1. Briar Rose By Jane Yolen
2. Briar Rose Jane Yolen Summary
3. Jane Yolen Pit Dragon
4. Briar Rose By Jane Yolen Pdf To Word Document

Prescribed text: Briar Rose, Jane Yolen, 1992 Briar Rose is a novel that examines a number of issues relating to identity, the links between the past and the present, the effects of war and the power of stories. Jane Yolen uses the fairy tale ‘Briar Rose’ (or ‘Sleeping Beauty’) as an allegory of what happened to Gemma in World War Two. DOWNLOAD PDF. Feast of Souls by Jane Yolen An A NN/A Preservation Edition. Jane Yolen - Briar Rose. Jane Yolen - Sister Emily's Lightship.

Briar Rose By Jane Yolen

Biographical Information[edit]

Jane Yolen, born in 1939, was raised mainly in New York City. She is a first generation American . Her father immigrated to the U.S. from the Ukraine when he was only 4. Her mother's family immigrated from Lithuania when she was also a child. Her father fought in World War II and was sent home a hero due to an injury. A passion for writing was evident in Jane's family. Her father was a journalist and her mother wrote short stories, although they were never published. A gold star student, Jane wrote her first poem in preschool, which she still reads to young students today. Click here to hear her read this poem. In first grade she produced a class musical. She and her brother, Steve, even wrote a newspaper for their apartment building, which their mother helped them to type and distribute. Jane wrote throughout her school career, writing poetry in college that was published in small journals. Her first book, Pirates in Petticoats, was published on her 22nd birthday.

Jane brings many of her life experiences into her stories. Books such as Naming Liberty, Honkers, and Harvest Home clearly reflect Yolen's Jewish background as well as the immigration of her family to the U.S. Jane's husband, David, was often called 'The man who knew everything' and was the inspiration behind her book My Father Knows the Names of Things. Soft House, a story about a sister and brother building a blanket fort, could very well be based off of the real relationship between Jane and her younger brother. The characters in Owl Moon are based off her daughter, Heidi, and her deceased husband, David.

Jane has written over 300 books including folktales, fairytales, science fiction, poetry, informational books, picture books, young adult novels, and more. Her writing has been honored in many different forms including: the Caldecott Medal, Nebula Awards, the Rhysling, an Asimov’s Magazine Reader’s Poll award, World Fantasy Award, a National Book Award nomination, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, a Golden Kite Award, the Skylark Award, Jewish Book Award, two Christopher Medals, the Association of Jewish Libraries Award, the Charlotte Award, the Garden State Award, the Golden Sower Award, among many others. Jane's books are often referred to in Journals such as Adolescent and Adult Literacy and on 'Reader's Choice' lists.

Jane currently divides her time between Massachusetts and Scotland. When Yolen's husband, David, was on sabbatical in Scotland they fell in love with the country and ended up buying the house they were renting.

Here are some pieces of advice that Jane Yolen wanted to give young readers and writers.

'People--and often kids--make the mistake of thinking that once (a story's) on the page, it's done, but that's only the beginning. I constantly reshape and revision my work. I dream it again, imagine it again--that's the exciting part of writing.'

'Impossible events can become exciting fantasy stories.'

'We all have experiences that are strange, magical, and wondrous.'

You can learn more about Jane Yolen and her books at http://janeyolen.com/

Books of Interest[edit]

The Scarecrow's Dance Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline (2009)

'An autumn eve, the moon was high. As yellow as a black cat's eye.' Each page of this book contains two beautifully written poetic stanzas that tell a story of a scarecrow. The poetic use of language gives this story a musical quality. The words are carefully chosen in order to give each stanza a rhythm and rhyme, like a melody of a song. Beginning with the very first stanza, quoted above, Yolen paints a story with her words through the use of figurative language devices. The personification of the scarecrow dancing through the night and stopping to listen to the prayer of the young boy who lives on the farm, helps the reader connect to the character of the scarecrow. The use of simile to compare objects like 'As yellow as the black cat's eye' and 'He danced by barn as red as blood' provide the vivid details that make the amazing illustrations come to life. With this book Yolen creates a story that is musical to the ear, making it a fun story to both read aloud and listen to, while Bagram Ibatoulline creates images that are pleasing to the eye. These beautiful illustrations draw the reader into the story. Any reader would be instantly engaged.

