[etni] Fwd: re: The Wave
- From: ETNI list <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Etni <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:02:39 +0300
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ruthi <rsheffer@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: The Wave
I agree completely with Judi's assessment of this "novel" which has
very little literary merit whatsoever. The criticisms Judi describes
are pretty much my own reaction. We began teaching this after we had
taught "The Giver" which I believe is not accepted in the new program.
The Giver is in my opinion a far superior work , which has no movie to
date,meaning pupils have to read it themselves. It touches on the
Holocaust,Genetic Modification, Ethics, Euthanasia, Difference and
Sameness, Utopia and a host of other topics which can be discussed in
class.
It has many literary devices making it a perfect choice for our classrooms.
So please tell us why The Wave yes and The Giver no?
Ruth
Judi wrote:
> Dear All,
> On first learning that there was to be an alternative to "All My Sons" in the
> new lit program I was terribly excited. I was especially pleased that it
> seemed to be a book with lively and interesting relevant background that our
> kids would be able to relate to and engage in.
>
> However, this was before I actually read the book. I was astounded to
> discover that the book is absolutely terrible, and in no way deserving to be
> called "literature". It is a flimsy, second rate storybook written
> specifically for teenagers based on the movie of the same name. How on earth
> was this chosen as a piece of "literature" ? The writing is banal, the
> characters not at all well defined or believable and in fact the plot is
> unconvincing - I'm sure the actual account of the real experiment that the
> book is based on would be a much better read.
>
> Can somebody explain to me how on earth this "book" was chosen? As I read
> it, I simply couldn't believe it, I thought I must have the wrong book in my
> hands. If the ministry wanted to choose a teenage novel for a literature
> piece, at least they could have chosen a decent well-known author of an
> original piece of work rather than a knock-off "book of the movie"!!!! I am
> curious to know what literary devices can be gleamed from this appalling
> book? With the wealth of English language literature that is "out there" -
> why would this silly book even be in the running? Let them kids read Winnie
> the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, or The Wizard of Oz or even a Judy Blume novel
> - all are fine examples of great children's literature. If "The Wave" was
> chosen simply for its theme, why not something like "Night" by Elie Wiesel
> which many schools already read?
>
> I haven't seen the movie which I believe was a "made for educational TV"
> thing rather than a general release movie that played in cinemas. However,
> I've been told that it is well made and is very powerful. Most of the
> teenagers that I've spoken to who saw the movie said it made a great impact
> on them and was something they'd never forget. This can hardly be said of
> the book so most of our students will justifiably see the movie rather than
> read the book.
>
> I know that I don't have to teach it and can indeed continue with "All My
> Sons" for the literature exam, but I am still totally flabbergasted by the
> ministry decision to include the book "The Wave" and would appreciate hearing
> from somebody 'in the know' - to explain why and how the "book" was chosen.
>
> Am I the only person who thinks this?
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