Ideology in “Bloody Mary”: using a folk tale to develop students’ critical literacy and thought

by Florencia González

Some of my friends, five of us, cramped ourselves into a small bathroom in my friend Cathryn's House. We ended up saying Bloody Mary (more like chanting it) about 20 times or so for anything to appear. When we did finally see something it started out as a green glow)then the darkened portrait of a face became more visible, by that time half of us were screaming so we knocked each other down trying to get out of the bathroom and then I flipped on the light. It was a welcome relief. (Told on Internet, Dec. 21, 1999)[Original punctuation]

This narration written by an adolescent on the Internet refers to the popular story known as “Bloody Mary”. This story is part of the American folklore, that is to say, it is a folk tale, “a tale or legend originating among a people and typically becoming part of an oral tradition.” (Collins English Dictionary). As most traditional tales, the exact origin of this legend can not be established. Nonetheless, it is possible to set the events told in the tale during the witch-hunt period in North America (from about 1480 to 1750). As regards  the written versions of the story, from the 1960s on, several variants of “Bloody Mary” appeared. 

Taking in consideration one of these many written versions of “Bloody Mary” which tells the story of an old lady accused of murdering a group of girls from a village, it is possible to state that the legend may be appealing to adolescents for several reasons: the component of horror, black magic and suspense; its simple plot and short extension; and mainly because it challenges the reader to test his/her courage in front of a mirror. Besides its attractive features, “Bloody Mary” can be used in the classroom with adolescents because it offers an interesting opportunity to approach a folk tale critically. This paper will explore how the selected legend can be applied in the classroom to develop critical literacy and thought in adolescents. Bloody Mary’s underlying ideology will be discussed with this aim.

Adolescence, critical literacy and thought, and ideology

Before advancing towards the discussion of this story in particular, three variables need to be explained:

a) Critical thought is developed during adolescence and can be defined as the combination of rationality, self-awareness, honesty, open-mindedness, discipline and judgment. (Daniel J. Kurland, 2000).

b) Critical literacy “is the ability to read texts in an active, reflective manner in order to better understand power, inequality, and injustice in human relationships” (Kurland, 2000). The development of critical literacy skills enables people to interpret messages with a critical view, challenging the power relations within those messages. The purpose of critical literacy is “to be aware of the structures that serve as norms as well as to demonstrate how these norms are not experienced by all members of society” (ibid).

c) Ideology: according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, ideology is:

1. The body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture.

2. A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other system.

To show the close link between the concept of critical literacy and ideology, it is worth highlighting Pennycook’s idea of the latter.  Ideology for those with a linguistic background is a “particular framework of knowledge that is tied to social power and may be manifested in language” (A. Pennycook, 2001). Foucault’s idea of ideology is also interesting. He says that it “always stands in virtual opposition to something else which is supposed to count as truth.” 

The story: discussing the ideology of “Bloody Mary” 

The written version of “Bloody Mary” considered in this paper explains how in a village where many girls had disappeared mysteriously, Mary, an old woman who lived alone in the middle of a forest, was accused of being a witch and the responsible for such disappearances. She was burned at the stake by the villagers. The legend says that it is possible to summon her evil spirit by chanting her name three times in front of a mirror. 

The points of analysis that may be used to develop critical thought and literacy are: women’s and men’s role, values and justice.

Women’s and men’s role

She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living.

In order to have a critical view of the story as regards women’s role, students will have to think about the context of this text to make connections and reflect about the main character situation at the time of the British colony in America. The acceptable role of a woman during that period was not living alone and being independent. The place of women was in the family as a mother or grandmother, that is to say, next to a man; and, for the most unfortunate ones ( those who can not get a husband) just as an aunt or sister in charge of younger brothers; nephews or nieces; and/or their old parents. The old lady of this story was not a typical woman because she found a way to survive without a man. The status of women has changed through time. Students can think about their own context and up to what extends society has changed to give women a different place. 

