BIG FAT MANIFESTO - TEACHING SUPPORT KIT - Susan Vaught - by Jean Yates
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BIG FAT MANIFESTO
Susan Vaught
TEACHING SUPPORT
KIT
by
Jean YatesBIG FAT MANIFESTO
Teaching Support Kit
CONTENTS
NOTES
1. Introduction 3
2. Pre-reading background notes 4
3. Genre, structure and style 7
4. Character analysis 8
5. Themes, motifs and symbols 11
These notes may be reproduced free of charge for use and
study within schools but they may not be reproduced (either
in whole or in part) and offered for commercial sale.
Visit www.randomhouse.com.au/readingguides for
information on other Random House Australia teaching support
kits and reading guides.
Copyright © Random House Australia 2009
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 2INTRODUCTION
Jamie Carcattera is in her senior year of high school, trying to navigate her
way through the trials and tribulations faced by most high school students.
But to make things even harder, Jamie is fat. Not just slightly overweight, but
extremely fat.
In an effort to gain a scholarship to her chosen university, Jamie
decides to write a manifesto in the form of a weekly features article for the
school newspaper. In the guise of ‘Fat Girl’, Jamie vents her opinions and
frustrations regarding the treatment of fat people in society. Not only does
she discuss the issue of weight, but through the articles, Jamie also airs her
personal views on a number of issues in a year that brings her a lot of
challenges.
When Burke Westin – Jamie’s popular, wealthy, good-looking and
equally obese boyfriend – decides to have bariatric surgery to reduce his
weight, his actions cause Jamie to question many of her own beliefs. His
decision initially triggers her to write a tirade against society and its failure to
accept larger people. But before long she is forced to question her own
motives. If she were in a position to do so, would Jamie have the surgery
herself? Does she in fact hide behind her ‘Fat Girl’ persona in order to
disguise her own weaknesses and failings?
As Jamie tries to come to terms with her own attitude towards
Burke’s surgery and to the resulting changes in their relationship, she
unwittingly falls for Heath Montel, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper,
a relationship that she had always believed impossible because of her size
and her family’s social status.
Jamie’s feisty no-holds-barred attitude and outspokenness draw a
surprising amount of media attention, leading to widespread social debate on
the topic of weight and weight loss. The personal criticism she faces as a
result forces her to question many aspects of her life, her relationships and
her identity, before she finally emerges from her ‘Fat Girl’ persona and
accepts the real Jamie Carcaterra.
Big Fat Manifesto would lend itself beautifully to a cross-curriculum
study. Included here are a range of discussion points and activities that could
be carried out in classrooms of English, Social Sciences, Health and PE,
Science and Pastoral Care/Life Skills lessons.
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 3PRE-READING BACKGROUND NOTES
Big Fat Manifesto is an American novel, yet it is equally relevant to Australian
society. It would be interesting to obtain the relevant Australian statistics on
weight and health.
1. OBESITY
• What is the definition of ‘obese’?
• What percentage of Australian children and adolescents are classified
as being obese?
• What are the health implications of obesity?
2. BARIATRIC SURGERY
• What is bariatric surgery or gastric band surgery? Research the
procedure and the health benefits and risks associated with the
surgery.
• Is it available in Australia?
3. BEING OBESE
• What aspects of life do you think are affected by size? (For example,
prices on insurance policies, rules regarding plane tickets, availability of
surgical procedures, etc.)
• If you are a person of larger size, what kind of difficulties have you
experienced in your day-to-day life? Otherwise, if possible, wear a ‘fat
suit’ and actually experience what the difficulties are. What are the
physical limitations – can you fit up the stairs, in doors, on chairs, in
lifts, in toilet cubicles?
• Try to buy some fashionable large-sized clothes. What difficulties did
you face?
• Do you think that people treat very overweight people differently to
others?
For discussion
• Should fat people be compelled to lose weight?
• What actions does society take/should society take to prevent obesity?
• What are the health ramifications of obesity?
• Is obesity the biggest problem we have in society?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 4• Is obesity a bigger problem than being underweight?
