Psychological Criticisms Of Grieving In Literature

A psychological analysis of dealing with death during childhood and reconstruction of societal norms experienced in literature about the process of grieving. Families dynamics, environments, and friends vary depending on the person. In childhood grief and loss will affect children in different ways. Each child will cope differently psychologically through death, and society will attempt to show the importance of the proper steps for grieving. Society norms provide a set of guidelines that people can follow that will help them through the process, the process of grieving differs depending on surrounding variables. This is the case in literature, particularly literature which reconstructs the process of grieving. When dealing with the loss of a parent it can affect children many ways and “it is not uncommon for the death of a parent to be a psychologically and
physically challenging as well as a potentially transformative event” (Marks, Nadine, Heyjung, Song, 1634). Tiger Eyes by Judy Bloom, Grief Girl by Erin Vincent, and Tear Soup: A Recipe For Healing after Loss by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen established an individualized grieving process with the characters that can be the same and different through family dynamics, environment, and friends in order to contextualize the differences in grieving.
Psychological affects of Death Before analyzing the three different texts, it is important to establish the foundations of the psychological criticisms.
Especially focusing on denial, anger, and isolation, these three psychological concepts are direct aspects of the grieving process, which impact individuals differently. Psychological criticism looks at the unconscious activity in ones mind, this unconscious activity is unknown to surrounding people. In addition, psychological criticism considers the relationship between unconscious and conscious actions. Tiger Eyes, Grief Girl, and Tear Soup: A Recipe For Healing after Loss all focus on psychological emotions, actions, and behaviors of people dealing with grief. These emotions, actions, and behaviors are all different depending on different variables, such as the surrounding environments, family, and friends. Society organized a structured patterned that people should follow when grieving, this pattern is known as the grieving process. The three books go against this process because the characters in each book experience the grieving process different. Variables are
impacted When analyzing books, especially of this nature, it is important to remember Maslow and his basic concept “called "A Hierarchy of Needs". One of the individual needs that are more significant in understanding a piece of literature is motivation which is considered as a key to understanding the meaning of a text” (Rezaei, Abdolbaghi, Seyyedrezaei,1908). When analyzing books dealing with emotional concepts, such as death, it is important for the reader to consider what is significant in the book and how it is motivating the readers understanding. When analyzing it is important that the reader looks at why they are reading the text, and what they are considering key to the text. Some may read book dealing with grief to help them through the grieving process, or to analyze the book. Different variables will imcd the significance of the book.
Activities:
Dialogic talk can be taught through different activities and lesson, which will benefit students. While using Dialogic students need to be active speakers and active listeners, both types of students benefit the classroom sitting. Dialogic talk is more than debating, but “it is rather a function of how patterns of talk may open up discourse space for exploration and varied opinions, and how teacher- and student decision-making about content is presented and discussed”( Boyd, Markarian, 515). Books and texts provide perfect opportunities to explore and discuss students opinions and thoughts on the book, these books can cover a variety of difficult topics. Teaching Tiger Eyes by Judy Bloom, Grief Girl by Erin Vincent, and Tear Soup: A Recipe For Healing after Loss by Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen through Dialogic activities, such as Socratic Seminars will provide a time for students to communicate and express their opinions though conversations, which anticipates a thoughtful response.