A school board member in Arlington Heights, Ill., objected based on excerpt of the book that she’d found on the Internet. But in 2006, the book was retained on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 reading list in Arlington Heights, along with the other challenged titles. The book was also pulled from the senior Advanced Placement English class at Eastern High School in Louisville, K.Y., this year, because two parents complained that the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about antebellum slavery depicted the inappropriate topics of bestiality, racism, and sex.This was extremely disappointing to read. We need more books like these that are willing to stick their literary necks in front of the blade that is public perception, all the in the name of educating society on the harsh reality of these actions instead of sweeping them under the rug. Torture is real. Rape is real. Death is real. Does a five year old need to know that? No. But a highschooler should. Otherwise, we run the risk of someone (without malicious intentions) committing one of these atrocities without even knowing they were. It all stems from a lack of education, and I think books like Belved are helping with that problem.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
This Book Makes Me Uncomfortable and That's a Good Thing
Between the torture, rape, and death, Beloved seems to cover all its controversial bases, all in graphic detail. I did a little research, and found a Time Magazine article detailing from the reading list in Arlington IL.
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Seth, I enjoyed reading your post and I completely agree. Beloved is packed with a lot of intense realities and ideas. Morrison takes risks and I like it. I am glad we have the opportunity to read the book.
ReplyDeleteI went to a Catholic grade school that would have never let students read a book like Beloved, which I also believe is very disappointing. Beloved has probably been my favorite book I've ever read in an English class. I'm thankful that OPRF allows teachers to teach books like this.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you touched on this for two reasons. First, books like this need to be read in schools due to Morrison's genius. Her writing style is amazing. Second, these are accurate portrayals of what life was truly like. People need to know of the atrocities that took place during slavery. This book helps shine light on a dark period in U.S. history
ReplyDeleteRight. People tend to get offended about the things that are most true. Beloved is definitely explicit in it's themes of sexuality and slavery, and it should be. Toni Morrison doesn't stop to consider who she's offending with her portrayal of a certain reality, which is why her writing is so powerful.
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