Fantastic discussion today! We covered many important aspects of selecting and teaching literature. Thanks to everyone for getting their first assignment to me.
Please note: we will have class next week, June 12. There is no class on June 19 for Bard on the Beach.
I have e-mailed the updated syllabus, and also updated it on our class website, along with our class notes. To have a look, please click on Syllabus and Class Notes.
Hope no one gets flooded this weekend. :(
24 comments:
Hi everyone,
I really liked the discussions we had in class this week. I learned a lot from the discussions and I liked the way we divided up readings into groups for presentations. Some of the topics gave me a lot to think about, especially how to best approach and teach controversial topics, not an east task. But I did get some good ideas and suggestions, in particular, I liked the response that the controversial topic is not the subject but an issue arises from the text (what is being taught). I think that's a good thing to remember.
hi,
I wanted to comment on one thing in particular and that is the question of the 'authentic voice'. This is an issue that I have always grappled with. At the end of class, this issue came up. Sue mentioned that Memoirs of a Geisha was not written by a chinese person, and someone mentioned a story about a person living in China who is not Chinese. The question remains- do they have a right to portray their story and their experiences? Or is it deemed unauthentic simply because the individual is not from that specific cultural background? And if they not viewed as authentic voices is this not a form of censorship?I find this especially relates when teaching Aboriginal Education or novels written by other genders or races. I've spoken to a few teachers who say they feel uncomfortable teaching such issues because they don't want to speak for the person as they feel they are not 'authorized' too. Often teachers bring in guest speakers in order to avoid this dilemma and take the onus off themselves.
I feel I can personally relate to this as I was born in Africa. There have been times when I have spoken about my lived experiences only to be told I was not an authority on that subject because I am not 'black'. So I wonder- is there a 'true' voice? How do we decide who is 'authorized' to speak?
Many interesting things last class. I like the authentic voice issue that Arzina mentioned. I personally don't think writers' choice of voice should be censored in any way, and they should be able to write from the perspective of any character they wish. It can be a man, a woman, an alien, of whatever culture the author decides on. I think it gets a bit more complicated if the author seems to have an agenda of some kind, or if readers feel like the author is misrepresenting a group of people.
I enjoyed the discussion on censorship of literature, which definitely has implications for our future classrooms. I also enjoyed the discussion on the inclusion of multicultural literature. I think there is a fear of moving outside of "the canon", and that there are many ways one could design an engaging LA program that made use of important canonical works AND some diverse, quality works by non-white, non-male authors. I do not think we are doing this to make certain kids in the class happy to see an author of their own particular background. The point of multicultural education goes beyond that, and students need to be exposed to cultures and worldviews outside of their own. They need to begin to see culture as relative, and literature and art are some of the best ways to make those connections.
I really enjoyed the Taming of the Shrew on the weekend, and will probably see another play before the end of the summer. The only other time I saw live Shakespeare was when I visited London, the Globe theatre. I saw Richard III performed by an amazing all female cast!
Hi everybody,
Ya, there was so much to talk about from last class. I am not even sure where to start. The issue of authentic voice is interesting, as I understand not wanting to encroach on anyone's experience, but should you really deny someone the experience of the exquisitely wrought characters of D.H. Lawrence just because most of them are female and he was not?
On the censorship issue, I found an interesting site that lists 100 challenged books in Canada. Some were from schools, some public libraries. It is interesting because it lists what the basis of the challenge was, and what the outcome of the challenge was. There are a wide variety of examples, some expected, some surprising ones, for all linds of reasons, politics, sex etc. This is the link. It is an insight into our own cultural hang ups and sore spots if nothing else. http://www.freedomtoread.ca/docs/challenged_books.pdf Have fun!
