<p>I admit- from my perspective- it is very well written and brings up great points for discussion.
I don’t believe a piece of art- needs to be “politically” correct , what ever the current definition is, actually I think art is more effective- if it challenges what we believe- and makes us think or at least offers a different viewpoint.</p>
<p>I admit that when I had my 5th grade reading group read it, I should have reread it first, because it was pretty disturbing to several of the kids & I felt really bad about that. But it also makes me crazy when people want a piece to be “fair” and place equal weight on every character.</p>
<p>This book is told from the perspective of an 8 year old. Even if it had an adult narrator, I think that we all realize that everyone has a different reality, and perceives events according to their past experience and expectations.</p>
<p>Art- or literature, shouldn’t have to provide all viewpoints- should we demand a Mona Lisa that is smiling?</p>
<p>I agree with you 100% emeraldkity. Not all pieces are going to please everyone - nor should they. That idea alone should bring up good points for discussion. That article brought up an interesting point:</p>
<p>“But to denounce Lee’s work for its lack of current political correctness strikes me as a dangerous lunacy. Are we to ban Shakespeare because “Othello” is full of racial slurs? Does a homophobic strain in Hemingway make his work suddenly valueless? Once we sanctify this kind of cultural McCarthyism, where does it stop?”</p>
<p>I never would support government censorship, although some thoughtful parents of PUBLIC SCHOOL children express opinions that we should carefully consider. For example, I always have a problem with parent crusades against Huckleberry Finn, because I hate book banning but I am equally disappointed at the blissful ignorance of some would-be literati, who dismiss out-of-hand the emotional impact of negative depictions upon some YOUNG children.</p>
<p>Whew! That being said, I would never support the banning of “To Kill a Mockingbird” nor any attempt to “cleanse” the text. It is an excellent depiction of events in a rural southern community that were sadly routine in their day. And the black character Tom is heroic, as is the protagonist lawyer Atticus Finch. The novel is a lesson; a story about moral character and individual conviction. It is unquestionably a valuable work of American literature, when it comes to educating young minds.</p>
<p>I also think the book/movie made a lot of people think - think about the racial conditions in the South at the time. I would think this would only have a positive effect.</p>
<p>You would think that it would serve a lesson and reminder that our past wasn’t perfect and we should always strive to do better and be better but some people just get so caught up the “racism” of things they forget to embrace the more important message. </p>
<p>Huckleberry Finn is a perfect example. The story is supposed to teach people that friendship is possible despite racial differences. Instead, in my high school, we had people refusing to read the book because of its racial slurs. </p>
<p>I hope To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t the next unpopular thing.</p>
<p>To Kill a Mockingbird is my all time favorite book. There was recently some controversy about that very book here in my county and I am proud to say the school board defended the right to keep the book in the schools. </p>
<p>When my DD was in middle school, she was notified to return to the library a Stephen King book that she had checked out to read. Apparently, another parent had complained that she didn’t believe Stephen King was appropriate reading material for students. Perhaps it wasn’t appropriate for her child. I had no problem with my child reading his books. I know a lot of people feel differently about his books … too much violence, some bad language, etc., but I don’t believe it’s bad enough to keep mature adolescents from reading his books. It’s fiction and my DD realized that. She loves a good scary book. All Stephen King books were pulled from the shelves until they could be read in entirety by the librarian. I didn’t feel it was fair to punish my child because another parent didn’t want their child reading certain books. I suggested flagging that child’s account instead of punishing everyone. I don’t know whether or not they replaced them in the library. We went to the public library and checked out the one she was in the middle of reading so she could finish it.</p>
<p>I think that people should be given choices in reading these books. As an African American female, when I read books like “Huckleberry Finn” in school, I hated the racial stereotypes and the racial slurs. But I still had to read it.
