Representation Matters
TRIGGER WARNING:
Rape, Child Abuse/Neglect, Harassment, Sexual Assault, Incest, Molestation,
Alcoholism, Disordered Eating, School Shootings, Mental Health Issues, PSTD, Depression, Suicide.
Rape, Child Abuse/Neglect, Harassment, Sexual Assault, Incest, Molestation,
Alcoholism, Disordered Eating, School Shootings, Mental Health Issues, PSTD, Depression, Suicide.
What do I mean by "representation?" Here, I'm specifically referring to the phenomenon of being represented in media - seeing (or reading) characters like oneself in books, TV, movies, etc. Representation pertains to many different aspects of identity (body type, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, class, age, and even issues/life circumstances, etc.).
Representation - seeing people who, for various reasons, share an aspect of identity with oneself - matters. As Children Now states, underrepresentation "not only fails to accurately reflect the world in which young people live, but it also sends a message that some groups of people are more valued by society and worthy of attention than others" ("Media Messages About Race, Class & Gender: Media Impacts Children's Self-Image and How They See Others"). And unfortunately, the message is being received: repeated exposure to inequitable representation may train people to see inequality as normal or justified. In one interview, actress and activist Geena Davis said,
Representation - seeing people who, for various reasons, share an aspect of identity with oneself - matters. As Children Now states, underrepresentation "not only fails to accurately reflect the world in which young people live, but it also sends a message that some groups of people are more valued by society and worthy of attention than others" ("Media Messages About Race, Class & Gender: Media Impacts Children's Self-Image and How They See Others"). And unfortunately, the message is being received: repeated exposure to inequitable representation may train people to see inequality as normal or justified. In one interview, actress and activist Geena Davis said,
My theory is that since all anybody has seen, when they are growing up, is this big imbalance - that the movies that they've watched are about, let's say, 5 to 1, as far as female presence is concerned - that's what starts to look normal. And let's think about - in different segments of society, 17 percent of cardiac surgeons are women; 17 percent of tenured professors are women. It just goes on and on. And isn't that strange that that's also the percentage of women in crowd scenes in movies? What if we're actually training people to see that ratio as normal so that when you're an adult, you don't notice?" ("Casting Call: Hollywood Needs More Women").
While Davis is talking specifically about the underrepresentation of women in media, I'd argue that her theory could easily extend to all underrepresented groups.
Media representation (and underrepresentation) also affects self-esteem and self-image. While speaking to New Jersey college students, author Junot Diaz said:
Media representation (and underrepresentation) also affects self-esteem and self-image. While speaking to New Jersey college students, author Junot Diaz said:
You guys know about vampires? You know, vampires have no reflections in a mirror? There's this idea that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. And what I've always thought isn't that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. It's that if you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves. And growing up, I felt like a monster in some ways. I didn't see myself reflected at all. I was like, "Yo, is something wrong with me? That the whole society seems to think that people like me don't exist?" And part of what inspired me, was this deep desire that before I died, I would make a couple of mirrors. That I would make some mirrors so that kids like me might see themselves reflected back and might not feel so monstrous for it" (Diaz).
Because of its profound effect on self-esteem, representation is also linked to academic interest and achievement. In Carol B. Olson's book, Reading, Thinking, and Writing about Multicultural Literature, she notes that "monocultural approaches to teaching can disenfranchise many students and widen the achievement gap and that 'students who do not find representation of their own cultures in texts are likely to lose interest in school-based literacies' (p.5). Including multicultural literature in culturally diverse classrooms is one way to honor pluralism and enhance learning and engagement for all students" (Olson 174). I believe that a similar principle should be applied to all possible areas of representation. Many different types of texts and protagonists should be available to students in their classrooms - encouraging a mutual valuing between the traditionally privileged and underprivileged and the students and the school.
The Western Canon vs. YA Lit
Let's take a look at the Western Canon - the books that are traditionally taught in U.S. public schools. According to a survey performed by the Center for the Learning and Teaching of Literature, the top 10 most commonly required book-length works in public high schools are:
All of the authors (and protagonists!) represented on this Top 10 List are white. There is only one female author represented. This list represents a tiny, narrow sliver of the literature in the world, and only a tiny, narrow sliver of the students in our schools will be able to see themselves in it.
Now let's look at YA Lit:
Author Malinda Lo has analyzed the American Library Association's selections for Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) for the years 2011-2013. Here's the breakdown she found:
- Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
- Macbeth, by William Shakespeare
- Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
- Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
- To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
- The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
- Hamlet, by Shakespeare
- The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding (Applebee).
All of the authors (and protagonists!) represented on this Top 10 List are white. There is only one female author represented. This list represents a tiny, narrow sliver of the literature in the world, and only a tiny, narrow sliver of the students in our schools will be able to see themselves in it.
Now let's look at YA Lit:
Author Malinda Lo has analyzed the American Library Association's selections for Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) for the years 2011-2013. Here's the breakdown she found:
All above images from "Diversity in ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults" (Lo).
Still not great. Significantly better than 0%, but still not equitable.
