1. Giving a voice to the Silent

2. When you read a novel, it is important to pay attention to the characters who are speaking.
But it is just as important to pay attention to those characters whose voices aren’t heard.

3. When you take notice of characters that are present in the text, but are not heard from, you are using critical literacy skills.
Using critical literacy skills means you take note of “gaps” – you notice those views or perspectives which are not represented in the text.
You also notice those characters that are seen but not heard – the silent characters.

4. Think about the novel, Acceleration.
Which characters are present in the text but are not always heard from?

5. When a text has “gaps” in the perspectives presented or the characters whose voices are heard, the reader needs to be aware of the potential for bias.
Critical readers need to question why specific perspectives are omitted and why certain characters are silent.
You also need to think about why the author has made these choices and the impact they have on the story and on the audience.

6. In the novel Acceleration, some character’s voices are rarely heard, leaving Duncan to tell the story. So, the question is –
Why are the other characters silent?
What was the author’s purpose in presenting such a narrow view of the events?
Why does the reader learn very little about the other characters?

7. There are many possible reasons for this:
The book would have become too long and the story too difficult to follow if the perspectives of other characters had been involved.
The other individuals may not have been central to the telling of the story.
The narrow perspective focused the reader on what was important: the impact of finding the diary on Duncan.

8. Regardless of the reason, what is important is that you raise these types of questions when you are reading.
You may not always have an answer, but you can make educated guesses about why the writer included certain details and omitted others.
You are on your way to becoming a Critical Reader.