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed farmer gave a shout and pointed towards a strange light at the edge of the woods.

If there is a “hero” in this story, it is clear that this role is played by a man. One who is very skilful with guns and can defend his town from witches. This is a very traditional view of the function of men in a society: to protect their people. On the other hand, there isn’t a heroine in this story and the main role played by a woman was the role of the witch. Through literature, one is able to trace the evolution of society, because texts are a reflection of the cultural group that produced it.  A good exercise in the classroom can be to contrast this story with others which follows chronologically in which there are men using magic and competing against evil not represented by a women. 

Values

Still, it was noted that her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more attractive.

When the girls started to disappear, some men went to Mary’s house to ask about them. They noticed that there was a change in Mary’s appearance.  

Values are part of ideology. They reflect Bloody Mary‘s society. In the quotation above one important value is mentioned: beauty. It has always been one of the values that women desire to be endowed with by nature or artificially, because an attractive appearance can be a means to ensure a good suitor. Furthermore, beauty was used by women to influence men. In this sense, beauty and power can be closely connected. This point can lead the students to a discussion about this value and others that can be found in the story to compare them with the values of our society nowadays. They may observe that appearance is still very important in the present, not only for women but also for men. The standards of beauty may have changed but it continues to be linked to power.

Revenge and Justice

The far-sighted farmer had loaded his gun with silver bullets in case the witch ever came after his daughter. Now he took aim and shot at her. The bullet hit Bloody Mary in the hip and she fell to the ground. The angry townsmen leapt upon her and carried her back into the field, where they built a huge bonfire and burned her at the stake.

Finally, the idea of justice which is always related to ideology and critical literacy can be put into question here. Again considering the context, adolescents can think about the way people proceeded at those times when they thought a crime was committed. There wasn’t any trial, jury, judge, lawyers, or evidence previous to declare a person guilty or innocent. At this regards, adolescence is a stage of idealism in which justice has a lot of weight in the scale of values. They can discuss about the differences between the systems of justice they know and that of the story. 

Through the examples taken from this legend, it is possible to see that teachers and students can critically explore the ideology within a folk tale. If the main goal of this paper is achieved, the folk genre will be used in the classrooms for its potential for this kind of analysis. As a consequence, not only will adolescents be stimulated to think critically and understand the inner layers of a text which conveys ideological messages to the reader, but also they will be able to approach tradition critically.

References:

• Urban legends. Retrieved October 2011 from http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/horrors/a/bloody_mary.htm
• Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003. Retrieved October 2011 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Folk+tales
• Wikipediea. Retrieved October 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hunt.
• Daniel J. Kurland, (2000).Retrieved October 2011 from http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_thinking.htm
• The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. 
• Pennycook, Alastair (2001) Critical Applied Linguistic: A critical introduction. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Eribaum Associates.
• S.E. Scholosser. Retreived October, 2011 from http://americanfolklore.net

Young Adult’s Reading: A Reseach About Their Preferences

by Florencia Gonzalez and Karina Moreschi

“Dark settings. Love and all that... Generally love-themes with a good plot-line (For MOST females). And PLEASE no more vampires! Though some of the girls here are saying vampires, I beg you don't. More than 3/4 of the writing site I'm on hate stories that includes 'Vampires'as it's a bit overused after the twilight series + vampire diaries and 'vampire' this 'vampire' that.
Generally something romantic for females with a bit of action and a dreamy type of guy (being the stereotype). But not all the girls I know read stories about romance, anything that is eye-catching, new and with colored, realistic or likeable characters. Stories that are well-written and something a reader can sympathize with”…(Silver V.)

This answer, taken from a web page about what teens want to read, may prove that adolescents from here, there and everywhere share the same feelings. This paper will show the preferences of some Argentinian students from secondary school when reading outside the classroom’s walls without parents or teachers’ guidance. Many surveys carried out in Argentina alert parents and teachers about the lack of young adult’s interest in reading. The development of this skill is fundamental in this stage of maturity, when adolescents can achieve formal and critical thought. The analysis of the results of this survey will provide us with an important source for the classroom when deciding proper reading material for our students in order to find a possible solution to the lack of young adult’s interest in reading.

