Literary Censorship--PBL
Driving Question: Should literature be censored to reflect current morality?
Lesson: Should literature by modified/censored to reflect the society's current social and moral values? Ex: Should the N-word be replaced with Slave in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn?
Purposes:
Examine what literary censorship is.
Determine the situations in which censorship takes place
Encourage students to determine what an appropriate solution is to censorship.
The students will be forced to consider many factors due to the complexity of the driving question. The students will be forced to analyze the moral foundations of the period we live in and consider whether censorship will produce a positive impact on todays society (this involves assessing the pros and cons of censorship).
The discussion question presents a question that most students will most likely be unfamiliar with, introducing the students to a new and authentic topic of discussion. In terms of relevancy, the DQ is to this day a topic of intense controversy with many implementations declared by people on both sides of the argument. For example, many people have suggested that publishers replace the "n-word" with “slave” in the widespread American novel “Huckleberry Finn”. This is a book that is read in most High School English classes in the U.S and thus the controversies could heavily affect the literary consumption of many American children.
Some students may feel that it is appropriate to remove certain words from books while others may find the idea reprehensible. The opportunity for more than one answer gives students the chance to discuss their ideas, the support for their ideas, and to communally attempt to come up with what they believe a viable solution to the question is.
Is there a problem with censorship?
Should we be modifying other’s words?
Will it take away from the author’s intended purpose?
How will censorship affect your education?
Lesson Summary:
Students will watch a video introducing them to the topic of literary censorship in the context of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. There will be accompanying articles students will read through in order to gain a deeper understanding of the issue. Students will develop their opinion on the issue, raise questions, and ultimately come up with a solution. This will be done by examining the evidence, preparing for discussion, and finally culminating in a Socratic seminar in which they will discuss their ideas and come up with a solution together.
Lesson Narrative:
Grabber:
First we will watch this 12 video from 60 minutes discussing the censorship of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9-qee1m9o
The video showcases an example of the driving question. A publishing company has chosen to take out the “n-word” from Huckleberry Finn, replaced it with “slave”, and is distributing the book. The video interviews this publisher, several teachers, and students. The teachers show different sides of the question as well. One teacher chooses not to say the word when teaching the book while one does. They both present their reasons for doing so. The interviewer also speaks to a professor who challenges the censorship of the word. There are also the perspectives of students who speak about how reading the word makes them feel. Ultimately, this video provides a great starting point for discussion about censorship in literature. The topic is highly emotional and many people feel very passionately about saying this particular word. While I don’t want the entire class discussion to be about this particular word or book, it’s a great way to get students to begin thinking about the issue. Is it ever okay to censor a book? Just a word? When would it be okay? Do you agree with what this publishing company has done? It gives students the chance to begin to think deeply about the subject and what possible solutions might be.
We will pair the video with the following article:
10 Reasons for Banning Books and 5 Much Better Reasons Not To
http://www.punchnels.com/2014/09/18/10-reasons-for-banning-books-and-5-much-better-reasons-not-to/
Expanding from the video we watched, we’ll discuss other reasons books and works of literature have been censored and, conversely, why they shouldn’t be. This article should help guide students’ thinking on both sides of the issue.
Students will also be given a list of resources to visit as they compile their research on the topic. This list of resources is located at the end of this document. These resources include articles on both sides of the issue as well as some relevant statistics. Students will be given time to examine these documents and formulate their opinions as well as questions and possible solutions to the questions that will be posed during the culminating activity. The questions that will be posed during the Socratic seminar will be available to students at the beginning of the activity to help guide their research and thinking.
Culminating activity
Purposes:
Understanding the implications of literary censorship and applying our knowledge to unresolved controversies dealing with censorship.
Come up with a viable solution to the DQ through a Socratic seminar.
The culminating activity will be in the form of a Socratic seminar.
An example explaining the steps of the seminar can be found here: https://www.nwabr.org/sites/default/files/SocSem.pdf
This example will be provided for students who need more reference to understand how the seminar works.
Lesson Summary:
The censorship of literary texts and books has been a divisive discussion for a large part of American history, but the argument still lingers in our society to this day. Many people believe that censoring some popular literary works is essential to not offending anyone as well as making sure that books stay in touch with our current social and moral values. However, the opposing side counters by saying that censoring literature is an infringement on freedom of speech and detracts from the intended purpose of the author.
Considering this, we will ask our students to discuss whether they believe that Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn should be edited to have the word slave instead of the now highly offensive "n-word", which is included over 200 times in the text.
Our Culminating activity will proceed following the instructions shown below.
Students will sit in a circle with their texts. Students should have read and prepared the texts and have questions and opinions ready to go. The teacher will be the moderator. Students do not raise their hands in a Socratic seminar. They address each other respectfully, without raising their voices or arguing. Students present their ideas and their answers to the driving question as well as follow up questions including:
-Driving Question: Should literature be censored to reflect current social values? (Huckleberry Finn, particularly)
-Are there times when censoring literature is okay and others when it’s not?
-Is there a problem with censorship?
-Will censorship take away the author’s intended purpose?
Each question will have a ten-minute time slot, after which the class must move on. The teacher’s role is to keep students on task, keep the discussion civil if necessary, ask clarifying questions, and keep the discussion moving.
The discussion asks students to think about their own opinions and to support these opinions with evidence from articles provided. The topic is important to the English literature classroom and allows for students to relate topical discussion to current events that actually affect their lives and education. The students must respect each other and work together to have a civil discussion about the topic.
After students have discussed the questions listed, we will return to the initial question and move on to discussion of a solution. We will discuss together what the solution to the main driving question should be. We will come up with a final answer together through discussion.
Students will be graded according to the attached rubric. They will be graded on things such as the amount of times they contribute to the discussion, the quality of these contributions (Is it clear they have read the material? Are they citing evidence when they speak? Are they offering a unique point instead of just reiterating something someone else has already stated?), as well as the manner in which they contribute (Are they being respectful to other students? Are they arguing or raising their voice instead of remaining civil? Are they talking over others or interrupting instead of waiting for their turn?). All of these things will factor into the student’s final grade for the project.
Debriefing: After the class has come up with a solution to the driving question, they will be asked to fill out a form reviewing their performance and the activity. They’ll be asked to state their solution to the problem as well as to evaluate their own participation. They’ll also be asked to state what they learned from the discussion and any remaining questions they might have that can be addressed in class at a later date.
Rubric for Socratic Seminar (Culminating Activity)
Resources:
60 Minutes Segment on Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9-qee1m9o
Don’t Read This Book: A History of Literary Censorship
http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/07/don-t-read-book-history-literary-censorship
Trigger warnings on classic literature are one small step from book banning
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/20/trigger-warnings-college-campus-books
The Students' Right to Readhttp://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/righttoreadguideline
10 Reasons for Banning Books, and 5 Much Better Reasons Not Tohttp://www.punchnels.com/2014/09/18/10-reasons-for-banning-books-and-5-much-better-reasons-not-to/
Should We Censor What Teens Read?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-brown-hoffmeister/should-we-censor-what-tee_b_10355550.html
2014 Book Challenges Infographichttp://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/statistics
Book Censorship history and Quiz
http://study.com/academy/lesson/book-censorship-history-statistics-quiz.html
Banned Books: A School Librarian’s Perspective
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,55630,00.html
Steps for a Socratic Seminar:
https://www.nwabr.org/sites/default/files/SocSem.pdf