Soon you will be writing a rationale for a book of your choosing. Nilsen and Donelson talk specifically about rationales on pgs. 390-393. You should review those pages when you write your rationale. Also see your syllabus for minimum requirements concerning length, etc.
As well, by visiting these links you can view a sample rationale and read a sample chapter about what to do when censorship issues arise:
http://www.ncte.org/store/books/122791.htm?source=gshttp://www.ncte.org/store/books/censorship/105797.htmPlease follow the NCTE format for writing rationales. You'll see it illustrated in the samples from the first link. Also note that NCTE has a couple of CD-roms for sell that feature numerous rationales for various texts.
Finally, I am copying an exeptional rationale from a friend and former YA Lit student of mine who is now in the doctoral program in English Education at UVa. Her name is Amy D. Graves, and she chose to write on the Haddon novel we read (sorry, that means that one's off limits).
Rationale: the curious incident of the dog in the night-time
CitationHaddon, Mark. the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Random House: New York, 2003.
Intended Audience:In our next unit, students in Advanced English 10 will have the option of reading Mark Haddon’s national bestseller, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. The book will be read by some students during our literature circle unit. This novel falls under the genre of Young Adult literature and has about an eighth or ninth grade reading level.
Plot Summary:The back cover of the novel reads:“Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.”Christopher Boone, an Autistic teen-age boy, narrates the events of his daily life. His daily routine is interrupted by the murder of his neighbor’s dog, Wellington. He decides to investigate this crime, so this murder mystery consumes him until his father orders him to quit attempting to solve the mystery. Regardless, Christopher eventually solves this mystery, as well as another investigation that forces him to stretch the boundaries of his lifestyle.
Opinions About the Text: “Superb…Bits of wisdom fairly leap off the page.”- Newsday. “More so than precursors like The Sound and the Fury and Flowers for Algernon, The Curious Incident is a radical experiment in empathy.” –The Village Voice. “I have never read anything quite like Mark Haddon’s funny and agonizingly honest book, or encountered a narrator more vivid and memorable. I advise you to buy two copies; you won’t want to lend yours out.”- Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha.
My Reflection: After reading the first page of Haddon’s novel, I thought, “Wonderful, a novel that is straight to the point!” Little did I know exactly how forthright the entire book would be. I loved the blatant comments like: “This is a murder mystery novel,” and “There are no jokes in this book.” I realized that Christopher mathematical mind resulted in his straightforward nature. I found many of his thoughts hilarious, especially his ideas on metaphors and similes. Although his genius was humorous and appreciated, I felt sympathy for Christopher when I realized the downside of his abilities. The novel hid Christopher’s disability at first, but Christopher’s circumstances gave hints that he maybe had Autism. Since the book was not written in an omniscient perspective, Christopher’s own description of circumstances acted as clues to solving his disability. I enjoyed the first person point-of-view of the novel; Christopher’s interpretations and opinions of his surrounding gave clear insight to any situation. For example, I could tell exactly why he felt the way he did about being touched and getting sick. I never would have understood why Christopher was afraid of minor things, except through his own perspective.
Possible Objections:
Special Needs- Some may be offended that the novel brings to surface real life attitudes of children/ teenagers with special needs. Haddon’s narrator represents one teenager with Autism; this is not to say that all teenagers with Autism act the same way as the protagonist. Christopher’s attitudes and actions should simply create an awareness about Autism and empathy for Special Needs.
Vulgar Language- Christopher and even some adults in the book use vulgar language. The book is very realistic is every aspect, even with the daily language that is used.
Objectives for Reading the Text:
Participating in literature circles allows students to meet the SOL objectives 10.1 and 10.2, participating in small group activities and creating/evaluating work in small group environments. Reading this specific text allows students to meet other SOL objectives. After reading this novel, students should be able to
• Examine first-person point of view and decide why the author chose to write in this narrative perspective
• Understand various literary terms such as metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, understatement
• Analyze stereotypes in our culture
• Examine themes such as “coming of age”
Our class has already focused on multicultural issues such as gender, race, and class and has read texts that provide insight on understanding one another’s differences, as well as similarities. A former and popular unit this year, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, continued to make students aware of another way of life, the life of someone growing up with a disability. Hopefully, the students learned to appreciate others with disabilities, becoming more aware of their daily concerns, challenges, and triumphs. Haddon’s the curious incident of the dog in the night-time serves as a complement to the Of Mice and Men. By reading this novel, students will better understand the life of a teenager growing up with Autism.