Well, it’s probably pretty hard to even see the important message when the n-word is popping out of the page every second.</p>
<p>I’m not advocating banning any of these books (I actually liked To Kill A Mocking Bird), but maybe we should have alternative books for those who don’t feel the same way.</p>
<p>TKAM is one of my all-time favorites too. However, despite the protagonist being a young girl, I think it is complex book thematically for young children, or even early middle schoolers, unless they are unusually mature.</p>
<p>The book, like Huck Finn, requires that children are able to understand both the racism and the historical context. Both should not be read simply as “stories”, but as windows into the history of the time period. Both are exceptionally useful that way, and it is a travesty when such books are banned. However, I think there are ages and stages for many books; these are two that are not for younger children IMO.</p>
<p>I remember once having a similar argument with a friend about Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which I love. My friend detested it as a cauldron of raciial, stereotypes. Black folks drinkin’, gamblin’ and chasin’ women or honest-but-hardworking and happy to be po’. What he didn’t consider, not once, was that P &B is an OPERA. And like 98% of all operas, its story is a silly, melodramatic potboiler that comes alive and achieves greatness only because of the sublime music that carries its power. That operatic tradition is very old and established. The chance to set intense emotional action to music iw what lures composers to the form in the first place. Who, after all, would actually pay to seeCarmen or Turnadot or Das Rheingold without the music? </p>
<p>Art can be political, but it isn’t politics. That’s what critics of Mockingbird, Huck Finn, Porgy can’t come to terms with. When Twain calls his character ■■■■■■ Jim he is not doing it out of malice, but irony. ■■■■■■ Jim is the most humane character in the book. That’s art, not contemporary poitics and teachers should know that even if parents don’t. Likewise, Harper Lee’s story is a coming of age story about a little girl. That is the center of the book. Black people are on the periphery, not because Lee is racist, but because she is not telling their story, but the girl’s. The alleged rape is and subsequent action is the catlalyst, not the central action. Unfair to criticize the author for the book she DIDN’T write. You want an honest bool about black people in the South back then, try Toni Morrison or Ralph Ellison or others. </p>
<p>And no, don’t ban anything. There’s nothing worse than tossing a book out of a school that nobody’s bothered to understand.</p>
<p>^^This is a bit of an exaggeration. The n-word appears approximately 200 times out of how many thousands of words? It isn’t hard to appreciate the message of book if you able to understand it was written over a hundred years ago and the vernacular was different back then. Also, I’m able to listen to music on a CD and hear n-this and n-that but that doesn’t mean I don’t hear the rest of the words. If you’re going to complain about Huck Finn then why not complain about rap music or traditionally black films? If a word is offensive then it shouldn’t matter who says it. </p>
<p>Why aren’t people up in arms about Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin? She was a white woman who used the n-word in an anti-slavery novel. Will her message soon be lost as well? </p>
<p>There are a great many copies of Huck Finn out there where the n-word is blanked out yet people still object to reading it. That is voluntary ignorance. People don’t even know what it is they’re objecting to.</p>
<p>“Perhaps white readers derive a secret thrill (or at least experience a private sense of affirmation) at the limited intelligence of its black characters and at the nefarious outcome of its black protagonist. After all, the black victim not only declined a white girl’s advances – he also was shot attempting to escape the white man’s jail, so it must be OK that he was brought down by 17 bullets from faceless white guards…”</p>
<p>I guess if anything bad happens to a black character in a book by a white author with a white protagonist, it must make it a racist book, and the white readers must secretly be enjoying the black character’s suffering. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>so you got the only feedback you really needed, from your own students</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I agree l000%. The diverse viewpoints come from the way the novel is taught in a classroom. You, the teacher, can provide the historical context, unlock the language (n-word as a product of its time and location, for example). I’m sure you did. That’s your job as the teacher, not the novelist’s job as the writer. </p>
<p>If you know your class and think that those particular (not all) l0 year olds can, WITH YOUR GUIDANCE, put the novel into context, then I don’t think you’re reinforcing racism by teaching it, if it even is a racist novel subliminally (as the other reviews claim; I happen to disagree, but that’s irrelevant). </p>
<p>In high school, we read Merchant of Venice, and I had no grief with SHakespeare for writing it; only with the teacher for not de-bugging its antiSemitism. Her silence bothered me, not Shakespeare’s words.</p>
<p>I agree with Allmusic – Mockingbird is one of my favorite books, but I don’t think a fifth-grader can appreciate its themes or nuances. For years I would tell my daughter that one day, she would read it when I felt she was ready – I think that happened when she was in 7th or 8th grade. I don’t feel that the subject material is too mature – just that sometimes it’s a mistake to read something too early.</p>
<p>Well in my own defense- I have to add that in the reading group situation, I wasn’t even the teacher- I was just a parent who was appalled that my daughters class had rotating subs all year and was one of several who stepped in to hold weekly reading groups with about 8 kid apiece- we were pretty much on our own.</p>
<p>The daughter who was in that class- wasn’t in a reading group ( because she was in resource), but taking 8 kids out of the class, gave the subs a smaller class room to work with ( the groups were all at different times- as the parents didn’t have the same schedules)</p>
<p>Other books I had them read were more appropriate- Number the Stars- Bridge to Teribithia ( boy they all were pretty heavy) It was very difficult because I didn’t find out till several months had gone by, that one girl * couldn’t read*- I didn’t understand why she kept missing book group ( it was first thing in the morning & she would purposely miss the bus), until I called her mother to ask about her.
