students that reading and analyzing novels does have a relevance to them because books teach people life skills and important lessons that they otherwise might have paid no attention to.

Title: Same Kind of Different as Me

Author: Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

Genre: Biography

Publisher: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Copyright: 2006

ISBN Number: 978-0-8499-1910-7

Library Location: Manhattan Public Library

Summary:

Ron Hall and Denver Moore take turns explaining the events that shaped their lives. Ron grew up in a middle-class family and eventually established himself as a high-class international art dealer. He married the love of his life, but his marriage was anything but perfect. An attempt to please his wife’s wishes, he began working at a homeless shelter where he met Denver Moore. In contrast, Denver lived his life as a modern-day slave. He was the poorest of the poor and worked picking cotton. Because of the color of his skin, Denver faced brutal and horrifying prejudice. Through the years, Denver exchanged the life of cotton-picking to homelessness on the streets of Fort Worth, where he incidentally met Ron Hall. With fierce encouragement from Ron’s wife, Ron and Denver became close acquaintances, best friends, and eventually brothers. The Halls and Denver worked to improve the lives of the homeless, and their unshakeable faith grew stronger and stronger. After the tragic death of Ron’s wife, Denver and Ron displayed incredible strength, and their courage changed Fort Worth forever.

Personal Thoughts:

This book is important in so many ways. Ron and Denver opened up their lives to the world and allowed people to see their personal struggles, triumphs, faults, faith, grief, and happiness. It takes a great deal of courage to do that. More than that, their story is inspiring to any reader. They encourage people to make a difference for others, no matter how scary it may be. The main message I took from this story is that living in the uncomfortable sets the stage for miraculous things to happen. Even though Ron had to be pushed and persuaded to be in the company of the homeless, he finally befriended people at the homeless center, including Denver, and his life was forever changed for the better. The last thing I noticed about his book is the authors are not forcing people to change their ways. They aren’t begging people to help the homeless or to believe in God. They aren’t preaching to their readers on the right way to live their lives. The authors’ only purpose is to tell their story. Maybe it will touch some lives and maybe it won’t, but at least people will know about modern-day slavery, prejudice, and homelessness.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

Like I said in my personal thoughts, Same Kind of Different as Me is a book with many powerful themes. All of them can easily relate to a teenager in a secondary level classroom. Teens are more than capable of making a difference within themselves and in their community. Reading the real-life testimonies of a poor black man and a wealthy white man may cause them to think about their own imperfections. Have they ever been unfair to another based on race, religion, ethnicity, class, or anything else? Do they feel like they are positively contributing to their community? When was the last time they did something uncomfortable for the right reasons? I truly believe this story could make my students question their own lives. If they were to write their own biography, how would their story play out? Would they be proud of it? This kind of deep thinking is exactly what I would encourage in my classroom.

 

Title: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Copyright: 2003

ISBN Number: 978-1-59448-000-3

Library Location: Manhattan Public Library

Summary:

The Kite Runner starts with a young boy named Amir that lived in Afghanistan prior to the Cold War. He immersed himself in Afghan culture, from learning about the Muslim religion, to growing up with a Hazara boy, to flying kites in tournaments. Once the Cold War entered Afghanistan in the form of the Soviet Union, Amir fled with his father to America. While in America, Amir struggled to combine American culture with Afghan culture. After fifteen years of living in American, Amir learned that the son of the Hazara boy he grew up with was in an orphanage in Kabul, one of the cities destroyed by the war. Amir travels back to Afghanistan in hopes of finding the boy, and finds the country he grew up in and loved was horribly damaged and poverty-stricken. When the Taliban entered Afghanistan, they mercilessly slaughtered Hazaras and all the people that did not support them. Amir not only witnessed the pain and terror of his people, but he also experienced it himself when trying to find the boy. Amir ultimately learns the true price of his troubled past.

Personal Thoughts:

This story is rich in history and culture. It was interesting to learn about what Afghanistan was like before, during, and after the Cold War. Even so, probably the most stimulating aspect of the book was the absolute tragedy. Hosseini outlines the devastation that struck Afghanistan when the Soviet Union bombed the land. When the Taliban defeated the Russian soldiers, Afghanis cheered, thinking the war was over. They soon found out that the Taliban was just as bad, if not worse, as the Soviets. The Taliban played games with people’s lives, striking them down for something as small and meaningless as cheering too loud. They murdered Hazaras simply because the Taliban saw them as the Nazis saw Jews. Hosseini even made mention of the Taliban striking the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. Afghanistan was struck again as Americans bombed the Taliban. Amongst these hardships, Amir suffered his own tragedies. He constantly battled for his father’s love and affection, his best friend was raped, his father died of cancer, his half-brother was brutally murdered, he witnessed people stoned to death, he suffered a beating and a large number of injuries, and the boy he was trying to adopt attempted to commit suicide. Even though all of these things happened, the characters were able to keep a positive outlook on life. Each tragedy contributed to mighty courage.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

