Graffiti 101: Social monstrosity and a film screening

Antero Garcia, an English teacher at Manual Arts High, writes:

After several lessons investigating public space and student perceptions of graffiti, it’s time for students to start delving into the meat of this unit’s central text.

After reviewing the main vocabulary for this unit: marginalization, agency, hegemony and voice, I handed out the class novel: Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein." As students flipped skeptically through the text, one asked: “What does Frankenstein have to do with graffiti?” Though the initial prelude of letters by Robert Walton that opens the novel do not make the answer obvious, I’m encouraging my students (and you, fellow readers) to keep this question in mind; it will be the beginning of a series of ongoing discussions around the text.

"Style Wars"
While part of our daily class routine will involve reading and discussing the novel, our class is also screening the seminal graffiti documentary "Style Wars." Released in 1983, "Style Wars" looks at the rise of graffiti and hip-hop culture in New York. The film -- a colorful melange of music, aerosol and public policy –- helps root student understanding of graffiti within a historical lens. With the classroom lights only partially dimmed, students are provided a set of discussion questions and are expected to take rigorous notes throughout the lesson.

Coming up:
While students will be reading "Frankenstein" for the next few weeks, we will also screen portions of other films, look at blog entries and confront student stereotypes. In the meantime, I encourage you to reacquaint yourself with both Tony Silver’s "Style Wars" and Mary Shelley’s seminal text.