• Consider Jamie’s words: ‘Burke’s whole family are college people.
Professional people. Nobody works at the local Cost Cutter or grocery
store or delivery service. They don’t watch television when they have a
family meal, and they probably don’t eat cornbread that often.’ (p115)
Is obesity a lifestyle problem? Does it tend to be a class issue?
Activities
• Watch the documentary Super Size Me and discuss the ‘upsizing’
trend in society and its impact.
• Complete a project on foods – what are healthy foods, unhealthy foods
etc.
• Compile an analysis of the school canteen/boarding house to see how
it rates as a healthy food source.
• Keep a food diary to monitor your own food intake for a week. Are
there any improvements that you could make to your diet to ensure
you are eating healthily?
• Keep an exercise diary. Do you exercise for at least thirty minutes a
day? What alterations could you make?
• Design a healthy eating/healthy lifestyle campaign for the school that
provides education as well as advice.
4. CASE STUDY – MIKEY ROBBINS
• Read Mikey Robbins’ story at:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,21998176-5012980,00.html
For discussion
• Why did Mikey Robbins choose to have the surgery? Interestingly,
another well known entertainer, Magda Szubanski, has made the
decision not to have surgery. She has argued that it wouldn’t work for
her, as she would continue to eat the wrong things.
• What were the pros and cons of Mikey Robbins’ decision? Would you
make the same decision in his situation?
5. A MANIFESTO
• Consider this definition of a manifesto: ‘A public declaration of a
person or persons taking important action; a proclamation.’ What are
some famous, historic manifestos?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 5• Is this an appropriate term to use for Jamie’s writing? Given the
strength and scope of the term ‘manifesto’, what does its usage tell us
about the character of Jamie Carcaterra?
Activities
• Research the Millennium Development Goals as established at the
Millennium Summit held in September 2000 and the subsequent ‘In
My Name’ campaign devised by Will.i.am and others.
• As a class or an individual decide upon your own cause to support and
write a manifesto.
• Design a class ‘In My Name’ campaign that presents your own
manifesto on an issue.
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 6GENRE, STRUCTURE AND STYLE
1. FEATURE ARTICLE
• What is a feature article?
• Examine the role, style and structure of a feature article.
• Consider how Jamie’s articles reflect this style.
• Why do you think the author chose to intersperse Jamie’s articles
throughout the novel? How do they help to reveal Jamie’s character
and how does it affect the reader’s relationship with her?
• Choose your own topic of interest and write a feature article, paying
close attention to your style, tone and language choices.
2. POINT OF VIEW
The story is told entirely through Jamie’s point of view, so that as readers
we experience her reactions to events and see things through her eyes.
• What effect does this have on the story?
• In what ways does it bias or influence the story?
Activity
• Re-write one of the key incidents in the novel through the eyes of one
of the other characters. How did this different point of view change or
affect:
o the story
o your reading of the characters
o your sympathies?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 7CHARACTER ANALYSIS
1. JAMIE CARCATERRA
Jamie is a big girl, in every sense of the word. She is large in size, loud and
opinionated. Yet she is also surprisingly soft, vulnerable and loveable.
Jamie is in her final year of High School and is probably having a harder
time than many of her classmates.
As an overweight person, many of the everyday situations in which
students find themselves are much harder for Jamie. Buying clothes for the
various social and formal school functions proves to be a challenge. While
most students find exams difficult, even finding a desk and seat large enough
to accommodate Jamie while she sits for the exam is almost impossible.
Jamie, however, refuses to be defeated and allows her quick wit and
acerbic tongue to fight her battles for her. She assumes the persona of ‘Fat
Girl’ through whom she writes a weekly Features Article for the school
newspaper. As well as providing her with a means to present her ‘manifesto’
on size, Jamie also hopes that her writing will be good enough to win her a
much-needed scholarship to her chosen university. With working-class
parents, Jamie knows that a scholarship will be her only hope of improving
her future.
Jamie is clearly talented. Not only is she an exceptional writer, but she
has a starring role in the school musical – even though she is frustrated by
the fact that her size prevents her from being cast in lead or romantic roles.
