I thought this article was super interesting and relevant, given our discussion of Toni Morrison last Tuesday. What do you think? If you had children, would you let them read The Bluest Eye?
(oh, and you still need to comment on the George Saunders post, if you haven't already, for credit. Don't forget!)
I've never read the Bluest Eye, and I'm not fully aware of the child development stages in educational psychology (so I'm probably too uninformed to have a valid opinion on this specific topic). However, the trouble with censorship is that it can provide students with an unbalanced perception of reality—and fail to prepare them for the more difficult aspects of life later on. I attended a private school for a time growing up, before switching to public school, and I saw some friends who did the same thing struggle so much with the new "darknesses"/harsh realities of life in public school. Due to their sheltering, they were unable to easily transition into public school. In the same way, if we fail to speak about or read about hard things while growing up, we are more easily blindsided when those things DO occur—because they will. Perhaps it is healthier to discover those harsh realities in doses while growing up, as opposed to all at once after a childhood of censorship.
ReplyDeleteI've never read the Bluest Eyes either, but from the sound of it, Ms. Terhar only opposes the graphic imagery in the novel, which, in my opinion, has nothing to do with race issues. Although I must agree with Alex that I would rather have my kids and/or students read about such things in a controlled environment where explanations are ready to be had than face "the real world" with ignorance. I also thought it was hilarious towards the end of the article where Mr. Smith says he sees the "hidden agenda" behind the Common Core.
ReplyDelete"The Common Core guidance documents include a passage in the book that contains no sexual content and lists the book in an index for works typically read by high school juniors, ages 16 and 17."
ReplyDeleteSince the passage included did not include any of the 'graphic passages' which Terhar found unsuitable for children, why then suggest that any mention of it be excised from the document altogether?
The Common Core selected a passage from "The Bluest Eye" which employed complex language in an effort to strengthen students' reading skills. For Terhar to state that the book be completely disregarded is a blatant injustice to the magnitude of Morrison's work as well its cultural significance. It is understandable to suggest that the book not be read to elementary or even middle school students but 16 and 17 year old aged students are in their junior and senior year of high school. Not only should they be challenged by the incredible story of "The Bluest Eye," they should be challenged by other raw, rare tales of human injustice. Having read the novel as a college freshman, I believe that withholding such a valuable text from upper class high school students would be senseless, wasteful and simply unwise.
“Children have always read books written for adults, even while their own body of literature has grown. Why even have a separate juvenile literature if children are exposed to the adult world daily? Because children can and do benefit from a literature that meets their interests and the context of their lives. What they do not benefit from is literature that is “dumbed down” on the assumption that they cannot handle complexities.” Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age (1999) by Eliza Dresang
ReplyDeleteThis quote mirrors my viewpoint completely. As child, there was nothing more frustrating than an adult telling me I wouldn't understand because I was too young. This was (in part) why my mom home-schooled us in elementary. A lot of times, she read novels aloud to us so that she could interject and explain if something was deep, graphic, or new to us. (Of course, every now and then, there were certain words or passages she would omit.)
It's important to remember that kids reason and problem-solve in stages proportionate to their age, but that their imagination is more thirsty for knowledge than an adult's.