D. Theme: Sexual Violence

1. Newspaper search

* Spend about 30 minutes looking through newspapers and magazines for articles and pictures about sexual violence. This activity can be done individually or in pairs. Clip them out and briefly share them with the rest of the group. Save them to use in the next activity.

2. Reading: "Not a Love Story" by Patricia Young

Reading 195

* Read the poem with the group
* Discuss the meaning of the lines "I have refined the cowardly art/of editing my life" as well as the general theme of the poem.

* Elicit one word from each member of the group to express his/her feelings after reading the poem.

* Cluster the words on the board and then ask students to make posters or collages using the words and some of the articles and pictures that have been collected.

If you are with a strong, emotionally stable group, you might consider watching the NFB film Not a Love Story. Use this film with caution, however, as it is very graphic and disturbing and must be previewed.

One difficulty with showing the film in class is that it is difficult for students to decide not to watch it. To get around this, you might tell the students several days in advance that you plan to show the film. Give them a strong warning about the content of the film, and ask them to make individual decisions about whether they will attend that class session.

Alternatively, if there is going to be a public showing of this film, you could arrange to go with a group of your students. (For information about public showings, you could contact a local group that deals with violence against women.)

3. Reading: "Nellie Belly Swelly" by Lillian Allen

Reading 196

* If possible, introduce Lillian Allen by listening to a poem on one of her tapes so the students can imagine how she might read the poem. I used "Harriet Tubman" from Nothing But a Hero.

* Read the poem with the group. Attempt to read the poem as the poet might read it.

4. Writing and review

* Possible topics:

• Which poem in this section on sexual violence did you find the most disturbing and why?
• What can be done to put an end to sexual violence?
• Why did Nellie become a feminist?
• What does the word "feminist" mean to you?