She is also obviously quite popular and has two very close friends –
NoNo and Freddy – and a boyfriend, Burke Weston, a sociable, good looking,
wealthy starting tackle on the championship football team.
For discussion
• What sort of person is Jamie Carcaterra?
• Do you think she is as confident and secure as her columns would
have us believe? What evidence is there to support this opinion?
• Despite Jamie’s loudness, bluntness and outspokenness, she remains
a sympathetic character. How does the author, Susan Vaught, manage
to achieve this?
• How does Jamie react to the news about Burke’s surgery? Why?
What do you think are her real concerns?
• Jamie can’t leave Burke’s room after the operation. She says, ‘It takes
Fat Girl to do something this brave and painful.’ (p. 133) What does
Jamie mean by this and what does it reveal about her?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 8• Jamie claims that she refuses to be a stereotype. To what extent does
she behave and regard herself as a stereotype?
• Do you think that people are as critical and judgmental of fat people as
Jamie believes they are?
• To what extent do you think that Jamie’s observations are clouded by
her own beliefs, insecurities or inadequacies?
• Do you think Jamie would be as worried about her weight if she had
more money and therefore more opportunities?
• Consider these statements:
o ‘Sometimes I wish I was smaller, just so Burke could hold me
closer. I feel shielded when he touches me. Safe and
comfortable and absolutely relaxed.’ (p. 12)
o ‘More than anything, I want to sound like these smart, educated
people, look like them, be around them, be them . . . Burke and
I will have a family like this.’ (pp. 115–116)
Is Jamie in love with Burke or does she want his life?
• Does she settle for him because he is fat like her and makes her feel
good about herself/ comfortable with herself?
• Why, when Jamie is so sure of her relationship with Burke, does she
find it so unbelievable that Heath could be in love with her? ‘Heath
isn’t a date-the-Fat-Girl type of guy. Not an option on his part, or on
mine.’ (p. 147)
• At one stage in the novel, it appears as if Jamie is going to have the
opportunity to have bariatric surgery herself. Imagine that her father’s
insurance company had agreed to pay for the procedure. Do you think
Jamie would have had the surgery?
• Jamie’s weight affects far more than just her body shape. Make a list
of all of the aspects of her life that are influenced by or affected by her
size.
Activity
• Stage a class debate arguing for and against Jamie undergoing bariatric
surgery.
2. BURKE WESTON
• What sort of person is Burke?
• Burke is obviously popular and successful. He is also able to play sport
at a high level. He is good-looking and has plenty of money and
therefore Jamie feels he has more opportunities than her. Why do you
think he chooses to have bariatric surgery?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 9• Why is Burke so reluctant to tell Jamie about his decision to have the
surgery? (p. 42)
• Consider Burke’s words, ‘Jamie, I don’t want to be fat anymore. When
I graduate, I don’t want to be a big black elephant just lumbering
across the stage. I want – I want to look buff. I want to look good.’ (p.
44) What does this statement reveal about his character?
• Jamie says, ‘he’s had enough and he’d rather be dead than fat.’ (p. 82)
Do you agree with this interpretation, or is it just Jamie being
melodramatic?
• We only ever see Burke through Jamie’s eyes and never really
understand his motivations and attitudes. In the persona of Burke,
write a diary entry at a significant stage in the novel – e.g. when you
first decide to have the surgery; after the surgery when complications
almost cost you your life; when you are craving chocolate; after you
eat the chocolate brownie; after Jamie breaks up with you. In your
writing, try to convey Burke’s thoughts and feelings (which may be
quite different from how Jamie has represented him).
• When Jamie breaks up with Burke she accuses him of being selfish.
Do you agree? Is he in fact selfish? Do you feel sorry for Burke when
Jamie breaks up with him in favour of Heath?
• Do you think that a thin Burke Weston would continue to date Jamie?
Consider his comment, ‘You’ll lose, too, if you want to . . . Bring those
curves down to a manageable level, Jamie. It’s do-able.’ (p. 211)
Activity
• Create a character profile of each character by placing each character’s
name in the centre of a page and surrounding it with words, phrases or
quotations from the novel that sum up that character’s personality.
