Johnson, Ashten Lit.

Position Paper
A few months ago I felt like I had a fairly decent grasp on the use of literature in my life.
Literature has always been a way for me to escape; to immerse myself in another culture, in the
lives of other people, in other lands. Although these are reasons I used literature and will
continue to do so, this class has opened my eyes to literature in other ways. As an educator I
hope to share not only my previous understanding of literature, but the way literature has been
transformed for me in this class. This new interpretation involves understanding literature as a
way to combat cultural injustice, as a work of art both graphically and conceptually!, as a
historical timeline, as the gateway to any good discussion, as a variety of genres, and as a deeper
understanding of self.
The idea of using literature as a form of escape is an easy concept to consider. "ood
literature is filled with details that evoke the senses, taking you on a journey. #y reading a book
you can easily be swept away to a castle ballroom while in your pajamas on your bed. $ou can
listen to a %hakespearian %olilo&uy while sipping your morning coffee. $ou can learn about
#enjamin 'ranklin(s many outrageous inventions while riding on an airplane. Literature has this
ability to provide an out of body e)perience. It allows you to escape your current environment,
transporting you into another time period, realm, or city. If well written, not only will you be
immersed into the setting, but into the lives of the people of the land. A book is filled with such
specific details. *ow characters might talk, what they wear, where they live, and their daily
routines are just some of the clues that can give you a deeper understanding of whom these
people are. %oon, as the reader, you begin to identify with these people, to know their thoughts
and feelings, to figure out what they will do even before the author tells you. Literature allows
Johnson, Ashten Lit. Position Paper
you to become another person. To me one of the most powerful pieces of literature is one that
causes me to evoke emotion for my fictitious friends, a piece of literature which allows me to
forget that I may not be reading a true story.
I never stepped back and thought about how influential a book really is in my life before
taking this course. This is a very powerful statement to make and reali+ation to have. A book can
affect you, change you. An author has the ability to allow you to see the world based on the facts
that they provide. This really stood out to me in terms of multicultural literature. #efore this
course, I regarded multicultural literature as any literature which showed a culture other than that
of the majority, which is ,aucasian. *owever, then I &uestioned how this definition would be
interpreted in a country where the majority was not ,aucasian. 'inally, I reali+ed that
multicultural literature is more than just about race; it is about giving a voice to those cultural
subgroups that are not in power. It is about impacting all cultures by allowing them to learn
about one another. Although I am clear on my definition now, I reali+e that there are many ways
in which multicultural literature can be falsified. -ulticultural literature needs to be an accurate
portrayal of another culture, yet also one that does not stereotype against other cultures.
-ulticultural literature, written by someone from that subgroup would be valued above authors
whom have simply immersed themselves in another culture or used secondary sources to obtain
information. Although I could never be a spokesperson for the accuracies or inaccuracies
represented in books which represent other cultures, I do feel that I am an advocate for honest
and accurate multicultural literature.
Johnson, Ashten Lit. Position Paper
I believe that multicultural literature can impact others( lives. It allows you to take on a
different perspective, and may even help you e)cept other people. .veryone should read more
multicultural literature. #ut most importantly, people should be aware and know the tools they
can use to figure out the accuracy of a piece of multicultural literature. I love that the internet is
widely available with websites that are advocates for different groups represented in
multicultural literature. A &uick internet search can tell you if you are reading an accurate or
false representation of a culture. *aving this knowledgebase can create more informed readers
whom are not keen to readily trust the author. I think this is important. Literature is so powerful;
sometimes I feel the reader is at the mercy of the author. After reali+ing the many stereotypes
and inaccuracies made by authors or illustrators in multicultural literature, I hope I can help other
readers to go into the reading process suspiciously, to do their own research on the author or the
topic before claiming a book as a masterpiece. I now know to enter the reading process with the
reali+ation that one book cannot possibly tell me everything I need to know about a culture. I
hope to help others reali+e this too.
