User:Jgd57/sandbox

Looking for Alaska Evaluation


 * Evaluating content
 * Content seems to be clear and thorough but I believe a little more information could be added under the summary. Had I not read the book I likely would be confused as to why the book was challenged in the first place or what the novel was really about
 * Under the reception topic, the one award listed is from 2006 so a little outdates and fails to mention the book being on the New York Times best Seller list
 * A date should be provided as to when John Green wrote his response to the controversy facing the book
 * Evaluating Tone
 * Tone during the plot section appears a bit mono tone, but unbiased which is good
 * It doesn't appear that there are large biases in any of the sections; many of the challenges against the book provide the same reasoning so while there are many examples of opposing the book, they all essentially stem from the same argument
 * In the same regard I believe the challenges regarding sexual content and alcohol and drugs might be a little overstated as it is mentioned multiple times in the article
 * Evaluating Sources
 * It appears that the many of the arguments provide accurate citations with credible links
 * Each controversial argument case is cited and links appear to work
 * Checking the talk page
 * There appears to be a lengthy talk page regarding the article
 * There are additions to the controversial section of the article with more examples of school districts that have had issues with the book
 * One example provides an interesting argument around the age that qualifies one as a "young adult" as that is the age group that the book is targeted for and according to the source that range would be 12-18 years old so it is interesting to consider this range and whether the book is truly appropriate for all ages in that range
 * In addition many examples have cited 11th grade english classes being assigned this book so relating to the age range, it begs the question of whether 16 and 17 year olds qualify as mature enough, despite falling into the "young adult" age range
 * Some users found the character section of the article repetitive and unnecessary
 * Additionally, many felt that there should be more additions to the controversies section to include some more examples that were provided in the talk section

Thirteen Reasons Why (Novel) Evaluation


 * Evaluating Content
 * Content seems intellectual and appears to be thorough
 * In general I am a little surprised that there is not more information on the page, there is a good section on the characters, but I expected more information to be presented in the reception part of the article
 * Another possible reason is that this page is separate from the article about the Netflix series, so more reaction to the concepts could be in that article.
 * The character list is very thorough and gives a solid yet concise description of each character
 * Evaluating Tone
 * Tone appears to be non biased and concise
 * Tone is slightly flat and monotone; could use more effective adjectives
 * Evaluating sources
 * The sources appear to be legitimate as the majority of the information in the article comes directly from the novel itself.
 * Some of the critiques come from outside sources such as different news organizations.
 * Checking the talk page
 * The talk page is very active with many contributors
 * It appears that there happens to be many to confuse facts from the book vs facts from the Netflix series for example, wikipedia users were changing the names of the characters to names from the series when in reality some of the names from the novel are different from those in the series
 * Appears that some people have found dead links among the sources and have noted that they need to be fixed

Drama (Graphic Novel)


 * Lacks sufficient build up which takes away from the article being perceived as well balanced.
 * Gives fair background information on why the novel is challenged, but lacks sufficient information on why the novel could be important and informative for young adults to read.
 * Good background on the author, not a ton of information is needed on the topic in general so the article does a good job of balancing how much information is needed on this specific section.
 * The tone of the article is fairly neutral and unbiased; not many "peacock" terms were found
 * Quotes the author in a potentially negative light, the quotation chosen that was used to describe the authors response to the controversy around the book makes the author sound like she doesn't care that others disagree with her book, which is not exactly portraying her in a positive light.
 * No character list included in the article. The plot summary describes the different characters, but in many instances a separate character list section can go a long way in the reader of the article having the best understanding possible of the novel.

A Wrinkle in Time Book - Does it follow Wikipedia's article structuring guidelines?


 * Lead section seems to follow the guideline pretty well, does not mention a lot about a summarization of the novel
 * Lead section could do a better job of providing a road map for the rest of the article


 * Background section seems to do a good job of keeping an unbiased opinion
 * Lacks in an acknowledgement of the author's previous works, but does a good job of including the struggles the author faced when it came to actually publishing the book


 * Publication section seems to be thorough as it lists the number of publication houses that initially rejected the book and then mentions how it came to be published
 * Plot summary seems to be thorough, however had I not read the book, I'm not sure that I would know exactly what is going on, could use a little more detail that could help allude as to why the novel is as praised as it is
 * The article includes a theme section which is often cautioned against by Wikipedia as themes tend to introduce one's own bias and interpretation of the novel
 * I don't see a major problem with the theme section in the article as in this particular book there are major themes that jump out to any reader that don't need any interpretation to be able to identify those themes


