Freedom

Freedom It’s never too late to be set free Book Summaries

1.) **__ The Awakening __** by Kate Chopin  Edna is a wife and mother living in New Orleans during the 1890s. While on vacation with her family, Edna develops a love interest with someone at the resort. When this new man departs to Mexico on business, Edna realizes how unhappy she is with her life and the assumed role of women in the 19th century. This leads her on an adventure of sexual pleasure and mental turmoil that forces her to make a decision, conform to the traditional view of society, or break away from the social norm to experience a new personal freedom.    2.) **__ Graceling __** by Kristin Cashore Katsa has been an assassin since she was eight years old. In the world where Katsa lives, people can be born with a special talent called a Grace. This can be as simple as expert cooking skills, to as extreme as an expert killer. Katsa’s Grace is being able to kill a man with her bare hands if she wanted. At 18 she works under her uncle doing his dirty work and taking out anyone who poses a threat to him. She is tired of being feared and exploited, when she meets Prince Po she must decide whether her fate will be that of an assassin, or to break out from the Kingdom and create her own destiny.

3.) **__ The Watcher __** by Margaret Buffie   Emma is a 15 year old growing up with her parents on their farm, but she is far from your average girl. When Emma goes to work on a neighbor’s farm, where she learns to play a game called Fidchell. This triggers a bout of fantastical dreams that begin to creep into her waking hours. When it seems her family is in danger, Emma must find strength within herself to discover who she truly is, and what she must do to fulfill her destiny.    4.) **__ The Glass Castle: A Memoir __** by Jeannette Walls Jeannette’s life as a young girl was anything but normal. Her parent’s are dysfunctional nomads, who live their lives in a way deemed unconventional. Her parent’s don’t always take on the responsibilities of their children, often leaving the kids to fend for themselves. Jeannette has to learn to take on the responsibilities of an adult. This memoir tells the story of her journey through this chaos, gaining her own independence, and giving her the strength to break away form her family and make it on her own. 5.) **__ Number the Stars __** by Lois Lowry   Ten year old Annemarie Johansen has to learn the hardships of living in Denmark during The Holocaust. When her best friend Ellen is in danger of being taken to a concentration camp, the Johansen’s take her in and disguising her as their oldest daughter. Through this novel Annemarie learns that life is not always fair, that sometimes you must make sacrifices for those your love, and that a brave heart can be the best weapon in war.

** Central Theme: Freedom ** Each one of these books shows a theme of freedom in one way or another. Some characters need to break away from external restaints, while other struggle with the internal ones. The stories show common freedoms and individual ones. All of the books show the protagonsist gaining freedom from a society, whether it be the one they live in, or one they are thrust into during the course of the story. Below is a list of the most predominant theme of freedom in each story.


 * Freedom from conformity - Chopin
 * Freedom from pre-destined fate - Cashore
 * Freedom from a pre-conceived reality - Buffie
 * Freedom from family - Walls
 * Freedom from oppression - Lowry

Classic: __Pride and Prejudice__ by Jane Austen Elizabeth Bennett also strikes out against the views of women in society. She speaks her mind and refuses to be defined by a man. This novel also has a female protagonist. Her refusals to stick to the status quo parallel the same traits of Edna in __The Awakening.__
 * Connections to Other Literature **

Film: __Gone with the Wind__ (novel turned movie) Scarlett O’Hara is the epitome of a female protagonist. She is a survivor. Scarlett knows how to adapt to new situations brought on by the war. She wants the freedom to date Ashley, but it restrained by his marriage to Melanie. Her spitfire spirit shows similarities to Katsa in __Graceling__, they both also show sides of immaturity at times.

Play: __Twelfth Night/ What You Will__ by William Shakespeare The female protagonist in this play breaks free of the restraints of gender rules. Viola poses as her brother to be treated like a boy in society. Her wit and charm help her stay ahead of the game. Her survival skills could be compared to those of Katsa and Emma.


 * Activities: ** Support and Develop Adolescent Literacy

Create a student made list of predictions about the book they are going to read whether it be a central conflict, or a character development, etc. Have them make predictions based on the title, the back cover, and previous information given to them about the text. As they read through the story, have them stop at passages that prove or disprove their predictions. While reading the book, have the students compare and contrast the gender roles in the story, with those of the present time. Make a chart of the similarities and differences for each gender. Ask them to explain if they find any of the roles within the story unfair. Have the students break up into groups, each choosing one scene from an assigned chapter. The students must portray the characters of the scene and play it out for the class. When finished the group will explain why they chose this scene and its importance to the text. Each student may choose a character from the literature. Once they have a character, they join up with the other students who have the same character. They then create a profile page from a well-known social site (ie. Facebook) stating the name of the character, age, gender, race, occupation, etc. They also can include a physical description, the characters strengths and weaknesses, and any other information they find important to the character’s persona (This activity can be done on paper or on a site created by the teacher) The students all pick a character that they relate to best. Have them discuss why they chose this character and what the similarities are between them. Have the students chose a scenario that involves this character with a choice or conflict. How does the character react to the scene? Would the student have reacted differently? Next have the class predict how the character would react in a situation the students have experienced. Break up a number of scenes into groups and let the students become familiar with their scene. Have one member from each scene be placed into groups so that every scene is present. Ask the students to figure out the order in which the scenes occur and the importance of each scene in relation to the novel. As a class, have the students make up their own questions from the book. From each question, one of the following should be present: an answer that comes right out of the text, an answer that is in the text, but must put together separate ideas to complete the question, an answer not found in the text, but based on the author, and one answer that takes critical thinking and is open ended based on students’ interpretations. Have the class answer these together.
 * 1) ** Student Predictions **
 * 1) ** Gender Role in Novel **
 * 1) ** Once Scene Skit **
 * 1) ** Character Profile **
 * 1) ** Relation to a Character **
 * 1) ** Significant Scene Jigsaw **
 * 1) ** Create a Questionnaire **