Banned Books: Censoring Literature

            Alas dear readers, we have come to the end. That is not to say your beloved author will not enlighten you with my thoughts, but, I am tidying up the blog for academic purposes. This experiment began as an assignment for class. This is my closing post for the class. One of the reasons I will continue to write about censorship is that it is something that interests me. As I stroll down that educational path I will inevitably encounter more fodder to rant about. As I said in the mission statement oh so long ago, part of the reason I am doing this is to arm myself for any sticky situations I might encounter in my classroom. I can easily for see someone taking question with my methods. But really, aren’t those the kind of people you want teaching your kids, someone that makes then think, that challenges the modern conventions if only to leave you asking, why?

            So, as I continue on, I still have a few summer classes, then it is into the classroom to observe for a semester and then assist for another semester. I think it is comical that I was allowed to instruct as a substitute teacher, you know for money. Now I am forced to merely watch, you know for free. That is besides the point, but just a sample of the kind of ranting to come.

            One of the most prevalent things I have learned is the power of a blog. I originally assumed that I was only going to reach other members of my class. To my surprise, I was reached by many others outside my classroom. I did not realize how many people I was going to reach through this blog. I had people from all over the country including a long lost friend find me because of my blog. People who I wrote my posts about, authors of interesting articles I commented about, responded back to me. I even had a recent author get in touch with me. The power to reach people is truly amazing. I can only imagine what it might do for a high school student, who might not have felt valued before. Giving a voice to the voiceless is truly a wonderful gift, if that is not instruction, I don’t know what is. Just look at the boost it gave me, and I am considered conceded by some, a narcissist by other who aren’t as smart as me. : >

            Besides the empowerment, just imagine the range of possibilities a blog could offer in the classroom. It could be a wonderful way to open up discussion. Hopefully, that discussion will act as a stimulant for further classroom conversation. For example, imagine you were teaching multi-genres, different ways of writing. You could assign a different way of writing to each student. They could put this assignment up on their blog. In this way, a blog could be used as a showcase for authors. This is really a cyber workshop in which peers can learn from each other. Another wonderful idea might be to have blogs surrounding a piece of fiction. You could have them think about characters one week, and themes the next of a book. Really the options are endless.

I like to think of it as a paper-less museum showcasing all of your student’s work. I am excited by the possibilities. For now however, I will continue to operate this blog. I am excited to see what kinds of challenges will arise when I enter the classroom this coming Fall. I am interested to see how other teachers deal with censorship. I will be writing from a unique perspective as both observer and participant when I am student teaching. I am interested to learn from other teachers and see how students and parents alike respond to the issue of censorship. Stay tuned.

            This year, the Michigan Council of Teachers of English put on the Bright Ideas Conference. So, I headed out to Michigan State University for my first real professional conference. The key note speaker was Chris Crutcher. I have blogged about him in the past. He is an often challenged author. His work has been banned, naturally, I was excited to attend. The conference began with a speech from Crutcher. Followed by this was three, 50 minute sessions with an hour provided for lunch in between. Over all, I enjoyed my self. There was a healthy mix of students and teachers present. I think I liked it more than some. I recall, during one session I was actively taking notes. I thought the ideas the presenter had were very interesting. A girl next to me smiled as she saw my pen frantically scratching on the paper trying to record some points of interest. She laughed and leaned over and queried, “You must have to write a paper, huh?”. I think she was surprised by my note taking. I assured her it was just for my benefit.            

So, some attend for different reasons. Mainly, I am interested in knowledge, the gathering of it as well as the ways of sharing. I will take you through my day at the Conference. Before the first session, Chris Crutcher took the podium and told some humorous stories. He talked about life in his small home town. It felt more like listening to Garrison Keeler than a seminar on education. Really, he was very enjoyable. After his relatable stories, he did discuss the beauty of English, the joy of reading a book and discussing it in a literature class. He basically said something to the effect, ‘It’s a level playing filed. Forget the generational gap. I tell you what I thought about the story. You tell me, and we open up a conversation from there.’ This really resonated with me. Another thing he talked about is the wonderful connections that can occur while reading. For some students, they can find solace through a book, they can find someone they can relate to. They discover that there is someone else who thinks like they do, for an adolescent, that is a wonderful discovery.