 * Reception section seems to be well cited and includes many legitimate sources who have commented on the nature of the book
 * only a small section as to why the book is challenged so this could be added to


 * There is not a specific analysis section, however the major themes section seems to include some analysis within it
 * The fact that analysis is included with the theme helps ensure that bias does not take place when identifying the theme of the book

Mexican American Studies Wikipedia Article


 * There is not a ton of information under the history of the Mexican American Studies program. Could be more information as to how the studies came to be and why the controversy around them exists today.
 * Good section about demographics. Not a ton of information, but gives sufficient demographics as to the students who took part in the studies program.
 * Should be more information about the vision and goals of the program, it is important to make sure that this section is unbiased because it can be easy for this kind of dialogue could be biased
 * Good curriculum section, thorough information, but not repetitive. It is important for the curriculum section to give the reader a background on what students learn in these courses as it allows for more context
 * A little confused as to the difference between the curriculum section and the high school section. I believe these sections could be morphed into one as there is a lot of similarity in information discussed
 * Good controversy section, gives the reader a good background on why the courses were eliminated
 * The controversy section flows well into the consequence section. The reader first learns about why there was controversy around the courses and why they were eliminated and then transitions into the consequences of cancelling these courses.
 * Lastly, the section on banned books seems important, the section provides a thorough list of books that were banned from the school and gives a little background as to why the books were banned.

Persepolis (Comics) Evaluation


 * Lead section
 * appears to be thorough, good amount of detail about a summary of the book, but also background on the general information about the book like the languages it is published in and background about the title of the book.
 * Background
 * Background section is fairly insufficient. The first sentence gives a short summary of the book and should therefor not be included in the background section. Next the section mentions the genre of the novels, which should, once again, not be included in the background. The only real information included that should remain in the background information is the dates in which the books were published. In theory, the background should be more of a background about how the book came to be and less about the actual literary content and themes of the novels themselves.
 * Summary
 * The summary section is split into two sections, one that gives a summary of the first novel and the other of the second. This is an important distinction to make between the two should not be confused despite being a continuing story line, it is important to remember that they are two separate novels on their own. As for the summaries themselves, appear to be fairly thorough and accurate. There is not a ton of information, but it seems to be the appropriate length for the content of both books.
 * Character list
 * The character list provides a good brief description of the characters, however the separation between characters that are in just one of the books is confusing. I think it would be more straight forward if the section was split in two, like the summary section, where characters from the first book are listed and then characters from the second book are listed despite overlap that occurs.
 * Genre/Style
 * The genre/style section is a little weirdly worded in some instances but serves an important role in a book like Persepolis because of how crucial the graphic novel style is to these novels. The section provides good detail about graphic novels and how the book is portrayed as a coming of age story. I do think an important addition to this section could be a small image of the images used in the novels. The pictures are so central to the theme and messages of the novel, so providing an example of them could help reader get better idea of the style of the graphic novel.
 * Analysis
 * Like the summary section, the analysis section is split into two sections. One focuses on the feminist themes of the novels while the other focuses on the style of the non fiction novel. This immediately stuck out as a red flag for me as the discussion of the genre or style of the book should go under its appropriate heading, instead of being under analysis. The feminist theme analysis is solid and provides good detail.
 * Reception
 * Long section on the reception of the book and provides good detail about why this book has faced controversy. In the lead section it is mentioned that these books are frequently challenged so this sections provides a good follow up to what was previously mentioned.
 * Others
 * The other section seems sufficient. It is important that the film that was created was mentioned as it offers readers a chance to go to that page to do further reading on this series, and there is also the mention of Persepolis 2.0 which is important.
 * Infobox:
 * Infobox seems sufficient. Has pictures of both titles and makes the clear distinction that this page talks about both novels not just one of them. Provides name of author and publisher along with serial number and isbn number information.

Looking for Alaska Edits Draft #1:

References


 * 1) Barkdoll, J. K., & Scherff, L. (2008). "Literature is not a cold, dead place": An interview with john green. English Journal, 97(3), 67-71. Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/237309696?accountid=11091

2.      Cooper, I. (2005, Last words from a first novelist.101, 1181. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A131082448/LitRC?u=wash43584&sid=LitRC&xid=be97446d

3.      Dean, B. A.Before and after: Spirit in the act of reading an exploration of john green's 'looking for alaska' Available from Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA). (1537584404; 201408754). Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1537584404?accountid=11091

4.      Heryani, Y. (2016). Miless character in looking for alaska: A psychologycal perspective. Indonesian EFL Journal, 2(2), 136-144. doi:10.25134/ieflj.v2i2.646

