“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!”
I think this is a poorly thought out decision, for most people the only exposure outside of movies, video games and T.V that they will ever get to 'authors' such a Homer occurs in school. A minuscule proportion of the population actually reads more than a few books a year, by not exposing children and students to literature at an early age, you're not democratising education instead you're robbing them of one of the few chances they will have to engage with these works and turning the classics into an elitist white marble tomb.
I think this is an elitist move, there is an assumption that all of these children will be able to engage with these in University ( or manana) but if only 50% of people ever attend University then you're effectively cutting off half of the population in one fell swoop and the irony is that this will probably hit minorities and the poor the hardest.
Thanks for the comment. I think the emphasis on Greek and Latin classics in private schools has given Homer an elitist aura that's led to a backlash in public schools. What I'm aiming for in the Mythoversal retelling is a version that will be true to the traditional sources while also being more accessible and emphasizing a diverse range of characters. Hopefully a successful retelling will help get Homer back into more classrooms--but I'm curious to know what you think.
Thanks for the response Greg. I think both the originals and moderns retellings are can be equally important and both have their place in the classroom. Greek mythological literature was never set in stone and the Greeks regularly tussled with and retold their classics themselves giving them modern twists, especially in the case tragic poets like Euripides.
I think making these stories more accessible is important but, I also think people should also be encouraged to read the originals. I think it would be a sad state of affairs if public school students only had access to a prescribed accessible version in the classroom, while their privately educated peers not only had access to the originals in Greek and Latin, but the English translations as well. I think that there is a line where accessibility actually starts to become exclusion but through the back door.
Thanks, Keiran. I'm finishing up a manuscript now on the story of Penthesileia that will include a retelling as well as an English translation of Quintus Smyrnaea's version in the Posthomerica and essays on where the story fits in the Epic Cycle and how it has been interpreted over the centuries. It should be a useful tool for teachers, interesting and accessible to students, and a gateway for them into other classical works including the Iliad, Odyssey, and dramatic works. I'm planning this first book as a model for future volumes on those as well.
In a public school environment, in instructor-led classes or activities, a minefield awaits any teacher who approaches the study of ancient texts, especially those that underly modern religious doctrines. On the one hand, the teacher has to avoid actual or perceived proselytizing. On the other hand, the teacher has to avoid an interpretation that offends any student, their family, or their entire community. And on the third hand, the teacher has to balance her approach so that texts from a diverse range of cultures are represented. In addition, as you say, the discussion has to be age-appropriate and tailored to the specific capabilities of the students in each class.
This can apply even to mythology involving gods that are no longer commonly worshiped. Although there was no "canceling" of Homer in this instance, I've spoken with teachers who avoid the topic of Greek mythology (or who are not allowed to teach Greek mythology) in districts where classical polytheism is perceived as offensive to the religious sensibilities of the surrounding community.
In short, teaching is hard, and language arts teachers especially have my undying respect.
This is very well-considered. Maybe best is your careful explanation about the difference between "banning" a book and leaving it out of a curriculum. It's important for all of us who see value in ancient texts to consider a both/and way of looking at things rather than thinking of curriculum as a place of scarcity, competition, and absolutism. Thanks!
Good point. Given the wide variety of modern cultures and a need to represent as many as possible in the curriculum, ancient cultures risk getting swept away as irrelevant. Not because they are bad or wrong or hated, but because there are just so many hours of instruction in a term and so many competing topics.
And I think there is a way to work through this, especially in a cross-disciplinary, comparative fashion. But it's subtle and takes a lot of work and creativity.
People who are afraid to read controversial books, are the ones easily conquered.
“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!”
Thanks for reading my entire article, which provides a broader context around these statements.
there is no “broader context” here, only one that you fabricate to fit your own narrative
I think this is a poorly thought out decision, for most people the only exposure outside of movies, video games and T.V that they will ever get to 'authors' such a Homer occurs in school. A minuscule proportion of the population actually reads more than a few books a year, by not exposing children and students to literature at an early age, you're not democratising education instead you're robbing them of one of the few chances they will have to engage with these works and turning the classics into an elitist white marble tomb.
