I first want to start off this blog with a quote. “You’ll never understand someone until you get into their skin and walk around in it” (Spufford 30). I truly believe in this quote because it is true. We never know what others are thinking or what they are going through until we take make that first step to understanding who they really are. To find out who they are we need to get into their skin and be able to go through what they are going through. I believe that Dicey’s Song really helps us as readers take that first step in trying to understand who Dicey is. The first question we answered was, how does Dicey’s Song get you to step into Dicey’s skin? This took me a minute to find the perfect answer because I could not find it at first. I decided to go with the paper she wrote to Mr. Chappells. I really was able to get into her skin and feel what she was feeling. Right before Mr. Chappelle started reading her paper she did not know what to think. I know that feeling as well. When I was in school and a teacher was reading my paper I was a nerves wreck because I did not know what the teacher thought about the paper. Was it a good paper? Did I do really bad and the teacher wanted to read a good paper and then a bad one to show the students the difference between the two? My head was always spinning and my heart beating really fast. Voigt goes into so much detail about what Dicey is thinking that we can really feel it as well. We learn that the paper is too good to be written by Dicey and that Mr. Chappelle believes that she plagiarized. If I heard this I would have gone crazy. Trying to cope with what I just heard and going off saying that every word was my own. This then leads us to the next question. What does it mean that Dicey’s skin is already full? When we go through something that maybe someone else has as well we are not all going to perceive it the same way. Dicey just stood in silence and did not care about the grade she got. On the other hand I would have really cared about my grade. Asking why he said the things he did, or what should I have done better? I would have not been able to just sit there and accepted the grade like Dicey did. I think this is very important to know when getting into someone else’s skin, to know that I might already be full and not to judge on what we see.
I also what to add in that I really do think this could be a children’s book for students in middle school. I had to read this book for my other Children’s Lit class and we discussed that it is a good novel to read not only for its readability but also for its emotional text. We really need to understand that his novel is not a fantasy but a reality of someone’s life that we are having to get inside of. When reading this novel we might have faced similar problems but not everyone will solve to problems same way. I think this novel shows us that we are not always alone, because there are people everyday that could be facing similar problems as well.
I agree that this novel should be included in children's literature. Children will at one point need to break away from the fantasy novels which so intrigue them, and this would be a good novel to break this pattern. The way Voigt allows us to enter Dicey's skin is great; I also felt for her when her professor was reading her paper. I think all children have gone through this stress before, which is another reason I related so well to Dicey. I think children could learn from this situation as well. If they have not experienced it, they one day will. Along these lines, children can also learn from the hardships Dicey faces. Even if these things do not directly happen to them, they need to be aware of instances like these occurring to many people they may one day know. Great post!
ReplyDeleteJust because the content of a novel possibly has elements that might upset a child does not mean that it should not be considered children's literature. Children learn from experience. It is impossible to shield them from reality or the world they live in. It is possible that by reading a novel with content that a child may struggle with will give them the opportunity to learn from someone else's experience. Just because a child reads something does not mean they will be "tainted." They may become empathetic citizens-- which is what we want. My point being lets stop keeping books on the shelf just because we fear that our children might get sad because of what they read, because that does not help them grow and mature.
ReplyDeleteI agree I think that serious messages teach children alot. They learn how to react to situations that encounter themselves in and situations their friends may be in.
ReplyDeleteThis book is a good example on how authors can put a reader in the skin of a character. I agree about the essay example, when I was reading this I did not understand why she was sitting down. I would have been upset and stood up for myself. But I was only a visitor in Dicey's skin. This book can teach kids about other people's problems. I believe out of all the books we read, this book has taught me the most.
ReplyDeleteI think your analysis of the two questions that we posed to us in class is really interesting! After reading Dicey's Song and discussing it in class, I stil don't think I have fully developed answers for these two questions. How does Dicey's Song get you to step into Dicey's skin? What does it mean that Dicey's skin is already full? With both of these questions, I think that the first one is the harder of the two to answer while understanding the second question contains the more important lesson for children. Trying to teach children that the ability to fully understand and sympathize with another human being is utterly impossible as all humans experience situations differently. As Voigt calls readers to feel and relate to Dicey, she also demonstrates how an understanding can only travel so far. This important lesson is vital for children to acknowledge and accept as they are growing and experiencing situations around them that they may think their own personal feelings are the exact same as other individuals going through the same/similar situation. Great post!
ReplyDeletegreat post! I agree, i think this book is an important one for middle schoolers to read. It is important for young readers to be able to get a sense of what another student might be going through or what their living conditions might be. Books like this one will open children's minds and hearts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this novel shows us we are not alone and there are people who go through these types of situations around us every day. Often, I forget that and I know in middle school this realization is not something I would have come to without a novel like this. The stories we read I guess could have been real life, but highly unlikely (for example we read a story about a young boy who survived a boat wreck during a storm at sea and lived on an island for years with a man who helped him survive). I agree that it is important to read realistic novels like this one, that deal with everyday situations, when you are in middle school.
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