The Search for Values: Young Adults and the Literary Experience

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The Best Bullies: A Critical Analysis of Young Adult Anti-Bullying Novels

Recently, bullying has become a critical area of research across disciplines exploring effective tools for dealing with this increasing problem. Emerging from this critical research is a new sub-genre of young adult (YA) anti-bullying literature that is becoming increasingly popular. This thesis offers a critical analysis of the contemporary YA anti-bullying literature and how it corresponds to The Bullying Circle, a highly effective bully prevention program tool. This work will incorporate scholarship about the educational interpretation of YAL and the potential impact it has on adolescents. Looking at The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli with the Bullying Circle as a guide demonstrates that these books can effective classroom tools

Profanity, Disgust, and Dangerous Literature: A Hermeneutical Analysis of the Catcher in the Rye and the Chocolate War

Varying levels and types of colloquial language are considered inappropriate, especially profanity. Obscene language is one aspect applied to the R-rating for movies and television shows. Profanity also plays a large role as a deterrent in books; consequently, profanity is a popular motive for banning books in schools and libraries. What if instead of turning away from profanity, readers could analyze and understand the reasons and meaning behind the profane words? Hermeneutics, used as a philosophical lens, allows for deeper understanding of textual language. If interpreted through educational and historical context with the aid of hermeneutics, profanity becomes a useful literary element within the text. Rather than banning books from high school curricula, educators and students can interpret the meaning and underlying purpose of profanity in literature. This study utilizes hermeneutics as a lens for understanding the role of profanity in two young adult novels: The Catcher in the Rye and The Chocolate War. Profanity usage in both novels is indicative of the realistic nature of the characters’ lives and struggles. Students need to know that their interpretation—of a text, of the world, of themselves—is important. The reader-response approach to literary criticism allows for an intimate relationship to develop between the reader and the object of interpretation— in this case the text. Analysis and discussion of the experiences that human beings have and our ability to share these experiences through language and fusions of horizons in Gadamer’s hermeneutics allows for true education—ensuring understanding can take place

The Chocolate Battle: Media Representation of Product Quality in the British Press

In the implementation of given EU directives, forms of resistance may originate, in particular, when given directives try to uniform the production of given goods. This was particularly the case of chocolate production, which has sparked over time furious reactions by EU member states, since the directives linked to its production clearly defined what should be considered ‘pure’ chocolate and, conversely, what should be defined as a poor imitation. Indeed, the controversial 1973 Directive 73/241/EEC, which expressly prohibited the use of any fat other than cocoa butter, created a double standard for those countries that used alternative fats or, as in the case of the UK, traditionally used higher quantities of milk in the production of chocolate and a cocoa content lower than the minimum authorised by the EEC directive. Thus, these countries were forced to market their products outside of their national borders as ‘chocolate-flavoured’, thus, subtly acknowledging the lower quality of their products when compared to ‘pure’ chocolate. Thus, the aim of this contribution is to analyse the animated debate surrounding chocolate quality standards in the British press thanks to the analysis of a corpus of newspapers articles in a time-span that goes from 1994 to 2000, that is, the period during which the EU re-opened the debate over chocolate production standards and which brought to the Directive 2000/36/EC that introduced more flexibility in the manufacture of chocolate. The analysis will be carried out by using corpus linguistic methodologies (Baker, 2006, 2013; Baker et al., 2013) and, in particular, we will focus on the legitimation strategies (van Leeuwen, 2007, 2008) used to define product quality in the news stories under investigation

Beyond the Problem Novel: Robert Cormier\u27s Vision and the World of Adolescent Tragedy

