Classic Literature in High School Classrooms

Katie Mitchell
May 20, 2010
College Prep. English
Mr. Lee
Classic Literature in High School Classrooms
Classics literature. The one thing high school students hate to hear their teacher say they are preparing to read. But is it the labels these books are given that make them so unbearable for students to be interested in reading, or is it something more. If you think about some of the most well known “classic” novels that are often read in high school classes throughout America, “Animal Farm”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “The Great Gatsby,”, “Fahrenheit 451”, and the well-known “To Kill a Mockingbird” may come to mind. But considering these books are labeled as “classic”, what exactly does that label mean and how does it contribute to these works as a whole? Maybe typical high school English class focuses on these “classic” novels maybe because of their overall impact on students. Maybe the idea is that, student who read these novels may become a different person and have different ideas towards life. The students who read these books only get bored with them and read them as quickly as possible, or don’t even read them. Very few novels have the power to change students who read them and are not going to impact any reader. The content of the literature is not what students prefer to read about and hardly any student would learn a lesson from a book. Jodi Picoult changed the view of literature through writing “My Sister’s Keeper”. This novel has issues about genetic engineering and the difficulties brought among the family through the stress. Although hardly any students are experiencing the same things Kate and Anna experience throughout the novel. These teenagers are faced with all sorts of challenges through life and are able to overcome them through love and support. Teenagers who read this novel are able to see how other teenagers deal with difficult issues and how they are able to lean on the ones they love. The lessons outlined in “My Sister’s Keeper” are very valuable to all teens who read this novel. Most of classic books don’t have any characters the age of the students being forced to read them. If the students are in the age range, they do not experience the same things the students reading them do. As Don Gallo, professor at Central Connecticut State University, points out, "The classics are not about teenage concerns! They are about adult issues. Moreover, they were written for educated adults who had the leisure and time to read them. They were incidentally, written to be enjoyed - not dissected, not analyzed, and certainly not tested." But through reading these novels, students are able to pass a test, do some worksheets, and maybe even write an essay, but they do not gain knowledge or life experience through reading these pieces of literature. Teenagers are not very interested in reading about adults, but would rather read about people of their own ages. As for “My Sister’s Keeper” by Picoult, this book has three teenager siblings as the main characters, and their two parents. After reading this book, in each and every perspective, teenagers have a better understanding for many things. They are able to understand how things are for their parents, their siblings, and themselves. Teenagers like the way that they are able to read about another teenager’s life and use the same things in the teens in the book do to help them with their life. The teenagers are better able to understand life after reading “My Sister’s Keeper”.
Each and every “classic” book listed above addresses some sort of controversial issue from the time period in which it was written. “To Kill a Mockingbird” focuses on the trial of a black man, and the racial inequality during the 1930s. “Romeo and Juliet” dates back to the 1500s when love and marriage was a big issue and girls were still selected for certain men to marry and bear children with. “As an added bonus, their literary merit best prepared young students for national assessments, college, and life. Studying the classics, the premise continued, would greatly reinforce reading skills.” Kay Smith. Taking place in 1922, “The Great Gatsby” reveals the true American Dream and the separation between classes. All these issues were important during each of their time periods, but the issues don’t affect today’s high school students. But what about Jodi Picoult’s “My Sister’s Keeper”? This is a current book, written in 2009. This book addresses a major controversial issue. This issue would not have been even possible in during the same time period that these books were written, the ability wasn’t there. The issue is the problems resulting from a couple genetic engineering and creating a baby just the way they are needed, for use for healing another child of theirs. The research was not there to even make this possible many years ago. This is not the only controversy found in this novel. There is the delinquent brother, the overworking father, the loving mother, the best interest judge, and the sick of it sister. The issues raised in this book outweigh many of the issues developed and experienced in the common classic books found in each and every English teacher’s classroom.
Another common ground can also be found in this list of popular “classic” novels. These novels are all old and written in the past. The issues found in these books are eventually going to not be important to be recognized or even understood in years to come. In many years, students are not going to care to read much about the unfairness of blacks and whites in the 1930s, but would rather read about the genetic engineering problems, which influence society of that time. These books are going to have to become outdated eventually, and what is going to take the place of these “classic” novels in high school English classes?
It would seem that there is a rule that says that in order for a book to be considered classic, it needs to take place before the 1960s. Students would be more willing to read a book having the knowledge that it was written in the decade we are in right now, and has the same issues brought up in today’s society. What does it do to read books from years and years ago, when the issues found in these books are not even a possible problem in today’s society. The issues brought up in “My Sister’s Keeper” are not only possible in today’s society, but are also present and well known.
Understandable is a very vague and loose term. Shakespeare’s plays are not the most understandable and maybe hard to understand, but at the same time, students apparently need to know old English for whatever reason this will impact them in years to come. Honestly, how many students honestly use thou and thee, or even see it anywhere besides Shakespeare’s work? The other listed “classic” novels might be more understandable due to the use of language more like what students experience today.
The understandability “My Sister’s Keeper” is very plausible. The words and phrases found in the novel are common language that is found in today’s society. Picoult made reading her novel very easy. The novel flows very nice, and this allows the reader to understand and know exactly what is meant by the author. The novel contains a few different flash backs, but even those are easy to understand with Picoult’s writing style. It would be very easy for everyone to understand for years to come, with the style and diction used.
