Teachers' notes

Teaching Notes

There is the physical journey of an eight day survival camp with a group of 17 year old guys. The journey from base camp over 8 days is one filled with physical, social, moral, spiritual and emotional challenges culminating in the cave itself. It is a journey of self discovery. Adolescence is a time of exploration where identity is fragile and vulnerable. It is a time when young people are searching for their spiritual, sexual, social, emotional place in the world. It is often an isolated journey as communication is risky, potentially threatening their concept of self. Literature can be a means of opening that communication. However The Cave is uncompromisingly honest, written in the language of youth today, confronting the journeys that they are confronting. There is a strong tradition of powerful adolescent literature dealing with physical and emotional journeys - Lord of the Flies; Catcher in the Rye; Portnoy's Complaint. More recently the works of authors such as Paul Zindel, James Malone, Aidan Chambers, Phillip Gywnne tackle youth issues.

Highly recommended.