Robert Cormier is the premier writer for adolescents in the United States according to The Handbook of American Popular Literature and dozens of literary critics. Although his novels have won numerous awards from the American Library Association (ALA), his novels have also generated controversy from critics who believe his novels are excessively dark and disturbing. Adolescents in Robert Cormier\u27s world are by no means the average teenagers one may expect to find at a local high school. Instead, the adolescent world is shown to be more complex and dangerous, where evil preys on the good, where loneliness and isolation are not occasional occurrences but commonplace, and where anyone who dares to be different is doomed to failure. Cormier\u27s fiction suggests a nihilistic view of society and also implies a dystopia, with almost every present force (government, schools, and religion) mounting together to crush caring individuals. Cormier shows even those who are in power and control (antagonists) find no more happiness than their victims. While Cormier\u27s adolescent novels (which include The Chocolate War, I am the Cheese, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway, Beyond the Chocolate War, We All Fall Down, Tunes for Bears to Dance to, In the Middle of the Night, and Tenderness) belong to the problem novel sub-genre of realistic fiction, they also philosophically differ from the typical problem novel, as represented by such writers as Avi, Judy Blume, Glendon Swarthout, and Paul Zindel. It helps to understand Cormier\u27s fiction by placing it in the context of naturalism, which emphasizes the impotence of individuals because of forces within nature and society. Cormier\u27s vision of adolescents is unusual within the context of adolescent literature because it seems to undermine the concept of the individual, showing adolescents as unable to escape from the problems that encompass them, in part because the problems are difficult, but mainly because the culture of adolescents in conjunction with adult culture ultimately punishes those who attempt to be different, unique, or (especially) good. Cormier\u27s world is one devoid of hope, which contradicts the setting of most problem novels. Additionally, Cormier\u27s novels undermine a common theme in adolescent literature, the rite of passage that develops teens into adults. Instead of treating adolescence as a rite of passage, Cormier shows it to be a period where no transition is needed or can occur since both adults and teenagers are shown to be equally brutal to people who wish to be good or independent. Finally, Cormier\u27s intense focus on characterization makes him unique from most problem novel authors, which usually focus on the problems instead of the characters or relationships. Cormier seems to hint that the problems that surround his characters are arbitrary, and most of the actual harm (both physical and psychological) that occurs to adolescents who try to be different from their peers come from the majority of seemingly ordinary adolescents who are shown to be brutal to anyone who wishes or dares to be different. Thus, I conclude that Cormier exposes the dark side of human nature, and his vision of the adolescent world is one where evil triumphs over good and where individuals who dare disturb the universe are crushed

Engaging the religious dimension in significant adolescent literature

This article discusses the religious dimension in contemporary adolescent novels of recognized merit. It notes psychological and sociological studies indicating that religion is a significant factor in the actual lives of both adults and adolescents and observes that consequently it can be expected that quality literature will reflect this reality. A functional definition of religion was used to address the practical and varied ways religious or religious-like dynamics are engaged by adolescent characters. Religion was defined as whatever individuals do to come to grips with profound existential issues—questions dealing with ultimate issues. An examination of works by three major writers for adolescents utilizing this definition reveals how varied, complex, and profound a role religion frequently plays in the quality literature written for adolescents

The Next Great Adventure: A Child\u27s Literary Journey through Death and Grief

Literature is often a direct glimpse into another world, conveying messages from characters to help readers shape and define their own futures. Parents and guardians of children are often left searching for a way to use literature to explain the more difficult parts of life to child readers. Grief literature offers models of different grieving processes. Critic Mary Rycik was the first to coin the term bibliotherapy when she discussed the healing role that children\u27s literature played for the traumatized child or young adult. When faced with loss and sorrow, characters will either heal and move on, or succumb to the grief they feel when a loved one dies. The novels in the following thesis: Hans Wilhelm\u27s I \u27ll Always Love You ( 1990), Robert Munsch\u27s Love You Forever ( 1999), Dwight Daniels\u27 Grieving at Christmastime (2005), Ralph L. Klicker\u27s Kolie and the Funeral (2002); S.E. Hinton\u27s The Outsiders ( 1997), Rodman Philbrick\u27s Freak the Mighty ( 1993) Robert Cormier\u27s The Chocolate War ( 1974), and William Golding\u27s Lord of the Flies ( 1954) all showcase characters making both healthy and unhealthy choices regarding grief. Progression plays a pivotal role, for as novels advance in intricacy, readers are presumably advancing in age. Young characters evolve from a reliance on their parents, to friends, and then ultimately decide alone how they want grief to affect them. Grief literature attempts to ready readers of all ages for death and the emotions associated with it. Grief literature offers answers during the tragic times when answers seem scarce. Ultimately death will not be something to be afraid of, but is seen as the great adventure touted by Peter Pan in J.M. Barrie\u27s Peter and Wendy (1911) and Professor Dumbledore in J.K. Rowling\u27s novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer \u27s Stone (1997). This is the very goal of grief literature; to turn sorrow into a story, and to turn that story\u27 into life

Locating Banned Books: A Collection Analysis of Libraries in Arkansas and Tennessee

No library can make everything available to its patrons. However, libraries should adhere to the American Library Association (ALA) for guidance on what items are banned from the library\u27s collections. Censorship and intellectual freedom have gained attention for how it affects libraries and the restraints it individualized for banned or forbidden items. Difficulties are characterized as formal, composed complaints recorded with a library or school asking for specific materials to be expelled from view because the substance may not be considered appropriate for the users. The purpose of this study is to compare a selected set of previously banned books or challenged titles in the collections of twelve public libraries within two southern states: Arkansas and Tennessee. The titles include: I Know Why the Cage Birds Sings by Maya Angelou; Beloved by Toni Morrison; Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; and The Color Purple by Alice Walker