            After that I toddled off to the first session. There I met an old professor from another school. She was recently hired at a local high school and told me to drop by in a year when I will be looking for a job. Already, the Conference was paying off. The first session was about blogging in the classroom. The title was “Opening Up Conversations Through the Use of Blogs in the Classroom”, and was held by Valerie Walker, Grad Student from MSU. Unfortunately, the majority of the material discussed pertained to those unfamiliar with what blogs are. I did learn some valuable web sites however. She did show us how she used them in class. Some of the web sites are in fact very interesting and are examples of how people use blogging in the classroom. For example, edublog.com does hold awards for the most innovative blogs used in a classroom. This can be found at a section of the edublog website. It is interesting to see how other people use the technology.

            I had the opportunity to host one of the second sessions. Primarily, this is a nice resume line. Interestingly enough, I introduced Dr. Rozema and Dr. Hicks who is an Assistant English Professor at WMU. Their session was entitled, “Social Networking, Teacher Education, and English Language Arts”.  For those of you not in either of my classes with Dr. Rozema, they basically talked about social networking sites like facebook. This is a really hot topic amongst educators right now. Just exactly what is permissibly for faculty to do on sites like facebook? Should they interact with their students? The main thing is, you are a teacher no matter where you are, the cyber world included. Behavior should be the same as it is in the classroom. Students are comfortable only to a point when dealing with their teachers on a social networking site. Certainly it can be used as an enormous benefit, focused around school work. For example, imagine assigning blogs about bullying for example. All the students could have a voice. Or, another creative idea would be to create a myspace page for famous literary characters. The danger that we often hear about is when teachers cross the line. Sites such as ning.com can be used for educational purposes. Basically, it is similar to facebook but can be controlled by an educator to suite their purposes. The relationship a teacher has on line should be the same, appropriate type that exists in the classroom. Using such technology can be really interesting. There are an unlimited amount of innovative, learning related activities that can be done on these networks. As in all situation, a certain amount of discretion is needed.

            The final one I went to was a bust. In fact, I won’t even comment on it. The presenter provided nothing new, and was very nervous. In fact it ended after about twenty minutes earlier. This allowed me to sneak into another one, which was fantastic. “Integrating the English Language Arts through Dramatic Literature”. The presenter was Samantha Caughlan, a professor at MSU. This is the one I actually took the most notes on. I am not familiar with the theatre, but she discussed many ways in which to use drama to help better understand a work. For example, performing Shakespeare as opposed to just reading it. Even if you have limited time, you can still work on a scene. She had wonderful ideas, for example relating the Chorus, used in Greek plays, to modern times. The three Motown singers in the movie “Little Shop of Horrors”, are in fact a chorus. They provide the same function, basically commenting on the action. I particularly liked her ideas about showing multiple productions of the same work. The allows the students to note differences in setting, costumes, time periods, etc…  This last session was very helpful in using various arts in creative ways in the classroom. It reminded me to constantly peer at things in different ways to discover even more.

            In closing, I would say I enjoyed the conference. I love being around all of the ideas, and people who are driven and doing creative things in the classroom. I would recommend such an educational seminar to others, in fact I am keeping my eye out for more. Finding new ideas to use in the classroom is wonderful. I even learned new ways of doing things that I had not thought of before. I find it exciting just to be around passionate people, no matter what the common theme.

Links:

Bright Ideas website

Innovative Blogs

Perks Podcast

My first attempt at a pod cast. Essentially it is a psychiatric session of Charlie’s, the protagonist of the novel.

            Author Stephen Chbosky is a controversial author. His young adult novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is testament to this. The American Library Association ranks it as the eighth most banned book of 2006. The reason for this is, what else, because of sexually explicit material. This is the number one reason books are banned.

“According to the The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books, Challenges by Initiator, Institution, Type, and Year, the top three reasons, in order, for challenging material are the material is considered to be “sexually explicit” contain “offensive language,” and be “unsuited to age group.” 

This quote comes from the ALA website. What I find most interesting about this is the fact that sexuality is included. One could argue that sex is a basic primary need. That is not to say that without sex, one will die. I realize this is often the last, desperate plea of a hormone driven adolescent. But seriously, if a species does not procreate, they will die off. So sex, in the survival sense, is necessary. So, my question then, why is something that is vital to human existence not talked about more openly? Why do we fear such a dialogue? What bothers me more is the fact that violence does not make the top three for reasons why books are banned. Violence! Something that should be foreign to humanity is not what concerns people; sexuality something basic to our being human is what is challenged. I believe there is something very wrong with this. It is a fundamental flaw that should be addressed.

