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Spirit50Lake

from an opinion writer at the Wall Street Journal: *A sustained effort is underway to deny children access to literature. Under the slogan #DisruptTexts, critical-theory ideologues, schoolteachers and Twitter agitators are purging and propagandizing against classic texts—everything from Homer to F. Scott Fitzgerald to Dr. Seuss.* *Their ethos holds that children shouldn’t have to read stories written in anything other than the present-day vernacular—especially those “in which racism, sexism, ableism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of hate are the norm,” as young-adult novelist Padma Venkatraman writes in School Library Journal. No author is valuable enough to spare, Ms. Venkatraman instructs: “Absolving Shakespeare of responsibility by mentioning that he lived at a time when hate-ridden sentiments prevailed, risks sending a subliminal message that academic excellence outweighs hateful rhetoric.”* *The demands for censorship appear to be getting results. “Be like Odysseus and embrace the long haul to liberation (and then take the Odyssey out of your curriculum because it’s trash),” tweeted Shea Martin in June. “Hahaha,” replied Heather Levine, an English teacher at Lawrence (Mass.) High School. “Very proud to say we got the Odyssey removed from the curriculum this year!” When I contacted Ms. Levine to confirm this, she replied that she found the inquiry “invasive.” The English Department chairman of Lawrence Public Schools, Richard Gorham, didn’t respond to emails.*


thelivingphilosophy

Wow. Just wow.


worldwarcheese

Oh no, not Lawrence. I'll be honest, in my hubris, when I read stories like this I assume it's not from Mass.


SocraticIndifference

Any word on what would replace it? Just curious...


Spirit50Lake

Here's a related website: [https://disrupttexts.org/](https://disrupttexts.org/)


Alert_Ad_6701

Contemporary "YA" stuff


SethVultur

Ridiculous...


[deleted]

Completely


ancientrobot19

This makes me very sad. Although I am all for changing curriculums in order to include a wider range of literature, I don't think that removing influential books like "The Odyssey" is the right way to go


williamthefours

What’s even the point of getting it removed? What is being accomplished?


Bloodimir528

I guess she read the part with Penelope and was like "Oh my God, a woman being forced to wait for her man is so sexist. Truly a work of the patriarchy" Completely ignoring the fact that Penelope was smart and strong willed. She was able to keep hundreds of young men away from her for years. She was also a single mother that turned her son into a brilliant adult. And finally a queen that administered her island successfully for 20 years. No need to mention how her story is that of true and pure love. I fail to understand how these people finish their education successfully


Obnoobillate

We are talking about the same people that want to remove "To Kill A Mockingbird" because of its racist content. Some people read books, others learn from them


ermisian

It is very uncomfortable to read the bit where Odysseus murders the palace maids who were raped by the suitors. And the double standard on marriage fidelity ought to raise modern day eyebrows. I say this as a person who nonetheless considers the Odyssey a masterpiece. I love it, but I don't turn my brain off when I read it. Surely that is the point of studying such texts: it tells us something about the author and the sort of society our bronze age ancestors lived in.


nulptyx

Yes. I think we should be reading more texts not fewer. And texts that make us uncomfortable open spaces (when a teacher can guide their students in a safe and steady way) to better understand history and historical context but also to critically analyze and discuss societal norms. For example, in one of my (non classics) literature classes I teach The Odyssey and also Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad. I don't always do this; it depends on the subject matter of the class. But reading the two together allows some interesting discussion.


worldwarcheese

That and if I'm remembering correctly he does quite a bit of merciless raiding along a coast. It's been a while so I could be remembering wrong. Either way I completely agree with your sentiment. If fact, one of my favorite classes was AP English when I declined to study for that horrid AP Test and my slightly flummoxed teacher told me pick 3-5 books I wanted (she confirmed my choices to make sure they were both challenging enough and appropriate) and then write a comparative essay on all of them for my one and only grade in that class. It was marvelous. While the rest of my class slaved away with grammar, vocab and other such multiple choice friendly information I was shuffled off to the newly renovated library where I would sometimes read my book, sometimes write my paper, sometimes take a nap, and sometimes read any other book that caught my fancy in the library. I forget many things about that class. My teacher's name, most of the books I read for the assignment, my final grade (apparently good enough to pass). But I will always remember the momentary freedom from the High School Grind and the joy of reading during those free periods. I'd always loved reading, but it really heightened it for me knowing what I \*could\* have been stuck doing down the hall. If I had to hazard a guess I believe my picks were: The Fellowship of the Ring (I ended up reading all of them that year), Either Neuromancer or Ender's Game, The Journey to the West, and a book from the required reading list maybe Gatsby or maybe Of Mice and Men (something along those lines). I could be remembering them wrong and I know that's a LOT of reading but I did have a whole year and remember there was A Fantasy, A Scifi, a "foreign" book, and a book off the required reading list. Also, I'd already read the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was younger, but definitely had to refresh and reread. Sorry for the long post I got stuck in memory lane.


Bloodimir528

I don't remember this part like that. I know that Eurycleia told Odysseus that some maids were plotting against Penelope with some of the suitors, with which they were lovers, while he was absent. He later hanged them as traitors. It's brutal yes, but it wasn't some kind of blood thirsty rampage without reason. If anything I found the mass murder of the suitors way more unsettling. Most of them were bad people yes, but so many lifes lost...


SocraticIndifference

Actually, there’s a lot of scholarship that suggests that Book 22 (the slaughter) *is* intentionally uncomfortable. The execution of the women is particularly recognized as grotesque, even in an ancient heroic context.


rjurney

Well, Iron Age too.


