1. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Discussion pp. 1-68

2. Groups of 3-4 discuss the following questions: Jot down your answers in a sheet of paper. Prepare to share with the class
Where do teenaged girls get their strength?
How much can an adult influence a young girl?
When girls picture themselves, from what sources do they get positive images?
How is it possible both to hate and to love someone?
In what ways do women allow men to define them?
Where do girls find the strength to resist peer pressure and media influences?
How do violence and poverty inform the choices we make in life?

3. Literary Devices
Plot
Characters
Setting
Foreshadow
Symbolism

4. What is a literary Analysis?
It’s an Argument about literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama)
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- man’s struggle to contain his inner primal instincts
District 9- South African Apartheid
X Men- the evils of prejudice
Harry Potter- the dangers of seeking “racial purity”

5. Your turn… Think of a favorite film, novel, or short story.
What do you think is its main message?
Fill in the blank:
In the novel/film/short story titled ______________, the message it sends to viewers is __________________________.

6. Why read a novel? Builds critical thinking skills
Helps us to create empathy for the characters (we apply this in life)
Provides us with several ways to interpret events
Allows us to question social and political views in society

7. White Oleander: Identity
As you read the book, ask yourself:
What is happening to Astrid and the characters around her? Her mother, Barry, her foster parents
How does her environment impact how she sees herself and her world?
How do we see her in the BEGINNING, MIDDLE, and END?
What is the SOCIAL ISSUE being shown to us through Astrid?