In other words, the improved literary canon must include the addition of cultural significant texts. Cultural significance must include the diversity that is present in society, therefore, the diversity will lead to the inclusion of many. “The offerings are wide-ranging, tilting toward diversity and inclusion” (3). This addition will positively effect students in many ways; for example, diverse texts will be relatable to some and will teach many. These texts will provide students insight on the struggles and inconveniences people of different nationalities and genders go through. Of course, most students are able to identify these struggles without reading a book on it, but literature that provides more insight and meaning it will improve students. This inclusion will raise necessary …show more content…
Samantha English and Barbara Cruz believe the corruption begins with the authors of the classics. In their article, “Chicago Schools Make Moves to Include Women, Minorities on Required Reading Lists,” presents the argument that the literary canon is filled with too many authors that are dead white men, instead, there needs to be more diverse authors. For example, more minorities and women must be included within this list of classics. The improvement of the literary canon will then change the required reading lists within schools. Literature provided in school is short of female and minority authors, which does no good for students. In other words, teaching students mostly white male perspectives can lead to many negative effects, therefore, there is no more relevance in a white man’s perspective. “Some argue that teaching the canon to students who no longer find relevance in the issues presented, will fail to stimulate teens and ultimately turn them away from reading” (1). Literature that is taught to students must have relevance, therefore, a change needs to occur in mandatory school reading lists and the literary
In A Woman Who Went to Alaska, students were introduced to the local culture that can be found in Alaska, particularly during the Gold Rush. In “Ruby Bridges: A Girl of Courage,” students were able to understand what it was like growing up as an African American in the Southern United States, particularly during the Civil Rights Era. While they don’t promote international cultural diversity per se, these two readings can still expose students to cultures (or rather, past mindsets) that they are not necessarily aware
The Earth is one big ball that is full of mistakes and flaws. Many people take initiative and send out a message through their writings. The article In Praise of the F word, by Mary Sherry, reflects on the school system. Sherry utilizes her passionate tone, pathos, and personal experience to sway the reader to follow along in her beliefs. In Affirmative Action: The Price of Preference, by Shelby Steele, Steele preys on readers by using ethos, pathos, and a sturdy tone to appeal to her readers. Though both writers present valid arguments and interest, as a reader, I believe that Steele’s argument was stronger within her essay.
James W. Loewen wrote the book “Lies My Teacher Told Me” to help students understand the past of the United States, and how it is effecting the present time. “Lies My Teacher Told Me” looks at 12 different American history textbooks, and points out the different lies, flaws, and sugar coated stories the textbooks present. Lowen explains how textbooks practice heroification, and how race and race relations are a major issue when it comes to American history. Among these topics, Lowen also sheds light on the truth about social classes in America, and how textbooks lie about the past and try to avoid the recent past all together.
...it but try to make a change. Through Chris Jaynes, Johnson expresses to his readers the importance of taking a stance on the issue of Whiteness by making it a very prominent ideal in his novel. Johnson furthers his agreement against Whiteness by expressing the fact that the issue not only needs to be identified but that there needs to be more of a push to change the issue. Sticking to the normal ways of trying to fix the issue of Whiteness, such as using a diversity committee, are no longer acceptable in the fight against Whiteness as it has proved to be unsuccessful. Instead Mat Johnson challenges the reader to notice the practices that keep American literature segregated and consider how effective the methods put in place truly are in advancing American literature.