I was also intrigued by the entire authenticity debate, and I will preface this by first saying I believe that everyone (especially students) should take the time to explore what it may feel like to belong to a different group, race, gender etc…This exercise provides valuable experience and insight that simple observation cannot replace. However, my understanding is that the authentic voice came into play as a reaction to the dominant voice. Many who champion this authentic voice are really championing minority voices—namely women and minority groups who were written about. In a power dichotomy, these groups were left with little or no voice at all. This is definitely changing, and I think the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction where people are afraid to engage because they may lack first-person authority. Perhaps a compromise could be if two works were studied concurrently—authentic and fictional; historical and fictional—and students could examine and compare the different experiences/portrayals. In this way, it’s not about being right or better. It’s about studying different representations and making an informed decision about what you see.
I was reflecting on the ideas of authentic voices, and it's a bit of a touchy thing. In qualitative research, the researcher is required to bracket their position in an appendix. This would outline their position as it may have impacted their research (ie: gender, lived experiences, member of a related organization, survivor of related trauma). It could be a way to continue pursuing creativity without taking an all-knowing stance. The best example I can think of for allowing people to write as "others", are books that people have written as animals. In "The Fantastic Mr. Fox", the characters personify many human qualities, and few people (over the age of 8) would interpret this as the definitive voice of foxes:) It's a healthy experience for people to stretch and try to imagine being another person- as a reader or a writer.
Last class I enjoyed the presentations, and particularly the discussion around thematic learning. In my 405, I was assigned the poetry unit, a novel study, and Macbeth. I think it would have been a lot harder to assemble materials based on theme... but it probably would have given the students more opportunity to build connections. Poetry is particularly difficult to teach as an isolated unit (since students are generally... unenthusiastic). I wonder if teaching a short mechanics unit on poetry, short story, novel at the beginning of the year, and then polishing those skills during thematic units would be a useful compromise.
There is so much to talk about from last week! I really enjoyed the discussion about the Canon. This is a topic that I have always struggled with because women and people from different cultures are not fairly represented. The ideas about how to ensure that there is a wide range of voices represented in your Language Arts class were very helpful. As I will be teaching grade six and seven in a middle school in September, I'm going to begin collecting young adult literature for a class library. I will certainly be including literature from a wide range of diverse authors and will consult my students as to what they want to see on the shelves of their classroom.
I was reading everyone's responses regarding the 'authentic voice' and what we can and can't talk about. If I am female, can I represent a male voice? I personally don't think I can, but I can explore what that might sound like, while being honest with my students about my position. When I think of being authentic, I think of being true to yourself, and modelling that to the students. They need to understand that it is okay to explore and take chances in fields that they are maybe unfamiliar with, as long as they are true to themselves.
In regards to controversial issues in the classroom, like race or religion, I think we need to model openness and inquiry. Asking questions for clarificaion in order to build understanding. I think the importance of building a community prior to addressing issues is critical, but sometimes this doesn't always happen. I need to model my authenticity to the students and be open to my students.
I like the debate about authentic voice. Personally, I don't think it is that bad that an American man is writing as a Japanese woman, or a Canadian woman as an African male teenager. I really think it takes creativity to do these things, and creativity should always be respected. (I am, of course, assuming the authors have no political agenda.) I think it would make for a really interesting disucssion for students to present them with two works, one with and one without an authentic voice and have them choose which is which. It might also be a neat exercise to have them write short stories with and without an authentic voice, and ask them which story was easier to write and why.
Hi everyone, (I’m sorry for the long post)
Discussions about the authentic voice are always bound to be contentious. My first reaction to the use of an inauthentic voice tends to be one of discomfort and skepticism. When used in a dominant-oppressed cultural and/or racial context in particular, the issues of authenticity parallel issues that arise concerning cultural appropriation. I think what can potentially be (or perhaps always is) problematic about cultural appropriation and/or the use of an inauthentic voice in this particular instance, is that people of the dominant culture subtly perpetuate a colonial way of thought; there is a notion implied that the dominant culture, despite the unequal society they have created and live within, can claim insight into the minds of the oppressed. With a simple shrug, the robe of their privileged social position just slides off, waiting to be redressed at their convenience.
To a naïve audience, or at least one that lacks some mode of critical thinking, the inauthentic portrayals can sometimes be harmful, or at least misleading, because it can inform them of a race or culture they know little about and lead to a judgement – we see the effects of this all the time in the media, where cultures are misrepresented and stereotyped.
