The Chocolate War
Sights, Sites, and Reviews
This website shares an interview in which author Robert Cormier talks about his purposes in writing and specifically addresses the controversy associated with The Chocolate War.
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=12693
This article discusses Cormier’s battle against the banning of The Chocolate War and how he feels about the bans.
http://janash.wikispaces.com/The+Chocolate+War,+Robert+Cormier
This website provides ideas for whole-class activities, small-group activities, individual activities, and student resources. It includes seven lessons for teachers, as well as a synopsis for each chapter, a character analysis, themes the novel includes, and essay topics for teaching The Chocolate War.
My View, My World
Before reading The Chocolate War, the only thing I knew about the novel was that it was known for being controversial and is a widely banned novel. I had no idea even what the storyline was of the book, so I was excited to read it and figure out what the big controversy was all about.
Personally, I found the beginning of The Chocolate War a little boring. There was not much action starting out, mostly just character introductions that seemed to have no cohesive manner of relating to one another. After a while, however, things began to pick up. As more and more was revealed about the Vigils and the assignments, tension increased in the plot. Throughout the novel, tension is a main feeling that is apparent in the lives of Archie as he tries to stay on top with the Vigils, Goober as he bears the guilt of essentially destroying Room Nineteen and Brother Eugene, Jerry as he refuses to sell the chocolates, and the rest of the students at Trinity as they watch controversy unfold before their eyes
The existence of the tension in The Chocolate War was something that caused me to read the novel quickly, but I did not necessarily enjoy it. I am the type of person that avoids conflict and tension if at all possible, so the fact that conflict was the basis of the plot was not an aspect I particularly enjoyed.
Another reason I was not a huge fan of The Chocolate War was that there were no female characters. I am not trying to be some sort of feminist, demanding that women must be present everywhere just as much as men, but I am simply stating that the omission of female characters made it harder for me to relate to the novel and the characters. The attitudes that the young men in The Chocolate War had toward women were something I found hard to understand from the female perspective, and I am sure that young women reading this novel may experience the same feelings.
After reading The Chocolate War, I understand why it has become a widely banned book, but it actually was not as vulgar as I imagined it to be based on the opinions I had heard and read about the novel. Personally, I did find the inclusion of masturbation to be slightly offensive and it honestly is not something I want to read about, but I understand Cormier’s reasons in including it to develop his characters. These factors could create difficulty in teaching the novel, especially to the younger end of the young adult spectrum, but I do think that this novel is developed well.
TWS
| In This UNIT
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| Knowledge Blocks pursued (what specific elements are you trying to teach here
| Methods you would apply?
| How will you “test” for understanding?
| What is the specific goal of this unit?
| OBJECTIVE
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| Align with Learning Goals and Instruction
| Censorship- the frequent banning of this novel
Perception of religion in terms of parochial school
Development of character personalities in literature.
| Class discussion of censorship and reading of articles discussing the banning of this novel.
Writing assignment addressing the extreme student behaviors and relationships in a private school in comparison to how students would be disciplined in a public school.
Small group discussion of the diverse personalities of characters in this novel.
| Multiple choice exam concerning censorship in literature.
Short answer test in which students identify the dominant character trait of each main character of the novel.
| Students will gain an understanding of how censorship is used in literature.
Students will be able to identify how characters are developed differently but can create a cohesive plot within literature.
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CA - 2 CA - 4 CA - 6 CA - 7 | |
| Clarity of Criteria and Standards for Performance? A rubric, pre-instruction, or post testing?
| Supervised peer evaluation of written assignments.
Graded evaluation of small group discussions to see that students thoughtfully analyzed character differences.
| Class discussion of different types of schools (public, all-boys, all-girls, parochial, etc.)
Introduction to social hierarchies, examples in society.
| Social hierarchies
Male dominance in the novel- is this true to all literature?
| By identifying and evaluating both social hierarchies and gender roles, especially in this novel, students will gain an example of how NOT to relate to other students and achieve success and respect.
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CA - 2 CA - 6 CA - 7 | |
| What technical resources would you apply: (be specific) Web, graphic or writing programs, databases, research?
| Students use PowerPoint to create character evaluations and present them to the class.
| Time in computer lab or library to create presentations and research specific characters.
| Show the motion picture The Choclate War, and ask students to identify similarities and differences between the novel and the film.
| The presentations and film both allow students to gain a visual understanding of the novel and the characters, allowing them to more easily relate.
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CA - 2 CA - 5 | |