            Well, how does this happen? How do we begin to wrap our heads around this fact that to me, is incredibly out of whack. Well, for starters, we begin a dialogue. I am going to carry such questions with me into the classroom and discuss it with my students. I want them to critically think about this. What does that say about our society?

            Another way of addressing this issue is doing something about it. Not only has my blog been dedicated to this issue, I want people to be interested in the stories. Perks of Being a Wallflower is a wonderful tale. I think it really speaks to people of all ages. In order to help make this story more accessible to people, your beloved author here has made his first pod cast. That’s right folks, for all of those sleepless nights you spent wondering who was the man behind these words, now you can hear my voice available for the first time on the internet.

            I warn you, this was my first venture at a pod cast. I did it entirely on my own. I feel pleased about this. Just like learning the ins and outs of blogging, now that I am familiar with pod casts, it is just another tool in the classroom. I fully intend to use both with my students. Pod casts especially are a really unique and personal way a student can experience a book.

            I chose Perks… because one it was a banned book, a very popular one at that. But mainly because it spoke to me. Many of the things that the main character goes through, I can identify with. I think many students will be able to feel the same thing. To me, that’s the magic of fiction. Especially when you are young, the discovery that someone else feels the same way you do… That is quite a discovery and source of comfort.

            Regarding the pod cast, as I stated in the opener, it is essentially a psychiatric session between Charlie, the protagonist, and his Doctor. In the book, Charlie never really has such a session. I took some creative license. The remaining portion of this paragraph is a spoiler. Any of you not wanting to go further in order to keep the suspense up while reading the book should stop now. Do not be afraid to listen to the pod cast however. Ok, now that we have that sorted out, the only thin I wanted to relay to you was that although Charlie never actually has a session with a psychiatrist, he does have a mental collapse or breakdown at the end of the book. Some argue that his first sexual experience triggers repressed memories of his Aunt Helen molesting him. This memory throws him into turmoil, he simply cannot deal with the incident and has to seek treatment. He checks into a facility. I took the liberty if imagining his initial encounter with the in house Doctor. During the pod cast, the audience overhears what that session might be like. I scripted the entire Psychiatric part. All of Charlie’s words were taken from the text and artfully rearranged. The pod cast was done in homage to the eighth most banned book from 2006. What a read it was.

1st Full Article. American Library Association. ala.org

2nd Full Article. American Library Association. ala.org

9th grade handout

Forward:  In writing this I hope to stir up emotion. I invite anyone, particularly those from FHC to respond.

The other day, I took a field trip of sorts. Here I am, a young urban blogger writing about schools and censorship. So I wanted to get a better look at what I am dealing with. I headed over to Forest Hills Central high school. I had previously made arrangements with the principal Mr. Urquhart to sit in on an English class. As luck would have it, on the day of my visitation, Mr. Dempkey’s ninth grade class was discussing a recent book banning incident.

Now Forest Hills Central is a very affluent community. The district is primarily upper-class. I would describe the residents as conservative, white collar families all wanting their children to excel academically. Certainly the vast majority of these kids will attend college. I don’t think it would be inaccurate to say that the area is politically on the right.

Before class began, I was getting to know Mr. Dempkey a bit. He is actually younger than me. He has taught in that high school for six years I believe. I relayed to him my situation. I even discussed the blog that I am keeping on censorship. Well, he then shared with me something of interest relating to the parents in the community. Being that most have higher levels of education, there is a lot of involvement. This can be something of a double edged sword, but I digress.

He relayed to me many of the objections the parents did have. Apparently, many of them expressed concern over their children reading Lord of the Flies. The objections stemmed from the cannibalism portrayed in the book. This certainly surprised me. Out of all the books that contain graphic material, really? Another case of parental involvement was over a Greek classic. I suppose that description is debatable when we are talking about a movie where Brad Pitt is shown without his shirt. Yes antiquity fans that’s right, the recent blockbuster movie “Troy” was shown at the high school to go along with reading The Iliad. In fact, just relevant parts were shown, (of the movie) but a parent still objected to their child viewing pieces of a rated “R” film. In the back of my mind I couldn’t believe that some parents actually think their kids don’t see far worse anyway. We are talking just day to day reality. But… these are the kinds of things that the parents fussed over recently. These are the kind of parents we are talking about. These are the days of our lives.