5.      Jeffery, D. (2009). Reaching reluctant readers (aka books for boys). ALAN Review, 36(2), 56-63. Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/212246506?accountid=11091

6.     Karen MacPherson Scripps Howard News Service. (2006, ). [ From bad boy to printz award winner... ]. Pittsburgh Post - Gazette Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/390783985?accountid=11091

7.      MacKenzie, C. (2016, ). John green digs deep in "looking for alaska". University Wire Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1817506157?accountid=11091

8.      Mendelsohn, A. (2005, ). From last words to first book ; a writer's early life in orlando shades his debut novel about a teenager's struggle with a devastating loss. Orlando Sentinel Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/280273243?accountid=11091

9.      Pisak, S. (2014, ). Looking for alaska- continuing the coming of age tradition. University Wire Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2113685611?accountid=11091

10.    Stone, D. R. (2018). Censorship dateline. Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, 3(1), 24-35. doi://dx.doi.org/10.5860/jifp.v3i1.6740

Youth Adult relationships (to go under themes section):

'Looking for Alaska'' is a coming of age novel that exposes readers to the inter personal relationships between the youth and adult characters in the novel (11). Green presents specific adult characters, like The Eagle who is the dean of students, whose main focus is to eliminate the rebellious tendencies of various students (11). On the contrary, certain characters, like Dr. Hyde, the school's religious studies teacher, express positive beliefs in his students, while still maintaining an authoritative role within the classroom environment (11). The relationship that exists between Dr. Hyde and his students' illustrates how mutual respect can lead to positive inter personal relationships between the youth and adults (11)'''.

Coming of Age
Throughout the book, the events that Miles and other characters experience are typical coming-of-age situations. By the end of the book, it is clear that Miles has grown throughout the year. Book reviews often note this theme, bringing up the instances in the book such as grief that cause the characters to look at life from a new and more mature perspective.[18] Reviews also mention that the characters themselves resemble coming-of-age figures as they are relatable to readers going through similar experiences (9). Scholar Barb Dean also concludes that the characters grow up faster than expected while investigating Alaska's death because exploring the concept of the labyrinth of suffering is Miles' "rite of passage" into adulthood, and he learns more about himself through grieving for Alaska.[15] Reviews also note activities such as drinking and smoking, which, though controversial, are often viewed as rites of passage by the teenagers in this novel.[19]

Background

The novel is heavily based on John Green's early life. Growing up, Green always loved writing, but when it came to his middle school experience, he described life as a middle schooler as "pretty bleak" '''. When describing himself as a student, Green describes himself as "unbearable" to parents and teachers, while always working hard to fit in amongst his peers(1). Green's situation did not improve after his transition to high school, so he asked his parents if he could attend Indian Springs School, a boarding school outside of Birmingham, Alabama, to which they had familial ties. His parents agreed and he spent the remainder of his time in high school at this boarding school forming valuable relationships with teachers that still exist today (6). It was Green's experience at boarding school that inspired to write the novel. Many of the characters and events that take place in the novel are based on what Green experienced at Indian Springs School (6). The main event of the plot surrounds the tragic death of a central character and while this is a fictional event, it is based off of an incident that occurred during Green's time at Indian Springs School (2).'''

John Green discussed at a book talk at Rivermont Collegiate on October 19, 2006 that he got the idea of Takumi's "fox hat" from a Filipino friend who wore a similar hat while playing pranks at Indian Springs School. From the same book talk, Green also stated that the possessed swan in Culver Creek came from his student life at Indian Springs School as well, where there was also a swan of similar nature on the campus. The two pranks that occur in the book are similar to pranks that Green pulled at his high school. Green has also stated that several of Culver Creek's teachers are direct caricatures of multiple faculty members at Indian Springs. Green emphasizes that while the novel is fictional, the setting is not

'''Green first became infatuated with famous last words as a sixth grader at Glenridge Middle School in his hometown of Orlando (3). Green discovered his insterest after reading the last words of famous president John Adams (3). In an interview with Irene Cooper, Green explains that Adams last words lead him to finding other famous last words to discover including those of Emily Dickinson, Oscar Wilde, and Simon Bolivar (2). Green passes this love of words onto main character, Miles, who, like Green, is drawn to the last words of individuals, especially those of Simon Bolivar which introduce the concept of a labyrinth that we all exist in. Green uses Bolivar's last words and turns them into a search for meaning in the face of tragedy for the characters of his novel (2).''' As he explains, "I myself was once a guy from Florida who was obsessed with the dying words of famous people and then left home to attend a boarding school in Alabama." . Green attended Indian Springs School, a boarding and day school outside of Birmingham, Alabama. Culver Creek of Looking for Alaska is Indian Springs School. From the smoking hole to the swing Pudge and Alaska sat on, John Green based the entire setting off of his high school. Characters are loosely based on his high school experiences, including smoking cigarettes in the woods instead of going to class. While he was enrolled there, a student died under circumstances similar to the character of Alaska, which inspired the plot of the novel.

