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"You Hafta Push": Using Sapphire's Novel to Teach Introduction to American Government
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“You Hafta Push”: Using Sapphire’s Novel to Teach
Introduction to American Government
DRAFT FOR USE AT THE
American Political Science Association’s Conference on Teaching and Learning
Washington, D.C.
February 19-21, 2005
Christine Pappas, J. D., Ph. D.
Assistant Professor of Political Science
East Central University
580-310-5640
## email not listed ##
Introduction
The title of this presentation is taken from lines of dialogue in the novel Push by Sapphire (1996). Precious, a 12-year-old girl, is giving birth to her father’s child after being whacked in the head with a frying pan by her mother when a kindly EMS tells her, “‘Push, Precious, you gonna hafta push’” (Sapphire 1996, 97). The instruction to push is repeated much later in the story when Precious is being ordered by her literacy teacher to keep writing in her journal even after she learns she’s HIV-positive. Precious balks, saying she’s tired, but the teacher says, “I know you are but you can’t stop now, Precious, you gotta push” (Sapphire 1996, 97). Pushing is a metaphor for learning and growing, which are also the tasks our students engage in as we attempt to foster respect for diversity in our classrooms. Push was written by a performance poet named Sapphire who taught reading in Harlem during the 1980s. The novel was published in 1996, and has since become a staple in college English, women’s studies, sociology, economics, and political science classes. I began using
Abstract:
Using fiction in the classroom can dramatize public policy issues, therefore making them more real and relevant to students. Sapphire's 1996 novel "Push" puts a face on welfare, rape, incest, child abuse, educational inequalities, homophobia, and AIDS. The main character, Precious Jones, is the original child left behind. Because Precious is a poor African American illiterate incest victim, her character also illustrates the theory of target populations, especially how "deviant" members of society do not receive benefits. Students who read the book feel this injustice keenly and thus better understand the theory because they come to love Precious so much. This presentation draws from Kolb’s theories of experiential learning as well as surveys administered in my classroom in 2002 and 2004 to support the claims that, 1) students learn about government from fiction, and that 2) recognition and empathy for those different than ourselves is a key element in citizenship.
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| | Authors: Pappas, Christine. |
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1
“You Hafta Push”: Using Sapphire’s Novel to Teach
Introduction to American Government
DRAFT FOR USE AT THE
American Political Science Association’s Conference on Teaching and Learning
Washington, D.C.
February 19-21, 2005
Christine Pappas, J. D., Ph. D.
Assistant Professor of Political Science
East Central University
580-310-5640
## email not listed ##
Introduction
The title of this presentation is taken from lines of dialogue in the novel Push by Sapphire
(1996). Precious, a 12-year-old girl, is giving birth to her father’s child after being whacked
in the head with a frying pan by her mother when a kindly EMS tells her, “‘Push, Precious,
you gonna hafta push’” (Sapphire 1996, 97). The instruction to push is repeated much later
in the story when Precious is being ordered by her literacy teacher to keep writing in her
journal even after she learns she’s HIV-positive. Precious balks, saying she’s tired, but the
teacher says, “I know you are but you can’t stop now, Precious, you gotta push” (Sapphire
1996, 97). Pushing is a metaphor for learning and growing, which are also the tasks our
students engage in as we attempt to foster respect for diversity in our classrooms.
Push was written by a performance poet named Sapphire who taught reading in Harlem
during the 1980s. The novel was published in 1996, and has since become a staple in college
English, women’s studies, sociology, economics, and political science classes. I began using
Abstract:
Using fiction in the classroom can dramatize public policy issues, therefore making them
more real and relevant to students. Sapphire's 1996 novel "Push" puts a face on welfare,
rape, incest, child abuse, educational inequalities, homophobia, and AIDS. The main
character, Precious Jones, is the original child left behind. Because Precious is a poor
African American illiterate incest victim, her character also illustrates the theory of target
populations, especially how "deviant" members of society do not receive benefits.
Students who read the book feel this injustice keenly and thus better understand the theory
because they come to love Precious so much. This presentation draws from Kolb’s
theories of experiential learning as well as surveys administered in my classroom in 2002
and 2004 to support the claims that, 1) students learn about government from fiction, and
that 2) recognition and empathy for those different than ourselves is a key element in
citizenship.
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