Which One?

I’m having a hard time deciding which text to focus on this week, partially because of what was available at my library and partially because of my ideas about how to connect students to the text. I’ve been debating between The Crucible (one of my favorites), The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (recently read for the first time as part of my Methods internship), and The Secret Life of Bees (a “want to read” that was available at my library, which I finished just today).

Given my level of indecision, I decided to look at the Billy Collins poems next. First, I wanted to see whether I could connect any of the poems to the texts listed above, second, to begin to practice infusing poetry into a “regular” unit of study, and third, to see if the poems led me to the text that most inspires me for this assignment. Upon my first reading of “Introduction to Poetry,” I thought it could connect well to The Crucible, because the lines about tying a poem to a chair to drag a confession out of it remind me of the witch trial proceedings, and I know how I’d help students connect to The Crucible. I’ve spent quite a lot of time thinking about it. I’d start by asking them about what “gossip” and “reputation” and “power” mean to them. These concepts are not only central to the play, but also particularly to the lives of high school students. Once I get their thoughts on that, I’d ask them how gossip affects their lives: is it worse on social media? Do they pass along the gossip they hear, or does it stop with them? Do they know anyone whose reputation has been permanently damaged by gossip? Is gossip true? Fair? Just? How much power does gossip wield over their lives and the lives of their friends? After they have a chance to respond to those questions, I’d connect their responses to the world of the play by highlighting aspects of the plot that are directly tied to gossip, reputation, and power.  

Initially, I had a more difficult time finding a poem that makes sense with True Diary (nothing concrete upon first readings). After rereading the poems a few times, I see how I could use “Forgetfulness,” because that’s what Junior’s friends and family on “the rez” fear the most—that Junior will forget them, turn his back on them somehow, simply by going to school in Reardan. In terms of connecting students to the text, this one goes down a lot more easily than a more traditional text, because True Diary takes place in high school. Sure, most students in our neck of the woods haven’t dealt with the struggle of life on an Indian reservation and what it means to leave the reservation for an education, but they certainly can connect to the universal high school issues that Junior encounters: bullying, self-esteem, identity, fitting in, dating, etc. The book is written in a way that really speaks to the students where they are in their lives, so even though it’s not necessarily a book I’ll read if I’m not teaching it, I can completely see the value in the discussions it sparks with the students based on the issues it tackles.

Lastly, while there are a couple of the Billy Collins poems that could work as a connection to The Secret Life of Bees, “I Ask You” seems most appropriate to me, because it addresses what Lily has been searching for throughout the novel: a community that she can truly call her own, a family who loves her just as she is, a place in which she can be at peace with herself and her life. Again, because this is a newer novel that follows a teenager, it’s easier for students to connect to than a more traditional text, even though it’s a period piece. What I might do to help students connect to it is to ask them whether they feel like they belong or not in the life they’re currently leading and why, because that’s Lily’s biggest issue. She’s in a life, but it’s not really the one she’s meant to live, so she needs to break free to find her way to the path that’s hers to follow. I might also ask students to think about the word “community”—what it means to them, whether they feel like they’re part of one community or many and why. Once we talk about those things, then I’ll preview the novel and we’ll talk about what students might want to keep in mind as they read.

Dear readers, any feedback you have for me regarding which idea speaks to you more than the others is most welcome!