OPINION
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2005
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IT JUST MAKES SENSE
PAGE 7A
Banning books leaves students unprepared for higher learning
"Then there was the pain. A breaking and entering when even the senses are torn apart. The act of rape on an 8-year-old body is a matter of the needle giving because the camel can't. The child gives, because the body can, and the mind of the violator cannot."
STEPHANIE LOVETT slovett@kansan.com
— "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
You were surely disturbed by reading the above passage. It might further disturb you to know that this book is assigned reading for sophomores in the Blue Valley School District. If so, you aren't alone. Some parents in the district organized in January to protest this book and 13 others that they considered vulgar, violent, profane or sexually stimulating. (See box below)
The basic argument of the group of parents called Citizens for Literary Standards in Schools is that because of the violent and depressing nature of the books they question, the district should choose other books for the students to read. Further descriptions of the group's goals and beliefs can be found at its Web site www.classKC.org.
But these parents don't realize the benefit of reading material that shocks, saddens or repulses. The passage from Angelou's novel makes your stomach turn and hardly appears to be distinguished literature. But the content of books like these are vital to creating well-informed citizens. To understand the most horrific or heartbreaking aspects of life, we must read about and discuss them.
James Woolfel, chairman of humanities and Western civilization, said he agreed with the parents about the present general vulgarization of American society.
"What I disagree with is making that the argument for having students read high-quality and time-tested literature as part of their high school education. Those are two separate issues," he said. To create a reading list based on excluding explicit material would not only eliminate contemporary authors such as Toni Morrison, but also would eliminate classic writers such as Aristophanes, Walt Whitman and Voltaire, he said.
said.
By their argument, people shouldn't read the Bible either because it is full of violence, death and sex.
Angelou's book isn't the only one recognized as great literature on the parents' 14-book ban list. Among the books the parents want removed from the curriculum are a National Book Award nominee, a National Book Award winner, numerous New York Times bestsellers and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner. You would be hard-pressed to find a single negative review of any of the books.
the books.
Dorice Elliott, chairwoman of the University of Kansas' department of English, said she saw a disturbing pattern among the books singled out. She
said a large number of books on the list deal with racial issues, which she finds alarming. Though the books use strong language and graphic situations, they don't use them gratuitously.
"The solution isn't to ban them; it's to teach them appropriately," she said. "It's
like an ostrich burying its head in the sand: It's ignoring things that we as a country need to confront and deal with."
Like it or not, vulgar language, sex and violence are parts of life, and parts of college preparation. If students don't read a breadth of literature, they'll be unprepared for college. Elliott said. More importantly, they won't be literate citizens.
Almost 8,000 high school graduates from Johnson County enrolled at the University in Fall 2004,and many of them were from Blue Valley schools.
If this group of parents is successful, the University community will be damaged along with the students. Our academic discussion would suffer, as would our diversity of mind. In order for academic discussion to prosper, students must be well-versed in perspectives unlike their own.
have little college.
When I reflect on my own high school English education, I'm pleased with what I've read. But I'm also reminded about the wealth of literature I haven't had time to read. Thanks to the concerned parents of Blue Valley, I know what books I'll be reading next.
I'm not arguing that the Blue Valley English curriculum is perfect. I'm arguing that the books being called into question should not be. Blue Valley students are lucky to cover some contemporary literature. It's an opportunity many don't have until college, if ever.
- Lovett is a senior in journalism and political science. She is a Kansan night editor.
THE BOOKS
- **I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings** by Maya Angelou
- "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
- "Stotan!" by Chris Crutcher*
- "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kasey
- "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver
* "The Bean Trees" by Barbara Kingsolver
- The bean breech, by nature.
* "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy.
- "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
* "Deer in the Treetop" by Wendell
- "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac MacCarthy
- "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
- "Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
*“This Boy’s Life” by Tobias Womb
*“Black Boy” by Richard Wright
♦ "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Source: www.classKC.org
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Different problems make comparing private, public schools unreasonable
John Stowell wrote a very convincing letter March 11 about the voucher system and I just wanted to offer a few thoughts.
1. In 1999-2000 the average private school teacher salary was an appalling $29,822 while the average public teacher salary was a meager $42,949. The teachers averaged more than eight years of experience.
2. The private school numbers are also kept low by offering tuition breaks for those who regularly attend mass — for catholic schools — and other discounts for preferred students.
3. Public schools have added costs. These include running districts instead of an individual school. They include accommodating a new family whenever they move into an area and not just
Most importantly, giving parents whatever they want is not a great idea. There are parents who think that their kid should never get zeros and those who think that they should never be punished. They are problematic and IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) are already a huge hassle. If parents are able to take their money with their kid out of the schools, educators will be forced to give into these ridiculous demands just to keep the money.
when they want to admit them. They include bussing students to and from school.
