Sixteen-year-old John Galardi, Jr. is sleepwalking through life with his divorced and emotionally stunted parents--until he meets fellow zine writer Marisol Guzman, an self-professed "rich spolied lesbian private-school gifted-and-talented writer virgin looking for love." Although John is not even sure if he's gay or straight at the beginning of this story, he quickly finds that his feelings of friendship toward Marisol are developing into much more. As he tries to navigate the impasse in their relationship, he inadvertently opens the floodgates to the repressed feelings he's had toward his parents since their split, ultimately realizing that the "hard love" he's harbored for Marisol has awakened him to the possibility of caring for others and healing the rift in his family.
Hard Love in the Classroom
Although this YA novel is mainly interested in the topics of gender and sexual identity, John and Marisol's stories reveal valuable insight about how these issues can affect adolescent's home lives, and shape them as people far beyond their romantic preferences. Many young readers might be able to relate to Marisol's feeling that her parents are disappointed in her for being who she is--although her mother seems supportive and interested, she also seems disappointed that Marisol won't be participating in many of the mainstream milestones. Similarly, many young adults with divorced parents or communication issues within their families might read John's cynicism about his home life with particular understanding.For these reasons, I think a lesson that uses Hard Love as the main text would require equal parts small group work, full-class discussion and individual personal reflection. I would separate the class into groups of three or four and ask them to identify characters whose behavior either complies with or goes against their prescribed gender roles. Is John's mother playing the part of a "good" mother? How does Birdie's manner of talking alert John to his sexual orientation? Why does Marisol appreciate the fact that John does define her by the fact that she's gay? How does the bachelor lifestyle led by John's father play into traditional male gender ideas? I would ask the class to develop three or four questions like these in their groups as a precursor to their discussions. I would then ask each group to choose one character for whom they'd draw a "gender map"--a picture of the character showing how s/he conforms to social gender norms and how s/he deviates from them. They would then bring these maps into the full-class discussion, in which the central question would be "How do these behaviors affect each character's personal identity and relationships?" Finally, I would have them write/draw/compose a short personal reflection on a.) why John's relationship with Marisol was beneficial or detrimental to him and why; b.) how social expectations centered on gender and sexuality caused problems for a character in this novel; or c.) what effect they feel prescribed gender roles have on their lives, if any.
Essential Questions
1.) Why does John choose to get close to someone who cannot reciprocate his feelings (at least not in the same way)?
2.) What are the different attitudes about gender and sexual orientation that Wittlinger portrays in this novel?
3.) How do the zine entries, poems and letters help readers to understand the characters? Are John, Marisol, Diana, etc. accurately portraying themselves, or are they acting out who they want to be in their zines? What might this imply?
4.) How does Marisol's presence in John's life affect his relationship with his parents? With his friends?
5.) What is this novel saying about gender and sexual orientation?
2.) What are the different attitudes about gender and sexual orientation that Wittlinger portrays in this novel?
3.) How do the zine entries, poems and letters help readers to understand the characters? Are John, Marisol, Diana, etc. accurately portraying themselves, or are they acting out who they want to be in their zines? What might this imply?
4.) How does Marisol's presence in John's life affect his relationship with his parents? With his friends?
5.) What is this novel saying about gender and sexual orientation?
About the AuthorEllen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of the teen novels Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Parrotfish, Blind Faith, Sandpiper, Heart on My Sleeve, Zigzag, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a Lambda Literary Award winner), and the middle-grade novel Gracie's Girl. She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. A former children's librarian, she lives with her husband in Haydenville, Massachusetts (from Simon and Schuster).
I like how you put a real-life focus of gender norms into the lesson. I think students need such strategies to pull them into a text as well as allow them to personally interact with the text to see how they have found their identity based on gender norms.
ReplyDeleteI think I would also pose the following question perhaps as an Essential Question as we read the novel:
Why is it taboo to go against gender norms both in our society as a whole and the society of teenage adolescents?
