by Steve James on Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:49 am
Ok, the book wasn't banned; it was removed from the required reading curriculum. So, students are still allowed to read the book on their own in the public library or at home. There is, imo, no single book that "must" be taught in a K-12 curriculum. However, if there were one, no matter what it is, it would have to be "taught": i.e., discussed thoroughly, critically and sensitively. Take "Huckleberry Finn" --where the characters throw the n-word around, etc. Great story, important book, but is it "necessary" to teach. When I teach 19th c. Am-lit, I think so. But, what happens if a student complains about the derogatory language? How I handle it becomes more important than any literary-historical value the book might have. Iow, I have to allow the student to express his or her feelings, and I have to acknowledge them. Sure, I could say "Well, that's the way they talked back then. Don't be so sensitive."
According to the article, a single student complained about the contents of a book she was required to read. The article says she "took issue", but I'd rather say that it affected the student. So, she discussed it with her mother and the mother defended the child. Given the general apathy of too many students and the lack of parental involvement in the children's education, there's no way I can see that either the mother or child did anything wrong. The school considered the issue, and the question is did they do the right thing. I don't know.
Personally, I'm not sure that it has solved the problem. If the student goes to college, and takes 19th c. American lit, she'll be sure to see plenty of unflattering images and derogatory language. Shucks, if she takes a film course and has to watch westerns, .... you get the idea. Yeah, I agree: it would be better to explain Huxley's use of the term "savage" in the book's context. But, that wouldn't be true of all authors in all their works. The idea, imo, would be to illustrate the error of considering some people 'savages,' what it demonstrates about the users of the term, how it has been used, and how it applies to the students' lives today. We don't learn anything --since this is about education-- if we just pretend to be sensitive without really trying to understand why we should be.
"A man is rich when he has time and freewill. How he chooses to invest both will determine the return on his investment."