Its Time to Start Thinking Instead of Screaming

  Hi. Musing Matt here and we need to talk about something important. Education. Not in general but focused on the study of literature in public schools and how important it is that we keep those kids reading and stop banning every book that contains anything remotely unpleasant. This is a hot button issue with many people and I will be approaching it from the angle of someone who has a great fondness and respect for literature and the wisdom that can be gained from reading.


  Okay, where did this little rant come from? Well, years of hearing about this book or that one being banned because some parents did not like the material contained within. But more specifically, I was listening to my local talk radio station a few days ago and they were talking about cafeteria food in public schools and the changes that are being made. (I'm not going any further into that topic because this column is not about food.) A man called in and with an snarl he complained about his middle school child having to read "The Hunger Games." His compliant was that the book was "just about kids killin' each other" and he demanded to know "what are we teaching our children by makin' them read books about kids killin' each other for food?" Okay, that would be reasonable if that was all "The Hunger Games" was, but its not.

  Now, I have not read the book myself, (its on my to read list) but I spent years of my life studying literature and I can spot high-concept dystopian science fiction just from reading a plot synopsis. (Further more this column is not specifically about the novel.) You see I don't just study books. I study genres, tropes, and methods of story telling. The term high-concept refers to a story telling method that involves asking a what if question. An example of this is the movie "Inception" the what if question there is "what if we could enter the dreams of another person?" Another example: William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" ask "what if many groups of children became stranded on an island and had to form their own governmental structure?" The high-concept story is a great way to both tell an interesting story and make a point.

  I have intentionally avoided reading any book reviews concerning "The Hunger Games' because I'm eventually going to read it and I don't want my first reading to be possibly influenced by someone else's opinion. I did look up the plot synopsis though and that tells an experienced lit major plenty.

  Here's the synopsis from scholastic.com:

           "In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see."

  Okay, this book clearly not messing around. There is a lot contained here and my first reaction is that there is a commentary here about the possible evolution of reality television. The next place that I go is the kids killing each other. Now I will admit that the notion of children killing each other is an unpleasant one, but the caller on the radio stopped there and did not dig any deeper. What he should have done is asked why the author chose to use such a horrifying topic. To make a point.

  Good writers seldom throw unpleasantness into a novel with reckless abandon. Every word, action, and plot point is there for a reason. The novel is trying to tell the reader something. What is the reason with this novel? I haven't read it so I don't know, but I can tell you that there is more to this novel than meets the eye. What you have to do is look deeper into the text ask what the novel is trying to say and you'll find that its much deeper than kids killing each other.

  Now, the very fact that the book contains unpleasant material is a good reason for it to be taught in middle school. Here's why. If we remove all unpleasant materials from schools we create a false indication that there is no unpleasantness in the world. WHICH IS COMPLETE BULL. School is supposed to prepare children for the world that they will enter upon leaving it. Those of us who are beyond high school know that the world is a harsh and unrelenting place. Bad things happen in this world every day and the children need to know that, so that they can be prepared for it. 

  Literature is an integral part of the preparation. If this column had a thesis it would be this: Studying literature provides a way in which we can learn from unpleasant experiences without having to go through them ourselves.

  Literature has the power to teach the hard lessons that only a harsh life knows. Instead of running from it in fear we should embrace literature and take it seriously. These authors (for the most part) aren't just throwing words on a page and clocking out. There is purpose and meaning to be found for those who are willing to look for it.