Theoretical Framework

There are many variables to take into account when carrying out the task of selecting reading material for our classrooms. First, our job as teachers is to undestand teens as growing people and to acknowledge the stage of development they are going through. Their growth is not only physical but also emotional, psychological and intellectual. They are dealing with body changes; they have to adjust to a new intellect and they are developing their identity (Koelling, 2004). Their needs are as complex as their developmental process. Besides, their necessities for entertainment and information are different, so that the reading that once captivated adolescents does not longer attract them.

At this point, it is worthwhile to make an overview of the characteristics of Young Adult Literature (YAL). The Young Adult Service Division of the American Library Association defines “the age range of an adolescent or young adult as 10-19”. Young adult literature is usually given the birth date of 1968 with the advent of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. Other forms of  literature prior to this date may have had young adult protagonists (such as Huck Finn), but it was usually intended for an adult audience. Characteristics of a young adult novel usually include several of the following: a teenage (or young adult) protagonist, first-person perspective, adult characters in the background, a limited number of characters, a compressed time span and familiar setting, current slang, detailed descriptions , positive resolution, an approximate length of 125 to 250 pages. (“Public Iastate”, accessed October, 2011 http://www.public.iastate.edu/~dniday/394syllabuss99.html) as main characteristics. 

Recent Research Studies Involving Young People and Reading

In our country, a recent study alert about the lack of interest in reading by adolescents. One may think they would prefer TV instead of reading, but,   what caught the researchers’ attention greatly was that there is no linear relationship between reading and watching TV. Those who are from four to six hours per day in front  of the TV, read the same number of books per year than the ones who watch TV for just one hour per day. The same study did not evidence any correlation between reading and the use of computers, so the reason why adolescents don’t read is neither the computer nor the TV.  (“Consumo cultural de los argentinos de 11 a 17 años, accessed on October, 2011, htttup://portal.educ.ar/debates/educacionytic/debate/consumo-cultural-de-los-argentinos-de-11-a-17-anos.php).

Other research which was carried out in Australia, that involved interviews with 14 secondary English teachers and 53 of their students, showed that

(…) the majority of young people experienced a ‘disconnection’ between home and school reading. These young people mostly read popular rather than classic fiction. (Collins, Kenway & McLeod, 2000)

These researches are examples of reasons why adolescents don’t read in general or at school. In our survey we tried to find out about their preferences as regards literary genres. If you know about them, it is possible to find a way to solve the lack of interest or the “disconnection” between home and school reading. 

Methodology

This survey was carried out in order to learn about the Ituzaingo’s teens’s preferences as regards literary genres. Data for this qualitative and quantitive research were collected in two different schools, one private and one public. Both schools were located in Ituzaingó, Argentina. The focus group was formed by boys and girls aged from 15 to 18 years old. The survey was carried out with a questionnaire made of of a combination of close and open questions.The analysis of the data was carried out deductively and inductively. Finally, the answers of boys and girls were compared.

Results

To the first question of the survey about adolescent preferences as regards literary genres (see Appendix A), 30,19% of the students chose “Horror” as their first alternative, 16,98% chose “Science Fiction”, and 13,21% chose “Romantic” (see Graphic 1).

It is important to notice that the “Romantic” genre was placed in the first position only by girls, while boys’ preferences pointed to “Horror”, “Science Fiction” and “Detective or Crime novels” as their first option.

As regards the open question which asked for a justification of their first option, most of the girls answered that they like romantic stories because they enjoy of “love”, “stories about princesses and princes” and “happy endings”. “Horror” which was the first option for most students was chosen because they liked “to be scared”, they liked “mystery” and “suspense” (See Appendix B).

The last alternative chosen by the majority of the focus group’s members (30,77% of the sample) was the “magazine or newspaper article”. The “Romantic” genre, “Fables” and “Historical Fiction” follow it (see Graphic 2).

