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A GOOD BOOK will spark a conversation and stay with us forever. So many of the books chosen for students in classrooms across Ireland generate discussions far beyond the pages of these stories.
When we close off the pages of Jane Mitchell’s novel Chalkline, students cannot help but wonder how Rafiq will settle back into life at home after being kidnapped by Kashmiri rebels at the age of nine and trained to fight in a war.
Students demand a neat and tidy ending but Mitchell denies them the satisfaction of it because life is rarely ordered, it’s difficult. After reading Donal Ryan’s book The Spinning Heart we wonder if love is enough to save Bobby Mahon from the mental paralysis he now finds himself in.
Similar questions arise from the closing scenes of Claire Keenan’s novel Foster as students wonder if the young protagonist will be spared from the hardship of her biological home and remain in Kinsella’s care.
The books read by students at both junior and senior cycle are never light or breezy, we save that sort of stuff for our holidays, we study things that we evoke debate.
But we deliver these lessons carefully, always remembering that perspectives and experiences will be different.
Books are rarely written to make us feel comfortable and they are chosen by teachers to make our students think. They sometimes force us to acknowledge our capacity for evil, they teach us lessons about the past and encourage us to learn from our mistakes.
The lessons offered by literature
The whole purpose of a book like To Kill A Mocking Bird is to encourage us to step into another person’s shoes (or ‘skin’ as Harper Lee’s main character Atticus Finch asserts) ‘and walk around in them/it, before we ever judge’.
It also reminds us what real courage is and champions tenacity. The recent conversations about whether this book by Lee and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men should be removed for the Junior Cycle syllabus has certainly sparked lots of debate.
When it comes to deciding whether these books should be removed, I know my privileged position doesn’t give me the right to choose. I am Irish, I am a teacher, I am white.
Like all teachers, I care about my students and deliver lessons with caution but I’ll never fully understand what it feels like to read harrowing incidents of racism in a world where the same issues are occurring in real life.
In 2008, when I started teaching novels like this and Mildred D Taylor’s Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, I felt that I could tell my students, with confidence, that inequality like this no longer exists.
A different time
At that time, Barack Obama had taken up his position in the White House and we all celebrated the mantra of ‘Yes, We Can’. But things are different now. Trump’s policies are the antithesis of the hope Obama championed.
These texts feel different now but I’m not sure if that means they are less important and I feel they are certainly not the problem.
Society needs to change. Racism must be challenged. The topic is uncomfortable but some good things have come out of this debate on censoring books. It has highlighted the fact that there is room from more black writers on the course.
It has similarly sparked lots of conversations among the students I’m privileged to teach. Most of them champion the need for more variety but don’t agree with removing these books from the curriculum.
While some are ready to cast Of Mice and Men aside, their loyalty to Harper Lee’s text is much stronger. Experiencing the world of 1930′s Alabama through a child’s first encounter with racism and the lessons this provides has been an enlightening experience for so many of them.
The recent discussions in class have been refreshing, real conversations about literature and great writing have evolved. Ones that are lively and refreshing. This conversation involves them so it’s important that they’re included here.
Below is a snippet of opinion from two of my students. They are in Sixth Year, returning to school after many months away. They’re following the Black Lives Matter movement and are appalled by scenes of police brutality demonstrated not in the past but in their world.
I asked them to write their views as each comes at the subject from a different perspective. Here’s what students had to say:
“We can do better than these books” - Sarah
We don’t need to devote our lives to the study of literature to know that words carry inconceivable weight. And it is because of this very fact that we deliberately pick texts for students that will convey great messages and teach valuable lessons.
While To Kill A Mocking Bird and Of Mice and Men both shed light on social injustices, they are inevitably outdated and the same can sometimes be said about the institutions in which they are taught.
How in the 21st century can we justify teaching students about racism through the lens of a white author?
How do we expect any black student to feel comfortable in a classroom where non-black classmates or a teacher simply gloss over words and scenes of racism that evoke such pain?
