When She Woke is interesting, attention grabbing, and overall is a great read, yet is it a text of sufficient literary merit to be studied in an AP class? Personally, I believe that this is a book of literary merit and could be studied in AP classes. My opinion on When She Woke in terms of literary merit is in large part due to the devices that Hillary Jordan uses in order to develop the novel. As I talked about in my last blog, flashbacks and motifs are used greatly for developing the characters. The flashbacks in the novel reveal a lot about the characters and how they ended up in the situations they’re in. The color motif is greatly used through the color red, which is a representation of blood/murder in the novel and is used to present Hannah after she has had an abortion and committed a sin in the eyes of society. Jordan also used a great deal of imagery and description in order to paint clear images into the reader's mind. For example, “The void began to lighten, fading to a not quite black, fading to a deep, sooty gray, fading to a slate gray, fading to a cloud gray. A glowing pinpoint punctured the darkness. It pulsed -Hannah!- and she saw a shining mote suspended there. It puzzled again -Hannah!- becoming brighter with each burst of incandescence. It seared her eyes, stabbed her ears, threatened her nonbeing. Hannah! The mote blazed like a sun, overwhelming, all-encompassing. She entered into it entered into her. She was the mote” (275) the entire quote above is used just to describe a simple dream that Hannah had. The word choice and imagery that Jordan uses in this passage really brings the dream to life, and it is not only in this passage that she uses such beautiful imagery but throughout the entire novel. All of the literary devices mentioned above provide opportunities for deeper analysis and different ways of interpretation, which I believe is a huge part in making a novel be considered AP merit. I believe this because, personally, I think to objective behind an AP class is to provide students with the opportunity to read literature to reveal the underlying mean of a novel, which is usually provided through the use of the student/readers analysis, interpretation and understanding of a novel.
Not only is When She Woke a work of sufficient literary merit, but it is also a novel that could be helpful for taking the AP exam. Personally, I believe this novel would be most helpful when it comes to the essay portion of the exam. This novel could provide great examples character development through Hannah’s character and how she develops throughout the novel. This novel could also provide a great example of the hero’s journey, which is the steps the “hero” of every novel goes through throughout their journey, for When She Woke I would focus on Hannah and the journey that she goes through. An interesting aspect of this novel that could help for the AP exam is the fact that When She Woke is a futuristic version of The Scarlet Letter. I personally think comparing Hannah and the main character of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, could provide very interesting examples in an essay and could develop on the idea of how many novels use similar characters, characteristics, and devices to develop a theme. When She Woke also could be helpful when completing the multiple-choice portion of the exam because in the novel a lot of analysis and interpretation must be accomplished in order to understand the meaning of the novel. The skill of interpretation and understanding is very important for the multiple choice questions because the questions on the excerpts usually go into great detail. Overall, I believe reading this novel could be very beneficial to helping someone with the AP exam.
Overall, I believe When She Woke is a novel of strong literary merit and would be a great help when taking the AP exam. Personally, I believe that the best part of the novel is that it is an easier read, it is very interesting, it is a page turner and yet it still possesses the qualities for it to be of literary merit and could be considered at the AP level. Although I have not finished the novel yet, I would recommend this novel and I am very eager to finish to discover Hannah’s full experience and journey.
Alexis, I think that you have done a wonderful job of explaining why When She Woke is AP material. I do agree with your opinion, but I do think that there are some aspects of When She Woke that are different from a usual AP English novel. I find that When She Woke is easier to read, feels more modern, and perhaps, is not as complex as other books that we have read. Do you agree with these statements or notice these things when you are reading? Do you think that these aspects lessen the importance of reading When She Woke in an AP class? Also, considering that When She Woke is very similar to The Handmaid’s Tale, I was wondering if you found one more AP worthy than the other? If you only had time to read one before the AP test, which do you think would be more helpful?
ReplyDeleteIsabel, given that this novel is easier to read and is more modern I believe that it will appeal to more students because it is a story more related to our time and it is a very interesting novel as well. I believe that this change from the typical AP novels will keep the reader more engaged. That being said, I think this novel would be a pleasant change to the AP curriculum because it is still of literally merit.
DeleteWhen comparing The Scarlet Letter and When She Woke I do believe that The Scarlet Letter could be considered more of literally merit because it fits the typical stereotype of an AP book. However, if I would to read one before taking the AP exam it would be When She Woke because I personally find it more appealing which would result in my remembering more aspects of the novel.
The more and more I read your blog posts, the more I want to read the novel! I think you did a very nice job describing why you think that this novel should hold some AP merit. I also liked how you used specific passages from the text to help and support your claim. I also like how you brought in the Scarlet Letter as these two novels are very similar. Job well done! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see how you plot/identify Hannah's journey, as you mention the book would fit the journey myth archetype. That's not something I thought of when I read the book, but it does make sense.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your response to Isabel's question about whether you would prefer HMT or When She Woke. It's always scary for me to pick a new novel, as it's both an investment of time and money, so it's nice to hear students' insights about new novels to include.