Crystal Sharp

Sellers
EH349
3 December 2014
Rationale
McCormick, Patricia. Sold. New York: Hyperion Books, 2006. Print.
Intended Audience
McCormicks Sold will be taught in a twelfth grade English Language Arts
classroom. The entire class will study the book.
Summary
This novel follows the story of a young girl named Lakshmi. She is a thirteenyear old girl that lives in Nepal. She comes from a poor family that depends on the
harvest every year to keep them afloat. Her stepfather is careless with the money that the
family does have, and her mother does everything she can to do the best with what the
family does have. When a monsoon destroys the years crop, Lakshmis stepfather has to
send Lakshmi into the city to work. When they travel into town, Lakshmi believes she is
being sent to the city to become a maid for a wealthy family. Her stepfather sells her for
800 rupees. She travels through many cities to her final destination all while unaware that
she has been sold as a sex slave. Once she reaches the brothel, she is thrown into a special
room because she is a virgin. After refusing to let any men touch her, she is starved and
eventually drugged so that a man can sexually abuse her. After this happens, she realizes
that this fact of her life is now inevitable.

She takes clients and tallies her money in her pocketbook. She is convinced if
she can repay her debt through service that she will be free. She does not spend any
money on the cart that comes through everyday with tea and cakes so that one day she
can hope to leave the house. After a while she learns that she will never be able to repay
her debt and that the housemother will keep her there as long as she can make money off
of her. She also finds out that no one has been sending her family money which means
she has been working for free. One day an American comes to the house and she takes
him to her room, but he is not there for what the others come for. He tells her he wants to
help her. Although he never shows back up, Lakshmi eventually escapes during a police
raid.
Educational Significance
This novel is full of significance for the youth of today. The first major
significance is that social cause of sex trafficking. Although this story is fictitious, it
paints a very real picture of what many young girls in many countries, even the United
States, have to go through every day. The students of today need to be aware of the social
issues of society. Another main educational significance is the use of themes within the
novel. The themes of this novel are, but not limited to, the following: the will to survive
through horrible circumstances, sacrifice for family, and the importance of friendship.
Students can relate to this novel whether they have been through this circumstance or not.
They can be exposed to a harsh reality for many students that are just not as fortunate as
them and have been taken from their homes to serve a horrible purpose.
Purpose of the Work and How it will be Used

The purpose of this work is to inform students of the social injustice of the society
that we all live in today. The students are able to relate to the protagonist on an emotional
level. The novel provides a fictitious story based on occurrences that really happen in the
lives of many youth across the world today. Students need to be exposed to the harsh
realities of the world because they are the future generations. Students should know what
passion for a change means and how they are able to use their lives to help others. Other
than providing this reality of society, this book contains many elements of literature than
can also be incorporated into the classroom such as theme, writing style, diction,
symbolism, and imagery. The teaching objectives of this novel are the following:
1. Analyze the text including the style of writing, the authors choice for placement
of events, and literary elements within the novel. Activity: Through discussion
and short writing prompts, students will be asked to answer various questions
about the novels integrity that include the previously mentioned literary devices.
2. Determine what the themes are within the novel and support those themes with
textual evidence. Activity: Students will be asked to write on the themes of the
novel using textual evidence and relating those themes to their own lives.
3. Analyze tone and how it affects the central idea of the novel and the readers
interpretation. Activity: Discuss tone and mood and how both of these affect how
the reader will feel while reading the novel. This could be used as a way to see if
dramatic effect is used to create a passion for a social issue. Are novels used in
part as propaganda?
4. Use the themes of the novel and the subject matter to conduct research on sex
trafficking and how it affects society. Activity: Students will complete a
performance task in which they will research sex trafficking. They will be
instructed to find an organization that supports the recovery of young victims of

sex trafficking. They will imagine Lakshmi as a real person and use her story with
textual evidence and researched facts to create a campaign for the demolishment
of sex trafficking and help for Lakshmi through the organization they have
chosen.
Potential Problems and Solutions:
1. The main and only possible problem of this novel is that it does contain a look
into sex trafficking. Although most of the circumstances are not given in great
detail, the twelfth grade students should be able to comprehend the subtle hints at
the issues.
a. Lakshmi loses her virginity and is subject to provide sexual favors for her
clients.
b. The women are given shots as contraceptives.
c. The housemother beats the women for disobedience.
These examples are a few of the many crises that Lakshmi is subject to
throughout the novel. While these are harsh occurrences, eighteen year olds
should be able to be exposed to this social injustice as it provides literary focus as
well as relates to them as individuals.
Permission Statement
I have read the rationale provided to support the teaching of Sold by Patricia
McCormick to my twelfth grade student. I am aware of the content of this novel, and I
understand the purpose of it being taught to my child.

I agree that my child, _______________________________, has my permission

to read Sold by Patricia McCormick.

No, my child, _______________________________, does NOT have my
permission to read Sold by Patricia McCormick.

If you do not want your child to read Sold by Patricia McCormick, then you have two
alternative works that your child may read instead. Please check the alternative choice
that you would like your child to read.
___________ Monster by Walter Dean Myers
___________ Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Parent Signature ____________________________

Date_____________________