Cultural diversity is an important element. Often times we acknowledge cultural diversity but we don’t quite understand it simply because we do not live it. With this novel, readers can understand cultural
In chapter 1, Banks discusses multicultural education goals, the debate over the canon of instruction, and approaches to multicultural education. Chapter 2 describes the citizenship education and diversity in a global age and the author describes how the countries all over the world have increased diversity as well as the way they have accepted diversity. Banks talks about dimensions and school characteristics, as well as the dimensions of multicultural education in chapter 3 of his book. Chapter 4 describes the curriculum transformation which is required to help the teachers and students in making model changes so as they can be able to view the American and world experience from the perspectives of diverse cultural, ethnic, racial, racial, and gender
This source will equip the argument for utilizing diversity as an educational apparatus that supports student development and learning. The showcase of the impact of diverse student engagement will definitely be useful for providing a strong reasoning for showcasing how the experience of students in the US schooling system shapes the educational experiences of diversified student groups. Dixson, A., & Rousseau, C. (2005). And we are still not saved: critical race theory in education ten years later.... ...
In conclusion, we face many challenges in a diverse population for today’s society. Children and families are affected from all the diversity that goes on and and we face different categories of diversity from all aspect. So we teach about diversity and how it affects or play a role in today’s
Most of literature written by American minority authors is pedagogic, not toward the dominant culture, but for the minority cultures of which they are members. These authors realize that the dominant culture has misrepresented minority history, and it is the minority writers' burden to undertake the challenge of setting the record straight to strengthen and heal their own cultures. Unfortunately, many minorities are ambivalent because they vacillate between assimilation (thereby losing their separateness and cultural uniqueness) and segregation from the dominant culture. To decide whether to assimilate, it is essential for minorities to understand themselves as individuals and as a race. Mainstream United States history has dealt with the past of the dominant culture forgetting about equally important minority history. We cannot convey true American history without including and understanding minority cultures in the United States, but minority history has to first be written. National amnesia of minority history cannot be tolerated. Toni Morrison is a minority writer has risen to the challenge of preventing national amnesia through educating African-Americans by remembering their past and rewriting their history. In her trilogy, Beloved, Jazz and Paradise, and in her other works, Morrison has succeeded in creating literature for African-Americans that enables them to remember their history from slavery to the present.
... standards that we as a society can move on from that time period. Now in our present time there isn’t as strong of a double standard because we are fairly aware of it when it is present. Yet in the time that these novels were published it was considered normal and ok by society. In the end though all of the great pieces of literature that we’ve read really do offer us what the class promised and that was “big books about bad women,” although maybe is should say “bad women and men.”
American ethnic literature is known today because of the many authors like Cathy Song, Ralph Ellison and Audre Lorde. These authors have made what is today, from the education of children as well. Children are now able to have a political understand of things. We are now able to have the understanding of our world’s cultures and have a greater intelligence on it. Today we have presented an improved understanding to the American society, in the political and economic that today’s world has
Throughout American Literature, women have been depicted in many different ways. The portrayal of women in American Literature is often influenced by an author's personal experience or a frequent societal stereotype of women and their position. Often times, male authors interpret society’s views of women in a completely different nature than a female author would. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may represent his main female character as a victim in the 1920’s, Zora Neale Hurston portrays hers as a strong, free-spirited, and independent woman only a decade later in the 1930’s.
In this week’s readings the subject of dimensions of cultural diversity were covered comprehensively in both books. Understanding and Managing Diversity presented a nicely laid out illustration:
Garcia, E. (2002). Student cultural diversity: Understanding and meeting the challenge (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
During the course of this class, I have had the opportunity to read literature from authors who come from different backgrounds and places in the world. Some of the stories and poetry we read were straight forward while others were confusing and sometimes required a second look. But one thing is clear, it changed the way I think about literature in a few ways that I wasn’t expecting. Three works in particular stand out in my mind. “ I Wont Let You Go” by Rabindranath Tagore, “To New York” by Leopold Senghor, and Pedro Peramo by Juan Rulfo all had an impact on my thinking for similar yet different reasons. They all incorporate their cultural backgrounds into their work through the setting of their pieces. They also compose their pieces in a way that makes you want to research their history to find the deeper meaning. Finally, a couple of the authors write about things they are emotionally connected to. Some of the examples we will look at, really opened my eyes to going beyond a superficial understanding of literature.