In this century we should know better. Nowadays we understand enough to know that we must take into account how black students feel when their rights, their history, their identity and their trauma is offered up for public debate. In our classrooms today we should know better.
Instead of censoring books, I have a better suggestion. Rather than teaching oppression using novels written by those who will never experience its true nature we must, as allies, students, friends and educators raise the voices of black writers and prioritise their stories in education too.
The list of possible writers is endless: James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Robin D’Angelo, Angie Thomas and Ibram X Kendi.
It’s time for our empty promises to change and update a curriculum where the same books have appeared for far too long. It’s time for us to become the change we want to see and that change, as always, begins with our young people.
“Leave them on the curriculum” - Ava
Books like To Kill A Mocking Bird and Of Mice and Men have in the past, and always will be, controversial novels. They both shine a light on the racial injustices of the times in which they were set.
In the wake of a global Black Lives Matter Movement people in Ireland have called for these books to be removed from the Junior Cycle syllabus. Some may argue that these books offer realistic portrayals of life when the infamous Jim Crow laws enforcing racial segregation divided a nation and that therefore they do so much to educate students about racism.
Many believe that the harrowing scenes of injustice realised through their pages make man’s capacity for evil much harder to forget. The disturbing scenes of brutality that each novel explores most certainly inspire conversations in the classrooms in which they are taught, where context is clearly defined and life lessons are shared.
There are others who feel that these books cause more harm than good and while it is important to listen to both sides, we cannot start ‘banning books’.
Society today is engrossed in a ‘cancel culture’ where people who are considered offensive are immediately dismissed. But this culture is potentially as dangerous as the toxic opinions that are shared because it doesn’t give people the chance to learn from their wrongdoings and apologise for their ignorance.
“Education,” as US writer Will Durant quite eloquently explains, “is the progressive discovery of our own ignorance.”
So instead of removing these books from our syllabus, we should continue to study them because they educate students on the dangerous attitudes of a particular time in history and they inform intelligent discussion on how this type of behaviour is and always will be totally unacceptable.
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The point of school is supposed to be to prepare kids for adulthood, not wrap them in bubble wrap and then shout “surprise!” as they’re launched in to the real world.
@Kem Trayle: Having said that though, my youngest is still traumatised from watching The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas in primary school, so that probably wasn’t a good call either lol
@Kem Trayle: lest we forget
@Kem Trayle: so we shouldn’t teach kids about the Nazis?
@Thomas Byrne: that’s not what he said. I think he meant that secondary would be more appropriate than primary school.
@Thomas Byrne: Not what @Kem Trayle’s saying.
@Kem Trayle: I’m still traumatised by the boy in stripped pyjamas and I’m an grown up lol
So if a book is about racism that makes it racist? sensitive much?
@Pauline Gallagher: my child is fourteen and at this stage in life I would like to protect her from the rape part of the story, also this is a box ticker with the year that’s in it
@Garreth mc mahon: I’m around that age and read it when I was 12. One of the best books that I have ever read. Along with Of Mice and Men, it would be moronic to take it off the course.
@Garreth mc mahon: The book is written from the point of view of a young girl, so the description is hardly gratuitous. Besides, its about a FALSE rape accusation, and i think young girls should absolutely be educated on the devastating consequences and snowball effect of making such a claim to cover up something they perceive to be shameful.. .
@Garreth mc mahon: Why exactly do you want to protect her from the rape part? Rape is a harsh reality of this life for some, your daughter would do well to know and understand what rape is and to be aware of how precious her own body and being is. She is 14 and right in the heart of her sexual awakening, meaning she is at a vulnerable point in her growth. Now is the very moment your daughter and her peers need the most openness and support regarding these topics. Unfortunately trying to keep her ignorant and awkward to engage with these matters will do nothing to strengthen her out in the world. If we are to get to grips with any of life’s harshness we need to openly engage with and express ourselves. Avoidance and censorship is nothing but a recipe for disaster.
