M4 - 13-03-'23

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 4

M4 - 13-03-'23

Literature: The Wave

Alquin

The Wave                                           

The Wave

Novel by Todd Strasser, a.k.a. Morton Rhue (= pen name).

Young adult novel, 1981

A fictionalized account of the "Third Wave" teaching experiment by Ron Jones that took place in an Ellwood P. Cubberley High School history class in Palo Alto, California. 

The Third Wave was an experimental movement created by the high school history teacher Ron Jones in April 1967 to explain how the German population could have accepted the actions of the Nazi regime during the rise of the Third Reich and the Second World War.

While Jones taught his students about Nazi Germany during his senior level Contemporary World History class, Jones found it difficult to explain how the German people could have accepted the actions of the Nazis. 

What did he do?

He decided to create a fictional social movement as a demonstration of the appeal of fascism.

What could the appeal of fascism be?

 

Over the course of five days (or nine, according to student Sherry Toulsey), Jones, a member of the Students_for_a_ Democratic_Society (SDS), Cubberley United Student Movement sponsor and Black Panthers supporter, conducted a series of exercises in his classroom emphasizing discipline and community, intended to model certain characteristics of the Nazi movement.

Oh dear...

As the movement grew outside his class and began to number in the hundreds, the experiment had spiraled out of control. 

Rally

He convinced the students to attend a rally where he claimed that the classroom project was part of a nationwide movement, and that the announcement of a Third Wave presidential candidate would be televised.

Short film

 Upon their arrival, the students were presented with a blank channel. Jones told his students of the true nature of the movement as an experiment in fascism, and presented to them a short film discussing the actions of Nazi Germany.

The project was adapted into an American film, The Wave, in 1981, and a critically acclaimed German film, Die Welle, in 2008.

20-03-'24

Literature: The absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie

• Born October 7, 1966  
• Native American novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. 
• Writes about own experiences as an Indigenous American.
• Grew up on Spokane Indian Reservation and now lives in Seattle, Washington.

Background of novel

• Best-known book is the semi-autobiographical young adult novel: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007)
• Won the 2007 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature + Odyssey Award as best 2008 audiobook for young people (read by Alexie).

Message

What is the message of ''The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian''? There are a variety of messages and themes in the novel. One of the main messages is finding identity. While Junior straddles between life on and off the reservation, he learns to accept himself and learn what he wants to become.

What does the novel teach?

It is selected by teachers across the country for its appeal to reluctant readers and because it introduces vital issues such as

• the struggles of young adulthood
• search for personal identity
• bullying
• poverty.

Why is it important to read the novel?

It is imperative that students learn about uncomfortable topics, and this novel presents these problems in ways that teenagers will actually understand. 

Unlike many of the massive tomes (books with a lot of pages) written by long-dead white men hundreds of years ago that students read in their classes, this book is actually relatable.

Is it a true story?

Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away ...

Is there anything controversial about the novel?

• The book has long been controversial for its material. 
• It has been on America's Library Association's Top 10 challenged books list seven times since its publication in 2007. 
• Libraries and schools that have banned the book attribute the censorship to things like its “violence, language and some sexual content.”

What is the moral of The Absolutely True Diary?

The main character, Arnold, decides to leave his school on the reservation to commute to an all-white school in the nearby town after his teacher encourages him to do so. The most important message of this them is simply, "Never give up, even if times are tough." Junior's story is a perfect example of that.