During the week of July 29, 2012, Looking for Alaska broke into the New York Times best seller list at number ten in Children's Paperback, 385 weeks (more than seven years) after it was released. As of May 3, 2016, it is number four on the New York Times best seller listing for Young Adult Paperback. It spent eighteen weeks at number four. Despite its literary success, Looking for Alaska has often been challenged in public school districts for content considered inappropriate. (None of this should exist within the background section and should be moved to reception)

Characters

 * Miles Halter
 * Miles "Pudge" Halter is nicknamed because he is tall and skinny. He is the novel's main character, who has an unusual interest in learning famous people's last words. He transfers to the boarding school Culver Creek in search of his own "Great Perhaps". Pudge is attracted to Alaska Young, who for most of the novel has a mixed relationship, mostly not returning his feelings. As seen through interactions with other characters, Miles can be categorized as independent and curious, but also unique (4).

Reception
Reviews of Looking for Alaska are generally positive. Many comment on the relatable high school characters and situations as well as more complex ideas such as how topics like grief are handled. Overall, many reviewers agree that this is a coming of age story that is appealing to both older and younger readers.[21][19] Reviews also highlight the unique way Green wrote the novel as each chapter is divided chronologically leading to the climax of the plot (7). While the book is often  There has been much controversy surrounding this novel, however, especially in school settings. Parents and school administrators have questioned the novel's language, sexual content, and depiction of tobacco and alcohol use.[22] Looking for Alaska has been featured on the American Library Association's list of Frequently Challenged Books in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.[23] The novel was awarded the Michael L. Printz award in 2006 and has also won praise from organizations such as the American Library Association, School Library Journal, and the Los Angeles Times among others.[24]

Controversy

West Ada School District, Meridian Idaho

'In 2016, the West Ada School District removed Looking for Alaska'' from all of its middle school libraries. The school district found the conduct of the book to be inappropriate for middle schoolers (10). The school district originally received a complaint from a parent on the grounds of the presence of foul language and mentions of actions like smoking and suicide (10).'''

How to read draft:

Anything bolded is new content, anything crossed out I will edit out as it is restated in a new way or is uneccessary.

Current Word count: 460

Final Draft of Wikipedia article

Background

The novel is heavily based on John Green's early life. Growing up, Green always loved writing, but when it came to his middle school experience, he described life as a middle schooler as "pretty bleak". When describing himself as a student, Green describes himself as "unbearable" to parents and teachers, while always working hard to fit in amongst his peers '''. Green's situation did not improve after his transition to high school, so he asked his parents if he could attend Indian Springs School, a boarding school outside of Birmingham, Alabama. His parents agreed and he spent the remainder of his time in high school at  Indian Springs School forming valuable relationships with teachers that Green’s says still exist today. It was Green's experience at boarding school that inspired him to write this novel. Many of the characters and events that take place in the novel are based on what Green experienced at Indian Springs School. The main event of the plot surrounds the tragic death of a central character and while this is a fictional event, it is based off of an incident that occurred during Green's time at Indian Springs School.'''

John Green discussed at a book talk at Rivermont Collegiate on October 19, 2006 that he got the idea of Takumi's "fox hat" from a Filipino friend who wore a similar hat while playing pranks at Indian Springs School. From the same book talk, Green also stated that the possessed swan in Culver Creek came from his student life at Indian Springs School as well, where there was also a swan of similar nature on the campus. The two pranks that occur in the book are similar to pranks that Green pulled at his high school. Green has also stated that several of Culver Creek's teachers are direct caricatures of multiple faculty members at Indian Springs. Green emphasizes that while the novel is fictional, the setting is not

'''As a child, Green became infatuated with famous last words, and in particularly those of John Adams. His infatuation with last words lead him to finding other famous last words to discover including those of Emily Dickinson, Oscar Wilde, and Simon Bolivar. Green passes this love of words onto main character, Miles, who, like Green, is drawn to the last words of individuals. Green uses Bolivar's last words and turns them into a search for meaning in the face of tragedy for the characters of his novel.'''

