I love this lesson that I get to teach each year! In the unit on Genre, our department talks about the message of both "I Have a Dream" by Martin Luther King Jr. and The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss because they are the same.
MLK's speech focuses on the past, present, and future of discrimination and segregation in 1963. He addresses everyone in the crowd charging them with what they must do to make a difference in our country. He says there can be no satisfaction until changes are made. However, he has faith that his dream for our country will happen to give everyone full citizenship rights.
Dr. Seuss shared a similar message published first in 1961 for a completely different audience: children. Dr. Seuss created a fictional race of Sneetches that were either Plain Bellied or Star Bellied. As the story goes, one race thinks they are better than the other, but by the end both realize that it matters not whether you have a star or a plain belly. Sneetches are Sneetches.
The fun in this lesson and comparison when teaching Genre is that the message of both pieces is the same but presented differently to different audiences. The point? Audience must be considered if the author's point is going to be effective, and an appropriate genre must be picked that will catch the attention of the particular audience.
From blonde to brown to grey, life is a learning process. May I never stop learning or sharing what I've learned.
1 comment:
I must get this book.
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