Like I said before, this book teaches a lot of life lessons. Students will read about Hassan, the Hazara boy that the world seemed to be against. They will see the unkindness given to him and the way he reacts to it and possibly learn how to deal with hardships in their own lives. Students may also relate to Amir and the immense guilt he felt. Both Hassan and Amir encourage empathy from their readers, and students need to learn what it is like to relate to the characters in order to fully appreciate a written work. Other than that, The Kite Runner is full of Afghan history and culture that American students may know nothing about. Students will learn about the Cold War, the Taliban, kite running, Afghan foods, the Islam religion, Afghan wedding rituals, and much more. High school students need to explore outside their own culture and ways of life and understand the world around them.

 

Title: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Author: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Copyright: 1990

ISBN Number: 978-0-06-085396-9

Library Location: Manhattan Public Library

Summary:

Good Omens is a comedy about Armageddon. A demon named Crowley and an angel named Aziraphale become an unlikely pair that tries to mess up the events leading to the end of the world. They target the child antichrist, introducing him to different types of information that will discourage him from pursuing his destiny. After spending so much time doing this, they realize they thought the wrong child was the antichrist. Meanwhile, the actual antichrist, Adam, soon meets with a witch. This witch, using a book that tells the future as her guide, shows Adam some magazines. When Adam thinks about the events that happened in the magazines, the events start to happen in real life. The curious things that start to happen in his neighborhood attract the attention of a witch hunter, who ironically works with the witch to decipher the future her book laid out. Eventually, Adam realizes the futility of Armageddon, so without the contribution of the antichrist, the world doesn’t end.

Personal Thoughts:

Anybody can appreciate the hilarity of this novel. I think this is a story that students would enjoy reading, and those that do not really enjoy to read or have a hard time getting through a novel would be able to read this book. What I also like about this book, however, is a comedy can still beneficial to its readers. Students do not have to read the Book of Revelations to understand this novel, but Good Omens does provide information about the Book of Revelations from a literature point of view rather than a religious point of view. Probably what I loved the most about this book is usually in comical books, authors focus more on the jokes than on the characters. In Good Omens, the characters actually embody what their title is. For example, the four horsemen in the book: War, Famine, Pollution (instead of Pestilence), and Death, all behave and dress like their titles would suggest.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

First, this book teaches students about humor. Many may not realize it, but humor is used in great works in literature. This could open a door to the study of all kinds of humor, including satire, slapstick, deadpan, irony, and parody. Also, Good Omens does refer to the Bible, a major literary text that serves as a medium for many great works including John Milton’s Paradise Lost. (In fact, Good Omens also contains some references to Paradise Lost). Lastly, in accordance to my goal with all books, this novel causes students to think about their own lives. Even though this book is a comedy, it does address some topics that high school students need to talk about. It is inevitable that this novel brings up the way everyone lives. The four horsemen and the demon, Crowley, talk about the parts they play in causing humans to sin. Students can discuss the daunting question: are humans born evil or do they learn it? They can work to answer this question by using their own life choices as examples. They could also use famous people, such as Hitler and Mother Theresa, as examples for their thesis. Ultimately students will understand that even a comedy/fantasy has relevance in their lives.

 

Title: Code Name Verity

Author: Elizabeth Wein

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Hyperion

Copyright: 2012

ISBN Number: 978-142315288-0

Library Location: Manhattan Public Library

Summary:

Code Name Verity takes place in 1943, right in the middle of World War II. The novel focuses on Verity, the code name for a British female spy, and Maddie, Verity’s best friend and a talented pilot. Verity and Maddie’s plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France, and Verity is taken captive by the Gestapo. Undergoing cruel and vicious torture, Verity is forced to confess British secrets. She writes her and Maddie’s entire story, all while Maddie fights to find and free Verity from the Gestapo’s grip.