Alright, now we all are familiar with the scene. Fast forward into the class period now. The children are all seated and paying very close attention. It’s obvious there are expectations at home; these kids are eager and anxious to do well. Mr. Dempkey passes out a handout which describes a local instance of censorship. The source of the handout is CNN but the time was not clear. I could not ascertain when the events took place, but I think it’s safe to assume within the last several years. Some parents in Zeeland, a neighboring community, apparently were disturbed by the Harry Potter books. Let me say that Zeeland is similar to the area I was in, perhaps not as well to do economically, but certainly conservative, more so even.

            “Responding to parents’ complaints, Gary Feenstra, the superintendent of Zeeland Schools, ordered all Harry Potter books off library shelves last fall in elementary and middle schools. He also banned reading of the books in classrooms, required students to get notes from their parents before checking them out, and halted the purchase of future books in the series.” 

Now, obviously there is enough material here just to talk about the Zeeland issue. However, I would like to talk about the situation I was in the midst of. These Forest Hills Central ninth graders were learning of this just as I was for the first time. I was in the wonderful position to watch their response.

Now maybe with age, I tend to add a certain amount of nostalgia into my memories. I have to believe however, if I, in the prime of my youth, had learned of such a blatant case of censorship, I would have been up in arms. I certainly would have been furious at the thought of some old fogies taking away the rights of young people. Who do these adults think they are? I’m going to give them a piece of my mind! You know, things of this nature. This was not the case however. These kids seemed about as stirred up as a packet of Oval teen, LITE. I have to believe this lack of enthusiasm, this malaise was a result of their conditioning. I am sure in their reserved homes; their parents have subtly dismantled any rebellious tendencies long ago. Without their knowing, any displays of individualism have been hemmed away. The thought that this example of censorship might happen to them someday never came up. Perhaps because control happens in other ways. Perhaps these well to do young teens have already been conditioned to toe the line, not to question, fall in and obey.

Sure there were some remarks made on the side of freedom, but they were said without any real backbone or authority. When asked why parents feel this way about the wizarding collection of books, one girl said that her Grandmother was the same way. She believes that once the devil is allowed to enter, in whatever way, nothing good can come. A boy said that parents might feel this way because teenagers are fragile and susceptible to influences. I think this young man hit it on the head, because their parents have certainly influenced all of them.

They all seemed to relate to this story. That is to say, they were all aware of such concerns over the Harry Potter books. I only really heard one girl speak up as to the absurdity of such a challenge. The article discusses some connection to school violence, it references Columbine. The girl in class laughed at such a suggestion that anything besides a mental defect would cause anyone to do such a thing, let alone one of the J.K. Rowling books. She was really the only one to see this challenge to the books as absurd. Right on sister!

Perhaps I over romanticize my own youth. I would like to think that I would have been up in arms upon hearing this article. I certainly would have been more concerned. Any time something like this happens to a neighboring community, it hits home that it could be done in one’s own town. The ninth graders I watched did not seem threatened or even concerned by this. It almost seemed expected. At least, they were familiar with such an act of control and censorship. Perhaps there are more of these acts taking place all around the world. They are subtle, little, often unknown restrictions of our freedoms. They are said to be done for a variety of reasons, best interests, not for you. Such small acts aren’t viewed as threats to one’s liberty, and perhaps that is their design. Without knowing it, kids are being shaped to accept the things presented to them. They are conditioned until one day they are shaped in their parent’s likeness, ready to tow the line and continue on just as before.

I recently stumbled across a well written article entitled The Silenced Sorcerer. I will go on to examine this article written by a teenager, but first let me say a little more on the source of this article. It is a website called Teen Ink. It is written entirely by teenagers. There is an enormous amount of information ranging from poetry and short stories, to interviews with important people of the time, to articles like the one I mentioned. For any of you going into middle school teaching and especially secondary, this is a great resource to use. The articles and responses, like the one written by Jared M. of Clearwater Florida, are all very well done and pertain to current issues.

