Adolescence, innocence, and power adolescence,

innocence and power: Sexuality as power

Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected:
▪ explain the implications of exploration of sex in children’s and
adolescent literature,
▪ summarize the article using any of the graphic organizers, and
▪ answer the questions comprehensively.

Activity

Let’s answer this!

What does the picture tell you? Why is adolescence an important stage in life?

It tells that a child does wonder
about the things they've seen
and heard from the adults. They
get curious about their
observation of the society and
with that, they are eager to
intervene in the serious issues
that are prohibited to them.
Adolescence is a serious stage to deal with
because this stage is rampant with issues, trends,
and concerns. According to the article, it was a
stress-filled period for Sturm und Drang and of
having carnal desires and enormous
responsibilities and also an essential stage for
identity formation that's why adolescence become
more accountable in their decisions in life.

How does sexuality relate to power?

Sexuality relates to power 'cause children become powerless as it was taken from them
by the adult. Parents do supervise and orient their children when they become sexually
active to educate them and have a sense of awareness.
 Analysis
Answer the following questions briefly.

1. How did the notion of ‘innocence’ become limited to sexuality and sexual innocence?

According to Kokkola, there's no sense to label children and adolescents as innocent and
I guess it's a certain statement because even a child can commit a mistake and hurt
others regardless of how small or big it is. It could be a child's experience to be innocent
yet temporarily 'cause there's someone or something that would trigger the knowledge of
the child. The carnality is innate to us since we were born we have the consciousness of
our sexuality.

2. How does the assumption of the child’s sexual innocence manifest itself in literature

There are a lot of instances that manifest a child's sexual innocence like when a teenager
starts to read romantic novels and other publications and gets hooked on them and
eventually accepts the fact about sex and drugs. In their reading, there are big possibilities
for them to relate the things they grasp in a book to real-life situations. For example, as I
mentioned earlier when that teenagers read romance novels and grasp the story between
the sweetness of the characters in the text there's a sexual trigger might occur that's how
literature could manifest in the sexual innocence of children in this instance.

3. What impact has the assumption that sexual innocence is a natural state have on
sexually active adolescents?

The assumptions of the natural state of a child's sexual innocence are controversial it is
a serious topic that can be argued by some people. Some might believe that children
know at an early age about what is violence and the difference between good and evil
but others believe it's not. There could be speculations and statements that support the
guiltless of a child in sexuality and those assumptions should scatter among the senses
of the adults to guide the children well on this matter because teenagers are vulnerable
to these issues nowadays.

4. How is this assumption of sexual innocence manifested in literature for the young?

These assumptions of a child's sexual innocence could lead to sexual urges because it
was manifested in their readings and the things they embrace in their minds. The literature
could improve the awareness of a child but influences their behavior as well.

Abstraction
Read Kokkola’s article on pages 21-24 and the article using the link below. Then,
answer the following questions.
 https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/ircl.2014.0119

• What is the main idea of the article?

Kokkola's article indicates how adults treat children and adolescents when
they got curious about drugs and sex. It implies also that all people have
inherent carnality since they were born and children are powerless and
guiltless when it comes to sexuality because they have already known it.

• How sex and desire is portrayed in adolescent literature?

Sex and desires occur in the adolescent stage and literature is part of it
when they got prompted with their sexual desires through their readings.

• What are the implications of exploration of sex in children’s and adolescent

literature?
Sex could be a serious topic to be discussed with children but as early as
they would be properly oriented on this topic they will be aware and mindful
of their preferences in books and other publications because the things they
feed on their thoughts can influence their behavior as a child.

Application
Let’s answer this!

I learned that children

I know the fact I want to know I think I should and adolescents
that children and how some relate my became powerless
adolescents are children base experience because it was taken
never been their standards when I was a from them by the
child to know adults and their
excused for on the books choices can be
the deal with
carnality. they're reading. controlled by their
kids nowadays.
parents.

I see that several manuals

and books existed in the I wonder about the extent of patriarchal
past about sexuality and power and its relation to literature.
the story that could give
lessons to young children
from the character's
experiences in a book.
 Assessment
Summarize the article of Kokkola on pages 21-41 using any of the graphic organizers.

SUMMARY OF KOKKOLA’S ARTICLE

• Children become powerless because it was

Ideological State taken from them by the adults.
Apparatus ISA • Adolescents can be criticized from the way
they dressed, speak, and behave.

Adolescence • Carnality is inherent of all people.

carnality and sexual • Sexual innocence as a natural state and is
innocence manifested through literature.

• Blume's forever as the most well-thumbed,

that depicts sexual activities and
Literary losses of considered as self-help manual.
Virginity • fiction depicting sexually active
adolescents.