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Even the true political junkies among us need a break from Barack and Mitt now and then, so we’re going to talk a different kind of politics today. I love the Horn Book’s KidLit Election project, where they’ve invited folks to nominate their favorite fictional characters as Democratic or Republican candidates for the U.S. Presidency. Personally, I’m partial to this one…
From The Horn Book, http://www.hbook.com/2012/09/blogs/out-of-the-box/kidlit-election-2012-democratic-primary-results-are-in/
But there have been many great arguments made for not only spiders but also slaves and ADHD kids in the Oval Office. Which brings me to this week’s writing prompt.
Imagine your favorite fictional character running for President (or Prime Minister, or whoever’s in charge where you live). Write his or her (or its?) speech to accept the nomination, being sure to both inspire supporters and outline a clear platform of beliefs and promises.Keep it positive (the Horn Book made this rule, and I like it… let’s not have Voldemort representing either party, please). And consider what kinds of beliefs your character has and how those might shape political policy. Have fun, but be thoughtful, too.
You may also want to try this with a character from one of your own works-in-progress. Running for office really forces you to examine what you believe and how far you’re willing to go to fight for it, I suspect. Interesting stuff to ponder, wearing our characters’ shoes.
Feel free to share your speeches in the comments. I’m guessing some of you may want to try this one out in the classroom once you’ve played around with it yourself, and I’m sure kids will enjoy your examples, as well as those posted on the Horn Book’s site.