SEC: Philosophical Question -- Why is literature studied at HS di smal? -- Long

["Anderson, Julie LHS-STAFF" <AndersonJ@ISSAQUAH.WEDNET.EDU>]

Well.... I've been thinking, which I realize is always a dangerous thing. :)
I'm on our district's Instructional Materials Selection Committee. Since we
are aligning our secondary language arts curriculum, we are (for the first
time) having literature the curriculum committee has determined will be
taught district-wide brought to the committee for approval. So far, we've
read these novels:

6th grade: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan (relatively new, deals with
Mexican-Americans, immigration, working for California fruit and vegetable
growers in the 1930's, dismal circumstances but an upbeat ending)

7th grade: Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs (mystery set in the 1870's on the
Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington, lots of information on Makah Indians,
upbeat ending)

8th grade: Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck (I'm not sure this is appropriate
for 8th grade, seems to me that it would be better for 9th grade as one year
of maturity can make a big difference -- anyhow, it's dismal all the way
through. 8th grade teachers justification for teaching it at 8th grade is
that they "had it first" and don't want to give it up. Doesn't seem to me
like a good way to determine curriculum, but I'm not on that committee!)

9th grade: Romeo and Juliet (tragedy), Animal Farm (dismal), To Kill a
Mockingbird (dismal parts, but with a little hope at the end)

10th grade: Macbeth (tragedy), Lord of the Flies by Golding (not a pretty
picture of humanity!), Night by Elie Wiesel (important, but also depressing)

The committee hasn't seen the 11th and 12th grade literature yet. 12th grade
varies widely across the district and will be the last to be aligned for
that reason. Here's what 11th graders at my school read currently (all
fairly dismal). I'm not really looking forward to rereading these titles.

The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Angelou
The Old Man and Sea by Hemingway
Death of a Salesmen by Miller

Looking back, I don't recall reading anything uplifting in my HS English
classes, either....

Here are my questions:

What message are we sending to our students about literature? That upbeat
stories can't be good literature?

Why do we stop reading upbeat stories when we get to high school? Why don't
we read dismal stories before high school? What message does that send about
maturity and adulthood? Why doesn't humor belong in HS?

Thanks for reading a long post and discussing this with me. I'm hoping other
schools are reading things that are not so dismal and can give me hope!

Julie

Julie Anderson, Librarian
Liberty High School, Renton, WA       425.837.4901
andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu

Live like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
Dance like no one's watching.

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