Use of Graphic Novels in Teaching Coming of Age :: coming of age theme

Teaching a unit based around the theme of coming of age is important in an adolescent classroom. It has been taught in high school language arts time and time again. Coming of age works makes up a large part of the literary canon including works like The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, etc. Additionally, this theme is important because the teenage students in the classroom are essentially going through their own coming of age. They are currently making the difficult transition out of childhood into adulthood. Students will be able to relate to literature that focuses on a coming of age story more easily than to other works of literature. This will encourage students to be more active participants in classroom discussions and responding to the texts. It also allows students to apply the things that they learn from literature to their own lives and struggles growing up. I would argue that this is one of the most important things that teachers of literature can hope for. In this unit on coming of age, the two primary texts will be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become one of the most widely taught books in the high school classroom. In some classrooms, teachers make use of only a partial interpretation of the novel that focuses on racial injustice. While this is a significant theme in the novel and is absolutely one that should be taught, it is not the main theme of the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of this racial injustice through the perspective of a child. It is the story of the coming of age of the narrator, Scout. According to Theodore Hipple in â€Å"Will the Real Mockingbird Please Stand Up?† (1969), the novel also tells the story of the growth of Jem as he loses his childhood innocence while he moves toward adulthood. By looking at the novel as a coming of age of two children, students will be better able to relate to the work than they would if they read it as a piece on racial injustice. However, students will still be able to learn about the historical social injustice that is portrayed in the novel. This is a good way for students to learn about how the society they live in was shaped. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story that holds a place in the literary canon and is a significant historical account of Use of Graphic Novels in Teaching Coming of Age :: coming of age theme Teaching a unit based around the theme of coming of age is important in an adolescent classroom. It has been taught in high school language arts time and time again. Coming of age works makes up a large part of the literary canon including works like The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, etc. Additionally, this theme is important because the teenage students in the classroom are essentially going through their own coming of age. They are currently making the difficult transition out of childhood into adulthood. Students will be able to relate to literature that focuses on a coming of age story more easily than to other works of literature. This will encourage students to be more active participants in classroom discussions and responding to the texts. It also allows students to apply the things that they learn from literature to their own lives and struggles growing up. I would argue that this is one of the most important things that teachers of literature can hope for. In this unit on coming of age, the two primary texts will be To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become one of the most widely taught books in the high school classroom. In some classrooms, teachers make use of only a partial interpretation of the novel that focuses on racial injustice. While this is a significant theme in the novel and is absolutely one that should be taught, it is not the main theme of the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of this racial injustice through the perspective of a child. It is the story of the coming of age of the narrator, Scout. According to Theodore Hipple in â€Å"Will the Real Mockingbird Please Stand Up?† (1969), the novel also tells the story of the growth of Jem as he loses his childhood innocence while he moves toward adulthood. By looking at the novel as a coming of age of two children, students will be better able to relate to the work than they would if they read it as a piece on racial injustice. However, students will still be able to learn about the historical social injustice that is portrayed in the novel. This is a good way for students to learn about how the society they live in was shaped. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story that holds a place in the literary canon and is a significant historical account of