First reactions:
Whoa. I knew this book was controversial but now I see why! It would be difficult teaching this to high school students but I think it is something they need to read, especially now with all of the advancements in medical technology. Huxley's science fiction world is slowly but surely coming to fruition and it is works such as these that students need to be exposed to more than ever. I was excited to read a book that is commonly on the banned books list but honestly, I don't see why it is. Sure there are some controversial issues, but they aren't any worse than what Toni Morrison includes in some of her novels which are commonly taught in high schools today. Of course, I'm not knocking Morrison, I just wanted to use her as a comparison. I'm really excited to finish this book as it is hard to put down and I can only imagine how exciting the ending is going to be!
I have thought the same thing. BNW is a great book that is practically a gold mine for an English teacher. Some of the issues addressed are certainly controversial, but so many other books have similar issues that we allow in our classes. I don't think this is it, but I often wonder is it banned because it hits close to home? When doing research for my unit plan on BNW, one of the common things I saw was arguments that our society is much like BNW's society now. Huxley was making a satire of sorts, and many satires hurt. I don't think "A Modest Proposal" was well received by many when it came out.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it that you think is so controversial or on the flip side, not so bad? i wonder how my list, your list, and your students' list would compare?
ReplyDelete