“Knowledge is power. Information is liberation. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” -Kofi Annan. If education is the premise of progress, then students must receive the education that will help gain knowledge in the best way possible. Schools should either adapt or hold original values according to whatever is best for the students and learning environment. The Great Books Curriculum (GBC) has experienced controversy recently over the debate of modern books and classic books being taught in schools. The discrepancy shows one side that believes school curriculums should deviate from the normal reading list and that students will learn from relatable, contemporary books while the other side believes only …show more content…
The language from classic novels is archaic and negligible because many contain words and vocabulary no average person would speak or know in modern times. Before education was more open and free, very few people could learn enough about reading and writing. According to Brianna Best (2015), in Oxford World's classics (2015), there were 325 male authors and only 46 female authors. There was also approximately sixteen times the amount of European/ classic literature listed compared to Eastern. Now that schooling is much more open to the public modern writers have become more diverse. Modern writers can write about more relevant topics. These topics can inspire or change history and students similar to influential classics such as. The Republic by Plato or Common Sense by Thomas Paine.
One solution to many problems with Classic books is to truly see how many there are. While most taught classics may be lacking in diversity, there are a copious amount of classics by a diverse range of writers that have not been taught. Examples are the fables of Vishnu Sarma, or the compilation of Japanese classics beginning in the ninth century made by Donald Keene. Diverse classics do exist, but curriculums rarely add many of them. Teachers can add and change classics to learn about the beginnings of different cultures and writing
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(2017, November 14). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/12-diverse-classics
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Life-Expectancy of Bestsellers Plummets, Finds Study. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from http://www.lulu.com/static/pr/05_19_06.php
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When Gerald Graff says “Until I entered college, I hated books and cared only for sports.” I can relate to him in many ways, not specifically speaking, but in relation to what he had to say as an author. I understand that people aren’t enticed by books until they learn about the power of knowledge. I for one, was such person who didn’t care to read much when I was younger until I reached my senior year of high school when I finally understood the meaning of being educated in all aspects. Education, to me is one of the most important things that a person can have; without an education you’re stuck at the lowest levels of society’s hierarchy.
“Having the freedom to read and the freedom to choose is one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me,” Judy Blume. The issue is there are both pros and cons upon banning and challenging books. Some people may be all for it and believe their children should not be exposed to realism that comes from books ‘trying to protect them.’ What ever happened to the freedom of speech? Books are constantly challenged or even banned.
What do Jeff Kinney 's popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Ray Bradbury 's classic Fahrenheit 451 have in common? What about Gossip Girl: A Novel, Cicely von Ziegesar 's catty romance and The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson 's 1979 Newbery Honor book? While clear distinctions exist between each book 's literary merit, age appropriateness, and reader appeal, these titles possess one similarity--they sit within the same Lexile text complexity band. ** Well-meaning educators, concerned about increasing text complexity and reading rigor, engage in this game of "Guess My Lexile" when denouncing the low-reading level of young adult literature, elevating certain titles over others, or dictating book purchases and recommended reading lists. But looking at just a few examples reveals problems when narrowly evaluating texts by readability number alone.
Since a novel is more enjoyable than a factual text the novel can influence the readers understanding of history. “Happy-ever-after is a fairy-tale notion, not history. I know of no woman who escaped
She believes the syllabus provided to students do not include any challenging books, and her belief toward high school teachers becoming too lazy to examine thoroughly if the book the education system provides them with represent any true and significant value is a recurring concern of hers’- therefore ineffective to students. All in all, Prose used ethos, pathos, logos and the usage of specific words to help her argument. She successfully persuades her point of view and makes it clear that if schools want their curriculum to improve, they must change their way of teaching and push their students to view literature in a new
Today, there is an all-too-common problem surrounding the censorship of children’s literature. The American Library Association (ALA) states, “parents challenge books more than any other group” (Szymanski 2007).
In Sandra Cisneros “Mericans” she creates a young character named Michelle who faces cultural differences and nonunderstanding, gender roles and culture stereotyping which can be exhibited in the real world. The author introduces Michelle as a foreigner with in her own culture, with this being said throughout the story Michelle seemed to be uninterested in her Grandmothers ideals and the principles of the Mexican heritage. The evidence behind this statement is; throughout the passage Michelle refers to her grandmother as being “awful” (Cisneros 93). I think a big reason for this is the fact that the grandmother has the children wait outside the church doors as she goes and say her daily prayers.
