Literary Analysis of Trauma Narrative for Composition Course
Date
2020-08-12
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Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
Analysis of a trauma narrative can empower an individual by providing opportunity and means to create or reform one’s self-identity. Including a literary analysis of a trauma narrative within a composition course offers a unique opportunity for a writer to not only rhetorically engage with the meaning of the narrative’s message, but also to acquire agency in his/her writing. This proposed unit plan weaves together social identity theory, feminist theory, and critical race theory to help students glean a deeper, and maybe more personal, meaning from a narrative. Additionally, this plan draws upon the ideas behind scriptotherapy and bibliotherapy. These are both clinical uses of writing and reading as methods to speed emotional and psychological healing.
Social identity theory, feminist theory and critical race theory address how the narrative’s message connects to the greater culture within which the narrative is set. The application of social identity theory to the use of trauma narratives in the classroom allows for exploration of socially constructed identities and the ramifications of forced adherence to these identities. Consequently, within this unit plan lies the potential to empower an individual by providing a rhetorical situation in which to explore the creation of self-identity. Additionally, the focus on the feminist and critical race lenses offer a modern perception by which to examine the narrative’s message. While keeping in mind the benefits of scriptotherapy and bibliotherapy, the instructor can create a classroom in which students feel empowered to develop their own meanings of and relationships to the narratives.
This plan considers multimodal literacies and incorporates listening and speaking activities. Collaboration among small group members is included as well as small group discussion. The final analysis is an individual project.
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