In terms of the negative effects to a minority community trying to survive in the literary “industry”, a thriving stream of literature that paints “inauthentic” pictures may economically suffocate those who are actual painting “authentic” pictures (with subtleties that inauthentic authors and readers may not be able to decipher). It is apparent that minority writers already struggle enough to voice themselves and do not have their work equally represented in mainstream society. So, to have a dominant culture profit off of the “exoticism” and foreign-ness of a minority culture can be economically detrimental to those very minority cultures.
Memoirs of a Geisha (I haven't seen it, interestingly because of this issue of the authentic voice), which takes place in Japan not China, is a good example of the capital created off of an inauthentic voice (disguised as authentic) from a dominant culture. I can’t even count on one hand the amount of authentic Japanese (or Japanese-Canadian or Japanese-American) films that have made as much widespread success. Is this fair?
To an audience who shares the same “outsider” point of view as the inauthentic author, the “inauthenticity” may be impossible to decipher. Is it fair then for people/teachers/students to compare two works one authentic and one not, that may very well “seem” to be similar, and make a so-called “informed decision”, when a saavy cultural insider opinion may contrast drastically? What it an "informed decision" when it comes to this issue? Again, I think this may be problematic particularly if this voicing takes place in a dominant-oppressed cultural dichotomy.
I don't think that one should be censored, but I think authors must understand that it is very risky and problematic for many reasons, as I have tried to suggest above.
Where is the line drawn between the acceptance of cultural and racial inauthenticity and the acceptance of blackface/minstrelsy? I’m not trying to be coy –I seriously question the placement of this line.
I don’t really agree with the comparison of the inauthentic voice to personification of animals. The author is not writing of a real world and trying to delve into the mind of an equally complex and equally culturally-bound being.
See you tomorrow,
Jason
I have also noticed the multiplicity of responses to the concept of the unique voice. I personally would agree with Jason’s statement that when an inauthentic voice is used by a dominant culture to represent a minority culture there issues of authenticity parallel that of cultural appropriation. I believe that there is no true representative of a culture because of the multiple perspectives within the culture itself. There are many ways of looking at the same thing through different eyes. Each individual will pick out something different that stands out to them. The best representative of a culture, however, is an individual that is immersed in that culture. But then one comes to the question of whether or not immersion refers to an individual having been a part of the culture since birth or for a prolonged period of time. Would cultural knowledge refer to one who is knowledgeable about customs or habits or one that continues to practice them?
In a classroom, I think that it is a great idea to look at incorporating different voices and different perspectives. However with time constraints and limited resources I think that it is an ideal. Yes, you can have your students collect articles by other authors. You can also create a novel study in which students choose novels written by different writers and engage in group discussions about them. At the same time, the teacher has to complete the curriculum as outlined by the Ministry of Education. Perhaps at an elementary school and middle school one can integrate these types of activities into a classroom, but with a provincially examinable course integration is challenging.
Although I found the readings on Selecting Literature to be rather self explanatory, I feel they are important nevertheless; especially the section on teaching and selecting multicultural literature. The text argues that it is important to teach multicultural literature because we live in such an ethnic society. Even though I believe this to be true, I also believe that it is equally as important to teach multicultural literature in homogenous communities. In fact, I think this might be even more significant because in a homogenous community students will have less exposure to different cultural groups than those living in more multicultural communities. I think one of the main functions of a school, and even more so of a teacher, is to prepare students for the future and for real life. One way to do this is to teach students tolerance and understanding. One of the most important ways to do this is to expose students to various cultures and perspectives— and this can be accomplished through exposure to multicultural literature and other resources such as art and music for instance.
Hello everyone,
I really enjoyed the discussions we had in class last week. All of the topics covered really made me think about how I need to incorporate resources from different cultures into my classroom. I have never really sat down and thought about where and who my resources come from (something I am now going to do!!). I also really liked teaching the class and learning from others, it was a nice change of pace. Hope everyone had a great weekend and see you in class!!
