Gove kills the mockingbird with ban on US classic novels ...what do you think?

[mrz]

www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/article1414764.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2014_05_24

In the UK it would be common to study a number of texts but only a few in great depth as these will be the ones to feature in the exams

DSS2 has 27 extracts to prepare for the oral exam, each extract being taken from one of the works he has read and studied in its entirety. However, he may also be asked to analyse a text that isn't one of the extracts - an unseen. He would then be expected to show knowledge of the period, other authors, artistic movements as well as analyse the text. Analysis of prepared extracts is super detailed.

Clarification from the DfE

Detailed study

Students should study a range of high quality, intellectually challenging, and substantial whole texts in detail. These must include:

at least one play by Shakespeare

at least one 19th century novel (Short stories should not form part of this category)

a selection of poetry since 1789, including representative Romantic poetry ^(Any selection published by awarding organisations should comprise no fewer than 15 poems by at least five different poets, and a minimum of
300 lines of poetry.)^

fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards.

All works should have been originally written in English.

At what age do the children have to start reading the 50 texts from Bonsoir?

At the risk of a huge derail, what would be the English language equivalent of those 50 texts do you think?

I may start a thread if I cba but I think it would quickly turn into a bun fight. I bet the nethunners don't have this posting angst :(

I did A Kestral for a Knave- the book that spawned movie pain-fest Kes- for GCSE. A very English book, set in England, written by an Englishman. And a depressing and fucking diabolical read.

I'm an English teacher now and kids like OMAM and TKAM. And the broader purpose these books serve- ie in addressing social issues- is far greater than anything Kes could ever hope to do. The curriculum does need a rethink, but as others have said not by Gove and not a knee jerk "ban anything not from England" reaction.

Some Michael Morpurgo is primary level, others are often taught at primary but are inappropriate for that age group eg. Private Peaceful (and to some extent War Horse). Making pretty posters and post cards for displays does nt mean that is the limit of their study. Actually that kind of thing tends to be limited to KS3, as top sets are too intense on the whole in in-depth study to do anything pretty.
DD did do an aged letter as part of her study of a novel last year. This year they don't have time for that kind of "fun".
I think her study is far more indepth than my own 20+ years ago.

I did a Kestral for a Knave in first year of secondary

For O Levels main texts were Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Shakespeare & Romantic Poets full circle

"'Cry the beloved country' also heavy on race and kkk."

Please tell me that was a typo, or meant something other than Ku Klux Klan?

Cry the Beloved Country is an iconic South African novel. Deeply racist environment, but not that much else in common with southern USA...

I have never been so glad that studying English Literature is, since last week, a thing of the past in our house.

If over 90% of kids are doing OMAM for GCSE then does that mean the vast majority aren't doing TKAM anyway? Or are kids studying more than one American classic at the expense of British authors?

God I feel UKIP has invaded this thread. Politics and literature really shouldn't mix.

You haven't read Animal Farm then?

If you disagree with Gove's decision to exclude non-English authors from the syllabus, there's a petition here:

petition

I'm an English lit student and I can't bear the Romantic poets. They make my teeth itch.

Erm, I didn't say literature about politics or with political themes, did I.

Here's what else he's up to .

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/leaked-7-changes-michael-gove-3605138#.U4IGMEH4JXl.facebook

The wink means it wasn't to be taken entirely seriously, saga. Something which you apparently missed.

But the whole British author thing has made me consider my own schooling. At GCSE I did Of Mice and Men. In history I did the American West. I know more about Manifest Destiny and the American Dream than I do about the English Civil War. In fact I know bog all about British history post the Tudors. Maybe a bit more focus on the British isn't such a bad thing, seeing as that's where we live.

balls from your petition "Even with the best teaching few 15 year olds can appreciate Dickens and Shakespeare...most are alienated by the culture, the characters and the language. "

Really? How fucking depressing that sounds.

Because of course all 15 year olds identify with the culture of Of Mice and Men, or the characters of George and Lennie?

Baz Luhrmann showed that it was perfectly possible to get teenagers to engage with the language of Shakespeare, and identify with the characters.

For those who want to check what the Fuckwit Gove is up to

• the Kim Jong Un of education

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-27563466 www.theguardian.com/education/2014/may/25/mockingbird-mice-and-men-axed-michael-gove-gcse

Ai did not laike it or understand it so you cannot read it

SOMEBODY take him out and shoot him NOW before he fucks the UK economic future any more.

Farridge is a hypocritical arse, but Gove is truly dangerous

I for one want my children to have a broader view of the world through literature and other subjects.

I can't get worked up about it. DD would love all the axed novels but my non-literary boys would probably struggle (including the one who is an excellent writer & top set). English is just something to be endured for them. Plenty of books that do qualify as suitable in Gove's mind and will do the job. People like DD will find wider reading easy to achieve, too.

ps: am a foreigner with literary background.

saga if you want a broader view of the world, then what's wrong with Animal Farm?

I don't understand this apparent view that British literature is somehow worse than American literature at engaging British kids or teaching them stuff about the world or the human condition.

Isn't Britain famous for its literature?

In any case TKAMB trumps Gove because the film stars the delicious Mr. Gregory Peck

Christ they're still reading all the same books I read 20 years ago. It's all good stuff but do they read anything more up to date?

Gove is an idiot.