[SoloAJ]

In my assignment we have to informally justify why we chose what we chose. I will try to do so. If nothing else, maybe this will elicit responses. Additionally, as I said, my list isn't ideal by any means. A lot of books this guy assigned for class, I haven't yet read..but I could see them ending up on the list.

(1) Of Mice & Men / The Great Gatsby - I link these two together because I think I could only teach one of the two. They aren't really that similar, but yet I link them together in my mind for the purposes of this list. Someone once told me that Gatsby is the great adolescent novel because "it's about failed relationships, and isn't that what high school is all about?" Not for me it wasn't, but I can see that.

(2) Catcher in the Rye - This one, of course, faces banning issues. Whatever. Ideally, I think everyone should read it. I find it amazing that the book was written in the 50s, yet it probably would be more popular with kids each year that passes. It was emo before emo became hip. Plus, it is the type of novel that I think kids needs to read just so that when they reread it in a decade, they can see the differences in appreciation.

(3) Hamlet - I've included only one work of Shakespeare and I did so because it is probably my favorite play (though Cyrano de Bergerac could run with it). This is the sort of thing that you have to handle it right as a teacher to get the kids involved. It is a fascinating play if you focus on the plot and depth instead of the language (for kids I mean).

(4) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - One of the works I have not read that I included. I watched the movie though, and I found it amazing. So really, if time was an issue, I would have them do Hamlet and then just watch the movie for this. I think it adds humor to a story that is incredibly dark. Plus, Oldman and Roth, good times.

(5) Fahrenheit 451 / I, Robot / Ender's Game - I want to include Sci-Fi because I find it to be a growing genre. Plus it is a genre that a lot of kids get turned onto literature through. 451 is probably the frontrunner of these. I love that book. Some may argue something else by Asimov, but I, Robot is all that I have read of his. Plus, it is in like six(?) short stories, so I could choose just one or two for a class. Finally, Ender's Game is amazing. Parts of it, unfortunately would be over the students' heads and it is a 300 page novel. So it ranks 3rd on possible inclusion.

(6) 1984 / Brave New World - This was the hardest inclusion. I am a huge fan of dystopian novels, obviously. It is hard to include either of these, because I think they both fall in that "next of the classics to get replaced by modern works" in schools. They're amazing novels, but are they still necessary at the high school level? I don't know.

(7) A few short stories by James Joyce - I prefer The Dead. I read that as a senior though and parts of it were too heavy for half the class. Araby is apparently a big hit. I didn't much like Araby, but maybe I just need to reread it. Either way, Joyce is imperative to this list.

(8) Glance through the Odyssey and watch O Brother Where Art Thou This is probably my "most clever" addition to the list. I agree with Shannon Hale that the story is what is important for The Odyssey. There are references to it in literature all over the place. And hey, there happens to be a movie that loosely parallels the story. I include the movie also becuase I think a lot of people in this (midwest) aren't exposed to something that is so rich in southern beauty (the landscapes and the music).

(9a) The Things They Carried - This is a * addition. I haven't yet read it. I have heard nothing but rave rave rave about it. ANd I have seen it taught in high school classes before. Therefore, it is on the list until I get proven otherwise. Plus it offers some sort of "foreign" ideas I'm guessing (Vietnam based..something most 9th graders don't know about too well).

(9b) Slaughter House Five - Also a * addition. I just can't decide if a 10th grader could handle this story. But it IS funny, and it adds humor through satire. If the kids would take to it with an open mind, I think a lot of them would really enjoy it.

(10) Freakonomics - I haven't read this in a while so I don't know how appropriate it would be. However, I think it would offer some "real world" and some "humor" to my list. Those are two things that most high school lists are just lacking entirely. You can't take this book TOO seriously, but I think it would offer a lot to a class of 10th graders.

(11) Batman: The Killing Joke / V for Vendetta - Appropriate? I don't know. I haven't read either of these yet. But they're both incredibly popular, and the Batman one is incredibly different from the rest of the list. I think that I will have to teach a graphic novel of some sort by the time I teach in a class, they're just too popular anymore not to. That said, I haven't read like...uhh....any. So these two are on there for now based on recommendations.

(12) Short Stories! - This is going to be my favorite part as a teacher I think. Mostly because I have some I love dearly, and I think that short stories are the best chance you have to get kids to read and analyze. Here is my list, with no specific reasoning given unless asked (I know this post is long enough).
The Lottery
The Ones Who Walked from Omelas
The Lady or the Tiger
The Most Dangerous Game
The Necklace
Tell Tale Heart
A Modest Proposal
Bartleby the Scrivener
The Yellow Wallpaper.


Whew, that is my current status. I really hope SOMEONE reads that post, haha. If not, well...it looks like I basically typed out most of my assignment just now. So good times!

Note: My list openly lacks any good foreign literature. I don't know what to include. I've read one Amy Tan book, but it wouldn't be good for this matter. Shrug.