It is necessary to mention that the “Romantic” genre was left in the last place by most of the boys; this is the reason why this literary genre was placed both among the first and last options in the adolescents’ preferences. This would make evident the differences in the student’s interest according to their genre. It seems that, while girls like romance, boys like guns.

The complete information expressed in percentages is presented in table A.

Table A. Percentage of genre preferences.

Genre/Position Science fiction Horror Drama Romantic Fable Magazine/newspaper article Historical Fiction Detective novel Legend

1 16,98% 30,19% 11,32% 13,21% 0,00% 1,89% 7,55% 11,32% 7,55%

2 18,87% 15,09% 15,09% 16,98% 1,89% 1,89% 3,77% 15,09% 11,32%

3 7,14% 17,86% 16,07% 16,07% 10,71% 7,14% 8,93% 8,93% 7,14%

4 16,36% 7,27% 20,00% 9,09% 10,91% 3,64% 5,45% 18,18% 9,09%

5 20,75% 7,55% 9,43% 7,55% 5,66% 9,43% 11,32% 13,21% 15,09%

6 3,64% 5,45% 12,73% 7,27% 18,18% 7,27% 16,36% 12,73% 16,36%

7 7,27% 3,64% 3,64% 3,64% 20,00% 10,91% 20,00% 10,91% 20,00%

8 5,56% 3,70% 9,26% 7,41% 14,81% 27,78% 14,81% 5,56% 11,11%

9 3,85% 9,62% 1,92% 19,23% 17,31% 30,77% 11,54% 3,85% 1,92%

Another way to interpret the results of this survey is to consider the total values of each genre to show a ranking as in table B.

TABLE B

1 Horror

2 Science Fiction

3 Drama

4 Detective

5 Romantic

6 Legend

7 Historical Fiction

8 Fable

9 Magazine/Newspaper article

Pondering the results in this way, we can see that “Drama” appears in the third place. Students who favoured this choice said that they liked it because it was “more connected to reality”.

Discussion

The importance of engaging the students in the process of learning makes us think about the necessity of including the horror genre in our programmes. This genre not only matches most of the students’ likes, but also it can be related to YAL and it can serve a very important function in the cognitive development of our students. As perceived by many of the students who expressed their opinion in this survey (see Appendix B), this kind of fiction combines imagination and rational thinking attracting the young reader with unexpected and creative situations that have to be overcome with the use of logic and intelligence. This aspect of horror stories is much relevant for adolescents who are in the stage of developing increasing academic skills, critical and formal thought. So, it is possible to say that horror fiction can foster young adults’ mental growth (Florencia Gonzalez & Karina Moreschi 2011).

Another educational implication of this research is to consider Science Fiction and the Romantic genre, which were widely chosen by boys and girls respectively. If time is enough, it is advisable to incorporate at least one exponent of each genre in the curriculum. By gathering samples of this kind of texts, the preferences of the majority will be satisfied. The inclusion of these literary genres in the classroom will have significant effects in students’ motivation as well as in their “connection” between school reading and leisure reading.

Although, this research has its limitations due to the size of the sample, we believe that the focus group can be representative of many Argentinean students from Bs. As. and these findings can have important consequences for the broader domain of education, because if teachers consider their students’ needs they may facilitate their cognitive development. 

References:

• Bucher, K.  and M.L. Manning (2011), “Genre and reading preferences”
• Silver V. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/What do teens want to read about?) 
• Florencia Gonzalez & Karina Moreschi (2011), “Horror Fiction And Yal: A Successful Combination Which Can Perfectly Suit The Demands Of A Difficult Decision-Maker Segment, Adolescents”.
• Holly Koelling (2004), “Classic Connections. Turning Teens on to Great Literature”, Libraries Unlimited, Page 73.
• Josephine Ryon (2005), “Young People Choose: Adolescents’ Text Pleasure.” Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. Volumen: 28. Issue: 1. Australian Literacy Educators’ Association, Gale Group.
• “Consumo cultural de los argentinos de 11 a 17 años, accessed on October, 2011, htttup://portal.educ.ar/debates/educacionytic/debate/consumo-cultural-de-los-argentinos-de-11-a-17-anos.php

