Macarena Dominguez Childrens Literature Paper #2

The Importance of Contemporary Realistic iction for !oung "dults

Contemporary Realistic iction is# pro$a$ly# the most chosen genre $y young adults and also the one that teachers prefer to %or& %ith' In this &ind of $oo&s %e can find adolescents facing serious e(ents# pro$lems# and challenges' "ccording to the authors )ucher and Manning# *They must learn to o(ercome fears and accept responsi$ilities# and to deal %ith pro$lems related to adoption# di(orce# disa$ilities# disease# se+ual relationships# changes %ithin their families# relationships# se+ual orientation# alienation# alcohol and drug a$use# and suicide', -p' ./# ch01 This genre attempts to reflect the %orld as %e &no% it and the pro$lems and challenges that many adolescents face e(ery day' )ut the real 2uestion is %hy %e should use and teach adolescents through Contemporary Realistic iction' In Chapter 0# )ucher and Manning e+plain that *it is important for young adults to $e e+posed to $oo&s that reach and mo(e them -31 Rather than loo&ing for $oo&s that are contri(ed or didactic# young adults seem to $e loo&ing for no(els that spea& to them and a$out them in an honest and realistic %ay -'''1, -p' 454# ch01 "s the authors of this %onderful $oo& mention in this chapter# there are many (alues of contemporary realistic fiction' !oung adults can6 Identify %ith characters %ho ha(e similar interests and %ho must deal %ith similar pro$lems' Realize that# %hile their pro$lems and challenges are difficult# they are shared $y other adolescents' 7+tend their horizons and $roaden their interests'

)etter cope %ith grief# fear# and anger as they read a$out other young adults or characters %ho ha(e dealt %ith ad(ersity'

-p' 454 and 452# ch01 The no(els Holes# Bridge to Terabithia and The Giver are three super$ no(els that deal %ith some situations in %hich adolescents can feel easily identify %ith their characters and situations' 8e can ta&e ad(antage of them as to help our students to learn important lessons of life' To $egin %ith# Holes is an e+cellent no(el for adolescents' It incorporates elements of action# surprise# mystery# and humor' )ut mostly# it is a story a$out the $enefits of friendship# the po%er of fate to determine e(ents# personal gro%th# among others' The characters are easy to $elie(e and are normal &ids9 they seem li&e an a(erage $unch of &ids so teens %ill relate to them %ith no trou$le' The (alue of loyal friendships is illustrated repeatedly in :oles' ;nly true friendship# li&e the unselfish $ond $et%een <tanley and =ero# can earn freedom and fortune > not ?ust physical freedom and material %ealth# $ut emotional freedom# happiness# and self>satisfaction' ate is also a (ery important issue in the no(el' The e(ents of the past one hundred fifty years ha(e $een setting the stage for a !elnats and a =eroni to $e together again' 7ach time a !elnats seems to $e at the %rong place at the %rong time# a fateful turn of e(ents ma&es it the right place at the right time' Though certain e(ents may seem li&e mere coincidence# there are far too many *coincidences, in :oles to discount the hand of fate' The com$ination of e(ents is so unli&ely that the only conclusion is that history has $een manipulated $y fate' 8e can discuss %ith our students these &inds of issues to teach them the real (alue of friendship# the importance of fate in our li(es and also ho% to undergo the process of maturation'

In li&e manner# the no(el Bridge to Terabithia is also an e+cellent no(el to %or& %ith young adults $ecause it also e+plores themes li&e friendship# childhood# conformity and indi(iduality# gender roles# imagination# and loss' )ut# li&e many other great children@s $oo&s# it@s come under contro(ersial fire' It happens to deal %ith some pretty difficult su$?ect matter# li&e death and religion' riendship is the most important &ind of relationship in Bridge to Terabithia6 friends are the family that you get to choose for yourself' The most e(ol(ed characters A Bess# Leslie# May )elle A are the ones %ho are concerned %ith finding and ma&ing friends' "nd not ?ust any &ind of friends $ut good friends A the &ind %ho understand and support you# $ut also help you gro% and continue to e(ol(e' In the $est friendships# li&e Bess and Leslie@s# the $ond they share strengthens as $oth people in(ol(e' They each ha(e things to teach the other# they encourage each other# and they $elie(e in each other' riendship means helping people access and $ecome open to a greater %orld than the one they &ne% $efore' 8e can also discuss the theme of Loss %ith our students' Losing a $est friend is pro$a$ly one of the toughest things to go through in life# no matter ho% old or young you are' The fact that Bess only has Leslie in his life for less than a year ma&es her loss e(en more tragic# if that@s e(en possi$le6 as soon as he finds her# she slips a%ay' )ut Bess gains so much from his friendship %ith Leslie A the &inds of life>changing support that almost can@t $e put into %ords A that their mutual transformation is more significant than the fact they only had a little time together' Reading a$out Bess@s loss and ho% he deals %ith it A ho% he chooses to $e $ra(e# loo& for%ard# and honor his friend A helps prepare us to deal %ith future sadness# or honor people close to us %ho are no longer here' Through this no(el %e can ma&e our students realize that it is (ery important to ha(e these (alues in our li(es'

In a similar %ay as the t%o other no(els# The Ci(er is a great $oo& to start class discussions %ith young adults' This $oo& reminds us a$out the relationship $et%een pain and pleasure# the importance of memory and of the indi(idual' The community in The Giver decides to eliminate all pain from their li(es' To do so# they ha(e to gi(e up the memories of their societys collecti(e e+periences' )ut Bonas learns that ?ust as there is no pain %ithout memory# there is also no true happiness' "nother issue that is e+plored in the no(el is the onset of se+ual a%areness' That &ind of contro(ersial issue is %hat ma&es no(els interesting for adolescents to %or& %ith and also for themsel(es to read' The idea that there can $e no pleasure %ithout pain and no pain %ithout pleasure is also (ery interesting' Do matter ho% delightful an e+perience is# you cannot (alue the pleasure it gi(es you unless you ha(e some memory of a time %hen you ha(e suffered' <imilarly# they do not feel pain or grief $ecause they do not appreciate the true %onder of life6 death is not tragic to them $ecause life is not precious' "s regards the importance of the indi(idual %e can see that The Giver is the story of Bonass de(elopment into an indi(idual# maturing from a child dependent upon his community into a young man %ith uni2ue a$ilities# dreams# and desires' The no(el can e(en $e seen as an allegory for this process of maturation# another important point to discuss %ith our students' The themes e+press in The Ci(er are sometimes criticized as $eing too mature for elementary students' Li&e Bonas# students are going through a time of change as %ell so they can feel easily identify %ith the characters' To conclude# I li&e to foreground that the authors of these three no(els accomplish (ery %ell one of the purposes of Contemporary Realistic iction that is to transmit great (alues to adolescents' 8e ha(e to e+ploit these morals to %or& %ith our students to reach and mo(e them so as to teach them a significant lesson of life'

8or&s Cited )ucher# Eatherine F M' Lee Manning -255/1' Young Adult Literature. Exploration, Evaluation and Appreciation. De% Bersey6 Pearson Merrill Prentice :all' Print' <achar# Louis -4GG.1 Holes. Te+as' arrar# <traus and Cirou+' -H<1

)looms$ury -HE1 7diciones <M -<pain1' Print Paterson# Eatherine -4GII1 Bridge to Terabithia. Jirginia' Cro%ell' Print Lois Lo%ry -4GGK1 The Giver. Hnited <tates' :oughton Mifflin' Print