I am weighing in on the authenticity debate. I first want to clarify what defines an inauthentic work. I am very wary of saying that an inauthentic author is one who takes on a voice which they have not “lived” (a man writing as a woman or a British person writing as an East Indian, for example). Saying that we cannot write the experiences we have not lived puts serious constraints on creativity and implies that we only truly understand what is in our own heads. Beyond that, it does not allow us to write literature that can say something about our common lived experiences or the human condition. This is, I believe, the importance of literature; authors write in a way that can articulate this better than even philosophers.
So what is inauthentic writing? If the author does enough research about a particular issue, people, or culture, are they authentic? Do they need to live in the conditions they wish to write about for a time in order to have really experienced it? Can they only write from the perspective of the culture they were born in?
Furthermore, what is the effect of our concern about authenticity? Should we research each of the author’s lives so that the books that we present to our classroom can be deemed authentic?
To what extent can we as readers make up our own minds about the value of a text? I understand that there is always a danger that a book can present a harmful stereotype, but the notion that books can be dangerous or warp minds comes too close to our discussion about censorship to make me comfortable. I think that books also open worlds and whether or not we accept what they say is up to us as readers. As teachers, it is our responsibility to show our students that they can be critical readers. After all, Barthes has declared the author dead, so in true postmodernist style we can all author our own texts as we read.
Bhu wrote:
I agree with Maxwell and Meiser that "teachers should monitor their classroom language" (89) because, during my practicum, I realized the importance of asking the right type of questions for large group discussions. Teachers have a difficult role in having to determine various levels of learning styles in the classroom and one way in which to do this is to become aware of classroom language (the way the teacher presents information, the way students receive information). It is key that students are actively engaged in this process and that the teacher helps to reinforce this learning experience. I went to a workshop by Dr. Mel Levine last Tuesday and he, also, spoke of monitoring classroom language and that the difficulty not only stems from the fact that students are diverse and that to some, English is a second language; in fact, Levine suggests that memory plays an important role in determining how students perform in the classroom. Each of us have something called an active memory and it is this arena that holds important chunks of information that can later be retrieved. If our active memory is faulty we are more likely to perform at a lower level than expected or than our potential shows. In a similar light, a student who has a certain preference for learning (such as learning through descriptive language for example) may not be hold true for his friend who does learn best through descriptive language but does not have access or has limited access to his active memory.
I found the readings for this week to be somewhat dry, although I did find relevance and beneficial examples of experiences and ideas I may be able to use directly in my classroom one day. For example, chapter 6 touches upon writing poetry and I think using poetry to understand certain styles of writing, form, meaning, style, speaking, etcetera is a great way to have students entertain creative modes of learning.
Bhu
Bryan wrote:
Was I the only one who didn't like silent reading?
Now don't get me wrong. I was all about reading in high school. But, personally, I got nothing from the silent reading in my English class.
This wasn't always the case. In elementary school I loved the silent reading. After a lunch hour of dodgeball, sitting down to some Jacob Two Two hit the spot. But it was never the same in high school.
I for one thing, it always seemed that my elementary school teachers directed us towards really interesting material that challenged us and pushed our understanding. In high school my teach always seemed at a loss as to what we should read. She didn't think we'd be very interested in much. As a result my class ended up reading dreck. It was always some story about teenagers who have to solve some "super cool mystery" that was never very interesting. Or it was some book that was supposed to be about the high school experience but bore no resemblance to real life.
I mean c'mon! In grade 7 I was reading The Giver, in grade 8 it was Sweet Valley High!
Eventually I would find a good book (I started reading Spartacus by Howard Fast). But even then the silent reading wasn't that engaging. Unlike elementary school, we never got the chance to discuss or reflect on our readings. It always felt like a waste of time. I would have preferred to just read at home and do something else while in class.
I suppose some students wouldn't have opted to read at home, but when the in-class reading isn't interesting it is kind of useless. I remember my buddies would always tell me that they would spend 15 minutes reading the same line over and over again. Counting how many times they could read that line was way more interesting than that "super cool mystery".
Kiel wrote:
My memories of silent reading in High School did not even include reading material that was of any personal interest. I do not even remember my teachers supplying us with a choice in novels. It was a time to read the assigned novel.
