Teaching Octavian

Rationale



Octavian Nothing strikes us as, if belonging to the young adult literature genre, a book for older young adults, and we suggest it be taught as such (at the high school level, perhaps even only in the upper two classes); the sentence structure is complex (in an 18th-century academic style), the vocabulary dense, and the content is at times quite graphic and violent (especially in the scenes during the pox party and Octavian’s mother’s decline).


In spite of these challenges, however, Octavian Nothing is most definitely a book that will speak to YA readers, and should be taught. Octavian opens up a multitude of opportunities to discuss race, prejudice and bias, and their role in historical events. For instance, the protagonist and narrator being a person of color and also highly educated and intelligent is a woefully uncommon representation in mainstream fiction; this can open up a discussion in class of what the more “mainstream” representation of people of color usually looks like and why that might be. Octavian Nothing also examines prejudice from the side of the people in power, not just the perspective of the oppressed. The text explores what prejudice looks like and how it can make a person blind to their own hypocrisy; this is demonstrated succinctly in the white Patriots of Boston who want to fight for their freedom to own other people.


More than being rich with discussion starters about racism and prejudice, Octavian is also full of history. The text shows the Revolutionary War from a perspective rarely seen in fiction or in a history class - that of a black man serving in the Patriot army. It is little acknowledged by laypersons that there was, in fact, talk of civil rights and of freeing slaves before the Civil War. This text provides an opportunity to talk about civil rights in a different context.


We should teach Octavian Nothing because it is a well-written and compelling story that will give students a new perspective on American history and race relations.








Lesson Plan


It would do well to work side by side with a history class doing a unit on the Revolutionary War; that way students may better understand the historical context of the war. This will help them to better understand the book, as well as lending a more personal side to their history class.



Class Discussion Questions:


1) What effect does the “collected documents and letters” format have on your reading of the book? How would it be different if told in, for instance, a third-person-limited narration style throughout?


2) How does the portrayal of Octavian in this text, as a person of color, differ from other portrayals of people of color in other books/movies/shows? How is being educated and being a person of color treated in a lot of fiction?


3) The academicians at the College of Lucidity owned slaves and yet had a lot to say about personal freedom and the Revolution. Why do you think it is that they didn’t see the inherent contradiction in this? Can you think of other examples of people engaging in a similar contradiction, associated with prejudice and racism?


4) How is Octavian different from other main characters of young adult literature that you’ve read before? How is he similar?



Possible assignments:


1) Have students make a political poster, picture, or a newspaper advertisement that demonstrates the beliefs of the Patriots at the time of this text (eg, a military recruitment poster). Have students explore the language used in advertisement/recruitment (such as “freedom” and “liberty”) and how such words can have different meanings to different people.


2) Have students consider the quotation by Voltaire that Anderson used near the end of the book: “In this world we are condemned to be an anvil or a hammer.” (p. 309). Discuss in small groups or write an essay response to this quotation, considering the following: What does this mean to you? Is it possible to go through life as neither victim nor aggressor? Do you always have to “choose a side”?