I felt so bad- all the kids in my group were all over the map for reading levels and interests & the only experience I had was buying kids books!
But really parents( and kids) shouldnt have been put in that position.
Yes the principal was well aware, but she was a brand new principal and over her head.</p>
<p>6th grade went better- different teacher and I had all boys who were basically at same reading level- we read Thunder cave & lots of books about basketball ;)</p>
I personally had a hard time reading Huck Finn because of the proliferation of a word I find offensive. I don’t care what context or time period the word was used in, every time I read it, the word ■■■■■■■■ stung a little…</p>
<p>And even though I’m not a fan of it, the term used in songs and music today is very different than the word used in literature and stuff…</p>
<p>But, just for the record, I don’t advocate its use in any form.</p>
<p>I’ve read through this whole thread now. I resisted commenting at first because I wanted to understand how anybody could possibly find TKAM racist. I do understand how it might not be approrpriate reading material for an elementary school student, but not because of the racial issues. I’d rather explain to my 10 yr old that minorities are not always treated fairly than what rape is.</p>
<p>Just because there are things in our history that we aren’t quite proud about (assuming they don’t still happen) doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be written about. And it certainly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t read about it. TKAM was one of the books that helped my kids understand racial prejudice. </p>
<p>There were two other works of art that I thought effectively taught it. One was a short story in a book of sports stories that I bought for the boys when they were ten. I can’t remember the name of the story or the author now, but it was about a boy trying out for the basketball team and how the coach didn’t let him because of the color of his skin. The first time my oldest son read that story he became very upset. It was a great time for discussion of the topic.</p>
<p>The second was “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”. I’ve watched this movie many times and I’m glad to say that when watching now, I’m more offended by the words they use than I used to be. Which is a good thing, because apparently these words are not used as often today as they were years ago.</p>
<p>I think almost anything is worth reading or watching- IF- context is considered.
I still read Dorothy Sayers for example- even though she makes occasional ethnic/religious slurs which are uncomfortable to read.</p>
<p>I have also used stereotypes in movies and television as a point of discussion with kids- even when they are teens.
I don’t expect all books or all movies ( or music, or art works) to be all things to all people.</p>
<p>However- there are things that are just flat out mean spirited, and even if they are “popular”, I am bothered by them and try and limit the kids exposure to them ( and don’t let them be purchased- if I realize ahead of time)</p>
<p>I think we are influenced by popular culture even if kids say ( its just a video game etc)- but I also think that books like TKAM have a lot to offer- even if they use a word we don’t use anymore.</p>
<p>'And no, don’t ban anything. There’s nothing worse than tossing a book out of a school that nobody’s bothered to understand."</p>
<p>Years ago, my then 6th grade daughter read The Silver Kiss, a selection from the summer reading list. I happened to pick it up one evening and came across a passage which disturbingly akin to what I imagine kiddie porn to be. I had to mention my concerns to the powers that be because I really don’t think they had read it. I mean no one could have read this trash and thought it belonged on the summer list. In fact, I didn’t ask them to actually ban it, just to read it! It was there the next year but gone after that. I had such difficulty with my decision to attempt to get the book off the list - in another life, I’d probably be a 1st amendment lawyer. I just felt it was so inappropriate.</p>