Here is the link to my Wiki for Judy Blume's banned books.
http://judyblumebannedbooks.wetpaint.com/
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on May 12, 2009 at 11:52am —
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One of the most interesting things I noticed about Judy Blume’s books was the lack of ‘happy endings’. Not to say that no one is happy at the end but the proverbial ‘protagonist gets their wish’ in young adult and children’s literature is missing. I actually love that about Judy Blume’s writing. It makes her writing real, just as she tries to create characters that children and teens alike can relate to, she also omits the happy ending that rarely happens in real life.
This is not to say that t…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on May 4, 2009 at 11:30pm —
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Judy Blume’s Young Adult and Children’s books do have a common theme. They all touch on several aspects of growing up. The protagonists are normal kids, living normal lives, coping with normal issues. They often live in New Jersey, Blume’s own childhood home state.
The main characters, whether they have lost a family member, moved to a new state or live in their childhood homes, tend to make friends easily and are self-conscious of what their friends and society think of them. They are all mora…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on May 1, 2009 at 10:45am —
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When Amazon stripped the rankings from over 50,000 alleged ‘adult content’ books, it seemed like something that should be happening in the 1970’s. It is a case of blatant censorship. Homophobia, at its best.
What did Amazon do with all those books? My first thought; an image of a good old-fashioned book burning, 1940’s hate-filled Hitler style. That is an image many people have when they think of censorship; book burning, hatred and anger against something the masses have been told is evil. How…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on April 20, 2009 at 12:04pm —
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I wanted to choose an author, not just a book. In addition, I was leaning towards young adult literature instead of adult. While researching which author to choose, I narrowed it down to J.K. Rowling (a personal favorite), Roald Dahl (my sons favorite) and Judy Blume.
Obviously, you can see that though Judy Blume is on the list, she is not a favorite. However, I went to her website www.JudyBlume.com and read that she is a pioneer for broaching controversial subjects in children’s literature. Sh…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on April 7, 2009 at 3:35pm —
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Our group project was to discuss and analyze The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. We created a Wiki on Wetpaint; www.thechocolatewar.wetpaint.com, that presents our points of view, discusses why the book was banned, who banned it and a summary of the story including character analyses of the major characters in the story.
My portion of this project was mainly to create the “Why was this book banned?” page and contribute to the summary and character analysis’s.
I had never created a Wiki before…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on March 30, 2009 at 7:16am —
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Robert Cormier is used to having his books challenged. He is not afraid to broach subjects that others would find uncomfortable in a teen literature genre. The psychological warfare in The Chocolate War alone could have gotten it more than a few raised eyebrows.
Since its publication, The Chocolate War has set new boundaries in what is acceptable in teen literature. The reasons for banning consist of language, sexual activity and the portrayal of evil. The sexual activity is one case of a teen…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on March 22, 2009 at 10:00pm —
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The man vs. man conflict in Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War is divided into several facets. However, all conflict revolves around our protagonist, Jerry Renault.
Archie Costello and Jerry Renault’s conflict is truly the most prominent in the book. Archie has never had a student defy his psychological manipulations, his own personal warfare. When Jerry defies him, it leaves Archie perplexed. I think in the beginning, Archie does not see Jerry as a threat. However, when Archie feels the magnit…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on March 22, 2009 at 8:25pm —
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The inciting force in The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is most definitely when ‘future sociopath’ Archie Costello of The Vigils instructs Jerry Renault to not sell the chocolates for a specified amount of time. Each day, Brother Leon asks the class how many boxes of chocolates they have sold and Jerry clearly announces “none”. This act of defiance clearly enrages Brother Leon, he is infuriated by Jerry’s refusal to obey him and just sell his chocolates.
Brother Leon has his own issues with t…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on March 22, 2009 at 8:02pm —
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The major characters in Robert Cormier’s
The Chocolate War are:
Jerry Renault; our protagonist.
Jerry decides that he ‘dares to disturb the universe’. Inspired by a poster he placed inside his locker with the heading “Do you dare to disturb the universe?”, he takes on a gang who calls themselves the Vigils and Brother Leon, a crooked bully of a teacher who would love to be principal. Jerry, as a result of his actions to not sell chocolates during a school fundraiser, is hazed during foot…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on March 11, 2009 at 1:51am —
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Our group has chosen to read and analyze The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.
Thus far, the major characters in the story have been introduced and the inciting force has been presented. Cormier does a good job of grabbing the reader and holding attention. The story moves along at a steady pace and has themes dealing with bullying, dealing with loss and psychological warfare.
We have chosen to create a Wiki as our group project. It is TheChocolateWar.wetpaint.com
Hana is going to do the First…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on March 3, 2009 at 10:33am —
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The renewal and rebirth theme of Lady Chatterley’s Lover is intricate. It weaves between the comparisons of England’s new Industrilized age and that of Connie’s journey of livelihood, turned despair, turned passionate with the development of her relationship with Oliver Mellor’s. Though you may not read into the comparison the way I did, I thought it was very meaningful and evident.
Old England is gone, is it being torn down and replaced with a New England. “
Shakespeare’s England” as Con…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on February 16, 2009 at 2:30am —
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There are several points in the story that could be used as examples of inciting force.
Connie and Michealis: In chapter 5, before Clifford suggests Connie have a beau in order to conceive, she and Michealis share an evening that becomes a turning point for Connie.
Lawrence writes “
Her life fell apart from his as completely as if he had never existed.” Something in Connie has died. She sees despair and hopelessness as her new bedfellows. Her depression consumes her.
“
A…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on February 9, 2009 at 10:00pm —
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Connie’s conflict is much more complex. Just as she is more complex than the transparent Clifford and Michealis. In chapter four Connie is beginning to see her disillusionment of her life and by chapter five she is becoming ill. Her illness is later diagnosed as depression, she becomes thin and listless. Connie is confused by Clifford’s suggestion that she have an affair. Lawrence writes “She was thinking of the curious impersonality of his desire for a son”. She seems sickened by…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on February 6, 2009 at 12:30am —
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When trying to decide which character to talk about when addressing the conflict of Man vs. Self, I could not decide who to write about. There is Clifford, the obvious choice. Connie and her tremendous conflict of who she is, who she wanted to be and what will become of her or Michealis, her flake of a beau who is self depreciating – on one hand begging Connie to run off with him and on another, criticizing her in a desperate attempt to make certain she does not say yes.
Clifford,…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on February 4, 2009 at 1:00am —
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The setting of the story, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, is set 1917-1920 England, at Wragby Hall in Tevershall Village. It is a dreary, dirty little mining village. Lawrence describes Tevershall Village as “utter hopeless ugliness for a long and gruesome mile: houses, rows of wretched, small, begrimed, brick houses, with black slate roofs for lids, sharp angles and wilful, blank dreariness.” Can you not feel your throat close from the wretched blackness of the air? Feel the cold, damp, rain soaked la…
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Added by Jacquie Kemper on January 31, 2009 at 11:00pm —
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