Click on the "comment" button below to leave your blog post. I suggest you type your response first in a word document, and then copy and paste it into the comment box. When using book titles in your post you should set the title off with the underscore key: _Better Nate Than Ever_ (as the comment box does not recognize italics). If you are signed up to be a discussion leader, your blog post should be at least 500 words of original prose (do not duplicate anything other bloggers have already said here) in which you engage with the text for the week critically AND pose an original discussion question. If you are signed up to be a responder, your post should be 250 words in length and respond to, answer, extend, or disagree with a question or thought from another student's post. Be sure to write your full name and word count at the bottom of your post. The cut-off time for this blog post is Friday, March 11 at midnight (for discussion leaders) and Monday, March 14 at midnight (for responders).Discussion Leaders: Cassi, Vincent, Carla, and Gianna
Responders: McKenna, Jonathan, and Bryan
In Tim Federle’s _Better Nate than Ever_ main character Nate Foster is discovering his sexual orientation. Nate is a 13 year old boy who finds himself being bullied at school, constantly living in the shadow of his older brother Anthony. While Nate takes an interest in theater arts, and is self-conscious of his body and under bite, Anthony is the epitome of a high school jock. Anthony demonstrates the theory of gender as performance, excelling in sports and winning in every activity as the male gender is performed in society. The stark contrast between Nate and his brother and his troubles at school are catalysts for Nate’s questioning of his sexual orientation. However, while in New York, Nate is given the chance to be independent, and as a result learns many things about himself and his sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteOne significant instance that contributes to Nate’s search for sexual identity happens on his way to find Aw Shucks, the restaurant his Aunt Heidi works at. While walking down the street, Nate sees a club with an attendee he sees looking similar to him as he observes a young guy “modeling an under bite just like mine” (193). Nate is captivated by the “perfect portal into a word I’m not even allowed into, not for so many years” (193). Nate marvels at how the men at the party are able to dance freely, and like the same plays as he without getting “threatened or assaulted” (193). This instance is significant to Nate because for the first time he is seeing people who he identifies with living freely without fear of bullying. Nate even witnesses “the two boys kiss” (193) as “nobody punches them” (193). Nate is observing an instance where he realizes his personality, likes and interests are accepted by others similar to him, further helping him to solidify his feelings toward his sexual identity.
Freckles also plays a meaningful role in discovering Nate’s sexual identity. Again, as with the men in the club, Nate feels a similarity to Freckles. Freckles and Nate bond over their mutual love for theater, as Freckles himself has been in several plays. While talking to Freckles, Nate thinks “I just can’t believe in talking about theater with another guy and he’s not slamming my face into a toilet.” (202). Nate is building a connection with another guy in a way he has never had the pleasure of doing before. The similarities between Freckles and Nate again shows him that enjoying theater and singing is not something that should be ridiculed. The reader also sees the first instance of Nate showing interest in terms of sexual attraction towards Freckles. Nate is “looking at his body in those jeans” (238) and again does not feel shame or fear of bullying for the first time.
While Nate learns many things while on his journey to New York, unearthing his sexual orientation is an important piece of his growth and development as the main character. Nate standing outside the club and his relationship with Freckles are perhaps the two most significant events helping Nate discover himself and his sexual orientation.
How might _Better Nate than Ever_ help ALL children learn something reading about Nate’s trouble with bullying and sexual orientation? Consider readers who are not just young boys, but little girls and children with varying ages as well.
Gianna Petan
Word count: 558
_Better Nate than Ever_ is a story of a young boy discovering who he is and where he fits in the world. This is such an incredibly relevant issue with young children of all age, gender, and sexual orientation. This novel shows young children and adolescents that overcoming bullying is possible and that strong friendships can make problems easier.
DeleteFrom the beginning of the novel it is clear that Nate's family and his surrounding society have gender stereotypes, and if someone doesn't fit them, they're automatic outcasts. I agree that Anthony being the beloved high school athlete is an example of gender as performance. The contrast between Nate and Anthony's personalities could relate to any reader. In families there always seems to be a black sheep, and Nate is his family's. The societal ridicule that Nate feels can resonate with readers as well. This story shows that however hard you think you have it, there's always going to be someone who understands and somewhere you belong.
I also agree that both Nate standing out the club and his relationship with Freckles are the two most significant events that help Nate discover himself and his sexual orientation. When Nate thinks "I just can't believe in talking about theater with another guy and he's not slamming my face into a toilet," (202) it's really a turning point in his realization that "the way he is" is not really strange at all, and that there are others in the world that feel as he does. This is important because it helps readers who identify with Nate see that finding friends isn't impossible, and it can help ease the pain of feeling like an outsider.
