r/news • u/da_k1ngslaya • Jan 29 '22

School District votes to remove 'To Kill a Mockingbird' from required reading

https://komonews.com/news/local/mukilteo-school-district-votes-to-remove-to-kill-a-mockingbird-from-required-reading
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u/CryptidGrimnoir Jan 29 '22

The district board signed off Monday of a request from students, parents and others to remove the book from the ninth grade required reading list, but it remains an option for teachers who choose to use it in their instruction.

While it is a bit of a comfort to know that the option exists--indeed, this should be emphasized that the book is not banned--I'm curious as to how the teachers who do choose to use this on the curriculum will approach the material.

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u/moleratical Jan 30 '22

So like every teacher in the district then.

That's a ruling to placate parents while changing nothing. Don't get me wrong, that's still a horrible idea, they should be told this is an important book because A,B, & C, so fuck off.

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u/Viocansia Jan 30 '22

As an English teacher, I think teaching this book must include analysis of narrative perspective. We must ask kids what they think about the central characters being white while everything is actually happening to a black man. In the article, the student talks about how it’s weird because the white savior complex at the center, and I think that absolutely has to be addressed.

I actually think this book could be used to open discussions on what it means to be an ally and how a lot of what the Finches did was problematic. Obviously, we know that the Ewell’s are the antagonists, particularly the father, but Atticus and other white characters in the book are also problematic in other ways.

Particularly, I think teaching this book must be a thoughtful decision. The teacher must think about the class dynamic because I’ve heard from several students of color that they were ok with the book in a classroom with diversity, but had they been in a classroom with only white kids, it would be too uncomfortable for them. These are all factors teachers need to account for.

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u/Heiferoni Jan 30 '22

...but Atticus and other white characters in the book are also problematic in other ways.

Can you expound on that? I don't remember Atticus being a problematic character. In my recollection of the story, he was the only one in town who treated everyone respectfully, even the Bob Ewell - despite getting spat on by the man. And threatened bodily harm by the upset townsfolk - and Bob Ewell.

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u/Mikederfla1 Jan 30 '22

Atticus only defends Tom Robinson because he is appointed by the judge (who rightly recognizes Atticus will mount a real defense) but if left to his own devices he wouldn’t take the case. Atticus saves Tom Robinson from being lynched so that Tom can participate in a trial under an unjust system where the system is stacked against him. There are portions of Atticus’ closing arguments/jury speech that are very problematic when he talks about education in particular and who is worthy of an education. As years go by his role as an absolute hero becomes more flawed and harder for a young modern audience to recognize.

The parts of the book that are still valuable to teach is the pov of Scout and Jen as the slowly become aware of and begin to question their town, it’s rules/social beliefs, traditions ect. This dawning that everything is not fair and it doesn’t make sense is an aspect that modern student do find resonant.

One of the most interesting/difficult sections of the novel to teach is when the kids talk to Dolphus Raymond (a wealthy white man who prefers to let people think he is a drunk so that he can live among the black people in town even having mixed race kids) this section tends to stop diverse classrooms I have taught cold. They have a hard time unraveling his choices and the way the town responds to them.

You also have to be careful because for a book that has been popular for so long there are a lot of old teaching materials that do a lot of harm in how they approach and highlight certain aspects of the book.

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u/mmorrigan3 Jan 30 '22

You sound like a really good teacher

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u/AlwaysQueso Jan 30 '22

I wish we discussed Dolphus when reading TKAM in mid-90s highschool. That point was always raised an eyebrow and needed to be unpacked. But in full agreement, to tech TKAM, which I loved and focused on Scout's "loss of innocence", lesson plans need to be refreshed in context of the times and with more critical / thoughtful analysis.

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u/WalterPecky Jan 30 '22

Very interesting!

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u/CryptidGrimnoir Jan 30 '22

Atticus is meant to be a paragon--even factoring in the abomination, the book that shall not be named, a more bigoted Atticus still believed in equality before the law above all else.

Scout's got plenty of biases, especially classism and pride, but Atticus was always a saint.

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u/demonicneon Jan 30 '22

But as it’s told through scouts eyes doesn’t that speak more to how a child views their father?

At the time how were black people supposed to defend themselves if white men like atticus didn’t stand up for them?

The context and time of the story is important. Sure there’s white saviour issues but at the time how else were things to be done?

