Video critique/ and Analysis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIElU01FJFU&feature=youtu.be The book that I will be arguing for CSS Reads term 2 is The Help By Kathryn Stockett.
The Help
Video critique/ Synopsis
During the week of April 8th - 12th, you will be creating a video critique of your second novel choice:
• Identify the theme, dominant impressions and/or moods of the novel and how the author has developed them (i.e. through plot, characters, language, etc).
The theme of this novel is how judgmental and shallow society is. The Help shows discrimination/betrayal/and dishonesty. I choose how shallow society is as my theme because that stills occurs in today’s world, the nastiness, placing judgment on people. And the question is when will that stop. In the novel it says change begins with a whisper and if we want to make this world a better place why not start changing it now? This novel takes place in Jacksonville, Missisipi, a time where Racial injustice occurred for colored people. Kathryn Stockett brings you back in time to the deep sounth with scenic acres, and white pickett fences, bone dry hillsides that go for miles. And a higharchy where white people triumphed over the blacks and black people were treated as less then human.
• How does this theme/message/mood compare to your first novel? Which is stronger? Which is better developed?
The Help By Kathryn Stockett, has a much stronger relavant theme, it’s stronger developed through real life experiences, connections of feeling isolated, judged you can emotionally connect to it, having a dream of one day getting out of your grieving day to day cycle is something you thrive for. The Help is inspiring in so many ways, if the black people in Jackson Mississippi can change there situation, then anyone can you just need some words of encouragement. I, Alex Cross By James Pattterson was almost more of a non realistic novel even though it was non fiction it posed questions that were very slim of ever happening and it took you on all these bone shaking adventures when really life isn’t like that.
*Which theme is more important/relevant to you? To grade 9 students? Why?
The Help definitely has a stronger theme then the first novel I choose because it’s a real story that happened in history, yet its ironic how it still goes on today. Grade nine students should be reading about the present so they can get an understanding about what’s happening and what’s happened in history, and the help does a phenomenal job of telling you. Learning about history and the present is relevant because we are just getting exposed to the real world outside of school and if discrimination based on gender, sex, religion, body type, anything of that sort is going on then we have a right to know, and who knows one day we might be able to change it.