In Tim Federle’s novel _Better Nate than Ever_ topics of friendship, sexual identity, dreams and lost relationships are discussed in a manner that is both daring and creative. The novels main character, Nate Foster is a witty pre-teen who exudes his love for theatre and showmanship. The first person narrative allows the reader to soak up all of Nate’s passion, creativity and references to disastrous Broadway flops. Unfortunately for Nate, he lives in Janksburg, Pennsylvania where his exuberant behavior is viewed as homosexual and he struggles to connect with his family. While auditioning for E.T The Musical in New York City, a casting agent named Monica tells a group of young child actors, “Whether or not you realize it- every moment in life is an audition… a moment to show who you are” (103). It is a sad truth that no matter how good of people one surrounds themselves with they will always find themselves under some type of scrutiny. If life is a stage and everyone is a player then _Better Nate than Ever_ is all about finding the right role, setting, and cast that will allow you to perform your everyday routine with as little scrutiny as possible.
ReplyDeleteAs Nate takes his daring trip to New York he sees a city that is eccentric, colorful and constantly moving. For Nate, New York City is the perfect setting for him to reflect, ponder and express himself to anyone who will listen. A strange new setting allows Nate to open up and perform theatric feats that he seemingly keeps in his busy head day after day. While auditioning for Elliot, Nate signifies his desires to give it his all by stating, “So I channel that day-that day of quiet when you’re supposed to be loud; about grinning when you get shot-and decide to read Elliot’s final monologue with jabs of crazy-person laughter” (150). Being in a new setting allows Nate a type of freedom that he has been denied for the majority of his life. Nates own descriptions of his home life in Janksburg are mundane, sad, and homophobic. Nate makes it clear that the residents of Janksburg do not welcome young industrious men who like to hum show tunes and reference obscure Broadway musicals. Nates peers and even his family members slap him with inflammatory labels that range from “homo” to “faggot”. Although several sections of the book indicate that Nate is most likely gay or becoming interested in men, there are so many other positive ways to describe him as an individual.
For Nate his stage life in Janksburg describes him in ways that are unfair and would discourage any individual from feeling that they belong. In fact, it is possible to talk about Nate without using terms like faggot, gay or even homosexual. Nate is eccentric, thoughtful, charming, expressive and possesses the type of observation skills that are necessary to become a great actor. He contains an amount of gusto and desire that are rare for a kid in his circumstances. Nate is tough because his life has been a series of auditions that have seemed to go astray, but like a true performer he has a resilience and determination that will not subside. When someone is deemed an outcast by society they are unfortunately made aware of it and are often denied the type of companionship and status that society says they should have. Luckily for Nate, his brilliance, courage and wit will guide him to a production where he is appreciated and maybe just maybe, his supporting cast will offer up the attention that he thoroughly deserves.
In what ways does Nate overcome the derogatory statements and stereotypes that loom over him and his life in Janksburg? In what ways does New York City both influence and educate Nate about society and culture? Feel free to use quotes, reference other works or write a counter argument to the observations that I have talked about in my post.
662 Word Count
In Tim Federle’s novel, _ Better Nate Than Ever _ , Federle writes his novel with a sense of humor, while discussing numerous realistic issues many pre-teens face. These issues include bullying, figuring out where they belong in society and figuring out their own sexual identity. With these issues, come conflicts.
ReplyDeleteThe protagonist, Nate Foster, has had it rough, as he explains right from the beginning of the novel. We see this through his explanation of how his family and how others see him. He talks about how he gets called names and how he is always getting negative comments about how he is not like his older brother. This may be one reason why he is self -conscious about his looks. We see an example of how he is self-conscious on page one. Nate tells the reader to pretend he is “five foot nine with broad, slam- dunking hands and a girlfriend (in high school!), and a clear, unblemished face.” This is a type of conflict that is classified as a man vs. self conflict. Throughout the novel it seems like Nate is constantly fighting with himself on what he should say and what he should not say. An example of this is on page 132 when Nate goes in for his callback audition. Nate is explaining how he knows who each of the team members are. “Oh! I say, gesturing- put your hand down, Nate.” Throughout the novel Nate is doing things like this trying to tell him not to do something because he does not think it is acceptable or what he should be doing. This causes him to fight with himself and at times stutter, because he is unsure of what he should do.
