Chapter 11

Journal Entry # 11

Now that you have read a number of works for young adults, identify characteristics of this genre. Reflect on the similarities and differences with more traditional works.

YAL is written for and about young adults. The protagonist in YAL is young, realistic, and someone who young adult readers can relate to. The other characters such as adults or parents are often undeveloped and they are presented through the eyes of the protagonist. YAL usually deals with issues which are related to young adults such as friendship, inner and outer conflicts, dealing with peer pressure, searching for identity, dealing with parents and other adults in authority, dealing with drugs, alcohol, and sexual experimentation.

The language and register used in YAL are contemporary and authentic which young adults can also relate to. The setting often involves the places where young adults spend a lot of their time such as schools or recreational places. YAL usually have a single plot line which is realistic and fast moving with a lot of dialogs.

Traditional works on the other hand, deal with adult issues such as parenting, marriage, or divorce. Both traditional and young adult literatures share some common issues like romance, friendship, and even dangerous substance abuse. The traditional works, however, have multiple plots, slower pace, longer time frame, and are more complicated.

The protagonists of the traditional works are adult. The language used in more traditional works such as words, style, and sentences can be too complex or even alien to young adults. Thus, traditional works make young adults connection more difficult and they are less enjoyable reading materials for them. Therefore, curriculum developers must take this issue into consideration if life-long learning and love for reading are to be instilled in young adults.

Chapter 10

Journal Entry # 10

How does discussion help you understand your feelings and clarify your thinking about a selection you are reading? How does writing help you understand your feelings and clarify your thinking about a selection you are reading?

Nobody, including our professors and lecturers, know everything, but everybody knows and can contribute something. This is the essence of discussion where students share knowledge among each other. No scholar could write or teach anything without the work of other scholars. In the same way, group discussion clarifies the course materials more fully than any student could do alone. Discussion opens a whole new opportunity to express our feelings about what we read. In addition, a well organized and thought out discussion helps students develop higher level thinking skills.

Writing on the other hand, helps us reflect on issues which we have read. Writing also helps us to stay focused and alert. Thus it prevents us from daydreaming, losing our train of thought, or worse, falling asleep. Writing forces us to think through clearly the thoughts we are trying to express because our readers are unable to ask questions to clarify what is written. When we write we will usually reread what we have written to check for clarity and then rewrite to improve our writing. This process will lead to deeper processing of what we have read.

So both discussion and writing help us to understand our feelings and clarify our thinking about what we have read. Discussion does this by providing a sounding board for our ideas as well as providing contrasting opinions. Writing does this by forcing us to reflect more deeply and clarify our ideas for an audience that will be unable to ask for clarification.