Appendix A

Questionnaire
          Nombre:..........................................
          Edad: .............................................
          Sexo: M  F
          Escuela:..........................................
          Encuesta:
- ¿Qué tipo de género te gusta más? Ordenar siendo 1 el que más te gusta y 9 el que menos te gusta.
• ...... Ciencia Ficción
• ...... Terror
• ...... Drama
• ...... Romántica
• ...... Fábula
• ...... Artículo Periodístico
• ...... Ficción Histórica
• ...... Policial
• ...... Leyenda
- Justificar por qué elegiste la primera opción. ¿Qué características te atraen de ese género?
..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................

Appendix B

Answers to question: Justificar por que elegiste la primera opción. ¿Qué características te atraen de ese género?
First option: Horror
Nombre: Barbara
Edad: 17
Sexo: F
Escuela: Lourdes
“me gusta porque me gustan las historias que se cuentan, el suspenso que se le dan e imaginarme la historia”
Nombre:Brenda
Edad: 16
Sexo: F
Escuela: Lourdes
“de este genero me atrae porque me da ganas de leer mas hasta terminarlo”.
Nombre: Rocio
Edad: 16
Sexo: F
Escuela Lourdes
“me encanta sentir el suspenso a esperar a asustarme y me gusta sobresaltarme”.
Nombre: Facundo
Edad: 16
Sexo: M
Escuela: Lourdes
“del genero me atrae todo lo irreal, y la incorporación de objetos imaginarios que no existen.”

Horror fiction and YAL: a successful combination which can perfectly suit the demands of a difficult decision-maker segment, adolescents

Florencia Gonzalez, Karina Moreschi

IT WAS A NIGHT TRIP, and the thing to remember is: noone's looking for surprises on a night trip. You ride at anchor, out where it's nice and quiet; kick back, chill out, talk rubbish till sunup. No surprises.

This is how “Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed” begins. The setting is presented. And a hint of something not expected can be anticipated: the surprise factor, a key element in horror fiction. It is difficult to guess what is going to be next because the mixture of logical and impossible events goes beyond reason in this kind of text. Many dangerous and complicated situations put the reader’s mind to the test.

Adolescents are an active part of the global market and a difficult decision-maker segment. They are engaged in a very complex task: leaving childhood to become adults. In this period of transition, Young Adult Literature’s characteristics are appealing to adolescents. Some of these features can be found in zombie’s stories such as the stories are short, a teen is the main character and events and problems are related to teenagers. In addition, horror fiction can challenge adolescents to imagine themselves in problematic situations. And this gives them the opportunity for experimentation. Gail De Vos develops this idea as regards the storytelling (2003). We consider that his idea may be applied to horror fiction because zombies’ stories can provide readers with problem-solving tasks that allow them to be “able to try out their own dreams, fantasies, fears and concerns without experiencing real-life consequences.”(Gail De Vos, 2003)

With this problem-solving pattern found in many zombies’ stories and exemplified in “Lie still, Sleep Becalmed”, it is possible to state that this genre may be successful in attaining the combination of imagination and rational thinking which is a necessary mixture to capture adolescents’ interest. This paper explores how this combination appears in the selected story, which is reviewed together with the theory about YAL.

“Lie still, Sleep Becalmed”: YAL and horror fiction

Teens are developing taste and discernment and are becoming more discriminating in their choices, including reading. ( Holly Koelling, 2004)

Adolescents as consumers have an active role deciding which products of the market they are going to choose. Literature is just another product on sale and adolescents as a decision–maker segment represents a very important share of the demand. It is possible to think that teenagers are vulnerable and easy to manage, but they are, in fact, a difficult target considering their complex needs. They are going through one of the most exigent periods of their life. As Holly Koelling explains teenagers are no longer captivated by the books which they read in their childhood. Their growth is physical, emotional, psychological and intellectual. Consequently, they need reading material that stimulates them to use their imagination and their new mental capacity of abstraction in the search of alternate solutions for the conflicts presented in the stories.