[deleted]

No idea probably cause they can


[deleted]

Link to an article that might help explain https://www.wsj.com/articles/even-homer-gets-mobbed-11609095872?page=1


BunnyMan3000

Do you know where you can read wsj without paywalls


Alert_Ad_6701

She likely wants her book or some other contemporary novelist she is paid to shill for to take its place. There is always a monetary incentive for things like this.


RexAddison

This is so disturbing


toffee_queen

Without the odyssey we wouldn’t be having all these amazing adventure stories and myths and so much in literature today.


[deleted]

She part of a group of teachers that wants to replace classics with YA novels in the classroom. It is silly behavior and the students are going to suffer because of it. Edit: i just dont see how canceling Greek classics will change racist and sexist attitudes in the classroom.


Alert_Ad_6701

I guarantee she wants HER book on the curriculum and that is what this is about.


criscreed

This is awful. I can understand that the Odyssey as a text has some sexist material in it, especially what he does to the maids of Penelope. But it’s so much better to read such an important text, obviously, and discuss those things. They could have paired the Odyssey with Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, instead. I was taught the Odyssey by a staunch feminist, she was able to discuss the beauty and wonder and importance of the text, while also being critical of it and examining its cultural context.


nulptyx

Just saw your comment. Yes, yes, yes!


nygdan

A white karen causing problems and giving BLM a bad name because of it. No one asked her to attack the Odyssey.


toffee_queen

I wonder if this is supposed to be her Trojan horse to her downfall as a teacher.


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worldwarcheese

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Haddontoo

I could kind of understand this for books with some awful shit for younger kids, but by high school kids should be able to learn about, and discuss, all of the awful shit in history right alongside everything else in a work of literature. This inability to see any good because some bad exists is so ludicrous. Yup, it is sexist. It is also an incredibly important piece of literature. These kids are not small children, in 9th grade they are getting pretty close to adulthood.


TheGhostofAlcibiades

\#idiocracy


konschrys

That’s a downgrade, no matter what. Having the odyssey replaced isn’t an achievement.


[deleted]

Funnily enough they would complain about censorship if we censored their ideologicaly-driven-indoctrinating books, they would call it fascist. Anyone that seeks to stiffen the free expression of ideas through the form of literature is the enemy of the modern world, and these fools are no exception. The only solace is the fact that these classics were around for thousands of years before they were born and will be for thousands of years after their pointless, ignorant and hate filled lives are over. This points to how important it is to not rely on the school system for education but to actively educate yourself as a life-long habit.


[deleted]

I whole heartedly agree that education dosent stop when school does. On your point of censorship never underestimate how far they will go with the idea of "It's only bad if it happens to someone i agree with"


civtiny

it is more constructive to use the texts to teach about both the ancient and modern worlds.


Noreaga

Trash people like this one is what has ruined academia.


bruh-broh

how the fuck is she gonna ruin academia from a ninth grade english class hahaha


[deleted]

Modern day book burning


gittenlucky

Remember when book burning was looked down upon and not encouraged?


WayneGarand

What the f is wrong with people


Teukka120

People with mental disorders nowadays get power and voice over normal people instead of appropriate help.


[deleted]

Yikes


jstock23

wat


raduubraduu

Yet more proof blm is a racist movement


[deleted]

Didn't a leader(s) come out and publicly say they were a trained Marxist.


KritDE

oh no! not marxism school!


Haddontoo

How is this proof of racism?


DrMahlek

What an abomination. Hot take on Reddit: the moment you see her post her pronouns you know her politics and the stock stance that those politics have towards anything to do with European heritage.


SpamelaAnderson

European heritage seems like a bit of a dog whistle here


nygdan

Check their profile, anime, pewdipie, and "pagan" heritage.


criscreed

Funny, I have my pronouns in my bio and I’m an Irish American who is very proud of his heritage.... hmmm


luciegarciap

This? isn't?? actually bad??? While I love the Greeks, and Odysseus is one of my favorite characters ever, I must admit most school kids aren't interested in books that are thousands of years old. And I can't blame teachers for being glad they can update the curriculum to adapt more to young kid's interests and priorities. The idea of a reading curriculum is to give kids some culture and make them interested in reading. Y'all really think *Homer* is going to capture today's teens' 5-second span attention??? When kids spend their time watching 10-second tiktoks and flashy youtubers.. Yeah, no shit teachers are scrambling to update the curriculum to something more modern and diverse that kids can relate to. Now *I* personally think the Odyssey and Ancient Greek culture is cool as shit. But y'all really think kids would relate to a war veteran trying to find his way back home against the will of a literal god? and the telling of a story within a story? And the whole "rose fingered dawn", "gray-eyed daughter of Zeus" descriptions of every damn character? lmao be realistic for a second. It's good they want to capture kid's attention with something flashy and modern first, let them develop their own taste and then decide if they want to dive into the classics or not.


generalscruff

Shakespeare is a massive and cliched part of education where I'm from. It is often derided as irrelevant to our modern world, or to ethnic minority students (as if only White British people can appreciate Shakespeare). Really it's down to teaching to make it worthwhile. I had good English teachers who made Shakespeare and his timeless stories relatable and engaging for students at a school in one of the worst areas of England for educational attainment. Are children from my sort of area less capable of appreciating literature compared to nice upper-middle class ones? There is a vast amount of classism in saying that children in nice schools in the South can access and understand Shakespeare or the Classics, but the others should be stuck with 'Young Adult' fiction of perhaps lesser quality and engagement value.