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 10THEMES, MOTIFS AND SYMBOLS
1. STEREOTYPES
• What is a stereotype?
• Jamie is embarrassed by her parents. ‘I wish my parents wouldn’t
wear their old sweats in front of my friends, but that’s a lost cause. I
know I’m as big as they are, but I do my best to look clean and put
together. It’s sort of a fat person imperative – or maybe just a Fat Girl
imperative. Never look sloppy because everybody expects fat people
to be slobs. I completely refuse to be a stereotype.’ (p. 72)
Is this how we expect fat people to be?
• Consider Jamie’s comment: ‘It bothers me, that wild sparkle in his
eyes, when he talks about being “normal” soon, but what can I say to
him? It would be nice to magically be normal. I can’t deny that.’
(pp 75–76)
What is ‘normal’? Who determines what ‘normal’ is? What does this
mean for the majority of the population who fail to fit into the confines
of ‘normal’?
• Make a list of all of the characters in the novel. In what ways could
they each be considered stereotypes?
• Gaps and silences: are there any teenage stereotypes not included in
this novel? Why might these characters have been silenced? Would
any aspects of the novel be different if these characters were
foregrounded as well or instead of the others?
2. RELATIONSHIPS
• How does Jamie’s relationship with Burke change after his surgery?
Consider the following comments:
o ‘Soon I won’t fit in his arms. He’ll get small, and I’ll be so big I
won’t fit right here against him where I belong.’ (p. 98)
o ‘No more hanging out in my guy’s clothes. That’s lost, like his
dreads, and the cute roundness in his cheeks, and all the things
we used to talk about and do together. Everything’s about
weight loss now.’ (p. 210)
• Why is Jamie jealous of Burke’s GBS group meeting three nights a
week when she wasn’t jealous of him playing football?
• Consider all of Jamie’s friendships or relationships. Is there any reason
why she is attracted to these types of people?
• In what ways is her relationship with Heath Montel completely
different from her relationship with Burke?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 113. THE MEDIA
Background activity
• Watch your favourite television program. Are there any fat people in
the program? If so, what type/s of characters are they?
• How are fat people usually depicted in the media, e.g. Sharon in Kath
and Kim?
• Examine a number of popular magazines. What percentage of articles
are about larger people? What sorts of articles are they?
For discussion
• Jamie says:
o ‘Fat girls are always villains in plays. At least every play I’ve
been in. Villains or mothers or grandmothers.’ (p. 61)
o ‘Like the Fat Girl must be thin or well on her way to weight loss
by the end of any book, play, or movie.’ (p. 181)
o ‘This is no movie. This is life as a Fat Girl and in real life, guys
like Heath don’t fall in love with Fat Girls like me. I get to play
the fat part, which is best friend, confidante, sidekick, whatever
you want to call it. I can be “the lesbian” like Freddie or the
“activist freak” like NoNo. I can be the wicked witch, the
wicked stepsister, the fortune teller, the crone, or even the
whorehouse madam – but I can never be the beautiful princess,
the delicate flower, that girl, the girl everyone wants.’ (p. 191)
Considering films, television programs or plays you have seen and books
that you have read, do you agree with these statements?
• Put the term ‘fat kids’ into an internet search engine and see what
comes up.
• Why do you think fat people tend to be the brunt of jokes?
• Is the media fair when discussing the issue of size – particularly with
regards to obesity?
• Is our obsession with overly thin models any better?
• Find a selection of print and TV ads and describe the appearance of the
people featured in them.
• Examine the Dove ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’. What statement is
being made by this company?
• Jamie’s article ‘Fat Girl Pornographing’ (p. 16) states that there are
‘endless television news reports about obesity, featuring big jiggly
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 12bellies and fat waggling butts walking down the street . . . They never
show faces or eyes or mouths or opinions or thoughts.’ (pp. 17–18)
Would you agree that this is a fair assessment of the media’s
treatment of fat people?
• There are a number of reality television programs now that say they
are designed to make us more aware of weight issues and provide
assistance with weight loss (e.g. The Biggest Loser, Fat Kids Can’t
Hunt). Are they really healthy or are these programs simply voyeuristic?
