In class yesterday I didn't have time to formulate my thoughts or get them together before we moved on from this topic. I feel as though I may have had a different read of the book as opposed to some of my classmates. I didn't think that the characters in the book were stereotypes, I took them to be real students that many children could relate to. As some one in our class mentioned, the book gives voices to those who may not have this kind of exposure otherwise. Furthermore, it was brought up that the teacher in this novel represents a stereotype of the white teacher who goes into the inner city schools and tries to fix everything - which is why he started the whole Open Mike thing. However, the character Tyrone in the beginning writes a poem instead of an essay, which the teacher asks him to read. After Tyrone reads the poem aloud, the other students want to do the same thing. The Open Mike sessions develop from this. Thus, I don't believe that the teacher fits into the stereotypical "savior teacher" role.
I understand why others could read into these characters as stereotypes, and they could be right. I just saw the characters in a more realistic light and thought that their stories were ones that other students could relate to.
Thanks for reading :)
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