This class has also helped me reali+e that literature has other art forms camouflage within
it such as drawings, paintings, or songs. "rowing up, I looked at pictures in books all the time
and still enjoy reading picture books to my students today they enjoy it too, often asking to,
/%how them that picture again0!. This class has allowed me to place more value behind the
visual concept of books. This visual concept really impacts the story and causes the reader to
interpret it differently. The idea that the words are facilitated by the layout and visuals of the
book helps one take nothing for granted. I used to think of a book as the words I read. 1ow, I
Johnson, Ashten Lit. Position Paper
think of a book as the entire entity. I reali+e that each detail has been planned to impact the
reader in some way. The words, the te)t bo)es, the cover art, the te)t font, the paper, the
illustrations per page, and even the binding create an overall picture, visual art. I now will read a
book and ask, /2hy were these colors used3 2hat tone was trying to be conveyed30 or, /*ow
much more detail is given about the setting and characters based on the illustrations30 1ow song,
an auditory art form show some parallels with poetry. This idea was something that really came
alive in this course. $ou see, the elements that we treasure with poetry invoking the senses,
repetition, rhyme, visuali+ation, etc.! are the same elements we find in song. #oth poetry and
song also are used to communicate a story, an ideal, or an image. To me, it is important to
reali+e that literature can be a melding of different art forms. 1ot only can it help the reader
make connections, but it proves that literature can artistically influence or be influenced by other
art mediums.
2hile studying picture books from different time periods I have come to reali+e that
literature is a historical timeline in many different ways. 'irstly, just visually, it shows how
technology and thoughts have changed. 4ictures have moved from the use of sketches to
photographs and watercolors. The te)t has changed from handwritten, to typewriter font to a
married of others with the use of computer graphics. The colors used in books have moved from
one tone, to three, to a hue of diversity. #ooks have progressed from only adult centered
publishers to the creation of a children(s market. ,hildren(s book stores soon crept up with this
new market. It is so interesting to reali+e that literature can really tell us about our history. 5ne
can learn that literature was adult centered for a time and why this may have been so. $ou can
Johnson, Ashten Lit. Position Paper
learn about market value and supply and demand with the boom of the children(s book industry.
$ou can also learn about the different technologies and costs of producing varied books.
The historic evolution of the literate world is not only found in the market and production
of books but also in the content. #ooks seem to be a way to deal with historically significant
events that have occurred throughout the world. $ou can figure out what is important to a culture
just by reading the topics of books. .ven looking at picture books from different decades I found
how the value of children(s literature and the home has changed6evolved over time. I think this
concept is important to reali+e and to point out to readers. 7eaders should be aware of the date of
book publication and how the beliefs of that time period may contribute to the book. Also, it
might teach the reader a little bit more about the author(s own knowledge about the time period
used in the book.
Literature is also a wonderful gateway to discussion. I have now learned how valuable
discussion is. 8iscussion allows you the opportunity to teach and learn from others, to visuali+e
a story from another person(s perspective. To e)plain how your prior knowledge has influenced
your own interpretation of a book. -ost importantly, discussion makes me more e)cited about
literature. %o often I want to talk about a good book that I have read with a friend, only to reali+e
that they have not read it. 5r, the worst yet, I have a &uestion about a book I am reading and
have nobody to turn to. This course has shown me how valuable discussion is to help someone
get a deeper understanding out of a book. 5ur module discussions with group members
enhanced my interpersonal skills. It made me a better communicator and thoughtful with my
Johnson, Ashten Lit. Position Paper
word choice. 5ur class discussions asked caused me to search for validity in the te)t to backup
my thought process. It made me a more engaged, active reader. 8iscussion is a powerful tool
that, as an educator, I will be sure to use in my own classroom. -y students, like me, will benefit
from being challenged by their classmates and will also learn the appropriate way to rebut an
opposing viewpoint politely.
Looking back on these last twelve weeks I cannot get over the variety of genres and
subgenres we discussed. 2e spoke of poetry, historical fiction, realistic fiction, fantastic
literature, multicultural literature, picture books, graphic novels, and biographies. I learned about
the similarities and differences that characteri+ed each of these genres. I grew to appreciate the
uni&ue attributes of each genre while allowing myself to indulge in my preference for fantastic
literature. As an educator, I hope my reading classes allow my student to e)plore the different
forms of literature. It is important to me that my students are e)posed to genres outside their
comfort +one as I was in this class. %o often, we stick to what we know, what we like. *owever,
we won(t know what else is out there like in my case, graphic novels! unless someone e)poses
us to it.
'inally, this literature study has provided me with a deeper understand of self. I often
don(t relate what I know with my identity. *owever, I really think I should. -y beliefs, my
ideals, define me. 9pon analysis of my own growth due to this course, I am forever a changed
person. I see literature as more than just an escape from reality; I have a better and deeper
appreciation for it. The way I interpret the meaning of literature is most likely different than my
classmates and I am fine with that. 2hat I got out of this course was that we all have our own
Johnson, Ashten Lit. Position Paper
schema which allows us to see literature in many different ways. As an educator, I hope to open
my students( eyes to the way I view literature while encouraging them to search for their own
literature beliefs.