Yes, the issue of "taboo"-ism is an interesting one? And, I think it's relative to the context. In some contexts, I think it is just an assumed norm, gender complexities, that is.
ReplyDeleteGender in this age group is an incredibly interesting construct. Marcelle always says it, but now being in an 8th grade classroom, I'm finally coming to realize what she's talking about. I see a wide rage of constructs. Some females, Twlightish lovers, write in bright colored pens and dot their i's with hearts while other girls are very proud of their participation in sports. As I read Speak right now and imagine these perfect, stereotyped cheerleaders I can't help but to think of the kids at Grant and the majority of the "popular" or widely accepted and liked female students play sports and feel so strongly about sports that they write about them when given the chance ot freewrite. Of course the same type of ranges go for the guys as well. In any event, I think texts like Hard Love to create space for learners to shed light on their personal constructs of gender and deconstruct society's so that they can fully develop their own fluid identities.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the idea of splitting into groups and identifying characters in relation to their gender based behavior. This activity seems like it would be a great way to not only to a close character analysis, but also to foster discussion on gender roles and stereotypes in society. The class discussions surrounding gender, and the students attitudes to the text would be a great indicative of how they would react to future more provocative texts.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the idea of having small groups draw a "gender map" reflecting how a character both conforms to and deviates from gender norms. How an adolescent presents his/her gender with respect to stereotypes impacts both self-identity and the assumptions made about that student by classmates. For example, a 10th grade male who presents as unisex (or perhaps a girl since he wears extensive makeup and some female clothes) recently started hanging out in my room before school. Other male students who used to hang out before school have stopped coming in because of their discomfort. A critical reading of this text could help students examine their assumptions around gender.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. Yes, I wonder what kinds of dynamics are at play in our school contexts that would make the male students feel like they couldn't come to your classroom before school perhaps on the basis of assumed understandings of gender. It is sad that they might feel threatened by the possibility of being associated with the other male student.
ReplyDeleteI really think that gender and sexuality are issues not discussed openly enough in schools. Even using a text like this to open up the context of word usage would be valuable. For example, this week a girl said that the timeline we were doing was "so gay" because she thought it was dumb. Although she didn't intend to offend anyone in the room, the possibly of doing so was there. I explained to the room that a timeline can't be gay and that it doesn't make sense to say it. I really think it is important for teachers to address these issues and this book could be a gateway for that. Although teachers don't have the authority to use the text and justify one sexuality or gender over the other, they can give the students arguments from multiple perspectives and case studies so that students can form their own opinions.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Michael when he says that sexuality and gender are not discussed enough in schools. Especially in the middle level classrooms, students are at constant odds with themselves as well as their peers, teachers and parents. This text does a great job of creating relatable characters that by no means fall into those typical stereotypes of "cheerleader" or "jock" or "popular". The book is realistic, sensitive and meaningful. I like that the relationship between John and Marisol is built on the common interest of writing a 'zine. It is so important for all adolescents to find their own healthy outlet-whether that be writing, playing sports, using technology, etc. This novel can expand the interest of teens and show them that its perfectly normal to be considered "not normal".
ReplyDeleteI agree that gender issues are not easily discussed in our schools today. I feel that in some ways students today are more educated about same sex relationships, compared to when I was in high school. Still, I don't feel this means they are accepting of them. A book such as this might allow students to be more open in their discussions and discover that there is no reason to be prejudice. I really like your idea of having students complete a gender map.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if it would be possible to pair this text with Catcher in the Rye and/or Go Ask Alice. The main characters in these texts also felt as though they did not belong. However, John find a create, positive outlet whereas Holden and Alice take running away fro hoe and their problems to a whole new level. These texts are also all written in different decades. Maybe this could be a discussion question, how has adolescents' search for identity and desire to "fit in" changed over the past decades, or has it all?
ReplyDelete