Are they helpful or harmful?
Activity
• Stage a debate regarding whether or not these types of weight-
focused TV programs are helping people to achieve healthy lifestyles.
4. SOCIAL ATTITUDES
For discussion
• In the Middle Ages and at other times throughout history, fat people
were highly regarded as they were obviously wealthy and had servants
to do all of their physical labour. Yet today we admire very thin people.
Our catwalks are dominated by incredibly thin models whose
physiques are unattainable for most of us. Why have our attitudes
changed?
• Jamie moans ‘I’m still a person’. Do we, as a society, treat fat people
as people?
• Consider Jamie’s statement: ‘We’re, what, three in ten now, stats-
wise? Stores like Hotchix would rather ignore us thirty-percenters.
Guess our money doesn’t spend as well as Freddie’s or NoNo’s.’
(p. 25)
Do you agree that shops discriminate like this? On what grounds do
they do this? (Age, wealth, gender, size, etc?) Have you ever had a
similar experience?
• There have been a number of celebrities who put their faces to weight
loss campaigns. Do you think a celebrity would ever endorse an anti-
thin campaign?
• Consider the messages being sent to young girls through the Bratz™
and Barbie™ dolls. If these dolls were human women with the same
proportions, what would they look like?
• When Burke suffers complications after his surgery, Jamie asks, ‘What
is THIN worth to you? And for God’s sake why?’ (p. 136) What is
thinness or beauty worth to you? Why?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 135. REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA
For discussion
• Is everything we read in the media fair and accurate?
• Choose a topic that is currently receiving (or has recently received) a
lot of media coverage. Collect a range of articles on this topic and
compare them for consistency. Are they all equally sympathetic or
critical? Do they all report the event in the same way? Is there any
obvious bias? Are the people interviewed or quoted all represented the
same way?
• How do the articles use language to manipulate, persuade or inform?
• Re-read Barbara Gwennet’s news story following her interview with
Jamie (pp. 213–215). Is the article fair? How has Barbara manipulated
Jamie’s words?
6. THE POWER OF LANGUAGE
• Consider how the media uses words to persuade, convince or evoke
emotions. Examine some feature articles, paying particular attention to
the writers’ word choices.
• Re-read some of Jamie’s articles. How does she use words to stir
emotions or persuade her readers?
• Make a list of some of the particularly strong or emotive words Jamie
uses in her articles.
For discussion
• To what extent do you think Jamie hides behind her words?
• The book cover has no illustration. It is simply a series of words, all in
capital letters and some highlighted. Why did the publishers choose
this cover? What might it say about the power of words and the role of
words in this particular novel?
• Because of the lack of illustration, the reader has no preconceived
image of what Jamie looks like. Is this a good thing? How would you,
as a reader, react to a jacket cover that features a ‘Fat Girl’?
• Do you agree with the choice of words that has been used on the front
cover? Make a list of your own twenty words that you feel sum up the
mood or the message of the novel.
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 147. CHOICES
For discussion
• Jamie’s mum thinks that she is angry because her parents haven’t
considered the surgery for her but the truth is that they simply can’t
afford it. Her mother tells her:
‘“If you want to do this, we’ll find a way . . . I don’t want you to go
through life unhappy with yourself like I have, and Dad.”
‘In my mind, Fat Girls snaps, “Who says I’m unhappy with
myself?”’ (p. 109)
Does Jamie criticise bariatric surgery simply because it is not an option
for her?
• How does her attitude towards the surgery change when it is
presented as a possibility? ‘But if I want this surgery for myself, maybe
I can have it.’ (p. 110)
• Consider Jamie’s question: ‘How is it fair that some fat people can
afford to get treatment and other fat people don’t even have a chance
to make that decision? The news keeps saying that being fat is just as
bad as having cancer, that I’ll die young from my fat and have all kinds
of miserable health problems – but cancer kids always get treatment,
don’t they?’ (p. 157)
Should treatments such as bariatric surgery be government funded,
making them affordable for everyone?