@Pauline Gallagher: agreed
@Garreth mc mahon: The word rape is new to Scout too seeing as she’s only about 6 or so. She approaches her father to ask what it means and he tells her, “rape was carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent.” I can’t think of better way to teach such a horrible part of this world to a young mind. She will learn what it means somewhere and by 14 most likely already knows. Your job isn’t to just protect her from the bad stuff in the world but to also prepare her for it
@Garreth mc mahon: I think you might be very surprised what 14 year old girls knowledge on such topics is. Also, this book is so beautifully written I think your daughter would not be at all traumatised after reading it. Also, there was no actual rape, it was an accusation made against a black man to protect a white man.
@Garreth mc mahon: I think you might be very surprised what 14 year old girls knowledge on such topics is. Also, this book is so beautifully written I think your daughter would not be at all traumatised after reading it. Also, there was no actual rape, it was an accusation made against a black man to protect a white man. I honestly can’t recommend this novel highly enough for all young teenagers.
@2thFairy: Well it was really about a daughter feeling shame about being forward with a good, decent man her father was horrified and enraged by. This reaction from the father isnt just about the man being black, there is a more sinister reason at the heart of it. The father is a bad man who is deflecting blame from himself also.
@Garreth mc mahon: Hello Garreth, I am late to the party writing this but maybe you might get a notify of my reply. I like you have young daughters and would like to avoid them hearing about rape and some other terrible dangers they may face. But on the other hand this likelyhood is very unlikely.
Think of all the joy they may have in their interaction with boys, A crush on a teacher (which one of my luanatics has), a summer romance, a blushing valentine card, a sloppy french kiss with the lad with pimples… all very positive and life forming moments for both girls and boys. Truthfully I will have the bren gun outside the bedroom window for the first lad ‘comes a callin’ for any of them but I will probably not get to pull the trigger….
Good luck to them all my wee women on their journey..
My favourite novel by far. It should remain on the curriculum.
We have to be aware of our local, cultural and global history in all it’s formats in order to truly understand the difference between right and wrong.
This novel is beautifully written, non judgmental and of huge historical significance.
If somebody finds the thought of to kill a mocking bird offensive, then they need to read it.
Good books do cause debate. And they should. Long may that continue. But you can’t debate a book you’re not allowed teach or read.
We all need to read and understand all aspects of history.. we need to teach children history, good and bad, let them question it, understand and learn from it. Hiding history means lessons will not have been learnt and will no doubt repeat itself.. hiding it is just wrong. You can’t protect children from life, otherwise it will be one hell of a shock in adulthood.. give them the knowledge to form their own opinions and be strong in their defence of same. Ooh and teach them kindness..
@Patricia O’Reilly: A really sensible accurate comment——So rare among these posts. So many people appear to think that history should be taught entirely from their own perspective.
@John Mc Donagh: So….Jewish people ” should” see history from the nazi point of view? Just wondering…
I love “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Not really into reading but it’s one of the few pieces I’ve read more than once. I consider the central theme pretty timeless.
@Cian Nolan: There are several themes; racism, Christian hypocrisy, class divides, sexual abuse, small town mob mentalities So relevant to anytime society as these things will depressingly always be topical.
@Cian Nolan:
“Books are useless! I only ever read one book, ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’, and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure, it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin, but what good does that do me?’ – Homer Simpson
“When it comes to deciding whether these books should be removed, I know my privileged position doesn’t give me the right to choose. I am Irish, I am a teacher, I am white.” “How in the 21st century can we justify teaching students about racism through the lens of a white author?”
What is this insanity? How does the teacher’s skin colour, or nationality affect whether or not she can hold an opinion on a book? As for the student’s comment, does she actually take into consideration the author’s skin colour before deciding whether the book is worth reading? In my opinion these views, although in vogue at the moment, have a fair amount in common with the sort of beliefs held by the Ewells and other Maycomb townsfolk. Like some of today’s ‘progressives’, the people of Maycomb felt that people should stick to their own group (assigned by skin colour) and took offence when they stepped out of it. Bob accused Tom of rape because he was horrified that his white daughter would be attracted to him and the town hated Atticus for defending Tom vs someone of his own group. The people of Maycomb felt that a persons’ colour was more important that that facts or what is right or wrong.