Nathan Harkins
Olathe senior
Mathematics
BEELER'S PERSPECTIVE
Nate Beeler/THE EXAMINER
TIERRA TALKS
Non-blacks will never fully understand black culture
"...blues, rock 'n' roll, soul, funk, reggae and hip-hop. Once the music of marginalized minorities, they have become the theme music of a young, white, middle-class male majority — due largely to that demographic's investment in the tragic — marginal display of virility exhibited by America's ultimate outside, the Black culture."
TIERRA SCOTT
tscott@kansan.com
- "Everything But the Burden: What White People are Taking from Black Culture" by Greg Tate
Ironically, hip-hop, a music genre deeply rooted in black culture, has a primarily white and middle-class audience. Now how is it that an industry dominated by blacks has mainly white listeners? Here are a few thoughts on this:
Like rock n' roll, hip-hop is an art form of rebellion. As a way to rebel, middle-class white youth, have embraced different forms of black music and culture.
Hip-hop was used as a tool to disobey parents and any authoritative figure. Using hip-hop as an identity, young whites became "gangsters in the 'burb" and helped to define for themselves exactly what it meant to be masculine and to live a masculine lifestyle.
Hip-hop is an all-purpose global music. Born out of black and Hispanic neighborhoods in New York City, it gives the naive perception that hip-hop lyrics are strictly about young minority men and their struggles to survive in the 'hood. Granted that most of the artists in the industry had to hustle to get to the present positions they are in, that does not confine their creativity in regards to lyrics, styles or beats.
Hip-hop can take people from across the world to church, the nightclubs, the war in Iraq and to bed. There is no limit to what hip-hop can do or who it can reach. It has become a universal music and one of the most powerful ways to export American culture abroad.
I am sure that one can understand the concept behind the statement that people want what they cannot have. That same concept holds true for something that one cannot understand. Non-blacks do not understand black culture, which has evolved tremendously. In the
1960s Jim Crow laws tried to break the spirits of blacks, which eventually would have crushed our culture. But we have found ways to use everything that was used against us to our best advantage.
They poked fun at our fat thick lips. With those same lips, we now speak lyrics that the whole world wants to hear. Non-blacks can never completely understand black culture because they are on the outside looking in. Even if one were raised in a predominately-black neighborhood, he would still not be able to grasp black culture. So no matter how many hip-hop albums one may buy, it can never serve as an entranceway into black culture. With that being said, I will never pretend as though I am "down" with Hispanics and their culture simply because I have taken a couple of cultural classes or listened to some songs. However, I do believe that I could gain a greater understanding of their point of view.
By uniting races, hip-hop is a radical cultural force that has the power to improve race relations across the globe, especially in the United States. Greg Tate points out that hip-hop is not the only black artistic form appropriated by whites and that many problems developed as whites embraced rock 'n' roll, blues and jazz. Tate warns that black culture comes with responsibilities to be knowledgeable about the historical conditions and about the people who created it. To say it plainly, non-black hip-hop fans should enjoy the music, but appreciate and respect the people and the history that produced it.
- Scott is a Chicago junior in journalism.
CORRECTION
Sam Hopkins' column, "Violence in video games lessen sensitivity to value of humanity," in yesterday's University Daily Kansan contained an error. The sentence that read "Violent games are the root of society's ills" should have read "I want to be very clear that I do not think that violent games are the root of society's ills." The goal of the column was not to demonize video games, but to encourage readers to contemplate their own thought process when viewing violent images. Hopkins did not wish to imply causality of violence in video games to violence in the
streets. Mimicking violent behavior is not a constructive way to deal with violence in the world. The correct version can be found on Kansan.com.
CLARIFICATION
The Kansan wishes to apologize to the Interfraternity Council and Delta Upsilon for running a Free For All comment on March 11 that implied the fraternity had a party with kegs and high school students. The comment should not have run.
TALK TO US
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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
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Does anyone else feel nostalgic when they see the high school kids walking through campus?
Ok, I so had 90 friends on Facebook, and now I only have 89. Someone quit being friends with me.
I have so many midterms to be studying for, but the only thing I seem to be studying is bracketology, and I'm fine with that.
I bet I'm never in the Free For All because they have my number in here so many times.
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Whoever pulled the fire alarm at Oliver, don't you know we have midterms?
Does anybody else think it's ironic that if North Carolina and Kansas play each other in the tournament, it
will be on Syracuse's home coul
I will fund Bill Self's haircut because he needs one.
Subway doesn't accept stamps anymore! I'm going to hunt down Jared and kick his ass.
Editor's note: Subway has discontinued stamps but will honor cards with stamps until May.
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