Discovering Sexuality
Websites Twenty10. http://www.twenty10.org.au/ This is the website of a support group for gay and lesbian youth. It includes everything from a location search for services such as emergency accommodation and counseling to entertainment and events, including links to external sites (eg an anti-suicide site on youtube) and organisation for next year’s mardi gras float. Talk about the way different types of people are brought together online to discover a virtual community. Mention the symbolism of the fingerprint background and the use of the colour pink (an upside down pink triangle was worn by gay and lesbian people in WWII concentration camps and has since been adopted by the gay community).
It gets better Project http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ This website addresses the high rate of suicide for gay and lesbian youth through a blog, news items, links to support services and above all, videos from gay adults telling teens to “hang in there, it gets better”. Discuss the varied ways the site encourages you to take part in this initiative whether or not you are gay. Look for persuasive language, action verbs, imperatives (orders) and other ‘advertising’ features which encourage people to discover a better future for themselves
Poems
Gregor, Debora. (1994). "Miranda's Drowned Book" online at Anna McHugh's blog [http://discoveryhsc.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/fascinating-related-text-dramatic.html] Rich in symbolism, this poem gives Miranda's perspective on her relationship with her father and the island landscape on which she was raised. Recommended for advanced students, especially if they are studying The Tempest (if you're not, read or watch the play so that you understand the context of Miranda's speech).
Mokobe, Lee. (2015) "What it Feels like to be Transgender" (2015 International Slam Poetry Winner). Vivid imagery tells the experience of a "girl" in growing up in South Africa and discovering that she can become anything she wants - except a man. You can listen to this poem/speech on Ted Talks [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8DwxjDrNNM] and contact him at Twitter ( Please don't Troll - it's hard enough being transsexual!). Pay careful attention to the use of religious symbolism and powerful emotive language, and the careful control of tone and rhythm to manipulate the listener. As this is a performance poem you can also analyse his use of expression and body language - what was it that made this the winning poem?
Novels
Blackman, Marjorie. Boys don't Cry. While he waits for his A-level (English HSC equivalent) results, Dante's long-forgotten one-night-stand turns up - with a baby! While Dante's carefully planned life falls apart as he discovers what it is to be a father, his brother Adam is dealing with the issues of being a gay teenager and what this might mean to his family. Focus on the way the story is told from two different viewpoints and the discoveries the boys make about fatherhood, each other and societal attitudes to teen parenting. Recommended for standard students who enjoy an emotional ride!
Cronn-Mills, Kirstin. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children. Existing at school as her birth-self, Elizabeth, Gabe develops a expresses his a male persona when he hosts the community radio show Beautiful Music for Ugly Children. Pay close attention to the symbolism of songs and to the self-discovery process reflected in Gabe's opening speeches each show. You might also wish to comment about the use of first person and internal monologue which encourages the (presumably cis-gender) reader to discover a transgender identity.
Short Stories
Pausacker, Helen. (1996). “Dear Mum and Dad” in Hide and Seek. This set of letters depicts Sue’s struggle to tell her parents she is gay. Analyse the way she moves from letters the conversational tone as she confides in them, to the formal clichés of the final postcard. Link the language techniques to the irony that her inability to discover a way to communicate with her family is exactly what alienates her from them.
Sharp, Cameron, (2011). “Hamilton High School Speech” in Hide and Seek (AOS folder at 820.9) When the author was invited back to speak at his old high school, he is understandably terrified about telling his story. Discuss the way the structure alternates between the actual speak and the asides in brackets that describe his feelings – an easy example of postmodern self-reflexivity. Focus on the colloquial language (and the author’s awareness of it’s effect on the audience) he uses to make the students accept him as well as the dated slang which makes him sound old (from the 1970s). This is an easy text to show different layers of writing: the author and his speech, the author and his audience, the author and you.
Films Wheedon, Joss. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: “Phases”. [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. Almost any episode could be used to discuss discovery – there’s an essay on “Normal Again” in the O-drive. In this episode, a werewolf is discovered in Sunnydale and the heroes must find him before it is too late. This episode begins by using all the clichéd conventions of the horror genre (esp. the metaphor of teenage males as predatory wolves), then undoes these metaphors as they discover the werewolf needs to be protected. Listen to the excellent director’s commentary for techniques (lighting, camera angles, soundtrack etc) to discuss in your essay. Interesting essays from a film studies perspective can be found at http://slayageonline.com/essays/slayage17/Albright.htm and http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~felluga/sf/sampleAPaperMrO3d.html.
The Spectacular Now
Plays
Morris, Mary. Two Weeks with the Queen: The Play. (A822 MOR). One of the funniest plays you will ever read about death and illness. When Luke’s brother is diagnosed with terminal cancer he is sent to England to live with his uncle. Together with his over-protected cousin and the help of Griff, whose partner is dying of Aids, Luke finds ways to save his brother and come to terms with the concept of death. This play is written for children, so you will need to discuss the way humour, stereotypes and hyperbolic characterisation are used to describe the patterns of belonging established between Luke, his family, his uncle’s family and Griff. Recommended for ESL and standard students