AbrahamsenLENS2

Brynn Abrahamsen Dr. Sherry Literature for Young Adults LENS 2 Transmedial // Monster // Walter Dean Myers’s book, // Monster //, is a unique piece of literature from the style of writing to the story line. I believe that this book would be an interesting read for young adults because it is different from many books that they will encounter. Myers uses a style of writing that is similar to a script to a movie and also includes journal entries from the character of Steve Harmon. It is easy to say that // Monster // could be transformed into a big screen movie. Throughout the reading the text is mostly written in a movie script style. The audience is experiencing the story through Steve Harmon’s perspective going from scene to scene. There is everything from voice over cues to fade in cues. The descriptions of the story line are set up in a detailed way that would make the book easily transformed into a movie. While I was reading the book I was imagining each scene and character in my mind. It was as if the story was playing like a movie in my head due to how the text was written. Myers including the fade in and fade out cues really aided to the movie style feel. For example, when the text read, “FADE IN: INTERIOR: STEVE’S HOME: It is neatly furnished, clean. STEVE is watching TV with 11-year-old JERRY, his brother” (Myers, 58). While reading this scene, I felt it was a more intimate moment and I felt myself visualizing Steve’s life out of prison because of the fading in aspect. If // Monster //was transformed into a movie I believe that it will aid the teaching of this book in the classroom. I think that being able to read the book and watching excerpts of the movie will really impact the learning of students. I don’t believe that it will be necessary to watch the entire length of a movie but I do think that showing students particular scenes will be just as powerful, if not more. Using this book in the classroom will be a great way to spark students reading because a lot of young adults are more interested in watching movies than reading stories. Being able to use a book that is in the style of how a movie would be written is a great way to open the door for a passion of reading. Also, being able to include movie clips of // Monster //will allow a variety of teaching strategies and it will give students a visual. A teacher could have students compare and contrast a particular passage in the book and the movie which will help students with learning how to pay close attention to detail when reading a novel. Even though // Monster // is a book written that could be transformed into a movie there is still a challenge within the work. The fact that Myers has Steve’s personal journal entries throughout some of the reading is an aspect that may be difficult to incorporate into the movie. These passages are not set up in the same movie style way that most of the book displays. Even though it may be hard, I still think that it is possible. I think that the journal entries could be scenes in the movie when Steve is in his jail cell and the film is displaying him writing while the audience hears his thoughts allowed. This will still allow the viewers, just like the readers, build a personal connection with Steve in// Monster //. Overall, I believe that // Monster //would be a great piece of literature to transform into a movie not only because how Myers wrote the story but also because it will aid students in the classroom when reading this novel. Being able to relate the movie style writing to the actual movie will engage students in further learning and open many opportunities for teachers.