Literature Across Cultures: DeFord Week 4

Thursday, June 27, 2024

DeFord Week 4

I enjoyed the story Recitatif this week. I actually read ahead (or listened to the audio version) so I was unprepared when I saw the instructions to have pre-conceptions noted. I also did not read the article prior to reading the short story (because stories are always more fun than research!), so my perspective may be different from other students.

Like any good story, Recitatif leaves many questions for the reader to fill in given imagination or prior experience. I immediately felt sorry for Twyla and Roberta, but I didn't get a sense of why either of them was where they were until the end. As I listened to their escapades as young girls, I had the rosy picture in my mind that they would grow up to be lifelong friends after their bonding experiences. I was disappointed when Roberta ended up treating Twyla rudely in the restaurant, and I was disturbed that Roberta would march in a racial display in front of the school later. To be honest, I didn't want Roberta to be successful or wealthy after the way she acted. I also found it frustrating that Twyla and Roberta couldn't agree on what happened to the poor lady that the older girls were beating up in the story. The conclusion of the story, although maybe a little more satisfying than what I had thought it might be, helped draw the reader to the fact that Twyla and Roberta were not so different as they had thought after all. Both of them had personal struggles and "skeletons in the closet" that they needed to deal with, and they both had personal hurts that helped shape their responses.

The way the author wrote the story helps draw the reader into the personal struggles of these two girls/women and gives readers a glimpse into what life must have been like from two perspectives. We end up feeling sorry for both women, despite their shortcomings. This type of story fits into the construct of the research article for this week. Szecsi et al., (2010) point out that multicultural literature helps us understand the humanity of other cultures and find out that we have more to learn. As teachers who may have students from a variety of cultures, multicultural literature can help us become a closer community as we learn more about what makes other cultures unique. It doesn't mean that we will adopt everything about the other cultures, but it does create a bridge of understanding, just like the bridge that Twyla and Roberta ended up building at the conclusion of their story.

Szecsi, T., Spillman, C., Vazquez-Montilla, E., & Mayberry, S. C. (2010b). Transforming teacher cultural landscapes by reflecting on multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 17(4), 44–48. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ915271.pdf

3 comments:

Regina GillJune 28, 2024 at 12:51 PM
Ben, I was very interested to read your post. I did not get the same thing out of the story you did. That being said, when I read your post I could see are reflect how you came to your feelings and reactions to the story. The reactions each girl had when they met up were bothersome to me, I did not like how cold they felt. I am wondering if that coldness is because they met at an unfortunate time in each others lives and they would rather forget that time. Especially since they have moved on and are becoming successful and happy. Do you forget or want to forget unfortunate times in your life? I don't mind the crappy parts in my life because helps me appreciate the good in my life.
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Ben DeFordJune 28, 2024 at 7:50 PM
That's so interesting! I'm definitely the person who wants to forget all the negative things in my life. Yes, I agree that their meeting was awkward and uncomfortable, and I am guessing it's because they both wanted to move on and forget the past. And yet, they still had a connection that was forged in that painful part of their lives and they couldn't let that go without exploring it. I'm still learning things about myself today by occasionally reflecting on my childhood and talking about it with my siblings or parents. I only wish she had finished the story after they had resolved everything rather than leaving us feeling conflicted! :)
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Post Week 4: Pre- and Post-Conceptual Perspectives

Some thoughts to help you brainstorm your post: Nineteenth-century travel writing caused those who read about other cultures to formulate their ideas about those cultures directly from the writing, so much so that if a person chose to travel to a country he or she had read about prior to travel, the traveller was often disappointed in the actual country and culture. In our current technological existence, our ideas of what places and people are like can certainly be informed by how they are depicted in text and on the multitude of screens we use to interface with the world. What informs your perspective? How might the ways in which we experience people, ideas, issues, cultures, and so on, be impacted by how we learn of them? Are the benefits and drawbacks to the use of the technology available to us? What might some of those be, and why?

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Responses should be posted by Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 2: The Way to Rainy Mountain

The critical text which accompanies your primary reading for the week explores ways in which we as teachers might use other cultures' literatures in our classrooms to move students from superficial, stereotyped perspectives to a fuller understanding of not only individuals from other cultures, but themselves, too. In your blog post, share with your colleagues how you might incorporate ideas from the article in your own teaching.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Your responses are due Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 1: Questions on Reading

You've been asked to post a question on the readings as your blog post. Here are some ideas to help you get started: You may have noted the publication dates of the readings and wondered why you're reading articles written in 2005. The reason is that the issues raised and discussion in each of the articles are applicable 16 years later. Do you agree? Disagree? Both? Explain why and pose a question to help your reader understand what you find to be the same or different. Or, if one of the two of the readings stands out to you, explain why that’s the case, but also post a question based on what stands out. Or, if something is confusing or problematic for you, what do you find confusing or problematic? With what do you agree or disagree? Be sure your question is open ended so that your colleagues can use it as a basis for discussion.

As you frame your question, be sure to summarize the article, then provide context for your question. Cite the text appropriately.

Questions to be posted by Thursday.

Responses (to at least two colleagues) to be posted Sunday.

Week 5: Toward a Social Justice Ethic: What is an American, Anyway?

How do the issues examined in the article affect you as a teacher and as a person living in today’s world? What is the importance of having a voice? Of being heard? Are there differences in your response based on the role(s) you inhabit? Teacher, parent, individual community member, brother, sister, child, global citizen, and more—we inhabit many subject positions. Are there ways to bring those needs/expectations/responsibilities together?

Posts are due by 8 pm Thursday.

There is no set number of required colleague responses this week, but you are expected to read all posts and to respond as class discussion.

Post Week 6: Article Summaries and Commentary

In this week's reading, you met a narrator who draws the reading into a short story with a decidedly hushed, slower tone. The couple introduced to us has experienced an unimaginable loss. How might that loss be affected by their cultural dislocation? Draw on the supplemental readings as you consider the question.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm. As was the case last week, there is not a set number of responses, but you are expected to demonstrate through responding that you have read and engaged with all class posts.