As regards Young Adult Literature theory, many of the traits of this short story are related to Sarah Herz & Gallo’s characterization of YAL. According to these authors, there are some features that distinguish YAL from other genres. Among them, it is possible to mention the following: dialogues represent teenage speech, the narration shows the point of view of an adolescent, and the main character’s actions and decisions are the most important factors in the resolution of the conflict. 

“Lie still, Sleep Becalmed” is settled in a night trip on board of the Katie Mae, a fishing vessel crewed by three young men (Dany, Jack, and the narrator), and a girl (Claire). They are going to live an extreme experience when the fishing-finder detects something that they believe is a seal. For their surprise, what they drag out of the water is not a seal. First, they think it is a young boy. But sooner, they are going to realize that it is not a boy either. It is a zombie.

The characters of this tale are described as “university types”, “big smart boys”. They have attained independency but are not still fully adults as it can be perceived in the words of the narrator when facing a difficult situation:

"Okay," I said, deciding I'd be the grown-up on this boat.”

He is just playing the role of a “grown-up” taking a difficult decision. The young adult reader can identify with these characters taking into account the interest of this kind of audience in the future, their desire of emancipation and their will to take risks. 

Another quality of YAL observed in the story is a very colloquial and teenage speech, as in the following example:

"And I'll tell you something else about Danny," she'd added, "I bet once you get past that Big-I-Am act he puts on, it's Jack who does all the graft-am I right?

With a first person narrator, the style of this story is also very attractive for a teen audience, and the plot and its conflicts are going to add an extra condiment to the genre.

“Lie still, Sleep Becalmed”: its problem-solving pattern.

Citing again H. Koelling, adolescents’ cognitive abilities allow them to “apply abstract thought, reasoning and logic.” And at the same time, we have to bear in mind that teenagers “seek adventure and a wide range of experiences.” Horror and zombies can provide both possibilities, challenging young adults to imagine impossible and dangerous situations which have to be overcome. The developing teenager acquires the ability to think systematically about all logical relationships within a problem.  As regards the object of study in this paper, there are two areas of interest in which the advances in thinking can be divided:

Developing advanced reasoning skills. Advanced reasoning skills include the ability to think about multiple options and possibilities. It includes a more logical thought process and the ability to think about things hypothetically. It involves asking and answering the question, "what if...?".
Developing abstract thinking skills. Abstract thinking means thinking about things that cannot be seen, heard, or touched. Examples include things like faith, trust, beliefs and spirituality.  

“Lie still, Sleep Becalmed”  can be taken as an example of horror fiction in which the problem-solving pattern can be observed. There are several problems which are presented in the development of the story and the reader can question: a) how the characters make decisions to solve these problems, b) which are the consequences of these decisions, and c) to imagine what they would have done if they had been in that situation.

The main conflict is that there is a zombie on board. Team work and courage are the most valuable qualities to solve this situation. In addition to this conflict, the characters are in the middle of the sea and the engine of the boat doesn’t work. Finally, the main character decides to be “the grown-up” and hit the zombie, sending him out of the boat. But Jack, who ignores the fact that the boy they have recued is a zombie, helps the walking-dead putting his own life in danger again.

"What are we gonna do-" began Danny, but then Jack shouted from down the engine hatch, "Oy! Knobber! Hand down here? Jesus…"
"Okay," I said, deciding I'd be the grown-up on this boat. "Look, whatever we do, we've got to get moving again. You go and get those diesels started up, Danny."
He was half-way over to the hatch before he remembered who was supposed to be playing captain. "What about you two? What are you going to do?"
"We're going to take care of the other thing," I said. In all my years on boats I'd never been seasick; but I came close to it then, thinking about what the two of us would have to do next.

