What is Young Adult Literature?
The most common characteristics in young adult literature are that it is often seen through the first person view of a teenager, consists of a rite of passage to maturity, and ends with the young adult achieving a stronger grip on his/her life.
Each of the books that we have read this semester had us view the novel from the eyes of a teenager providing young adult reader with simple language and similar situations that they can easily relate to. One of my favorite books that we had to read was The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, because the main character, Arnold, uses humor throughout the novel to describe his troubling life; including the fact that he has an over-sized head, suffers from poor eyesight, gets seizures, stutters, and has a lisp. Because of his physical condition, Arnold often gets beaten up and labeled a “retard”.
As you can see from this example, many (if not all) young adult books introduce a character who must face the challenges of growing up, because readers of young adult literature want to see a character who is struggling emotionally, sexually, or conditionally in order to see how that character deals with, and conquers those difficulties. Now the moment of triumph never comes easily, in fact, the situation will often get even worse before getting better, giving young adult literature a kind of “suspense” to it that pulls young readers into the book. This form of writing where the author focuses on portraying the struggles and growth of a character is often labeled as bildungsroman or “the coming of age”. The reason why this form of writing is so important in young adult literature is because it is dealing with something they can relate to and want to read.
The thing that keeps readers going in these bildungsroman type novels is the “final solution” or conclusion. This is the part where the character finally overcomes the difficulties in their life and achieves a new outlook on life. In the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher, who is a kid with autism, must face his fear of talking to strangers and going out into the real world in order to be reunited with his mother in London. From this experience, Christopher learns to cope with his fears and ends up with a new set of goals in life and a clear future. The reason why the conclusion is so interesting is because each novel has its own unique ending that the reader can experience and learn from as they receive that same new outlook on life though the character.
Young adult literature cannot be defined in a single sentence, for it is a combination of many characteristics that target teen readers. It is a combination of “struggle”, “growth” and “triumph” that portrays the many complicated and difficult situations that we face in life, but more importantly, it gives teenagers something they can relate to and learn from in an entertaining kind of way.
Why The Giver should be taught in school.
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a fascinating book that schools should have the right to teach. Some critics may say that teaching this “fantasy” book in class is simply a waste of time since they can read it on their own, but this book should be read for more than just entertainment for it presents many important concepts that young adults can learn from. Take for example, the importance of choice; this book helps students understand the importance of choice and how it can shape their future (e.g. their career path, or marriage). With this knowledge students will become more apt in making good decision.
Although the dystopian community presented to us in The Giver may seem like silly and simple-minded stuff to some, it is a goldmine of information to others. This book touches on many serious subjects including pain, pleasure, and even death. And even though it is set in a fantasy world, this kind of literature allows students to use their imagination and develop their creative abilities, because keep in mind that there is a lot more opportunities in this world than just the “serious work” that students can and should focus on. Creativity and the use of the imagination give students the ability to develop into musicians, artists, and even entrepreneurs.
The Giver is a fine example of why young adult literature should be taught in schools, because not only does it touch on some major themes that students must experience in life, but also because it allows students to use their imagination by doing something that they can enjoy.
The most common characteristics in young adult literature are that it is often seen through the first person view of a teenager, consists of a rite of passage to maturity, and ends with the young adult achieving a stronger grip on his/her life.
Each of the books that we have read this semester had us view the novel from the eyes of a teenager providing young adult reader with simple language and similar situations that they can easily relate to. One of my favorite books that we had to read was The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, because the main character, Arnold, uses humor throughout the novel to describe his troubling life; including the fact that he has an over-sized head, suffers from poor eyesight, gets seizures, stutters, and has a lisp. Because of his physical condition, Arnold often gets beaten up and labeled a “retard”.
As you can see from this example, many (if not all) young adult books introduce a character who must face the challenges of growing up, because readers of young adult literature want to see a character who is struggling emotionally, sexually, or conditionally in order to see how that character deals with, and conquers those difficulties. Now the moment of triumph never comes easily, in fact, the situation will often get even worse before getting better, giving young adult literature a kind of “suspense” to it that pulls young readers into the book. This form of writing where the author focuses on portraying the struggles and growth of a character is often labeled as bildungsroman or “the coming of age”. The reason why this form of writing is so important in young adult literature is because it is dealing with something they can relate to and want to read.
The thing that keeps readers going in these bildungsroman type novels is the “final solution” or conclusion. This is the part where the character finally overcomes the difficulties in their life and achieves a new outlook on life. In the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher, who is a kid with autism, must face his fear of talking to strangers and going out into the real world in order to be reunited with his mother in London. From this experience, Christopher learns to cope with his fears and ends up with a new set of goals in life and a clear future. The reason why the conclusion is so interesting is because each novel has its own unique ending that the reader can experience and learn from as they receive that same new outlook on life though the character.
Young adult literature cannot be defined in a single sentence, for it is a combination of many characteristics that target teen readers. It is a combination of “struggle”, “growth” and “triumph” that portrays the many complicated and difficult situations that we face in life, but more importantly, it gives teenagers something they can relate to and learn from in an entertaining kind of way.
Why The Giver should be taught in school.
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a fascinating book that schools should have the right to teach. Some critics may say that teaching this “fantasy” book in class is simply a waste of time since they can read it on their own, but this book should be read for more than just entertainment for it presents many important concepts that young adults can learn from. Take for example, the importance of choice; this book helps students understand the importance of choice and how it can shape their future (e.g. their career path, or marriage). With this knowledge students will become more apt in making good decision.
Although the dystopian community presented to us in The Giver may seem like silly and simple-minded stuff to some, it is a goldmine of information to others. This book touches on many serious subjects including pain, pleasure, and even death. And even though it is set in a fantasy world, this kind of literature allows students to use their imagination and develop their creative abilities, because keep in mind that there is a lot more opportunities in this world than just the “serious work” that students can and should focus on. Creativity and the use of the imagination give students the ability to develop into musicians, artists, and even entrepreneurs.
The Giver is a fine example of why young adult literature should be taught in schools, because not only does it touch on some major themes that students must experience in life, but also because it allows students to use their imagination by doing something that they can enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment