Toni Morrison's "Beloved" pulled from class because of racism

Way too easy.

 

I live in a blue on blue city where Huckleberry Finn has been banned from several schools as racist. When you get out on the far poles of opinion, the stupidity can be so ironbound that it clanks. No perspective.

Artistic merit is another question. One I can't answer, because I haven't read Toni Morrison.

 

Well, Huck Finn is racist. No getting around that.

All the white people looked like idiots.

 

The Scarlet Letter is about a lot more than white people having sex. Good God, people.

As for Beloved…what stone-cold idiot thought that'd be good for high-schoolers? It's hardly useful for <i> anyone </i> and I've read it twice. It's a terrible, terrible choice. There are so many terrific books written by African-Americans, including a whole slew from the Harlem Renaissance. To select Beloved is a reflection of shallowness.

Artsitic merit is in the mind of the reader but, in general, Beloved is a neo-slave narrative. It helps to have read original slave narratives to understand Morrison's work is not really a historical work, but a commentary on the works of the time. It's just too complex and irritating on first read.

 

I'm with Alma here.

Native Son, Invisible Man, Light in August would be much better choices of novels about race and society.

 

edited for accuracy

 

Finally. Now I can take a nap.

 

Ok, anyone else see Craig Ferguson last night? Did a bit as Michael Caine that basically called out Coulter as a man. No news there, but it was very, very funny.

 

This was an Advanced Placement Class so presumably the kids were older and could form critical opinions about the books they read. So I'd suggest that it would be suitable for this group of high school students.

The issue here isn't whether Beloved is a good/bad/indifferent novel.

It's an issue of a small minority of parents banning a book from the classroom, a book which I could lay 100-1 odds on none of them have actually read. And the worst part of it is, they principal meekly acquiesced instead of telling them to shove off.

 

If the parents of smart kids can't read the book, can smart kids?

And whether it's good/bad/indifferent for high-schoolers is certainly an issue. You're not going to find "Gravity's Rainbow" on that list, I assure you. The idea behind the lists is to give kids novels to refer to when they take tests. I strongly question whether kids can successfully digest Beloved, then turn around and apply their knowledge in a <i> correct </i> way on the test. Of course, this "ban" is more about the subject matter. But then the subject matter is troubling, Morrison fixates on the horror for the sake of fixating and negating the original slave narratives, which were more about, frankly, less tame, more focused on change and overtly Christian.

 

I would venture that most of those parents haven't picked up a book since they read "Of Mice and Men" in the 12th grade.

And on the list of books to chose from was "Crime & Punishment", hardly a romp in the park for most high school kids.

I think it's slightly condescending to assume that smart 17 or 18 year olds can't "get" "Beloved"

This is a high school test, not an application to be a reviewer for the New York Times.

 

AP courses that are taken properly, meaning the resulting test is passed, provide college credits. That is probably the reason that a book classified as difficult would be provided.

Alma, I am a bit surprised that you are continuing to press on qualifying the book as appropriate or not when the reasoning behind the ban has nothing to do with it. The book was banned because several parents though that it was "inappropriate" reading due to its subjects.

These are 17 and 18 year old kids. They aren't babies. I'm sure they know about beastiality, sex and slavery. Yet, a few parents want to shield their children's eyes and pretend that the subject is too adult.

It is unlikely that the parents even attempted to.