Another conflict that shows up a lot in this novel is man vs. man. Nate is always compared to his superstar brother who is constantly picking on him. Nate gets called names by his brother. For example on page 7, Nate’s brother gets home and says, “ What are you freaks doing out here?” Anthony, Nate’s older brother also says things like,” Aren’t you usually belting out the chorus to Gays and Dolls or something around now?” (p. 8). Nate replies with, “It’s GUYS and Dolls.” (p. 8). This conflict impacts a lot of the things Nate does and how he feels about himself. The conflicts of man vs. man and man vs. self almost go hand in hand. Nate is afraid to express himself to his brother and is afraid of his brother. He feels like he is not good enough when he goes to the audition. He is taking a chance and hoping he can make a name for himself instead of being in his brother’s shadow all the time. Nate feels like he has to lie on his application using his brother’s name and age to even be accepted. Nate gets compared to his brother, possibly causing a lot of the self-confidence issues, but we learn as we read on that Nate finds out who he truly is and learns to be his true self and be proud of it.
What other conflicts are expressed throughout this novel? Do they impact the way Nate feels about himself? Do they impact other conflicts within the novel?
Cassi Avery
Word Count: 543
Tim Federle’s _Better Nate Than Ever_ is written for young adults, that is about a young boy discovering who he is and knows he wants to perform on Broadway. In 2014 it received the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children’s/Young Adult and was a Stonewall Honor Book in Children’s and Young Adult Literature.
ReplyDeleteThe Lambda Literary Awards are warded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance, and Biography. To qualify the book must be published in the United States in the year current to the award. The winners are chosen by the Lambda Foundation Committee.
The Stonewall Book Awards of the American Library Association are given annually to English-language books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans-gendered experience. The awards are given to works published in the United States in the previous calendar year. They are chosen by the Library Association committee, although anyone may suggest a title to the awards committee for consideration.
The above awards are important to our cultural because as the world evolves we as humans have to too or at least have an understanding for others. These awards recognize the best written books about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) and how to help young children and young adults understand how they are feeling. Picture books have been written to help young children understand why they may have two moms or two dads and for classmates to understand that families come in all different forms. Books for the young adults are also very important because they can cover issues that could be a little heavy but through a novel are expressed in a lighter way, as in _Better Nate Than Never_ on page 237 where Nate tries to get Freckles to date his aunt when Freckles say, “She is cool, but I—I date other…men, Nate.” Nate thought that it was nice that he’d trusted him enough to share personal information. This could help bring some understanding to oneself if you were in the position of trying to figure out your own sexuality and how you might tell someone. Books written with this topic in mind could make the difference in a teenager being able to accept their true feelings or being able to talk to someone before they turn to other choices such as alcohol, drugs or suicide. Fitting in is all anyone wants and as humans we should accept everyone for who they are.
Questions for Discussion: Who/what makes Nate questions is sexuality? Please quote an example for the book. Do you think your community is accepting to the associations of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)? How do you think middle and high schools could help students accept everyone for who they are? Do you think that adults (teacher, parents, and community members) push their own views on LGBT unto the younger generations?
Carla Ritchie
Word Count: 488
In Tim Federle’s _Better Nate than Ever_, Their are many factors that make Nate question his sexual identity. One of the most contributing factors being his older brother Anthony. Anthony is athletic, girl crazy, and a bully towards his younger brother. Nate is infatuated with musicals and theater arts with his best friend Libby. In Nates hometown of Janksburg, society looks at Anthony as being the “norm” and the perfect model for what a young male should be, while Nate is bullied and ostracized for being more “feminine” and interested in singing, plays, and musicals, than being a jock like his older brother. This contrast between the two brothers was a major factor in Nate questioning his sexual orientation early in the novel. In some ways I grew up in a similar town to that of Janksburg, it was a small very religious community with a closed-minded attitude towards the LGBT community. Rarely was the LGBT community ever discussed openly, and if so, it was never in a positive manner. I believe this stemmed down from religious leaders in the community, to parents, and on down to the youth. I was able to learn myself to have acceptance of peoples of all sexual orientations after moving away to college. Just as Nate does in the novel, traveling to New York, exploring his own sexual identity and seeing that the world is a diverse place with all different types of people. I believe that it is very important for schools to teach acceptance, especially to the lower levels of education. This early education of acceptance and tolerance will help future generations prevent prejudice, bigotry, and bullying towards the LGBT communities.
DeleteJonathan Meerman
Word count: 284