The award-winning first novel „Vernon God Little“ by DBC Pierre
„ puts an astute, if needling, finger on the scary collusion between entertainment and law enforcement in American culture...If Huckelberry Finn were set on the Mexican-American border and written by the creators of South Park, it might read something like this“
states the San Francisco Chronicle.
Vernon Little as well as Huckleberry Finn is a coming of age story and describes the protagonist’s struggeling against society, the media and his single mother. Written in an unfiltred and sharp adolescent-boys-slang, one could be remindend of dialogues adapted from South Park.
Teaching „Vernon God Little“ in an English as a 2nd language classroom can be challenging for several reasons. Some might claim that style and language could be unappropriate in some ways for a classroom.
On the other hand the novel offers various topics interesting for teenage students and worth discussing in class as highschool massacres, mass media, US justice system or even more subtile coming of age topics as the relationship towards family, first love and sexual interests.
In this paper a short overview of the novel, its plot, its main characters and the setting is provided as a general basis.
The topic „adolescence and family as a special coming of age theme as well as „the influence of media“ as a special topic are exemplary analysed.
The main character’s relationship towards his single mother is complex and a noticable metaphore of „a knife in his back“ occurs throughout the novel. The struggle between independence and emotional and material addiction to their parents is well-known by adolescent students and might be an interesting topic they can elaborate on.
The media gains more and more influence in teenagers’ daily lifes and therefore a critical discussion of this topic might be appropriate.
As the titel of this paper refers to weblogs as a way of teaching the novel, a short overview of reading logs, blogs in general and the possible connection between those as a teaching tool is provided.
Reading logs support the student’s individual access to a novel, their transformation to the modern platform of the Internet is discussed and the explicit application of weblogs to the novel „Vernon God Little“ is discribed.
The last part offers some tasks, according to the prior introduced topics „adolescence and family“ and the „influence of media“ which can be provided in the weblog.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Presentation of the novel
2.1 Summary
2.2 Main Characters
2.2.1 Vernon Gregory Little
2.2.2 Doris Eleanor Little
2.3 Setting
2.4 Style
3. Topics
3.1 Vernon’s family situation – adolescence and family
3.2 Media Influence
4. „Vernon God Little“ in class
4.1 Reading Logs
4.2 Blogs in the classroom
4.3 Weblog „Vernon God Little“
4.3.1 Introduction
4.3.2 Tasks
5. Literature
Objectives and Topics
This paper explores the pedagogical application of weblogs as a tool for teaching DBC Pierre’s novel "Vernon God Little" in an English as a Second Language classroom, focusing on themes of adolescence, family dynamics, and the influence of media.
- Analysis of the novel's plot, setting, and character development
- Examination of adolescent struggles and family relationships
- Critical discussion on the role and influence of mass media in society
- Implementation of reading logs and weblogs as interactive teaching tools
- Development of creative classroom tasks to foster critical engagement
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.1 Vernon Gregory Little
15-year-old Vernon is the narrator and the protagonist of the novel. He lives alone with his mother in Martirio, a small town in Texas. His father has disappeared, but he remembers him vaguely.
When his father left Vernon and his mother alone, she insists on her son hiding his fathers rifle outside the house. The den is the secret Vernon shares with his former best friend Jesus Navarro and hides the key together with other secrets like drugs he is keeping for adorable Taylor Figuera in his closet.
Vernon seems bored by what the school system offers to students, but is intelligent, perceptive and expressive. His world-view is coined by TV-movies, where truth always wins in the end. „Under my grief glows a serenity that comes from knowing the truth always wins in the end. Why do movies end happy? Because they imitate life. You know it, I know it.“ (VGL, 2003, p.8)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Provides an overview of the novel "Vernon God Little" and outlines the paper's focus on teaching it through weblogs and analyzing central themes.
2. Presentation of the novel: Offers a summary of the plot, introduces the main characters Vernon and Doris, and describes the setting and narrative style.
3. Topics: Analyzes the protagonist's complex family situation and investigates the critical influence of mass media on Vernon's life and the public perception of reality.
4. „Vernon God Little“ in class: Discusses the pedagogical methodology of using reading logs and blogs to engage students and introduces specific creative tasks for the classroom.
5. Literature: Lists the primary text and secondary scholarly sources used to support the analysis of pedagogical tools.
Keywords
Vernon God Little, DBC Pierre, Coming of Age, Adolescence, Family Dynamics, Media Influence, Weblogs, Reading Logs, Classroom Pedagogy, Foreign Language Teaching, Scapegoat, Martirio, TV Reality, Identity, Literature Class
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the teaching of DBC Pierre’s novel "Vernon God Little" within an English as a Second Language classroom, specifically leveraging modern digital tools like weblogs.
Which core themes are analyzed in the work?
The central thematic fields include the "coming of age" process, specifically the protagonist's struggle with his family situation, and the profound, often negative, influence of mass media on societal perceptions.
What is the ultimate goal of the proposed teaching approach?
The goal is to provide students with an interactive, individual platform that facilitates deeper engagement with the novel's complex themes, bypassing traditional classroom limitations to encourage personal, unfiltered expression.
What pedagogical methods are recommended for the classroom?
The author advocates for the use of reading logs and interactive weblogs as primary vehicles for students to document reflections, speculate on the narrative, and engage in meaningful communication with the text and peers.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section details the novel's plot and characters, critiques the influence of television on Vernon’s life, and outlines practical strategies for implementing blog-based tasks in the curriculum.
Which keywords best describe the paper's content?
Key terms include "Vernon God Little", "coming of age", "media influence", "weblogs", "reading logs", "pedagogy", and "adolescence".
How does the novel portray the relationship between Vernon and his mother?
The relationship is depicted as complex and strained, symbolized by a metaphorical "knife" that the mother turns in the protagonist's back, reflecting his dependence and frustration during his maturation process.
In what way does the author suggest the media affects Vernon?
The media acts as a destructive force that constructs a "false reality," turning Vernon into a scapegoat for a high school massacre to satisfy public demand for sensationalized stories and perceived justice.
- Quote paper
- Catharina Belinghausen (Author), 2008, Teaching with Weblogs: Vernon God Little, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/136424