Themes:

Coming of Age

Throughout the book, the events that Miles and other characters experience are typical coming-of-age situations. By the end of the book, it is clear that Miles has grown throughout the year. Book reviews often note this theme, bringing up the instances in the book such as grief that cause the characters to look at life from a new and more mature perspective.[18] Reviews also mention that the characters themselves resemble coming-of-age figures as they are relatable to readers going through similar experiences. Scholar Barb Dean also concludes that the characters grow up faster than expected while investigating Alaska's death because exploring the concept of the labyrinth of suffering is Miles' "rite of passage" into adulthood, and he learns more about himself through grieving for Alaska.[15] Reviews also note activities such as drinking and smoking, which, though controversial, are often viewed as rites of passage by the teenagers in this novel.[19]

Young Adult Relationships

Looking for Alaska is a coming of age novel that exposes readers to the inter personal relationships between the youth and adult characters in the novel. Green presents specific adult characters, like The Eagle who is the dean of students, whose main focus is to eliminate the rebellious tendencies of various students. On the contrary, certain characters, like Dr. Hyde, the school's religious studies teacher, express positive beliefs in his students, while still maintaining an authoritative role within the classroom environment. The relationship that exists between Dr. Hyde and his students' illustrates how mutual respect can lead to positive inter personal relationships between the youth and adults.

Characters:


 * Miles Halter
 * Miles "Pudge" Halter is nicknamed because he is tall and skinny. He is the novel's main character, who has an unusual interest in learning famous people's last words. He transfers to the boarding school Culver Creek in search of his own "Great Perhaps". Pudge is attracted to Alaska Young, who for most of the novel has a mixed relationship, mostly not returning his feelings. As seen through interactions with other characters, Miles can be categorized as independent and curious, but also unique.

Reception

Reviews of Looking for Alaska are generally positive. Many comment on the relatable high school characters and situations as well as more complex ideas such as how topics like grief are handled. Overall, many reviewers agree that this is a coming of age story that is appealing to both older and younger readers.[21][19] Reviews also highlight the unique way Green wrote the novel as each chapter is divided chronologically leading to the climax of the plot. While the book is often  There has been much controversy surrounding this novel, however, especially in school settings. Parents and school administrators have questioned the novel's language, sexual content, and depiction of tobacco and alcohol use.[22] Looking for Alaska has been featured on the American Library Association's list of Frequently Challenged Books in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.[23] The novel was awarded the Michael L. Printz award in 2006 and has also won praise from organizations such as the American Library Association, School Library Journal, and the Los Angeles Times among others.[24]

Controversy

West Ada School District, Meridian Idaho

'In 2016, the West Ada School District removed Looking for Alaska'' from all of its middle school libraries. The school district found the content of the book to be inappropriate for middle school students. The school district originally received a complaint from a parent on the grounds of the presence of foul language and mentions of actions like smoking and suicide. The district librarian looked into parental complaints along with reviews of the novel suggesting that it was best suited for high schoolers and made the decision to pull the book from the middle school library.'''

Final Word count: 541

Works Cited:


 * 1) Barkdoll, J. K., & Scherff, L. (2008). "Literature is not a cold, dead place": An interview with john green. English Journal, 97(3), 67-71. Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/237309696?accountid=11091

2.      Cooper, I. (2005, Last words from a first novelist.101, 1181. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A131082448/LitRC?u=wash43584&sid=LitRC&xid=be97446d

3.      Dean, B. A.Before and after: Spirit in the act of reading an exploration of john green's 'looking for alaska' Available from Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA). (1537584404; 201408754). Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1537584404?accountid=11091

4.      Heryani, Y. (2016). Miless character in looking for alaska: A psychologycal perspective. Indonesian EFL Journal, 2(2), 136-144. doi:10.25134/ieflj.v2i2.646

6.     Karen MacPherson Scripps Howard News Service. (2006, ). [ From bad boy to printz award winner... ]. Pittsburgh Post - Gazette Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/390783985?accountid=11091

7.      MacKenzie, C. (2016, ). John green digs deep in "looking for alaska". University Wire Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1817506157?accountid=11091

8.      Mendelsohn, A. (2005, ). From last words to first book ; a writer's early life in orlando shades his debut novel about a teenager's struggle with a devastating loss. Orlando Sentinel Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/280273243?accountid=11091

9.      Pisak, S. (2014, ). Looking for alaska- continuing the coming of age tradition. University Wire Retrieved from http://proxy.library.georgetown.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2113685611?accountid=11091

10.    Stone, D. R. (2018). Censorship dateline. Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, 3(1), 24-35. doi://dx.doi.org/10.5860/jifp.v3i1.6740

11. Lewis, Mark A. ''Acting Adolescent? Critical Examinations of the Youth-Adult Binary in Feed and Looking for Alaska''. 43 Vol. Blacksburg, VA : Digital Library and Archives, 2016. Web.