Foxfire

The novel is about a group of girls who form a gang which they call __Foxfire__. Their gang will fight against anything which they consider to be an injustice. The characters are from homes which lacking attention and love and they are therefore seeking affection and self-worth from their friends. Their rebellious nature is shown through their actions in attempting to solve everyday problems. For instance, they deface the car of a teacher who is sexually harassing one of the gang girls. They take host age a businessman who they consider to be the enemy, a rich capitalist. Legs Sadovsky heads up the gang. She's tough and she's a definite leader. The rest of the girls look to Legs for leadership and advice. The novel's narrator is Maddy Wirtz, a faithful follower of Legs, and the one Foxfire member whose conscience is presented throughout the novel. __Foxfire__ is a novel which reflects everyday conflicts presented in many girl's lives. The characters in the novel may not react to the conflicts constructively but a lesson is presented through the harsh consequences the characters suffer. On a whole, the novel can be enjoyed because of the strength of each character and the underlying themes and messages in the book.


 * __Course/Level/Grade__**

Grade 10 and up - reason for this is that there is some level of maturity required when reading the book, and simply grade nines in my opinion would be too immature for it - (these include themes of rape, assult, kidnapping, as well as female place in society as well as the progression of that throughout history)

__Course__

ENG2D, 3C, 3U, 4C, 4U, studies in literature

Particular Course of Interest: Grade 12 Studies in Literature ETS4U - primary focus on literary criticism

__Assignment:__

What I would do is have the class divided into 4-5 groups - each group would focus on exploring one critical theory approach - (Feminist, Freudian, Jungian, Russian Formalism) - The groups would research the theory itself - They would utilize this research within analyzing the book - In the end, each group would do a presentation for the class outlining their critical theory approach (teaching them about it) and analyzing the book from this perspective

ALSO: -I would throughout the reading of the text have the class do a weekly journal log of their daily activities, simply for the reason of being able to have the experience of journal writing and log keeping, as that is what the book is primarily based one (experiencing the challenges of this, to truly see what it is like for Maddie)


 * __Main Ideas/Issues/Teaching Points__**

Cultural/Social: - these two fit together for the reason that socially and culturally, women are presented and seen as the inferior members of society (at least the North American society in which we live) - In the media, women are portrayed as being inferior to men and this reflects the attitude women have about themselves in life (to a certain extent) - This book provides a type of outlet for young women, and allows for a chance to explore what they can achieve by uniting with one another - Social phemomenon to be explored here is primarily feminism and the feminist movement - I would talk about the progression of women from the beginning of the 20th century till now (explore this) - Explore some of the key male figures within the text and how they are a representation of society’s values toward women in general (the teacher, as well as Rita’s father), only a few examples - Topic - I might talk about the issue of rape and the grousome consequences that this results in - As well as the topic of gangs in general within society (why do they exist? What are they trying to prove? Is there such a thing as an altruistic gang, as Foxfire claims to be?) - Textual: - With this I would focus on the form in which it was written (mainly as a type of diary) this plays into the idea of voice and what role voice plays within the text - Also, we would finally consider what role literature plays in society in general and why is it necessary? Especially for a text of this sort, what role does it serve within society?

__Challenges__

The main challenge would be some of the major issues which are presented within the book such as rape, assault etc. - I think that there might be some parents who would protest to the teaching of this text and this would have to be overcome somehow - Also, the maturity level of the students when dealing with these issues is quite essential as well - Finally, dealing with the issue of girls gangs but even more specifically gangs in general within the classroom - There might be people in the class who are part of gangs and talking about it might pose some diffciulties