When the engine is fixed and they get rid of Andy, another problem arises, the anchor is stuck and many zombies are surrounding them. 

Clustered round the anchor, hanging on to it in a crawling hideous mass, were maybe six or seven of the bodies; dragged up from the oozing deep, these, up from long years of slow decay down where the sun's warmth and light never penetrates, there on the chilly bottom. Green phosphorescent eyes stared back at me, and a billow of putrescence erupted in bubbles on to the surface.

It is difficult to picture oneself in the middle of that situation, but this is also a challenge for the reader. For the crew, the defiance is to keep calm and act fast in order to survive.

A vivid narration, suspence and identification of the YA reader with the characters and their reaction when facing different problems are the main elements displayed in this story. So that all the examples above lead to make “Lie still, Sleep Becalmed” an appealing combination for adolescents who are proven to be a very difficult decision-maker segment to be pleased.

In summary, this story, as an illustration of what the genre of horror fiction can provide, may benefit YAL with a special contribution by adding totally unexpected and creative situations that have to be overcome with the use of logic and intelligence. This aspect of zombies’ stories is very relevant for adolescents who are in the stage of developing increasing academic skills, critical and formal thought. Therefore, horror fiction can foster young adults’ mental growth. 

References:

• “Storytelling for Young Adults: A Guide to Tales for Teens”, Gail De Vos (2003).
• “Make Sense of teens as growing people and as readers”, Holly Koelling (2004).
• http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/350/350-850/350-850.html
• http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/adolescent/cogdev.html
• “From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges between Young Adult Literature and the Classics”, Sarah Herz & Gallo, Donal (1996).

Sparks fly upward (review)

Lisa Morton

(Review by Florencia Gonzalez)

In Sparks fly upward, Lisa Morton deals with a controversial theme in a rather strange context. Abortion and the zombie world don’t seem to combine but they do in this horror tale. With rising temperatures and deadheads around, the first anniversary of a colony of survivors is the setting where Sarah tells us about her experience through her diary entries.

An appealing style and a very vivid description of the events drive you directly into this new scary world. I invite you all, fanatics or not of the horror genre, to read this story and to make your own judgment.

TT Show (TV show proposal)

Dear Sir / Madam,

We are pleased to write you in order to put under your consideration our new project, entitled “TT Show”. It has been developed taking into account teenager’s needs and interests.

The format of the show is based on a contest. The contestants will be casted several times according to their skills in different artistic categories. The prize will consist in a full scholarship to the best institution for artists. The assessment will be carried out by famous teenagers. The participants chosen by the jury will be exposed to the decision of the audience, who will cast their vote via mobile phones.

We are convinced that the combination of a stimulating competition for young people and the participation of the audience as a central figure in the destiny of the contestants will appeal to teenagers. “T.T Show” is a solid project which can be attractive for teenagers and young adults who want to express themselves artistically. We, as a group of young producers, see the necessity in the Argentinean television network to have an space to share our young people‘s artistic abilities. Therefore, we consider the best way for that to happen is by carrying T.T Show out.

With the purpose of providing you with detailed information about this project, we would like to have the opportunity to arrange a meeting.

At your disposal for further explanation and looking forward to favourable  response.

Yours faithfully.

A puff of power for girls

By Florencia Gonzalez and Karina Moreschi

In the late nineties, a new cartoon appeared on T.V. It caught the young audience from the very beginning with its well known opening:

Sugar... spice... and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girls. But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction...Chemical X!-- Thus the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra-superpowers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil! 

Who dare say that the mixture of nice things together with an accidental drop of “X Chemical” would turn upside down the ideas about gender role in children cartoon.

Until 1998, superheroes used to be played by males characters and if there was a woman with superpowers, she always had his male counterpart. Let’s take Wonder Woman and She-Ra as examples. She-Ra was He-Man’s sister and Wonder Woman was the only of her gender among all the members of the League of Justice. But The Powerpuff Girls broke this pattern in which women, even the strongest, had only a supporting or passive role.

