After I finished reading Judy Blume’s Forever I could defiantly see why there maybe an issue teaching it in schools. Thought I enjoyed the read I’m not sure I would have back in high school. However, I did find a lot of similar feelings and events that happened to me as an adolescent teenager and even into college that having read the book I would have had a better view of what I was going into.
Trite mentions in Disturbing the Universe “the reader may learn to feel shame about sex from being told not to feel ashamed” (89) after reading Blume’s Forever, but I think she is a little off. Though I feel Blume when a little more descriptive about the actual event and images of having sex then I may have, it gives a pretty accurate account. I do not believe shame would be a feeling a curious teenager would gather after reading it nor would they think about being ashamed after Kath is told not to be. I believe that this part in the book if they felt any doubts or uncomfortable views at this point they would see that others have the same and feel comforted.
Trites says Blume wrote a ‘self-help manual to help teenagers learn about sex […] but it then undercuts this message with a series of messages framed by institutional discourses that imply teenagers should not have sex or else should feel guilty if they do” (88). I feel as though Trites is missing the point of Blume, she is offering another outlet for teenagers to learn about sex. Schools are getting increasingly nervous about discussing it and parent are assuming their teenagers know more then they do and don’t explain it further. Yes adolescences are being to have sex earlier or at least the adult community is now aware of it, however I don’t believe scaring/embarrassing them to not have sex is correct either, nor leaving events out will benefit the already confused teenagers.
I myself would probably not teach the entire book to a class of students, but I would defiantly teach parts of the whole. I would stress the idea of being prepared (Chapter 13 and 15), self-control (chapter six), parents’ reactions to early love (Chapter 7 and 18), some possible out comes of sex in general (Chapter 13 and 20) and definitely the possibility of ending love. I would also find a book that was a little more current and maybe from the boys perspective. I think that some of the students would get a lot out of the topic but I feel just as many would be lost in immaturity of the topic if a group discussion were to take place. If I was able to I would probably show the South Park episode where the school decides to teach sex ed in elementary school students believing they are already having sex, however in the process they only scare the students with decease and the boys begin to wear condoms 24/7 so the girls will talk to them unaware that sex is the only way to pass them. I feel as though any teacher or adult with children should watch the episode in order to see how ridiculous adults sometimes look/think about sex.
Trite mentions in Disturbing the Universe “the reader may learn to feel shame about sex from being told not to feel ashamed” (89) after reading Blume’s Forever, but I think she is a little off. Though I feel Blume when a little more descriptive about the actual event and images of having sex then I may have, it gives a pretty accurate account. I do not believe shame would be a feeling a curious teenager would gather after reading it nor would they think about being ashamed after Kath is told not to be. I believe that this part in the book if they felt any doubts or uncomfortable views at this point they would see that others have the same and feel comforted.
Trites says Blume wrote a ‘self-help manual to help teenagers learn about sex […] but it then undercuts this message with a series of messages framed by institutional discourses that imply teenagers should not have sex or else should feel guilty if they do” (88). I feel as though Trites is missing the point of Blume, she is offering another outlet for teenagers to learn about sex. Schools are getting increasingly nervous about discussing it and parent are assuming their teenagers know more then they do and don’t explain it further. Yes adolescences are being to have sex earlier or at least the adult community is now aware of it, however I don’t believe scaring/embarrassing them to not have sex is correct either, nor leaving events out will benefit the already confused teenagers.
I myself would probably not teach the entire book to a class of students, but I would defiantly teach parts of the whole. I would stress the idea of being prepared (Chapter 13 and 15), self-control (chapter six), parents’ reactions to early love (Chapter 7 and 18), some possible out comes of sex in general (Chapter 13 and 20) and definitely the possibility of ending love. I would also find a book that was a little more current and maybe from the boys perspective. I think that some of the students would get a lot out of the topic but I feel just as many would be lost in immaturity of the topic if a group discussion were to take place. If I was able to I would probably show the South Park episode where the school decides to teach sex ed in elementary school students believing they are already having sex, however in the process they only scare the students with decease and the boys begin to wear condoms 24/7 so the girls will talk to them unaware that sex is the only way to pass them. I feel as though any teacher or adult with children should watch the episode in order to see how ridiculous adults sometimes look/think about sex.
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