The main point of Jared’s article is in response to objections and requests to ban Harry Potter books. Although this is his focal point, I would like to highlight some of the key concerns he brings up involving the entire censorship issue. What particularly interests me as a future teacher, is the fact that it always seems to be adults who are engaged in the censorship debates. I think it’s hypocritical in a way to have only adults, parents, teachers, counselors, advisors, and so on being the ones who choose what is appropriate for students. This is primarily why I am focusing on Jared’s article. Hopefully, those who read this post will be not only turned on to Teen Ink and other teen driven forums, but will also consider why is it that only adults seem to have the input on censorship? Why should we be the only ones to decide what is suitable for students? I don’t think this stems from a lack of interest on the teen side, but we don’t give them a chance to be heard.

Not only does Jared M. represent the very group of people the censorship debate effects most, but his article is also a very strong, well thought out argument. In his opening paragraph, he asks questions which strike at the heart of this topic.           

“…Who is vested with the authority to decide what is ‘objectionable and Dangerous’. And, with this ‘suppression of ideas’, who are we really protecting? Can the lack of information and abundance of one-sided information actually aid anyone in developing a well rounded view of the world?” 

I think it’s very interesting for a teenager to ask an adult such questions. ‘Who are you to tell me what to read?’ I realize the censorship debate contains many levels and to be honest, I am not sure where I stand. When I first started this blog, I held your typical left wing, liberal stance on the issue. It seems however, with every posting I make, I realize the grayness of the issue. If ‘grayness’ hasn’t quite yet found its way into the dictionary, I think this is the issue to put it over the top. The more I immerse myself with material surrounding this issue, the more confused I become. I still believe that banning books is wrong. But, I also feel that not all books are appropriate for all ages. Certainly, I think once you get to the end of your High School career, nothing should be off limits. I want my child to have access to any reading material they want at that age because I believe by then; they are mature enough to make their own judgments on whatever they read. But, I do think that some things can be a bit much for younger readers.

Having a committee would be a great way to engage members of the school and get everyone involved, parents and children. I thin the ‘who’ is an important part. I would like to see a committee of representatives go over just these kinds of issues. I think it would be ideal if parents, students and teachers formed reading groups to discuss curriculum. This would be the authority that Jared asks about. He goes on further in his article…

            “Does a school have the authority to restrict students’ access to information?”

I have come to understand that the school should not have such total authority over a teenager. But, by listening to them, and working with teens as well as parents, I think school workers would benefit from such open discussion. Through discussion, concerns would be voiced and I have to believe some sort of common ground can be reached. I never think it would be a good thing to restrict all access. I do however think that for some younger readers, at least a conscientious discussion of material and investigation into the format of instruction would help. I think this point is addressed in the article as well, right after an insightful quote from Supreme Court Justice William Brennan.

            “ ‘Limiting expression limits education and strangles the mind.’ If a principal deems certain written material to be ‘inappropriate’ for some students, must a book be censored from all, including those students who are more mature.”

The quote from the Justice is priceless and I think it sums up the absurdity of censorship. Ask yourself the question in another way, how can one learn as well with limited means? It just doesn’t work. Jared’s follows this quote by pointing out a flaw, or short coming in censorship. While I agree that certain materials are not appropriate for some younger readers, to ban it for all is just senseless and creates a real disadvantage for older students.

Let us pretend we are teaching a class about the equal rights movement. In order for the students to understand the type of racism that existed, perhaps a teacher might want her class to hear some literature read at the Clan meeting just before the Selma Alabama incident. Such words of hate are powerful. I think to a class examining the entire issue, hearing these words would give them a better understanding of the sentiment of the time. Certainly, ‘a better understanding’ is all any teacher wants. Personally, I feel such holistic, inclusive teaching, when done with delicacy and care, can be a very powerful tool used to reach young minds. But, I don’t think that this lecture, for all of the insight and understanding it could provide into such an issue, should be given to an immature class. Certainly, this type of lecture is upper secondary material. I don’t think that many middle school children can handle such an exploration into the entirety of such an issue. So, although this lesson could be instrumental and moving for an older more mature student, it is not suitably for all students. I think the only way to decide is to have an open debate with parents, teachers, and most importantly students.

In closing, the inclusion of the teenaged opinion is imperative to the discussion. Too often, they feel left out, marginalized. Teachers must be aware of such sources as Teen Ink in order to gain a better understanding of the issue. As I am learning myself, censorship is complex, and perhaps at times, necessary. Certainly some materials need a mature mind. Only through an open, inclusive discussion can we come to a better understanding.

full article

Jared, M. “The Silenced Sorcerer”. TeenInk. Feb. 2008