How to Connections and Change in writing?
Those students who allow Angels in America to percolate beyond the classroom have much to gain. Because the play is rife with questions rather than finite answers, students are encouraged to continue their education of the issues presented in the play as a self-directed process. I found—and presented to the class—the big question in Angels in America to be posed best by Louis: “Why has democracy succeeded in America?” In the midst of reading Kushner’s less-than-subtle attack on the state of American politics in the 1980s, it is almost inevitable that we wonder: Has, not how has, democracy succeeded in America?
The students conceptualized, as Louis does, their understandings of America and its democratic values. Presumably, this self-directed conversation will have something to do with gayness. For Yel-ena, who learned from the play that “homosexuality is not a thing you choose to be; it just happens, and you shouldn’t be afraid to come out of the closet,” this process may exhibit itself in Tag Heuer Replica her support for friends struggling with their sexuality. Jessika and Gloria, whose best friends are gay, build a deeper understanding of the complexities of the gay experience: coming out again and again to friends while in college; coming out to employers and coworkers while in the workforce; civil liberties including marriage; avoiding HIV/AIDS. For Ernesto and Miguel, this process will certainly be different from how it is for the females mentioned above because of their initial distance from the topic. The question of whether they will accept or interact with gay people may remain dormant for a while and only present itself when the issue is forced when they form relationships with, say, a gay college roommate, coworker, or even their own child.
As we shared ideas and concluded the conversations on Angels in America in class, I too wanted to reflect; I asked students whether the play was and is worth reading in high school. I found the answer best posed by Fernando, who said, “Yes, [because] this is when homos come out.” Even in so short an answer, Fernando harkened back to the two reasons why educators historically have looked to teach gay curricula: First, they may want to open a conversation on homophobia and to acknowledge its existence in the classroom in an effort to combat it. By using the word homo, instead of a more politically correct term, Fernando exhibited a level of judgment in the classroom environment. Second, teachers may want to give credence and visibility to the struggle of identity formation for gay students to make that process more achievable. Fernando suggested that high school students are at an age when they become aware of their sexuality; therefore, they should have examples of this process available to them in the classroom.
By combining these two approaches into a single comment and idea, though, Fernando moved beyond the specificity of either niche. After all, Fernando was one of the students who most enjoyed Angels in America, and he does not self-identify as gay. To unravel further his comment, I responded to the class with a final question: Isn’t this the time when all teenagers look at their identities? Although left unanswered, this question is one with deep implications as students reflect outside of the classroom. As suggested by Paulo Freire in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the Tag Heuer Replica Watches dialogical relationship that is built between teacher and student is a crucial step toward personal and social change. My unit on gay-ness was created with the notion that drama, because of its interactive qualities, could help students discuss and overturn prejudices and stereotypes. With its unique structure, plot, and characters, Angels in America allowed students the opportunity to experience and define gayness on their own terms. As a result, students are likely to develop their identities within an expanded worldview, one that includes gayness. Angels in America and those teachers who teach this text have the potential to foster an environment where developing a personal sense of self and encouraging self-discovery, gay or otherwise, is at the heart of the educational process.
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