Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
Project Contributors: Lindsey Mullen, Mikaela Toledo, Kevin Palacios
Review:
Laurie Halse Anderson’s poetic memoir Shout offers an emotional truth on sexual assault and the scars that linger after. Anderson chooses to write her memoir in free verse to allow her words to have more freedom and interpretation within the reader. Through a series of short poems, she spells out how her trauma has shaped her. Anderson incorporates allusions to her famous novel Speak. These allusions highlight the various incidents she has experienced throughout her life. It was with this preliminary novel that Halse Anderson opened the door for readers to gain insight on the aftermath of sexual assault.
Yet, in her new novel Shout, which was recently published in March 2019, Anderson writes a testament to the various life-alternating events she faced as she blossomed from a young girl who wandered around the streets of a new neighborhood, to a teen who takes a leap to study abroad in Denmark, to a woman who has come into her own and is unafraid to shout and talk about the realities many women face. As the novel unfolds, Halse Anderson reflects on the rape she experienced as a teen, as well as the complex family life she grew up in. She examines the family dynamic as she sheds light on the invisible illnesses that her family members struggled with--resulting in seemingly unstable home life. As she addresses her father's PTSD, she exposes how substance and domestic abuse are issues that affect the entire family. From these tough discussions, Halse Anderson presents a new light on the teen and adult experience. In her memoir, she reveals why she wrote Shout, in one of her poems, "If It Pleases the Court," as she discusses her idea of a book being born through witnessing a victim telling her story. After hearing women share their experiences of sexual assault, Laurie Halse Anderson decided it was time for the world to hear her story.
Shout would be appreciated by the readers because instead of dwelling on the past, Halse Anderson offers a positive outlook on traumatic situations. Anderson uses her experience as a learning tool for all readers. As Anderson wrote herself, “stories entertain, engage, outrage, uplift, and help us overcome our troubles.” She upholds this statement by liberating herself from any burdens she might have held onto, gifting the reader of this book to create honest and powerful connections between survivors. Shout should be seen as a timeless book on how even the darkest moments in one's life can spark a movement of emotional understanding and empathy. Further emphasizing how even the most misunderstood minds can create and connect around the world with their unmistakable words.
Biography:
It was early on that Laurie Halse Anderson discovered the power of language. Born in Potsdam, New York in 1961, her journey began as a little girl who navigated tough times in her family as her father lived a double life as both a religious community figure, and a drunk at home. All the while, young Laurie was fighting private battles she did not discuss publicly until 25 years later--when she finally found courage to speak her truth. As a budding adult, Anderson made the daring choice to spend thirteen months as a foreign exchange student in Denmark. After graduating from high school, Anderson continued her education by attending Onondaga Community College and eventually graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor's Degree in Language and Linguistics.
Originally Anderson viewed writing as just a hobby, but eventually realized it was her passion and jump-started her career as a freelance journalist. Since then she has written a variety of books that include children’s literature, historically researched novels, anthologies, and is best known for her young adult novels. A few of her most famous works include Fever, Twisted, Chains, and Speak. Her novel Speak was a National Book Award finalist, a New York Times bestseller, and a Printz Honor Book. It was with this didactic novel that Anderson rose to critical acclaim, and was lauded publicly for her visceral depictions of sexual assault. From this, Anderson was able to hear the stories from countless survivors worldwide, and often travels across the United States to speak to youth about sexual violence and consent. In her most recent work Shout, she advocates for survivors of sexual assault. She does this in a free-verse memoir that shares her thoughts, reflections, struggles, and personal stories. Through her narrative voice, she calls for change and has courage in a society that has failed her. Laurie Halse Anderson doesn’t just speak for change, she shouts for it.
Writing allows Laurie Halse Anderson to make sense of the world and believes the best stories come out of a deep organic place. She offers advice to her readers to take time and practice self-care. Maintaining a healthy environment is important to her, which she practices by hiking, running marathons, and grooming her garden.
Originally Anderson viewed writing as just a hobby, but eventually realized it was her passion and jump-started her career as a freelance journalist. Since then she has written a variety of books that include children’s literature, historically researched novels, anthologies, and is best known for her young adult novels. A few of her most famous works include Fever, Twisted, Chains, and Speak. Her novel Speak was a National Book Award finalist, a New York Times bestseller, and a Printz Honor Book. It was with this didactic novel that Anderson rose to critical acclaim, and was lauded publicly for her visceral depictions of sexual assault. From this, Anderson was able to hear the stories from countless survivors worldwide, and often travels across the United States to speak to youth about sexual violence and consent. In her most recent work Shout, she advocates for survivors of sexual assault. She does this in a free-verse memoir that shares her thoughts, reflections, struggles, and personal stories. Through her narrative voice, she calls for change and has courage in a society that has failed her. Laurie Halse Anderson doesn’t just speak for change, she shouts for it.