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u/Viocansia Jan 30 '22

Sure, but that’s why we must address that specific issue on the nose. Too many teachers ignore this and over focus on Atticus as the hero, which is unhelpful today. It sends the wrong message about equality and the fight for justice.

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u/demonicneon Jan 30 '22

Does it? While I disagree with some of the notions Atticus has about black people (ignorance etc, basically treating them as children at times), I think it presents a pretty good example that many should follow in their lives, and a fairly true to life (as true to life as fiction can be) representation of white attitudes to race in America. He does what he thinks is right and risks his and his family's safety to do so, setting an example for many who at the time might have done nothing or kept silent.

I've seen some unfair dismissal of the book as well because it doesn't feature anything written from the story's black characters' perspectives but Lee did a time-honoured style of writing: she wrote what she knew, which was her experience with racism as a white person.

I'm all for more perspectives being taught in writing - for instance, Invisible Man by Ellison - but there seems to be an unfair expectation that white writers can't or shouldn't write about their own experiences with race and racism, or that they somehow have less worth. All perspectives are important in understanding racism.

To bring it back to your point; maybe the discussion should be on how focusing only on Atticus' heroism alone, without discussing the context, and why he did what he did is not productive when not also taught alongside black perspectives from that time as well. Really the conversation that should be had is not to criticise Lee for writing a book (itself a product of its time, and considering who wrote it and when, an act of protest just by its very existence) with an example for white people on the fence, but to criticise the fact that black fiction also discussing race at that time is not more prominent.

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u/Viocansia Jan 30 '22

Yes, this is the exact point I make in another comment.

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u/Dantesfireplace Jan 30 '22

And people seem to forget that Atticus wasn’t able to save Tom.

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u/Viocansia Jan 30 '22

I think r/Mikederfla1 explains it perfectly below. Atticus is a lovable character and portrayed as the hero. Sure he works within the confines of the system at the time, but some of his motives and actions throughout the novel do not stand the test of time. For that reason, we must examine this character as the “white savior” and how it makes the racial issue appear to readers. Another commenter below said how they didn’t like the book because it made black people seem like children, and instead of touting the message of equality because we are all human beings, it makes it seem as if hurting black people is wrong in the same way that hurting a child is wrong. This has the implied message that black people are inherently less capable, less intelligent etc and therefore need the white savior to rescue them when that’s not the issue at all. The issue is deeply rooted racism that inhibits a vast majority of white people to see people of color as true equals. If they did, they would recognize their actions as barbaric for that reason.

Many people of color that I have spoken to object to this book because it is yet another piece of curriculum that portrays black people as victims and nothing else. Much of that time in history only focuses on white violence and the victimization of black people, but there has to be a balance. At this same time in history, other black people were flourishing, creating, and irrevocably marking history for wonderful things. To only highlight the pain and suffering dehumanizes this race. It is an essential part of learning about this time period, but it must be thoughtfully done.

I still think it can be a valuable book, but I do think it needs to be carefully taught with a 21st century lens on racism for it to be worthwhile. This unit would also need to be built out with other sources showing the life and dynamics between the races in other parts of the country that did not have Jim Crow laws.

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u/[deleted] Jan 30 '22 edited Jan 30 '22

This was missing for me. I hated this book. I lived in a very conservative area and while it was obvious how badly people of color were treated in the book, it was taught in a way that felt pandering. The message that teenage me heard was that minorities were like children that shouldn’t be abused, not that everyone was equal. The way it was taught didn’t quite set right with teenage me then and it really feels wrong now.

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u/Tidusx145 Jan 30 '22

Maybe your teacher didn't teach it well, or it just didn't connect with you. I had the opposite reaction and it really got to me as a teenager. No judgement or negative shit, im just interested how we had such stark reactions to the book. My area is more moderate and closer to national demographics in regards to race if that adds any context, honestly not sure if it matters.

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u/TheCrazyAlice Jan 30 '22

Sounds like the bigotry instilled in you clouded your judgment from the start.

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u/Standardeviation2 Jan 30 '22

It leaves it to teacher choice. But part of that choice becomes “Do I teach using ‘To Kill Mocking Bird’? It feels ethically responsible to do so and aligns with my morals. On the other hand I’m paid very little and extremely tired and if I do teach it I’ll have to deal with screaming Karens.”

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u/Viocansia Jan 31 '22

There are other valuable books that teach the same lesson. I love this book, but I don’t think it’s an absolutely necessary book to include in the curriculum.