Interesting. This term is also very unclear and can be different for different people. But what in “The Great Gatsby” makes it interesting? Is it the fact that society is so divided between two groups or the fact that somebody seeks revenge and kills somebody? These things are so evident in today’s society that it doesn’t seem that this would be interesting enough to receive the title of a classic novel. Or in “Animal Farm” what makes that an interesting novel. Maybe it is interesting to think that a bunch of animals group together and seek revenge on some unruly owners. But the more you think about that, the more you realize that throughout the entire novel, there is really nothing that would be deemed interesting, and make you want to read and reread that novel over and over.
In “My Sister’s Keeper”, everything is interesting. From the idea of a kid suing their parents, to the idea of a child actually being genetically engineered. Everything that happens in this novel leaves readers wanting to read more, trying to figure out exactly what is going to happen. The ideas in “My Sister’s Keeper” are truly unique and make reading the novel strictly unique. There is hardly a dull moment in “My Sister’s Keeper” due to the way it was written and the way Picoult keeps the readers interested.
So as we move onto impacting, only a few popular classic novels remain. Of these is “Fahrenheit 451”. This novel might be impacting, to the point of students thinking a little and considering what could actually happen if society turned towards burning books rather than actually reading them. The greatest impact this might have on students is the mere thought of not being allowed to read books, and actually getting in trouble for it. Students think about the idea of this and how great life would be if this actually came true. If all books were burned, students would not be forced to read all these deemed classic novels and would be able to continue on with school not being required to read such novels.
After reading “My Sister’s Keeper”, readers are greatly impacted. The ideas and thoughts that were found in the novel are very impacting and make the readers feel different after reading the entire novel. Readers learn that kids do know what they want sometimes, but they just aren’t powerful enough to fix things by themselves. Readers learn that love is a very powerful thing and is endless, no matter what happens. There are other lessons to be learned throughout reading “My Sister’s Keeper”, but overall, it is a great novel, unlike many found on the shelves today.
Overall, these novels might be all considered good novels, but are they really considered great? After reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” what lesson do you learn, what does this novel mean to you and what kinds of things do you get from it? These same questions can be asked about all the other classic novels. Students might take some good information from these novels, but are they all really as great as they are made out to be? If you hear an English teacher talking about any of these novels, they probably make it seem as if all these novels impact students so greatly and are able to change student’s lives. How exactly is a book able to impact a student so greatly? Students do not know the characters, are not even in the same time period, and most of the time have not experienced the same things the characters have.
A truly great novel, would be “My Sister’s Keeper”. The lessons learned, the ideas expressed, and the thoughts that are received after reading the novel are truly unforgettable and worthwhile. The impact readers get from this novel are amazing and are very interesting. The opinions and views expressed in this novel are very clear and able to see that the author felt very strongly about the issues she wrote about. Are classics known for their ability to teach the past without directly addressing it? It would seem that way. “Classics are an integral part of the history of the evolution of the English language and demonstrate the social structure of a time and place from the perspective of the literary figures of the period,” says Ashley Mott. After reading any of the “classic” books mentioned, readers are able to understand that time period and the ideas addressed in those books much better. Through reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” students learn more of the problems during the 1930s and how people going through these problems are treated and viewed. Other novels also have the same impact on students with their importance and the lessons included in the pages of the book.
The issues found in this book are not something you talk about in any history class. A science teacher might touch on the issue of genetic engineering, but it is not something that is very understood by the public, let alone high school students. The issues are both adult and teenager issues. Through this, teenagers are able to become more mature and help become an adult. Teenagers like to read about other teenagers, rather than reading about somebody who is twice their age. The issues present in these well known “classic” novels are very controversial for that time period and age group.
If any novels were going to fill the shoes of these past well known “classic” novels, they would have to have the same literary merit and impact that these novels do. Such a novel would be hard to find and may even be impossible, without it merely mocking the work of Shakespeare or Fitzgerald. At the same time though, classic novels need to be important to the group who is reading them and able to impact the readers. Works such as Nicolas Sparks’ “A Walk To Remember” may impact its readers, but at the same time, no boys are going to want to read a snivel love story which has no impact to them because they do not have the same relationship as the characters do in that novel. Other novels that come to mind for being a possible “classic” in the near future have the same overview and reputation.
So the final question is what exactly makes a classic, and what is the future of classic novels? “What makes a work a classic,” Professor Weinstein explains, “is its ability to present the world as a more energetic, vibrant, and unpredictable place than we ever imagined. Classic novels open our eyes to the true nature of our world, and take us across the divide that separates mind from mind. They reveal to us our essential humanity, both its beauty and its horror, and hold the mirror up to our unknown selves.” But overall, a classic novel is composed of a great plot, memorable story, and overall impacting novel. Classic novels will continue to fade in and out as the years progress, but each new classic novel will become one for a reason. “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult will become a classic novel someday, due to its content and impact on its’ readers.

References Gibbone, L., Dail, J., & Sallworth, J. (2003, Fall). Curriculum Today: Classroom Teacher Speaks Out. Young Adult Literature in English, 53. Kaplan, J. (2000-2005). Dissertations on Adolescent Literature. The Research Connection, 51. Smith, K. (2004, Winter). The High School Connection. The ALAN Review. Porteus, K. (2009, Summer). Easing the Pain of the Classics. Young Adult Library Services, 16-18.

References: Gibbone, L., Dail, J., & Sallworth, J. (2003, Fall). Curriculum Today: Classroom Teacher Speaks Out. Young Adult Literature in English, 53. Kaplan, J. (2000-2005). Dissertations on Adolescent Literature. The Research Connection, 51. Smith, K. (2004, Winter). The High School Connection. The ALAN Review. Porteus, K. (2009, Summer). Easing the Pain of the Classics. Young Adult Library Services, 16-18.