Created by Craig McCracken, The Powerpuff Girls’ cartoon was broadcast for the first time in November 1998. Its author didn’t have on purpose to cause such a shift of paradigm in children cartoon. The three little heroines, Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles, have well defined characteristics: the sweet Bubble, the irritable Buttercup, and the intelligent Blossom. With this clear opposition of sweet and spicy features, they play the role of protectors of Townsville without loosing their femininity. The novelty of The Powerpuff Girls is given by the performance of the female characters.

The Powerpuff girls don’t always have to use violence or their superpowers to defeat their enemies. They take advantage of their sex attributes becoming stronger by employing the intrinsic power which lies on them as women. An example of this is the way in which they beat the Rowdyruff Boys in the episode number twelve. Kisses were the girls’ secret weapon on that occasion. 

Not only are the three girls portrayed in a distinctive superheroe role but also the women in the supporting characters. Ms. Keane is one of them. She is the Powerpuffs Girls’ kindergarten teacher. And she provides a good example for the three little girls. The reason why, is that she is very intelligent and frequently advices her students to change the perspective from which they can attack the villains, by using methods which avoid the use of brute force. One instance of this can be found in the episode where the superheroines defied the Gangreen Gang to be their opponent in a video game competition.

The other secondary character that is worth to be mention is Ms. Bellum, the Mayor’s assistant. Sexuality is the quality which defines her. She has a voluptuous body which is her only part shown. Her face has been never revealed maybe because that is not necessary to know that she is beautiful according to the cultural-social standards of society. But that is not her only virtue. In her person, the forces of beauty and intellect merge to prove that women can be sexy and clever at the same time. In contrast with her perfection, the Mayor is a bald old man, short both in height and mind, who depends on her assistant and the Powerpuff girls to solve all the problems of the city. Returning to the example found in episode number twelve, it is Ms Bellum who helps the girls to discover the power of kissess to destroy the Rowdyruff Boys[1]. 

Perhaps, it is not easy to perceive the relevance of the effect of these changes in the characters that play the leading role in children cartoons. However, it is important to consider that this is the reflexion of a society which is evolving. And this is also, the new model of superheroes for children, a model without gender distinction. 

To summarize, the Powerpuff girls have turned weakness into opportunity and threat into strength by capitalizing femininity. As a consequence, this cartoon displays a new range of possibilities for the females in the role of superheroes.

[1] References: The Powerpuff Girls: A Society of Girl Power by Krissy Naudus. http://www.urbangeek.net/writings/academic/powerpuff.html

The Millstone

Margaret Drabble

(Review by Florencia Gonzalez)

Rosamund Stacy is an intellectual young woman graduated from Cambridge University. Her parents have inculcated her with socialist and puritan ideas and values about the importance of independence, sin and sex. The lost of her virginity and her simultaneous unplanned pregnancy lead her to take an important decision: to assume the responsibility and become a mother. Margaret Drabble’s novel is highly recommended. 

An unusual alarm (by Angélica Santi and Florencia González)

It was a sunny day at Ant Town. The Red family was enjoying their breakfast before going to work. Suddenly they heard the alarm. It usually signaled the beginning of a new working day. But today it was something different. A group of collectors, who were in charge of providing food for the community, had brought some tasty and unknown delicacy. However, it turned to be very dangerous, because it had been prepared with a new poison made by humans to destroy the ant colonies.

The alarm set off when these tricky devices exploded, causing death to many of the area personnel. After the commotion, the whole family discussed at home what had happened. The father said, “I’m sorry for the victims’ families”. “What’s wrong with that?”, said little Red Ant. “It makes room for new people.” “You are right”, replied the mother, “The colony is really crowded.”

Some days later, they heard that the Queen had decided to turn the place of the massacre into a monument to remind the new generations of the danger of experimenting with new attractive stuff and to preserve the traditions.