Soft House Illustrated by Wendy Anderson (2005)

What do you like to do on a rainy day? In Soft House, Yolen tells the story of a brother and sister who are trying to fight boredom on a rainy day. The relationship between the character, Alison Isabelle, and her younger brother, Davey, seems to be very true to life through the use of well-written dialogue that one may hear in any household between a brother and a sister. A back and forth argument such as 'You can't count either. Can. Can't. Can!' The mother calling from the kitchen, 'Alison Isabelle, what are you doing to your little brother?' Alison Isabelle responds with 'NOTHING!' These interactions make the story come to life. Although the story is short, we also get to see Alison Isabelle learn something important about being an older sister. This unexpected insight comes when she realizes that 'you can't be scared when you have a little brother to take care of.' Anyone who has ever been young with nothing to do on a rainy day, or who has a younger brother or sister that they take care of, would engage and connect with this book.

My Father Knows the Names of Things Illustrated by Stephane Jorisch (2010)

'My father knows the names of things. Each bird that sings, their nicknames too. He knows the names of dogs and cheese and seven words that all mean blue.' This excerpt from the book gives the reader a feel for the creative rhyme and rhythm that is created through the use of Yolen's simple but precise word choices. The use of poetry gives the story a musical feel while the dedication page is very touchingly dedicated to the memory of Yolen's deceased husband David Stemple 'The man who knew everything.' This is a loving and living memory of someone who is dear to the Yolen family and a poignant reminder, to any reader who has ever lost a loved one, that people live on in the memories of the people left behind. The musical language combined with the colorful illustrations by Stephanie Jorisch make this story very inviting and engaging for readers.

Naming Liberty Illustrated by Jim Burke (2008)

This is a story about the dream of freedom. It is both the story of a young Jewish girl who dreams of coming to America, and of a Frenchman who dreams of creating a symbol of freedom to give to the United States. Yolen does a magnificent job weaving together these two stories side by side on each page, making the ending of this story very powerful and moving. It is full of well- written dialogue that captures the dreams and hopes of immigrants coming to America to reconnect with loved ones who have already come before them. 'Aron and Jakob say 'Write to us about pretty girls and dances and parties.' I whisper, 'Just write.' Unexpected and often understated thoughts are also present throughout this story such as 'But large dreams take time.' Another example from the book being, 'It is a long way from here to our liberty.' This is not only a fictional story about immigration to America, it is the real story of the creation of the Statue of Liberty. The end of the book contains a page entitled 'What is true about this book?' This page gives the true inspiration and details behind this heartfelt and moving story. This story is invigorating to all people who live in America because it is one of many stories about how and why many different people, from many different places, have come to live together in freedom.

Encounter Illustrated by David Shannon (1992)

In stark contrast to Naming Liberty, Encounter is a story about immigration of European people to America as seen through the eyes of the Taino Natives' point of view. I cannot do justice to how well-written this book is without a few examples straight from the book such as '…and I watched how the sky strangers touched our golden nose rings and our golden armbands but not the flesh of our faces or arms. I watched their chief smile. It was a serpent’s smile – no lips and all teeth.' This is a great example of the understated premises throughout the book. Columbus is referred to only as 'their chief' and the desire for Columbus and his men to obtain the Taino's gold, is represented beautifully with the metaphor of Columbus' smile being that of a serpents 'no lips and all teeth.' Another example of an understated premise is the loss of Native American culture upon the arrival of European explorers, expressed in this excerpt, 'So it was we lost our lands to the strangers from the sky. We gave our souls to their gods. We took their speech into our mouths, forgetting our own.' With this powerful conclusion also comes the unexpected insight of how an entire culture of people lost their culture. With so many students in the United States coming from Latin America, this is a story that will capture their interest as well as some of their history.

Briar Rose (2002) and The Devil's Arithmetic (1988)