Writing allows Laurie Halse Anderson to make sense of the world and believes the best stories come out of a deep organic place. She offers advice to her readers to take time and practice self-care. Maintaining a healthy environment is important to her, which she practices by hiking, running marathons, and grooming her garden.
Instructional Resources:
1. Memoir vs AutobiographyShout is a memoir and this page offers an easy to read the difference between memoir and an autobiography in simple terms that will help students differentiate both. A memoir like Shout offers a more liberated way of writing and focuses its main theme on an emotional level to help explain her story, rather than taking a more formal from beginning to end view.
2. Poetic Vocabulary
Shout is written in free verse and it offers many poetic elements to its story with many focusing on powerful imagery and allusions. This site helps explain those various poetic formulas with simple definitions, creative examples, and etymological backgrounds to further understandings.
3. Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson
This is a view interview of Laure Halse Anderson and it talks about why she chooses to write this memoir after Speak’s amazing success. She dives into the book ideas and what she wished to express and also talks about rape culture among all gender, races, and age groups examining how books like Shout and Speak really help many individuals open up about incidents and how this type of assault is timeless in a manner and the discussion should never stop.
4.RAINN
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is one of the countries largest anti-sexual assault organizations and offers various supports toward children and teens. This site also explains what an occurrence is and can be used as a tool to examine terminology. This website also hosts anonymity to it and will allow various individuals to obtain the help and support they need 24/7. Highlights on words like consent.
5.Major Depression in Children and Adolescents
Major Depression in Children and Adolescents is a high key issue that follows many sexual assault victims and this overview of depression from the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association’s treatment and diagnosis manual) offers a quick view on signs to seek out with teens. It will also function as a self-motivator to look upon possible effects and begin the conversations and further a student’s motivation to seek help if needed.
Instructional Activity:
Grades: 11-12
Preview:These activities should take place over the course of multiple days. The teacher will introduce the book, along with themes and topics that will be discussed. Each day students will be asked questions to assess their comprehension of the text and to measure what needs more explanation. Each day should build upon the next, and on the fourth day, students will write a poem of their own. They will be given in-class time to do so, and then time to meet with their peers for a review and editing session. On the final day, students will be asked to share their poems. This can be presented as an optional task if students do not feel comfortable sharing personal information with their peers, therefore it can also be presented as an opportunity for extra credit. On the final day, students will turn in all worksheets and answered questions, along with their poems.
California Common Core Standards:
Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text.
Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Resources and Preparation:
Why Women Stay SilentIn this TedTalk, Ines Hercovich urges the audience to see a new side to the discussion around rape and assault as she paints a clearer picture of what many women face. In this honest video, the speaker works to expose why many women feel as though they cannot come forward. If there are time restraints in the classroom, the first five minutes of the video will suffice.
TeachersPayTeachers
TeachersPayTeachers is a great source if you are struggling to find ideas on how to create a lesson. This source has thousands of instructional aids like worksheets, essay prompts and more for teachers to use. With this source, teachers can find inspiration for various activities or even use the materials the site sells.
Educator's Guide to Building Resilience Through YA Literature
On this webpage, teachers are provided with an awesome forum that can help build a lesson around sensitive topics. The aim of this guide is for teachers to have the strength to tackle the hard challenges teens face. This guide provides tips for trauma-informed teaching, pre-reading activities, and response prompts.
Instructional Plan:
On this webpage, teachers are provided with an awesome forum that can help build a lesson around sensitive topics. The aim of this guide is for teachers to have the strength to tackle the hard challenges teens face. This guide provides tips for trauma-informed teaching, pre-reading activities, and response prompts.
Instructional Plan:
Day One: Introduce the novel and major themes students should look for. Preface discussion or reading of the novel with a warning that there are discussions of sexual assault. At this point, teachers should discuss with students how to reach out for help if they, or someone they know, are in need of help. It is the job of the teacher to address these topics with sensitivity and compassion. For some students, this book may be triggering for them. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that the teacher creates a safe place in the classroom to discuss sensitive topics such as those brought up in SHOUT.
One way to create a safe classroom environment is to provide students with education. The TedTalk, Why Women Stay Silent is a strong instructional aid to use when opening this forum to the classroom. Introducing the class to RAINN will also allow students to have an outlet to go to if this book becomes triggering, and they do not have an adult they feel comfortable talking to.