I do remember Grade 8 and having a choice of five books, but there was little in the way of follow up activities. I believe that silent reading in High School is being practiced in an ineffective manner. I enjoyed reading, but choice and something more engaging after reading would have been very beneficial.
I really enjoyed the reading we had for this week’s class. I realized that oral language is in fact neglected in language arts. I found that during my practicum experience, students lacked in the development of critical listening skills. In order to develop these skills, I had students first build on their listening skills by using Round-Robin, Think-Pair-Share, and Group Share. It was only then, when my students mastered critical listening skills that I tried, a higher order critical listening and thinking activity called, Academic Controversy. Academic controversy is “the instructional use of intellectual conflict to promote higher achievement and increase the quality of problem solving, decision making, critical thinking and listening, reasoning, interpersonal relationships, and psychological health and well-being” (Bennett, “A Day with Dr. Barrie Bennet). To engage in academic controversy, students research and prepare a position, present and advocate their position, refute opposing positions and rebut arguments on their own position, reverse perspectives, and create a synthesis that everyone can agree to. With the necessary foundations, academic controversy can be one strategy to apply critical listening skills into classroom objectives.
I think the censorship issue is the one that interests me the most. To hear that a book like "Harry Potter" is being banned and debated for witchcraft and sorcery is upsetting to say the least. If we want kids to get excited about reading and really encourage literacy in schools, why wouldn't we encourage students to read what they enjoy (obviously within limits of what is appropriate at school)? However, censorship is also something that needs to be considered before putting a class library together. Although I want to expose my students to an array of literature, I also don't want administrators and parents banging down my door. When does censorship go too far? How are we as educators supposed to know when to cross certain lines? Ahhh...so much to think about!
Censorship, especially with children and young adult fiction, is something that doesn't sit well with me. I understand that there are certain values underlying our educational system, and the educational systems of others, but telling students what kinds of literature they can or cannot read is just another way of killing their interest in books. The Harry Potter books might have sorcery and witchcraft in them, but I haven't noticed any ill effects on children reading them. In fact, the story in those books are so engaging that encourage people who don't necessarily like reading to pick them up. Case in point, my younger sister always hated reading, and never found any joy in it like I do. That was until she found the right book (Harry Potter) and then she came to enjoy it. She nows trolls through my selection of books, looking for the fantasy titles because that's what interests her. I could never imagine having to tell her, or any student like her, that they couldn't read the book of their interest because some people were iffy about it. It might just drive the joy of reading right out of them.
This class offered some great insight into presenting multicultural texts and voices in the classroom. Using texts that are about different cultures, or written by and eclectic mix of people is one great way of exposing students to cultures other than their own.
I understand the importance in debating the 'authentic voice' and if it is crucial in order for the meaning or moral of a book to shine through. I do not think that a piece of literature needs to be written through personal experience in order to be meaningful.
Without pseudonyms many great pieces of literature would have never been published. Literature that was written by women for instance, under a male pseudonym are just as valid in their commentary on culture or society through a male voice without having experienced it as a male.
This could be a great debate for the classroom and for our future students!
Re: Authentic voice
I believe that if we learn by exploring, it would be a real shame to cut off the creative aspect of exploring another culture by trying to pick a character that walks “in someone else’s shoes.” Even if the author does not get all the facts right, it open the door to a discussion that will shed light on the issues in question.
‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ was based on an interview with a real Geisha, and Arthur Golden acted as a ghostwriter of sorts. Of course, some of his natural biases must have come through the work.
A book that I haven’t read yet that did make me pause was called ‘The Midwife’, though the author was male. Do you think he should not have written it because of his gender?
Re: Cultural Appropriation
This jargon is bandied around in music too. While it is still questioned, it is becoming a small world, and we live in a time of globalization. Is it unfair to say that we are all people of the world and so the world’s music belongs to all of us? I, for one, having traveled, feel that the music that I have heard in different venues now belongs to me too. I may hear it in a different way, feel a different way about it, but is it any less mine for not being born into that culture?
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