By Maddie DesNoyer & Shannon McGlone
The Tower
Grosse Pointe South HS
1st Place
Division 1, News Writing
Pro/Con Editorial Columns
Point (Pro)
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a poignant depiction of humanity and the American south in a tall glass of unsweetened iced tea. It teaches the importance of understanding, the inevitability of adulthood and the multifaceted nature of human emotion.
“Great Expectations” is lengthy and enigmatic, and similarly to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is a story of growing up in circumstances outside of one’s control. “The Crucible” is a Tony-winning play and a clever metaphor. Its social commentary is flawless and it was written by one of the best playwrights since Chekov and Shakespeare.
I could go on with the list, but many of you have read these books and know what I’m talking about. The literature we read in school is timeless, and no arguments to their relevance should be heard. These books were chosen to reflect what we will experience in life.
They may be set in different times, but the human condition never changes. There will always be hardships and glories. They may be different over time but are always comparable. These books give insight from the past, a new perspective on our present and ideas for the future.
John Green didn’t become what he is without reading “The Catcher in the Rye,” among other classics. Timeless novels are deep-seated in the roots of our society. They have inspired for generations and will reliably continue to do so.
I don’t think that’s something we should discount because someone has trouble with the diction. If nothing else, books like these will teach the reader patience and how to use elevated vocabulary. It’s called literacy. Don’t try to weasel out of it.
However, there are more arguments besides the “difficulty of reading” and the persistence of time from the nay-sayers of our curriculum.
They say these books are tedious and bland.
They say they are inappropriate for our youth, because, God forbid, we give them new ideas and exposure to culture.
They say they don’t need to read them because they have SparkNotes and Schmoop on their side, holding their hands as to not use their brains.
These are terrible and dangerous ideas, and let’s get rid of them right away.
As for the claims of impropriety in “Huckleberry Finn,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Catcher in the Rye,” (for some reason “Romeo and Juliet” and the Poe works we read are ignored, and those are easily the most sexual and gory) they are undeniable. Inside the pages of these books you will find racial slurs, drug use, intense sexuality, underage consumption of alcohol, sacrifice, lies, insanity and betrayal.
Sounds just like high school to me.
Nothing can replace the feeling of reading. Nothing can bring forth new ideas. Nothing can inspire and nothing can give you such genuine pause. Take away the classics, and we will be a stunted society.
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Counterpoint (Con)
As high schoolers, we are presented with an assortment of required books for our English courses such as “Great Expectations,” “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.
Teachers deem these books as timeless and classic novels, but I beg to differ. Their dull, elongated and outdated styles of writing are disliked and make it hard to keep focus on the material. Reading has become somewhat like a punishment rather than a source of enjoyment. Since the books are so outdated, we would benefit much more by reading newer content that involves current issue.
“Great Expectations,” a 493 page novel written in 1860 by Charles Dickens, is 59 chapters of endless, monotonous reading that lacks any type of excitement or interest.
With Sparknotes and other online resources, students can quickly read about the chapters assigned as homework in a few brief paragraphs. With other options, like Sparknotes available, students ultimately don’t gain or learn anything. Students want to read something that will inform them about current social issues that are happening in our world, not about fictional events written over 100 years ago.
“To Kill A Mockingbird,” written in 1960, is written in a different and more incomprehensible writing style for students. In the first chapter, Harper Lee uses words such as, “taciturn,” “flivver” and “domiciled,” which are obviously not words you would hear in a high school conversation yet alone in the vocabulary.
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” has been known as one of the most controversial books to be taught in schools for its prominence of racial slurs and discussing slavery. Mark Twain’s unpleasant expressions and use of satire have caused disapproval and discomfort throughout the country for years. People may argue that students need to be taught about slavery, segregation and the hardships that it brought to our country, and I agree. Although we, as students, have been exposed to that all throughout our entire schooling process, also US History is a required class in high school where the student will be taught even more about those issues.
During students’ junior year, they are presented with the first non-fiction book they are required to read. “Outliers” includes Malcolm Gladwell’s examination of the factors it takes to become successful. Students admire this book because it talks about current events and figures that students are familiar with. If more books were offered similar to “Outliers,” students would be more open to reading and have a much more enjoyable time participating and learning about the book.
Although others may say that these three books give students insight and awareness about issues and certain things during different historical time periods, I think that reading something that is relevant to the present would be more beneficial. If more contemporary books were added into to the school’s English curriculum, students would gain knowledge and perspective about the world they are living in.