Blog 2 - Do This, Do That: Why I Will Continue to Teach Challenging Literature

Do This, Do That: Why I Will Continue to Teach Challenging Literature

In Sarah Dryer’s “Read This, Not That: Why and How I’ll Use Young Adult Literature in My Classroom” she argues that young adult literature should be used in an English classroom because it easier for student with low reading abilities to understand, it appeals to diverse readers, and it is more relevant to teenagers than canonical literature. Dryer also argues the importance of producing aesthetic readers as well as efferent readers in order to produce lifelong readers who are empowered by their ability to enjoy and interpret books independently. While young adult literature can be a bridge to canonical literature, it cannot and should not replace the canon simply because it is easier to read. Dryer places too much emphasis on young adult literature as easily accessible and relevant replacement for canonical literature. While literature instruction should be accessible to the student in accordance with their abilities, the strict use of young adult literature is not going to sufficiently prepare students to be autonomous adults in a diverse society.

Dryer is correct when she states that children need multicultural literature in the classroom; however, this does not only occur through the use of young adult literature, but can be achieved through incorporating diverse, high-quality world literature in the classroom. Dryer finds that “a curriculum containing nothing but Hawthorne, Shakespeare, and other literary giants prevent students from studying non-white and non-male viewpoints” (34). Yet according to the Virginia Standards of Learning for grade ten reading, the instruction of multicultural literature is one of the three reading goals: “The student will read, comprehend, and analyze literary texts of different cultures and eras” (English Standards 2). Currently, tenth grade textbooks include such authors as Langston Hughes, Sandra Cisneros, Chinua Achebe, Luisa Valenzuela, Elie Wiesel, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Yoshiko Uchida. These authors do not always target a young adult audience, but write high-quality literature that provides different perspectives and invite empathy in their readers.

Another method of including different perspectives in the classroom is through the use of nonfiction. While nonfiction does not encourage students to be aesthetic readers, but to be efferent readers, reading to gain information is a valuable skill in life especially when navigating a car mechanic’s manual, a nurse’s text book, or cable TV assembly instructions. Perhaps the greater skill that can be taught readers is to read with a discerning eye for bias both in nonfiction and fiction. This would serve an autonomous reader and citizen of the world well and is equally important to reading the personal views of diverse society members.

Thus, the classics should continue to be taught even if the literature is written predominately by white males. This is a reflection of the social hierarchy of a given period of history, which should not be ignored but should be read to show the change of authorship, voice, and structure of literature over time. Reading the classics reflects the evolution or lack of evolution in the beliefs of mankind. While a love for classic literature cannot necessarily be taught, students should be exposed to classic literature because it is the voice of history. While Dyer is critical of reading a story to figure out the connections between fictional characters and real historical people, this is often important in determining the theme and author’s purpose. Dyer’s dismissal of the efferent stance in favor of the aesthetic stance, as a means of encouraging readers to become autonomous, lacks the sense of balance that modern readers should maintain. Students should be challenged in their reading from the “flowery” language of the classics to the modern technical language of science (Dryer 36). While struggling readers may benefit from accessible young adult literature, readers who do not struggle should continue to be challenged, which means keeping classical literature in the curriculum.