As for the second student’s view, I would argue that Mocking Bird has a lot more to offer than just teaching about the evils of racism. The example of Atticus, who continued to stand for what was right despite threats to his career, his life, and even his children is a very apt lesson for todays world where we are seeing increased polarisation between those who see themselves as political left or right. There is evil in both camps and although it is easy to denounce it in your enemy, calling it out it in your own is hard and often risks you being removed from it, possibly violently.
@CMH: EXACTLY! its the very thinking of the author of this piece that actually facilitates segregation which is at the heart of racism. Why wouldn’t a white girl in the depression era, conservative south know a thing or two about racial prejudice? she wasn’t headless, she was exposed to it in her everyday life! i would never object to the POV of a black woman writing about white people in society, everyone’s viewpoint comes from a place of experience or knowledge. We do not need to stay on our own patch of grass and keep our mouths shut, we are all members of the human race and its non issues like this that undermine or take focus from what real racism is
@CMH: I couldn’t agree agree more with your post. The idea that because one is a “white person” one loses the right or ability to talk about racism or loses the right to write about it is as offensively PC as the idea that one can not talk about matters unless directly impacted by personal experience. It is to reduce our humanity to a simplistic stereotype of mere colour or race, the very thing which is decried by the very people who espouse these views. And it would at a stroke annihilate many of our greatest authors, both male and female. By all means let us introduce students to a more diverse experience of writing. But to censor some of the greatest works of literature, because of the colour of the author, is unthinking idiocy.
Finally the Journal’s new filter is just as offensive.
@CMH: AMEN ! That NAILS it !
If we were to take this attitude to the extreme we would end up banning many acclaimed novelists from different eras. Jane Austen, for instance, would be banned for her depiction of women. What we need to remember is that Literature is as much about style as content. It’s about the ability to critique, to analyse, to contextualize and to interpret a work in the context of it being a snapshot in time . Students need to be taught to interpret and to develop their judgement through literature.
Please stop this 5h1te
Hopefully common sense will prevail and we won’t see censorship creeping into the school curriculum and authors identity (ethnicity or gender) deciding whether their work is included on school syllabus instead of its quality.
Also does anyone else ever feel in Ireland like we got rid of censorship from Catholic church and replaced it with a new form.of ‘woke cancellation culture?
Snow flake generation ❄️
Merchant of venice…by Shakespeare. “Shylock” now used as a derogatory term for Jewish people…..am i anti semitic? Not at all. Is it an amazing story? Yes. This büII§hit of “thought crimes” is why society is falling apart(coming from a millenial). Stop being so offended by EVERYTHING.
@The Kev in Kevlar: another point…does “Harry Potter” incite devil worship and satanism? Embarrassing that i have to say this…STOP EMBARRASSING YOURSELF
@The Kev in Kevlar: Macbeth -“I was from my mother’s womb untimely ripped “
Literature Masterpieces will soon be removed to appease the easily offended misunderstanding society at the time of their writing .
@Quentin Moriarty: 100%, 1000% agree. Classics explaining the life that WAS and how we’ve moved on(to an extent), are meant to be seen in the perspective of the time of writing…not modern times when people spew taff all over twitter because their pumpkin spiced latte was too spiced(legitimately saw people on Twitter complaining about it).
It would be a great shame to remove these important 20th century novels from the curriculum, but what is far more worrisome is the idea of introducing the openly racist writings of D’Angelo or Kendi. These authors are promoting the myth of systemic racism – a poisonous ideology that would encourage children to be suspicious of each other, and by teaching the lie that the colour of one’s skin determines how evil one is, sow the seeds of divisiveness for years to come.
