“We look not at the things which are what you would call seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal. But the things which hare not seen are eternal.” (205)
A Wrinkle in Time was a fun read, and would be enjoyable to many middle school students. The sci-fi/fantasy world that Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin, travel through was intriguing and inviting to think about. The combination of the three as social outcasts, ones that do not truly belong to main-stream was a powerful combination that could really be related to by many who identify with a subculture group or clique. Many people are like Meg and Charles Wallace, they are not seen as “smart” by the standardized notions of that term. And then there are many like Calvin, who are seen as popular, smart and athletic, but really do not identify as being such. It is a great idea and relatable idea.
I also really enjoyed the harsh fascist regime of Camazotz, where group-think reigns supreme. The ability of fantasy to build this fictitious worlds that can be relatable or at least serve as a learning tool to think of our own world is great. I think that L’Engle does a great job of toying with the ideas of strict “
equally” where everyone is alike, and shows the readers that it is best and a gift to think differently.
equally” where everyone is alike, and shows the readers that it is best and a gift to think differently.
Critically, the book is an easy read for the middle grades and is fully understandable. I think the themes that come up, that being social outcasts and going against the “norm” are important topics to be explored by adolescents. L’Engle does a great job of showing that children can do things on their own and that adults do not always know what is best.
The images that are used to explain tessering are extremely helpful, and I am glad that they were used. It gives a great image to understanding complex mathematics. The quotes that Mrs. Who uses also give it a little bit of an additional literature/philosophy aspect, aiding little snippets of major works. There is only one fault that came up, and is something that Nikki brought to my attention, and granted it takes place in the film adaptation, but still it appalled me. Apparently they cast an African-American female to play Mrs. Whatsit, in the beginning when she is seen by some to be a witch. Then she transforms into an uberly white porcelain centaur who is all good. It is an disturbing message that the film portrays and that the book I am not sure desires.
I have not read A Wrinkle in Time, but it was interesting to read this and discover that the text encourages adolescent readers to challenge socially constructed "norms." Kelly and I focused on this issue in our Intersession unit, and students seemed to respond well to it. Our student were mature enough to discuss how "normal" is a subjective concept and most seemed to enjoy and identify with the "outcast" characters from the texts we used. It seems like you could create similar opportunities with A Wrinkle in Time.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading this when I was in grade school and I really enjoyed it. I appreciate your analysis; I feel like as I've matured in my reading ability this would be well worth another read. The them of outsider-ness and social interaction seems to be an important recurring theme throughout what we've read, and I'd like to look at this context, as well as with the other things you've mentioned in mind.
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