• What is cosmetic surgery?
• What surgery would you classify as being necessary or unnecessary?
• Are there any circumstances in which elective or cosmetic surgery
could be deemed essential?
• Should elective or cosmetic surgery be cheaper and more readily
available?
• Should procedures such as bariatric surgery be regarded as essential
and life-saving in the way that cancer treatments are?
• Jamie argues: ‘I don’t know if anyone should have bariatric surgery,
but if it’s legal, teens should be able to make their own choices about
it.’ (p. 187) Do you agree with her sentiments?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 158. MEDICAL ISSUES
For discussion
• When Jamie visits Dr Meacham he examines her not as a woman, but
as a ‘Fat Girl’, assuming that any problems she may have will be
weight-related. Is this a fair assumption?
• Research the health risks associated with obesity.
• Try to find out the statistics on the medical costs incurred by Australia
as a result of obesity. Do you think this has an effect on government
programs that deal with weight?
• Jamie questions: ‘Do I consciously, every day of my life, choose to eat
in ways that make me fat?’ (p. 279) Is her weight a lifestyle choice or is
it more than that? What causes obesity?
• Jamie addresses the doctor in her article: ‘Talk to me about hope.
Don’t Fat Girls deserve hope too?’ (p. 251) What does she mean by
this? Do you think he is as dismissive of her as she thinks? Was he fair
in the comments he made?
9. PERSONAL CHOICES
Case Study: Hannah Jones
Read and discuss the following article about Hannah Jones, a thirteen-
year-old with cancer who opted to refuse treatment and asked to be allowed
to go home to die.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24639223-401,00.html
For discussion
• Do you believe that, as a thirteen-year-old, Hannah should have been
allowed to make this decision for herself?
• (If the class is old enough it may be interesting to have a discussion on
euthanasia, with an emphasis on the notion of decision-making, life
choices etc.)
• At what age should people be allowed to choose their own medical
treatment?
• Should teens be allowed to request elective or cosmetic surgery? At
what age would this be appropriate?
• What rules or laws do you think should be put in place regarding
elective surgery?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 1610. FORMING AN IDENTITY
• At the end of the novel, Jamie questions who she really is.
o She envies NoNo her focus, her drive and her single-
mindedness. NoNo asks her, ‘If I had a magic wand . . . and I
could wave it and make you thin, who would you be, Jamie?
What would you believe in?‘ (p. 285)
o Jamie asks: ‘Is Fat Girl just another role, like Evillene in The Wiz?
Another “fat part” I play with flair and drama?’ (p. 286)
o ‘If I wasn’t Fat Girl, who would I be?’ (p. 285)
Is Jamie really ‘Fat Girl’ or is this a persona she hides behind? If you
think it is a persona, why has she adopted it?
• To what extent do you think Jamie’s loudness and feistiness is actually
the result of a poor self esteem? Consider her comment: ‘I hate seeing
myself in mirrors. I wish I could be all Fat Girl about it and love my big
body, find it beautiful like Burke does . . . or did.’ (p. 207)
• Jamie says, ‘Fat Girl’s loud, but not necessarily honest.’ (p. 295)
Do you agree with this assessment?
• ‘Being fat bugs me some, but it’s my whole life, and I refuse to let
anyone define me that way anymore – especially myself.’ (p. 302)
What causes this change in her attitude? Do you believe it is possible
for Jamie not to be defined by her weight?
For discussion
• Consider the question, ‘Who are you?’
• What do you believe in?
• How did you form these beliefs? Are they a reaction to something or
maybe a reflection of your peers/parents?
• Do you have a personal ‘manifesto’ by which you live your life?
Activities
• Devise a campaign or write a feature article on an issue you feel
strongly about.
• Consider the notion that very loud people have less conviction than
quiet people. Do you agree or disagree?
• Compile a list of significant people who you feel have made an impact
on society. Make a list as to which of them were loud and extroverted
and which were quiet achievers. Is there a correlation between the
achievement and the approach? How do we measure success?
TEACHING SUPPORT KIT Big Fat Manifesto 17You can also read
