In the YA fantasy book Divergent, a great deal of the dangerous and suspenseful action takes place within simulations. "Initiates" like the main character Tris face fearsome foes while connected to a machine that creates the simulation.
It's not very exciting.
During the simulations, Tris has to drill herself: "This is not real. This is a simulation. It can't hurt me." This does a lot to deplete the suspenseful energy of the scene. As a reader I have to drill myself: "This is real enough to care about. She's really under duress. This is intense. It it!" But it's not. Especially in comparison to the trials that truly try the aspirants in An Ember in the Ashes, book 1 of the quartet of books that I'm obsessed with by Sabaa Tahir, the third instalment of which comes out June 12.
In Ember, the aspirants face their fears, but not some phoney version generated by a metal chair and some wires attached to the head. They face demons made of sand in the wide, barren desert; they face wraiths that shriek; a headmistress who is one of the most fearsome characters I've ever read about, right up there with Voldemort; they face impossible mental challenges, like the wrenching need to kill some friends in order to save others.
Another thing about Divergent: Tris seems born to face down terrifying fears, with no real learning curve (in this way she is similar to Hunger Games' Katniss. She is not greatly phased by enormous strains on her endurance. Her mental capabilities are always up to the task. She doesn't fail enough, basically.
In an interview, Tahir, author of Ember, said that she didn't think the young heroines of YA fantasy should necessarily spring onto the page totally ready to take on the world. Laia, her main character, has to build up her ability to face the challenges she faces, and she fails a lot on the way there. Her failures have real consequences for herself and for others. It makes the story relatable and compelling, because the character shows real growth.
This week in class students are making their own stories, but our goal is to make realistic fiction. They chose a theme or topic that came up in some of our literature this year, did their own research on the topic, and now are creating scripts and images for a Common Craft-style video of their stories.
Even the students who do not speak English well have complex and fascinating stories. One is about a politician named Farah who makes lots of promises while he's on the campaign trail. Ali, a citizen, gets really excited about his message and starts campaigning for him. Once elected, Farah's promises are forgotten, and Ali suffers disillusionment.
I'm excited to see these stories take shape on paper and then on film this week.
It's not very exciting. During the simulations, Tris has to drill herself: "This is not real. This is a simulation. It can't hurt me." This does a lot to deplete the suspenseful energy of the scene. As a reader I have to drill myself: "This is real enough to care about. She's really under duress. This is intense. It it!" But it's not. Especially in comparison to the trials that truly try the aspirants in An Ember in the Ashes, book 1 of the quartet of books that I'm obsessed with by Sabaa Tahir, the third instalment of which comes out June 12.
In Ember, the aspirants face their fears, but not some phoney version generated by a metal chair and some wires attached to the head. They face demons made of sand in the wide, barren desert; they face wraiths that shriek; a headmistress who is one of the most fearsome characters I've ever read about, right up there with Voldemort; they face impossible mental challenges, like the wrenching need to kill some friends in order to save others.
Another thing about Divergent: Tris seems born to face down terrifying fears, with no real learning curve (in this way she is similar to Hunger Games' Katniss. She is not greatly phased by enormous strains on her endurance. Her mental capabilities are always up to the task. She doesn't fail enough, basically.
In an interview, Tahir, author of Ember, said that she didn't think the young heroines of YA fantasy should necessarily spring onto the page totally ready to take on the world. Laia, her main character, has to build up her ability to face the challenges she faces, and she fails a lot on the way there. Her failures have real consequences for herself and for others. It makes the story relatable and compelling, because the character shows real growth.
This week in class students are making their own stories, but our goal is to make realistic fiction. They chose a theme or topic that came up in some of our literature this year, did their own research on the topic, and now are creating scripts and images for a Common Craft-style video of their stories. Even the students who do not speak English well have complex and fascinating stories. One is about a politician named Farah who makes lots of promises while he's on the campaign trail. Ali, a citizen, gets really excited about his message and starts campaigning for him. Once elected, Farah's promises are forgotten, and Ali suffers disillusionment.
I'm excited to see these stories take shape on paper and then on film this week.
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