I am forwarding the remarks from Luke Smiraldo. Luke is a Spoken Word poet from Tacoma, WA. Maybe he provides a fresh perspective for all of us. Alan
Dear Bill and Others-- There is so much to consider as I read your email. First off, my deep belief is that all of these children begin their lives as intelligent, creative, deeply curious people. A lot has to happen for them to become as defended and unengaged as they may have become in Bill's classroom. First off, I wonder about the cultural composition of your kids. You have called Casablanca, Gone With the Wind and Silence of Lambs "classics". But to whom? Especially as I consider Gone With the Wind, I know it causes quite a reaction to many people of color and others who see just how debilitating people of color are portrayed in that film. It is likely that several students would be unable to relate to that film for very good reason. The others are presented within a cultural context which is not universal, although they have appealed to many people. I truly believe that we have to start with youth where THEY are at, and not assume we know. Writing and spoken word are helpful because they begin with the personal material. Youth are able to talk about themselves, their experiences, their families, backgrounds and concerns. Some of it is good writing at first, some is not--but it is a starting point. I love foreign films and attend them all the time. But for youth to become interested, you must first make the connection and this can only happen if youth investigate their own lives. So--with Silence of Lambs we may ask. Does evil exist in the world. Where have you seen it? What does it look like? Casablanca is a very traditionally romantic film. What are some others? While the material is too adult, an example of an urban romantic film is Love Jones. You could show clips from that while bypassing the more adult content. Also--our youth are the victims of a relentless media barrage and are the progeny of massive distraction to sell product. They do in fact have 10-15 minute attention spans. Don't try to push them into a 90 minute attention span--work with what you have. Try clips from films and if you want to use this movie direction, update your own library of what you consider classic to truly reflect today's issues. One incredible film about a boy, who in order to save his family plays a high stakes game of manipulation with drug pushers and other abusers. Subsequently he loses all of his innocence. He plays chess with his father in the park, only to apply these brutal gamesmanship rules on the street. The film is called "Fresh". We are dealing with a new urban generation that are victims of supreme marketing and an absence of warmth and presence. Many, of all classes, are raising themselves. I believe that you must start with them and their personal material and then make connections. But this means saying "My context is one context, but not the only one" I do not represent the normal, but just one generation and perspective. You will need to dig to find theirs and be aware that their is a lot of pain and neglect underneath the apathy and bravado. Finally--where ever you are at, look for other artists and presenters that can offer alternative views. The best spoken word project in the country is called Youth Speaks and one may be close to you so it's worth looking into for a guest visit. If you decide to pursue this movie angle, you could embrace the whole universe of this including: Opening scene review--Have them write a review of just the first 5-10 minutes. Then have them anticipate what may be next to see if they are right or wrong. Have them argue THEIR ideas for the next scenes. Include many urban and contemporary films that show people with brown skin in prominent roles along with some urban themes. Have youth talk about their own biographies and then how they would visually depict themselves. What is their first scene? Do we move forwards or backwards in the film. Is it color or back and white? Who are the other main characters? Have them create a treatment--1-2 pages of a film for consideration. Have the artists in the room collaborate with the writers to create a first scene story board to show how the film might be visually presented. Have kids pitch their films and decide on two through consensus. These two teams would need at least one video camera each to film scenes. Create five minute films shorts. Create an Ebert and Roepert review panel to consider films and have them comment on opening sequences. Give them room to tell you that films suck, but then make them defend their position. And much more I am not thinking about. But they must start with their OWN life material to make the connections: Here are other responses to your thoughts: I hoped they might discover a new world by seeing classics like CASABLANCA or GONE WITH THE WIND or even SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Consider other contemporary classics for this generation. They could tell me in detail about the first 10-15 minutes of the films Our youth are inculturated by media and are trained for these attention spans. Use this and then begin to build concentration over time. Another watched MY FAIR LADY, but hated it because she hates musicals. I asked why did she pick it when she had over 300 to choose from and she said "it sounded interesting." She probably though this was about a contemporary woman with class and other things and lost interest when the picture didn't match. Ask her what she pictured, how the story would go and then ask her to "update" this movie with her ideas. I hope this helps reframe the conversation with places to move in the future. Likely though this would require a movement from all of us, not just the kids. Thanks, Luke _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
