pnggrad79
10-23-2007, 07:54 PM
So we are reading this novel in my GT class called Incantation about a young girl(Estrella) in 15th century Spain being raised as a Catholic, but is secretly a Jew. She falls in love with her best friend's(Catalina) cousin, Andres, with whom her best friend is also in love. Thus begins a conflict between the two girls. The historical backdrop is during the Spanish Inquisition during which the Catholic church forced Jews to convert or either drove them out, and/or killed them. Many Jews went under ground and converted, but secretly practiced Judaism which is what Estrella's family did. Her Jewish name is Esther. Well, Estrella/Esther finds out that she is Jewish about the same time that she falls in love with Andres, and her grandfather is arrested, as well as her mother and older brother. Estrella /Esther asked the question in the book today, "How can Andres and I be together, because Jews and Christians can't marry.?"
So I closed the book and I said, "What would be the problem with Jews and Christians marrying?" and the kids (6th grade) said, " Nothing, they should be able to marry if they love each other." So I said, "Well, what are some other groups that have been prevented from marrying in the past and even today?" And they said, "Blacks and whites, and gay people" and that started one of the most lively discussions in my class.
One little kid, very intelligent, said, "I am not gay, but I think it is totally unreasonable that gays cannot be married. It is just ridiculous." Another stood up and said, "Why can't they get married?" Another girl said, "Because it is wrong!" So I stepped in and said, "Well, in the book, the Catholic church said Jews were wrong and called them pigs." She said, " Well...I guess...I don't know..." I said, " A lot of people want to use the Bible to justify their own prejudices and fear, and it causes a lot of hurt and harm to a lot of people. 150 years ago, people also said that the Bible said slavery was ok." She said, "Really?" Then a very intelligent girl said, "Wasn't Paul talking more about temple prostitution in Romans than he was homosexuality? How do you feel about that?" I told her I couldn't talk about that in school. But I did say that they shouldn't base whether they treated someone with respect or not simply because of their skin color, or religion or who they loved.
Young people today are going to be our voters of tomorrow and they have a lot more on the ball as far as forward thinking. Equal rights are in our future people! It is coming!:)
So I closed the book and I said, "What would be the problem with Jews and Christians marrying?" and the kids (6th grade) said, " Nothing, they should be able to marry if they love each other." So I said, "Well, what are some other groups that have been prevented from marrying in the past and even today?" And they said, "Blacks and whites, and gay people" and that started one of the most lively discussions in my class.
One little kid, very intelligent, said, "I am not gay, but I think it is totally unreasonable that gays cannot be married. It is just ridiculous." Another stood up and said, "Why can't they get married?" Another girl said, "Because it is wrong!" So I stepped in and said, "Well, in the book, the Catholic church said Jews were wrong and called them pigs." She said, " Well...I guess...I don't know..." I said, " A lot of people want to use the Bible to justify their own prejudices and fear, and it causes a lot of hurt and harm to a lot of people. 150 years ago, people also said that the Bible said slavery was ok." She said, "Really?" Then a very intelligent girl said, "Wasn't Paul talking more about temple prostitution in Romans than he was homosexuality? How do you feel about that?" I told her I couldn't talk about that in school. But I did say that they shouldn't base whether they treated someone with respect or not simply because of their skin color, or religion or who they loved.
Young people today are going to be our voters of tomorrow and they have a lot more on the ball as far as forward thinking. Equal rights are in our future people! It is coming!:)