A review of Jane Yolen's work would not be complete without a reference to these two novels. The tragedies and horrors that Jewish people faced during the Holocaust is a topic that must be meaningful to Yolen on a personal level-she being Jewish. In fact the research that went into writing these two novels was such an emotional experience for Yolen that she had expressed not having an interest in writing any other books about the Holocaust. Briar Rose is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The comparison between the kingdom being put to sleep under a powerful spell in Sleeping Beauty and the Jewish people being 'put to sleep' in the gas chambers of a real castle concentration camp, known as Chelmno is deeply moving. The use of this metaphor to tell the real life horror paralleled with a children's fairy tale is one of the many reasons why Yolen's writing is so great and this story is so incredible. A word of warning, Briar Rose is not a story for children; it was originally written as an adult novel and, therefore, contains adult content. It has appeared on many banned books lists. This is an indication of how important the issues are that Yolen addresses in this novel and is precisely why it would be so engaging and important for older students to read. Controversy is always intriguing and engaging. The Devil's Arithmetic was a novel intended for young adults. In fact, Yolen uses the apathetic nature of a teenager to tell a story of a young girl who travels back in time to realize the horrors of the Holocaust first hand. The vivid descriptions of concentration camps add historical accuracy, but can be very disturbing in some parts. The way that Yolen is also able to connect past events to the main characters current life delivers the important message that the past is important to honor and remember so that it is not repeated. Yolen's gift for writing was rewarded with this novel when she received the National Jewish Book Award. It was also nominated for the Nebula Award for both the book and movie version. It has clearly touched the hearts of the many people who have read it and I believe that it would do the same for those who have not read it yet.

I am leaving out Owl Moon here for two reasons. First, it is one of her most popular books and I wanted to focus on books that are not as widely known. Second, it is an award winning book and is worth reading and drawing your own conclusions.

Comparing and Contrasting Books[edit]

The books that I would like to spend a little more time comparing and contrasting are Encounter to Naming Liberty and Briar Rose to The Devil's Arithmetic.

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I believe that reading these books in conjunction with each other was a great learning experience for me. They both told the story of America from two very different but equally important perspectives. In comparison, they both tell the story of Americans and the hardships that people have faced in the process. In contrast, these stories differ in many ways as well. In Naming Liberty, the story of immigration is about hope and gaining something: freedom. In Encounter, the story is about the loss of culture, and therefore, freedom. Naming Liberty is about immigrants who willingly came to America for a better life and Encounter is about what happened to the people who were already living in America when Europeans came. Both stories are about a better life that was found in America, but for only one group of people.

The comparisons between Briar Rose and The Devil's Arithmetic are also easy to compare. They both are stories about the Holocaust. They both have women as the main characters. They both contain vivid and accurate details about the horrors of concentration camps. It is where these two stories differ that I believe is really what is important. Briar Rose is told through the use of a comparison to the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The women do not come out of this story alive. The theme of this story is purely about the tragedies that occurred during the Holocaust and the politics behind it. It does not only focus on the racism that the Jewish people faced, but also the way the homosexual people were subjected to the same cruel and deadly treatment. The Devil's Arithmetic contains a theme that is more about the importance of remembering and honoring history. It is about asking people to remember events that are not pleasant, but that are important. The main character in this story does survive, and returns to her own time with a better understanding of the horrors that people faced just like those told in Briar Rose.

Author's Style and Recurrent Themes[edit]

With so many different books that have been published for so many different audiences, it is hard to say what Jane Yolen's style is. It is her style to be both poetic and passionate in one story, while being completely silly and off the wall in another. It is her style to tell stories about real events and people, yet it is also her sty/e to tell stories about animals. There will always be precise vocabulary in her well chosen words, and insights into life that anyone can identify with and relate to. Some of these common themes that are found in Yolen's books are: multicultural perspectives, relationships, growing-up, nature, historical events, religion, independent women, and music. No matter what she is writing or who she is writing it for, another thing that will also be found in Yolen's writing is a powerful lesson to be learned.

References[edit]

'Young Adults Choices for 1998'. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy >.Vol. 42, No. 3, Nov., 1998. Page 232

'All About Adolescent Literacy.' Retrieved on April 19, 2011 from: http://www.adlit.org/authors/Yolen

'Biography.' Retrieved on April 19, 2011 from: http://janeyolen.com

'The Teacher Geek.' Retrieved on April 20, 2011 from: http://theteachergeek.com/2010/10/12/mentor-text-monday-encounter/

'A Book Review and Discussion with Jane Yolen, Author.' Retrieved on April 20, 2011 from: http://www.underdown.org/yolen.htm

'Reading and Language.' Retrtieved on April 20, 2011 from: http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/articles/authorfocus/janeyolen.html

Yolen, Jane (2009 ). The Scarecrow's Dance: New York, NY: Simon and Schuster

Yolen, Jane (2005). Soft House: Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press

Yolen, Jane (2010): My Father Knows the Names of Things: New York, NY: Simons and Schuster Bacaan al quran 30 juz.