I read “To Kill a Mocking Bird” back for either my junior or leaving cert and I’ve watched the film of it a few times. Having a coloured uncle and cousins in my family, made my heart hurt more for the injustice they have to deal with on a daily basis. I remember crying each time watching the film. It broke my heart to see coloured people so mistreated and judged instantly. I learned so much from both the book and film. It would be amazing for it to stay in schools, but I do agree we need to more updated coloured writers as part of the English exams too. Times have changed in many ways, but some things are still the same with regards to racism unfortunately.
@Rachael Baldwin: you might re-think using the term ‘coloured’…I literally cringed every time I saw it in your post.
@Erin Ó Séaghdha: Wow. Talk about splitting hairs.
@Pauline Gallagher: To be fair, when talking specifically about how black people are treated it’s not splitting hairs to point out that referring to them as “coloured” has been out of favour for quite a while. It was even how Gareth in The Office referred to them in a cringy piece-to-camera to show how out of touch he was.
And also, The Journal might not want to flag a comment as 5/10 toxic the second you type “black people”.
The comment in the article about Trump and Obama’s ‘hope’ hardly lends the argument credence.
The thing is, every teenager feels like an outsider and empathises with the downtrodden, the context doesn’t matter; Kizzy (a traveller girl), Kes (an orphan boy), Across the Barricades (sectarianism), Diary of Anne Frank (anti-semitism), I am David (communism), To Kill a Mockingbird (racism) … As long as the we learn not to judge people on only one aspect of who they are (ethnicity, religion, etc.), and maybe see the world through their eyes for a little while, then we have grown as human beings and society will be the better for it.
@Pharmy: I am David is on the theme of totalitarianism particularly Nazism
Across the Barricades was on my JC, and I’m pretty sure there are idiots who would want that banned for the use of a word that catholics find offensive. But it’s a sad world that censors history to fit with a social narrative that is rapidly becoming toxic by itself. Keep the books in their original form and censure the offending idiots who make a point of reading the words as an insult to class members. A clear discussion prior to starting it as to the sensitivities involved should be mandatory. Those who wish to not be involved in collective reading should be given the chance to opt out without judgement.
Interesting article. Great idea for a school debate. We’re talking about great works of fiction that depict racism in all its ugliness. These novels challenge our perceptions of the world in which we live. Nothing challenges that perceived norms of society as powerfully as great Art.
Ps. Read: Americanah: A Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Racism in all forms is repugnant, just as inhuman exploitation is repugnant
Discussions of the issues are vital, as most people of any sensibility would agree. Yet most are not discussed. China has incarcerated upwards of a million people because they belong to Muslim ethnic groups. China also uses prisoners to manufacture goods which we in Western countries buy at bargain prices. In many Arab countries there is modern day slavery. In India millions are disenfranchised because they are born into a lower cast. In America, in south Dakota on the Pine Ridge Souix reservation you will find the second highest infant mortality in the world. It may give a nice warm feeling to discuss To Kill a Mocking Bird or Of Mice and Men and it easy to discuss them because that was yesterday. But please don’t talk about what is actually happening today because we are all complicit and talking about today’s realities makes us very uncomfortable. Direct Provision? Let’s have a discussion about that
@Michael Powell: addressing racism here and now is not prevented by reading great novels including those of Harper Lee and John Steinbeck.
The events in To kill a mocking bird may not be nice but they do represent a true point in American history and in fact I’d say maybe still in today’s America.
The world has gone P.C. Mad. You can’t even buy a Golly Bar anymore.
To Kill A Mockingbird has been a favourite since I was about 13, and I still read it every few years because its so well written. There’s no need to ban it simply because it’s a story by a white woman about a white child in the Depression era South learning about racism, prejudice and injustice. That said, it is not so much about experiencing racism as a victim of it as it is an observation of how racism and bigotry come to affect a mostly white community. From that point of view criticism of the book is valid, there is little to no time spent telling Tom’s story or the effects of the accusations on his family and community. Rather than ban TKAM because it tells a story from the point of view of privilege (important context that should be noted by students reading it for the first time), perhaps it should be read with ’12 Years a Slave’ as a companion piece; it is equally as well written, if not more moving for being a memoir of a free black man, Solomon Northup, being kidnapped to be made a slave.
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