Beginning the lesson with a discussion on sexual assault is very important. It can be a difficult topic to bring into the classroom, therefore the instructor should have materials ready should students have hard questions, or simply need to talk.
Day Two: Begin reading the text with students. As students read the book they should be given tentative questions to think about. There should be surface-level questions that are formative assessments of their knowledge as students move through the text. These questions should reflect CCSS. Here are some brainstorming questions to get students thinking about what they are reading:
1. What is the difference between fiction and nonfiction?
2. How does a memoir/autobiography differ from a journal/diary entry?
3. Why is it important to read narratives about resistance and finding your voice?
4. What is a novel in verse?
After answering these questions, then pass out a worksheet to have students answer as they move through the text. TeachersPayTeachers is an online website that generates worksheets which ask entry-level questions to get students thinking about the plot, language, and form of the text. This is a worksheet that students should be working on formative and should be updating it as they read.
If needed, this sheet can be passed out to students at the end of class and can be started as homework.
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| Source: TeachersPayTeachers |
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| Source: TeachersPayTeachers |
Day Three: After reading the novel, teachers can act as a guide to aid comprehension. One way to do this is to put students into groups and give them guiding questions as a frame of reference. In these groups, students will be assigned sections to closely read, and annotate. These questions will help students delve deeper into the text and require them to use textual support when making claims about the novel. Through this activity, students should be able to identify and understand two or more central ideas of the text. Ultimately, these questions should be leading them to essay ideas.
1. To what purpose does dividing the book into sections serve? Analyze your section in relation to the entire novel. Use textual evidence to convey the key ideas in your section.
2. SHOUT is a novel written in free verse. What effect does this have on the reader? How does this make the novel more interesting, more accessible, or harder for students to engage with? Explain your answer with textual evidence.
3. Identify poems that employ figurative language. What devices does Halse Anderson use? Discuss how these choices are pertinent to the movement of the story.
Day Four: After having a deeper understanding of the text, students will then be asked to take a creative approach. Students will be asked to write a poem about a personal experience that experiments with form and employs figurative language. The poem can be written about any school appropriate experience or personal experience. Students will not be required to perform, but they will be turned into the teacher, and performance will be an opportunity for extra credit. On this day, students will be given in-class time to write their poems, and will then be put into groups to peer review their poems. Poems should be completed for HW.
Day Five: If poems are not completed, students can get into groups to peer review. Students will then use class time to perform their poems before class. This is an extra credit opportunity so it is not mandatory, but it is suggested for students to read their poems aloud.
Bibliography
- Anderson, Halse Laurie. Shout. Penguin Group USA, 2019.
- Gillette, Sam. "Laurie Halse Anderson, Who Wrote Hit Y.A. Novel About Rape Survivor, Shares Her Own Assault Story." PEOPLE.com, 15 Mar. 2019, people.com/books/laurie-halse-anderson-who-wrote-y-a-novel-about-rape-survivor-shares-her-own-assault-story/.
- Common Core Standards Initiative. "English Language Arts Literacy Standards." Common Core, http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/11-12/#CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.8
- Edelman, Paul. "Teaching Resources & Lesson Plans." Teachers Pay Teachers, 2018, https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
- "An Educator's Guide to Laurie Halse Anderson." Teacher Guides, Penguin Classroom, 2019, images.randomhouse.com/teachers_guide/9780670012107.pdf
- Hercovich, Ines. "Why Women Stay Silent After Sexual Assault." TED, 2015, www.ted.com/talks/ines_hercovich_why_women_stay_silent_after_sexual_assault#t-223913.
- Boggs, Lindsay. "About The Author." Laurie Halse Anderson, 2019. http://madwomanintheforest.com/about-the-author/
- “Author Laurie Halse Anderson on Her Memoir ‘Shout.’” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/author-laurie-halse-anderson-on-her-memoir-shout/.
- Beck, Destiny. “Poetic Devices.” Vocabulary.com, https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/251961.
- “The Fundamental Differences between Memoir and Autobiography.” Differences between Memoir and Autobiography - Author Resources, https://www.liferichpublishing.com/AuthorResources/Nonfiction/Differences-Between-Memoir-AutoBiography.aspx.
- OBJECTIVE DIAGNOSIS & ASSESSMENT. https://www.mdwise.org/MediaLibraries/MDwise/Files/For Providers/Behavioral Health/gl-depressioninchildren.pdf.
- “RAINN.” RAINN, https://www.rainn.org/about-rainn.