Clearly, there is still a dearth of all kinds of diversity in YA Lit. We need more of every kind of story, every kind of character, and every kind of relationship to even begin to reflect the diversity of people that exists in the real world. But we should use the diverse YA Lit that we do have to ensure that students can begin to see themselves (and others) as fully human. There are great blogs and lists dedicated to finding and promoting diverse YA literature. Check out the Additional Resources page for more information. For multicultural diversity, here's a cover compilation to get you started:
Clearly, there is still a dearth of all kinds of diversity in YA Lit. We need more of every kind of story, every kind of character, and every kind of relationship to even begin to reflect the diversity of people that exists in the real world. But we should use the diverse YA Lit that we do have to ensure that students can begin to see themselves (and others) as fully human. There are great blogs and lists dedicated to finding and promoting diverse YA literature. Check out the Additional Resources page for more information. For multicultural diversity, here's a cover compilation to get you started:
Representing Young Adults
Representing age and experience also matters. Groenke writes:
I wondered why my own teachers hadn't used young adult literature in high school--it featured teenagers, dealing with life on their own terms as best they could. It honored teens' lives and their experiences, showed teens as capable, smart, and multidimensional. I thought maybe if my eleventh- and twelfth-grade teachers had used young adult literature, my own experience during those two years--both in and out of the classroom--might have been better. One thing I did know: when I got the chance, I would use young adult literature to make connections with students, to find out about them--not overlook them--and make them feel important and listened to in my classroom" (Groenke and Scherff xii).
By allowing students to read YA lit in the classroom, we tell them that the stories (and lives) of teenagers matter - that they are worth reading, writing, talking, and thinking about.
However, some people object to YA lit because they feel that many of the issues and experiences represented and discussed in YA lit may be damaging to teenagers. What seems to be overlooked in many of these conversations is that many teens are already dealing with these issues. I believe that teens should be warned about the content of various books - not because the books might scar them, but because they may need to prepare for (or entirely avoid) content that can trigger flashbacks to trauma they have already endured.
We may not all experience these issues firsthand, but no one grows up without being exposed to issues of assault, violence, abuse, addiction, and poverty. For many teens, YA lit can be an excellent way to begin discussing complex issues that they will inevitably be exposed to (if they have not already). And, as Groenke and Scherff note, given the statistics, "it is no wonder, then, that for many teenagers the realistic young adult novel provides therapeutic value, an opportunity to see they are not alone" (Groenke and Scherff 16).
In her post, SPEAKing Out, author CJ Redwine states, "As a Christian and a rape survivor, I want SPEAK to stay on the shelves. And I want others to write books about rape. Incest. Child abuse. Eating disorders. Multiple personality disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder. Because those are just as real, just as present, for some kids as worrying about grades and peer pressure are for others. Books can give children the language they need to be able to describe themselves and the things they're facing. To silence the book could be to silence the child" (Redwine).
In an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal, author Sherman Alexie also responded to the banning and censoring of YA lit for the sake of "protecting" teenagers:
However, some people object to YA lit because they feel that many of the issues and experiences represented and discussed in YA lit may be damaging to teenagers. What seems to be overlooked in many of these conversations is that many teens are already dealing with these issues. I believe that teens should be warned about the content of various books - not because the books might scar them, but because they may need to prepare for (or entirely avoid) content that can trigger flashbacks to trauma they have already endured.
We may not all experience these issues firsthand, but no one grows up without being exposed to issues of assault, violence, abuse, addiction, and poverty. For many teens, YA lit can be an excellent way to begin discussing complex issues that they will inevitably be exposed to (if they have not already). And, as Groenke and Scherff note, given the statistics, "it is no wonder, then, that for many teenagers the realistic young adult novel provides therapeutic value, an opportunity to see they are not alone" (Groenke and Scherff 16).
In her post, SPEAKing Out, author CJ Redwine states, "As a Christian and a rape survivor, I want SPEAK to stay on the shelves. And I want others to write books about rape. Incest. Child abuse. Eating disorders. Multiple personality disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder. Because those are just as real, just as present, for some kids as worrying about grades and peer pressure are for others. Books can give children the language they need to be able to describe themselves and the things they're facing. To silence the book could be to silence the child" (Redwine).
In an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal, author Sherman Alexie also responded to the banning and censoring of YA lit for the sake of "protecting" teenagers:
When some cultural critics fret about the “ever-more-appalling” YA books, they aren’t trying to protect African-American teens forced to walk through metal detectors on their way into school. Or Mexican-American teens enduring the culturally schizophrenic life of being American citizens and the children of illegal immigrants. Or Native American teens growing up on Third World reservations. Or poor white kids trying to survive the meth-hazed trailer parks. They aren’t trying to protect the poor from poverty. Or victims from rapists.
No, they are simply trying to protect their privileged notions of what literature is and should be. [....] And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons–in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed" (Alexie).
Appropriately introducing teens to young adult literature that tackles tough issues will not harm teens, but it might help them to begin discussing issues pertinent to their lives.