I added this youtube video from the creater, Gene Luen Yang. He is talking about his own struggles, and being able to express it all on paper is a great way to deal with stress. I know that I used writing to express myself in high school…through pieces that I will never share, but I used it as a coping mechanism, a way to see the light through all the darkness.
Trying to find an identity, no matter who you are, or where your from, is tough. Growing up we all want to have friends, be liked, have a talent of some sort, and make it through the day in a relatively happy format. We all want to fit in. Through out our high school lives, or at least through mine, I remember feeling lost, inadequate and ashamed of anything that made me different from every one else. I used writing poetry and short stories to express myself, deal with struggles and pain, and as a way to help me sort out all of the thoughts in my head. I find that even now I use this a technique to plan and deal within my adult life.
Using a book like this in high schools, I feel, could be potentially life changing for some kids. By using not only the element of writing, but of pictures to express struggle, I feel this could push kids to put pen to paper instead of other modes of dealing in negative ways. Many teens turn to drugs and alcohol to mask and hide behind, and some always will, but what if they could write stories, or draw pictures to make sense of their own personal chaos. Giving kids an outlet, that isn’t just writing, may allow some to explore graphic novels if they never had before.
Graphic novels can do so many things. They can tell a story of the past, create images for the present, and evoke dreams for the future. I feel that now that graphic novels are being recognized within the school system, that they have the potential to reach more kids because they are using the same literature, but displayed in a different type of language.
-Sarah
3 responses so far ↓
TMD // Sep 26th 2012 at 10:02 am
Thanks for uploading this video (likely produced by the publisher or another media group and not Gene Yang himself). I’ve included a link to a lecture by Gene Yang in my response to the previous post — in case individuals wish to hear more about his creative process.
The notion of a “book trailer” (as opposed to a “movie trailer”) is something to consider as an assignment in ELA classrooms. The rapid cuts of media from the book within this video give a sense of how a book trailer might be produced.
Teresa
mdry // Sep 26th 2012 at 2:44 pm
I have been thinking a lot about the idea of “book trailers” this week. In my 366 class, I am doing a group presentation next week on motivating kids to read literature.
I know when I was in high school I LOVED to read but I hated doing assigned readings. It didn’t matter what they were or how good they were, there were ASSIGNED. I assumed that all books I was forced to read were bad and all books I chose to read were good. Consequently, I have spent a lot of time thinking about how I will motivate my high school students to want to read the assigned readings in our class. The best idea I had was a trailer of some kind. I like the idea of using a medium that the students relate to and getting them excited about what they will read. I hope I can find a way to bring this into my classroom and I hope it works!
sarahmoir // Sep 26th 2012 at 3:33 pm
I felt the same way Melissa, I hated reading school books, and I have also thought about the struggle in getting kids excited about reading. I think book trailers give the kids a new medium to use, and also gives me a challenge to brush up on the media skills. Maybe we should collaborate and learn how to create our own trailers!
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