Personal Thoughts:

This story is absolutely brilliant. Of course, there is a lot of information about the happenings surrounding World War II, but the book mostly reveals how the war treated the female operators, especially what it was like for female pilots. Although the protagonists are indeed female, there is barely even a mention of any type of romance. The book simply presents girls in a boy’s world, and that speaks volumes, even in today’s time. The story is built like a huge jigsaw puzzle, and one has to read carefully in order to fit the pieces together. The first half of the book is from Verity’s point of view, and the second half is from Maddie’s. Verity supplies puzzle pieces that all contribute to the same picture, but they really don’t fit together. Maddie, however, produces the rest of the pieces that allows Verity’s account of the story to make absolute sense. When readers are able to fit all of the puzzle pieces together, they will be astonished at Elizabeth Wein’s genius and gifted writing skills.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

There are several reasons this book is ideal for a classroom setting. First, the history that students will gain from this book is outstanding. They will learn World War II terms, such as “Gestapo”, “Fascist”, “anti-semitism”, and “Operation Sea Lion”. There is tons of information about the different aircraft types used during the war. Second, sexism is a major theme of Code Name Verity. It was very difficult for females to land operational jobs, and even when they did get the jobs, they were not taken very seriously. Although the British were in desperate need of pilots during the war, they were more likely to use under experienced males as opposed to qualified females. The entire topic of women fighting in the military will likely spark a debate in an English classroom. Third, the importance of knowing the entire story is made abundantly clear throughout the novel. To avoid revealing the end of the novel, I will just say if readers had never read Maddie’s account of the story, their opinion of Verity would be remarkably different.  This proves that in order to reach an accurate conclusion of a certain issue, one has to do thorough research and explore every viewpoint. This lesson will especially come in handy when students begin working on research papers. Lastly, this book encourages readers to examine their own lives. How are they contributing to their society? Are there any instances of sexism present in their lives? What does Verity and Maddie’s fierce loyalty to each other mean to them? It is quite amazing that a tale that takes place in 1943 can have so much relevance today.

 

Title: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Copyright: 1988 (English Translation 1993)

ISBN Number: 978-0-06-112241-5

Library Location: Manhattan Public Library

Summary:

The Alchemist is about a young shepherd boy that lives in Southern Spain. He began having a recurring dream that he was to find a treasure somewhere near the Pyramids of Egypt. After much encouragement from a man that calls himself a king, he sells all his sheep and heads to Egypt. When he stops at a port town after crossing the straight between Spain and Egypt, the boy gets robbed and is forced to spend some time working at a crystal shop to earn some money. The boy thinks about giving up on his dream and returning to Spain, but he remembers what the king said, so he continues on his way to the Pyramids. As he begins crossing the Sahara Desert, he meets an Englishman that teaches him a little about alchemy. The Englishman leads the boy to an alchemist when he reaches his destination: an oasis in the middle of the Sahara. The alchemist, in turn, teaches the boy about becoming one with nature and paying attention to its omens. Eventually, the boy makes it to the Pyramids to find his treasure only to learn he doesn’t find what he expected.

Personal Thoughts:

This is one of those books that people either love or hate; there is no in-between. If someone doesn’t fully connect with the shepherd boy and his line of thinking, they won’t understand this book. That is why I think this book is so important to read. People need to actively work hard to follow the boy’s logic and have an open mind to what he believes in. For instance, the boy believes in the “Soul of the World”. The Soul of the World is the universal language that everyone speaks. Crying means someone is sad, a tornado siren means bad weather is coming, and yawning means someone is tired. The boy reasons that the Soul of the World could also include omens. Perhaps two birds fighting have the universal language of frustration or disagreement. The fighting, however, could also be an omen that danger is near for a part of the human population. The boy decides he can read these omens to find what he wants in life, and in his case, he wants to find the treasure in his dreams. Whether the reader believes in what the boy believes in or not, it is important for readers to entertain the beliefs of other people. Maybe some people agree with the boy in the sense that nature is working to help people achieve their dreams, while others may believe the boy is out of his mind. Either way, this book forces its readers to look at things in a different way.

Suggested Use in Classroom:

Learning to understand the belief systems of other people is something all students should learn. They might not agree with the beliefs of another, but at least they worked to understand what those beliefs were about. Learning to accept what others believe in is a key skill in life. Therefore, students can learn a valuable life lesson through reading this book. Also, this book is very encouraging for those that feel like they will never achieve what they want to. Maybe certain students want to receive better grades but don’t think they are smart enough. Perhaps some students want to pursue a singing, art, dance, etc. career but are afraid they aren’t good enough. Some students may have comparatively small goals, like making it all the way through a certain book or learning a tricky math problem. Whatever the case, The Alchemist insists that people must press on. If they believe that their goal is something they were meant to do, they must pursue it with everything they have regardless of self-doubt, failures, etc. This is an important idea for everyone to learn, especially high school students. They are in the middle of discovering who they want to be, so learning to actively pursue whatever path they choose is a great concept that The Alchemist teaches them.