Honestly, before this unit about canons and all the readings and discussions we have had, I had no clue how big of an issue and arguments canons are. I want to express what I thought about canons, but to be honest, I don't even know what I thought. First off, I didn't know that canons were a thing. It never dawned on me that there was much of a debate- not that I thought everyone was in agreement but rather that it literally never crossed my mind. What did cross my mind throughout high school was the question of why we are reading what we are reading. I also believed the English curriculum should build in the opportunity for you to read a book of your choice. Yes, reading these "classics" will make you understand references (they discussed this briefly in the Writerland article we read for this blog post) in society. But because "timeless" books can be tough to read due to context (in the story line/ situation/ setting, language, word choice, author and more), it ruins the reputation of reading. You know what you are exposed to. Tons of western "classics" were thrown at me during school. I was not interested in them, and eventually made me think that I did not like reading. I just wasn't exposed to books that were interesting to me, or had a topic that got my wheels turning. It took me awhile to discover that reading is enjoyable, if you pick the right books. In addition, although I love looking at the deeper meaning, symbolism and foreshadowing sometimes I felt that there was way to much of an emphasis on deeply analyzing the books from the classic canons. I felt and do still feel that anyone can find any deep meaning in anything, as long as they look hard enough, open their minds and can effectively justify their reasons. I don't think all the authors planned every little minor detail that seem to be consuming English class discussions. The very obvious and simple thought never dawned on me either (until reading the Writerland article), that "The problem is that high schools can only assign so many required books. For every book that enters the canon, one has to be removed." That makes sense why these books stay, because it would take a lot more work to add new books. With western canons so widely known and debated, a teacher would have to be extremely persuasive in order to teach a different book (I know some of my past English teachers struggled with this). I feel like the canons still exist because of the unique time the canons were created by the elite, well- educated, old, white men. People believed they were the most intelligent hence would chose the highest quality books, they decided on them, and then it was well received because people back then did not have the internet or other technology to freely and quickly exchange thoughts, reviews, etc. As a result, of it being so long standing, people have accepted it and it has become a part of our culture, that these are the "highest quality books" that we need to know to be an educated person in society. I feel like the focus is less on taking value from these books on the canons but rather to teach you what everyone else already knows. It truly is a cycle. From these two readings and the unit, I learned that this is a prevalent and controversial issue regarding canons.
I also, was blown away by the "Sausage Fest" article due to its mindblowing facts. I knew women weren't as represented in western canons, but not to that extent. It shocks me because the time that I grew up, it always seemed like the girl's had a knack for writing, a natural ability the males lacked. This reigned true from elementary school to college. But, it all makes sense with the historical context. I think it is good to preserve this canon because it represents history and is classic, but at the same time I feel strongly that canons should have less emphasis and power, and that students should have more control over what they read. They are not going to fail at life because they don't get a reference to the Odessey. Let's be honest, most students spark note the book anyway, which gives them nothing because they are not developing the critical reading, thinking and imagination skills. When spark noting they are immediately accepting a different view opposed to creating their own. This defeats the purpose of having books assigned for reading for a class. I don't think canons should be completely preserved, changed or expanded, but rather it be more accepted and widely used to not teach all of the top "classics" books.
"Texts" I am considering for my canon:
I also, was blown away by the "Sausage Fest" article due to its mindblowing facts. I knew women weren't as represented in western canons, but not to that extent. It shocks me because the time that I grew up, it always seemed like the girl's had a knack for writing, a natural ability the males lacked. This reigned true from elementary school to college. But, it all makes sense with the historical context. I think it is good to preserve this canon because it represents history and is classic, but at the same time I feel strongly that canons should have less emphasis and power, and that students should have more control over what they read. They are not going to fail at life because they don't get a reference to the Odessey. Let's be honest, most students spark note the book anyway, which gives them nothing because they are not developing the critical reading, thinking and imagination skills. When spark noting they are immediately accepting a different view opposed to creating their own. This defeats the purpose of having books assigned for reading for a class. I don't think canons should be completely preserved, changed or expanded, but rather it be more accepted and widely used to not teach all of the top "classics" books.
"Texts" I am considering for my canon:
- The Fault in Our Stars (book)
- Dove: Real Beauty Sketches--- the video clip with the forensic artist drawing what they describe themselves and what another person describes them like
- The group of photos that shows families across the globe in their kitchen with their week's worth of food
- The group of photos with families in front of their homes and everything inside outside posing with them
- Frozen
- The Hunger Games
- The Sims game
- Norman Rockwell paintings (I would only choose one-need to do more research)
- The Lorax (the book)