I think this is an elitist move, there is an assumption that all of these children will be able to engage with these in University ( or manana) but if only 50% of people ever attend University then you're effectively cutting off half of the population in one fell swoop and the irony is that this will probably hit minorities and the poor the hardest.
Thanks for the comment. I think the emphasis on Greek and Latin classics in private schools has given Homer an elitist aura that's led to a backlash in public schools. What I'm aiming for in the Mythoversal retelling is a version that will be true to the traditional sources while also being more accessible and emphasizing a diverse range of characters. Hopefully a successful retelling will help get Homer back into more classrooms--but I'm curious to know what you think.
Thanks for the response Greg. I think both the originals and moderns retellings are can be equally important and both have their place in the classroom. Greek mythological literature was never set in stone and the Greeks regularly tussled with and retold their classics themselves giving them modern twists, especially in the case tragic poets like Euripides.
I think making these stories more accessible is important but, I also think people should also be encouraged to read the originals. I think it would be a sad state of affairs if public school students only had access to a prescribed accessible version in the classroom, while their privately educated peers not only had access to the originals in Greek and Latin, but the English translations as well. I think that there is a line where accessibility actually starts to become exclusion but through the back door.
Thanks, Keiran. I'm finishing up a manuscript now on the story of Penthesileia that will include a retelling as well as an English translation of Quintus Smyrnaea's version in the Posthomerica and essays on where the story fits in the Epic Cycle and how it has been interpreted over the centuries. It should be a useful tool for teachers, interesting and accessible to students, and a gateway for them into other classical works including the Iliad, Odyssey, and dramatic works. I'm planning this first book as a model for future volumes on those as well.
“ One of the units we decided not to use moving forward included Homer’s Odyssey”. Did I read something wrong???
Did you?
I repeat: “We decided not to use”.
Yes. And?
No, the school has not banned... just decided not to use.
Correct. It's not a ban.
I decided not to use cigarettes in my life / I decided to ban cigarettes in my life. Correct, that’s the same.
I thought the irony of my sentence was cristal clear. I can’t think a better definition of banned: decide not to use.
How about: ..."Delay the study of ...The Bible... (classics) until readers are mature enough to question, debate, and defy subtle assertions."
??
In a public school environment, in instructor-led classes or activities, a minefield awaits any teacher who approaches the study of ancient texts, especially those that underly modern religious doctrines. On the one hand, the teacher has to avoid actual or perceived proselytizing. On the other hand, the teacher has to avoid an interpretation that offends any student, their family, or their entire community. And on the third hand, the teacher has to balance her approach so that texts from a diverse range of cultures are represented. In addition, as you say, the discussion has to be age-appropriate and tailored to the specific capabilities of the students in each class.
This can apply even to mythology involving gods that are no longer commonly worshiped. Although there was no "canceling" of Homer in this instance, I've spoken with teachers who avoid the topic of Greek mythology (or who are not allowed to teach Greek mythology) in districts where classical polytheism is perceived as offensive to the religious sensibilities of the surrounding community.
In short, teaching is hard, and language arts teachers especially have my undying respect.
This is very well-considered. Maybe best is your careful explanation about the difference between "banning" a book and leaving it out of a curriculum. It's important for all of us who see value in ancient texts to consider a both/and way of looking at things rather than thinking of curriculum as a place of scarcity, competition, and absolutism. Thanks!
Good point. Given the wide variety of modern cultures and a need to represent as many as possible in the curriculum, ancient cultures risk getting swept away as irrelevant. Not because they are bad or wrong or hated, but because there are just so many hours of instruction in a term and so many competing topics.
And I think there is a way to work through this, especially in a cross-disciplinary, comparative fashion. But it's subtle and takes a lot of work and creativity.