Yolen, Jane (2008): Naming Liberty: New York, NY: Philomel Books

Yolen, Jane (1992): Encounter: Sandiego, CA: Harcourt Brace

Yolen, Jane (1992): Briar Rose: New York, NY: A Tor Book

Yolen, Jane (1988): The Devil's Arithmetic: New York, NY: Viking

Briar Rose Jane Yolen Summary

Jane Yolen Pit Dragon

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Responders engage with texts that have distinctive qualities. Write an essay discussing how the ideas, form and language are used by the composer to engage the audience. An audience will respond and continue to respond to a text if it is engaging, having distinctive qualities to set it apart from other texts. The text, “Briar Rose” written by Jane Yolen creates an engaging text through many techniques. These include form/structure, topical/subject matter, themes and characterization.

Yolen uses text structure and form effectively to engage the audience. The composer has split the novel into three parts, telling the story from different personas. Home and home again is spoken through the character of Becca, castle is spoken through the character Josef (in third person) and peppered throughout the text are italicised chapters which tells of the story of briar rose from the character of Gemma The placement of segments of the never-completed fairy story at intervals through the narrative adds suspense and mystery to the novel.

The composer also chose to add an introduction and author’s note to provide an initial backstory to the original story of briar rose/sleeping beauty, which this novel shares intertextuality with, and to remind the audience of the tragedy that was the holocaust. Yolen has used text structure and form effectively to engage the audience through different sections being spoken by different personas. Yolen has used a very well-known historical event and fairy-tale to merge together to form the basis of the novel briar rose.

These topical matters which Yolen has used are the holocaust, and the fairy-tale sleeping beauty or less commonly known as briar rose. Both these subject matters are well known in society and have had huge impacts on history. Being such well known subject matters instantly engages the audience as they are able to apply their knowledge and to make cross-links between the two subject matters. Intertextuality of any text will be intriguing and engaging as the audience is able to compare and to know the basic outline of what is to come, this could be considered dramatic irony.

The symbolism of the holocaust is engaging as fairy-tales are always considered to have a happy ending but using such a dark topical matter which seems to have no happy outcomes is able to surprise the audience and to keep them reading as the audience is waiting to see the “Happily ever after” (pg. 239). Yolen has used topical/subject matter and intertextuality to great effect to produce a novel which is engaging and intriguing to the audience. Yolen has used various themes throughout the novel to create it engaging and intriguing to the audience, these themes include love, sexuality and identity.

The theme of love is shown as both love between a family as well as individual relationships. This sense of love between a family is presented early on in the novel, hooking the audience into the characters continual representation of this love and the changing nature of it. There are many individual relationships in the novel, these include, Stan and Becca, Gemma and Aron etc. Sexuality is another theme explored in Briar Rose and is done so through the character of Josef.

Briar Rose By Jane Yolen Pdf To Word Document

Sexuality is a largely debated topic in recent society; this engages the audience as they are intrigued to see the implications and general representation of sexuality in the novel. Identity, a theme which is probably the most important in the novel engages the audience as they wish to follow the continual progression of the story of Gemma while the main protagonist Becca is able to discover herself. Audiences are engaged by this theme as in recent times it is considered a pivotal thing to know yourself and is often searched for by many people.

The audience may take comfort in the reading of another’s journey to find their true identity. Yolen has used themes effectively to engage the, these themes include love, sexuality and identity. Characterization is a technique which is very effective at engaging audiences and yolen has used this technique to good effect. By creating intriguing characters a composer is able to hook audiences into feeling as if they are one with the character. The whole novel could be considered as a continual characterization of Gemma.

The story pivots are the main protagonist Becca discovering the story of her deceased grandmother Gemma. By creating a character that on the surface is well known but when dug deeper is unknown, the audience is intrigued to discover the full story of the character. Yolen uses this type of characterization very effectively in Briar Rose as both Gemma and Becca are continually built upon to keep the audience interested. This is where the theme of identity ties in as it is this theme that continually allows the characters to be built upon.

Yolen has used this technique of characterization to very good effect, applying it in a slightly different way than other texts, giving it a distinctive quality which audiences are looking for. An audience will respond and continue to respond to a text if it is engaging, having distinctive qualities to set it apart from other texts. The text Briar rose written by Jane Yolen creates an engaging text through many techniques. These include form/structure, topical/subject matter, themes and characterization.