Books can create portals to different life experiences and encourage reading. A few schools and libraries have challenged the educational value of some books, however, therefore leading them to eventually be prohibited in a particular place. Each reason may be different depending on the book and the location of the exclusions. Books are icons of literature and their value should outshine the occasionally offensive topic. Be that as it may, there are multiple reasons why books should be taught and included in a curriculum.
Different types of literature open new doors through which students’ can explore the unknown and expand their knowledge of controversial topics. The great examples found in literature have been the subject of much debate, as school boards wrestle with whether children should be allowed to read such difficult, harsh topics, as said in the article “How Banning Books Marginalizes Children” (Source F). There are so many brilliant works of literature spanning a wide variety of genres and topics, and a single school board should not determine what students learn. No one is proposing that second graders read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, but rather that we intentionally choose literature that will expand, rather than limit, children’s options and minds. Not only do these great works lay the groundwork for our future generation, but they also serve to diversify students’ writing and analysis skills.
Flashback to my junior year. I sat quietly in my AP Lang class as my teacher, Mrs. Fisher, announced that the reading competition between the language arts classes called for the book count for September. She stood at the board, marker in hand, staring out expectantly at her large class. Hands shot up across the classroom, and my own nervous hand rose up to join them. Mrs. Fisher happily chalked up the small fortune of books that our class had read.
In this essay, "Why Literature Matters", author Dana Gioia sets up an argument about literature. Which she uses various ways to persuade her audience be in favor of her proposal; by showing statistic evidence, facts, and historical evidence, as well as some ironies, diction, and the appeals to reader's emotion. First of all, Gioia begins with strong appeals to reader's logos by clearly laying out the statistic source. For example, "According to the 2002 survey of Public Participation in the Arts, the reading population of the Americans is declining. " In turn, is an attempt to point out the thesis statement and make the readers to think out about this topic wile reading through her essay.
In our freshman year of high school ninth graders must learn the many things in each of their subjects. In english class students are required to learn William "Bard of Avon" Shakespeare’s works. With Shakespeare 's works of literature and drama being 400 years old it’s expected that many people don’t want Barb’s works to be taught in the curriculum in schools. Shakespeare 's works should not be taught to students in schools because it’s difficult for students to understand, his work is not culturally diverse, and is outdated for today’s students. First, it’s difficult for many students to understand Shakespeare’s dialogue.
“the positive outcomes of reading included enjoyment, knowledge of the self and other people, social interaction, social and cultural capital, imagination, focus and flow, relaxation and mood regulation, as well as improvements in communication abilities and longer-term education outcomes.” (“The power of reading: how books help develop children’s empathy and boost their emotional development”). This statement talked about how the books that are prohibited are really enabling children to advance in school. This statement additionally discloses how kids associate with the books. " fiction causes us see how other individuals feel and think.
The book, Who Killed Homer? The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom, is written by Victor Davis Hanson, and John Heath. The book is about why the Classics are dying, if it’s not dead already; what actions would need to be taken in order to take the Classics off of life support, and what would need to be done in order to teach newer generations about Classics. Both Hanson, and Heath are Classicist themselves whom worked as professors teaching Classics to students back in the early 1970’s and 1980’s. These two present an argument to the audience that the reason for the fall of Classical Education in modern day is due to the fact of ignorance of Greek wisdom, the demise of Classical learning is real and quantifiable, and the Classicist themselves are the blame for why there aren’t many people majoring in Classics.
We as young scholars can easily comprehend the importance of literature, but if our reach to success is limited to only one source of information then we would not be able to comprehend the full expansion of knowledge. The fictional novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury expresses the critical aspects and values of reading books and that censoring out books including fiction limits the knowledge of a society. Although non-fiction adds additional preparation towards the understanding of information of the real world, fiction should absolutely be a primary part of the learning experience at least until college levels because it allows students to expand their imagination to spark creative ideas, does not limit their capability of expression through literature, and gives them a passion to reading. There are countless