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Author
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Comment
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swood
Unregistered User
(4/19/04 6:08 pm)
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Michael Chabon on Teen Art & Violence
This is slightly off-topic, but I thought since the issue of violence and creativity, especially as it relates to young people, is often discussed on the board, members might be interested in reading this editorial from Michael Chabon on the subject of Teen Art & Violence that appeared in the NY Times last week.
www.nytimes.com/2004/04/1...335556ec2d
Sarah
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sarahw
Unregistered User
(4/23/04 2:01 pm)
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violence
In theory, I agree with the Chabon article. However I teach 4th grade, and I am often appalled by what my 10 year old students are allowed to watch. Routinely, the majority of these kids (and they are kids) are allowed to watch R rated movies, MTV, and play video games such as Grand Theft Auto. They are exposed to sex and violence that is often gratuitous and senseless. Then, they come into the classroom and want to write "slice 'em and dice 'em" stories.
And, I won't let them do it. We read and enjoy stories of all genres and discuss what makes them work as writing. The begin to see similarities in characters and challenges for the protagonists. As the year progresses, they begin to understand to understand that the violence in a book such as "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" is so disturbing because we care about the character Zachariah. Soon, they actually care about character driven stories, including their own, albeit, on an elementary level. If violence occurs in the stories, it is now more about how it affects a character than about the actual act.
No. We should not be firing teachers or being overly obsessed with students who want to write violent stories. We must, however, remember context is important and understanding how it is used in literature is also important.
Sarah
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sarahw
Unregistered User
(4/23/04 2:41 pm)
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violence
I realized I dashed off my previous post so quickly that perhaps I wasn't clear.
Violence in literature is not inherently bad. In fact, as we know, fairy tales are filled with it. However, given their format fairy tales are a safe place to explore the dark issues often associated with being young.
My issue is that so much of what kids watch is just not appropriate for them and it spills over into their initial writing projects of the school year. As we move through the year, and read books such as Crash, Hoot, Skellig, Number the Stars, and so many more, they learn that violent acts have consequences. These books, and so many more, are so well written that any violence in them actually makes them feel and think. It's not just about the act. Then, they begin to think about their writing.
I don't want to sanitize their writing. I want to move it along and improve. So, perhaps the most important question that was not asked in the Chabon article was not whether or not the student should have written the story, but whether the writing was any good.
Finally, no matter what anybody feels about this issue, the scariest part of it is the treatment of both the student and the teacher by the school. Unfortunately, that part of this topic isn't fiction.
Sarah
Sarah
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