September 6, 2012
Historians, and all other writers, write with bias—whether they realize it or not. Their biases may be expressed in discrete ways such as the facts they choose to leave out or gloss over. Zinn attempts to uncover and critique this in his writing of A People’s History of the United States. He executes this open-minded style using quoted primary sources and details often buried underneath the glory and pride of human progress. I believe this to be courageous and daring of Zinn; it takes great bravery to delve into the depths of truth, especially when it is not always pretty.
In comparison with Kennedy’s excerpt, Zinn goes in-depth about the suffering and genocide caused by the Europeans to the Arawaks. Kennedy, however, simply breezes by it in saying “Enslavement and armed aggression took their toll, but the deadliest killers were microbes, not muskets.” This comes across as very nonchalant and implies the killings were more or less out of the control of the Europeans. When retelling the past, historians should certainly tell the truth from multiple perspectives. As Zinn states: “My argument cannot be against selection, simplification, emphasis, which are inevitable for both cartographers and historians.” This expresses his tolerance of writers’ styles, yet also subtly states the intolerance of incoherence and misinformation in the construction of history.
Written for a high school class.
School
May 1, 2011
Throughout the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the theme of the hypocrisy of civilized society appears whenever various town inhabitants interact with the main characters. The town members can appear as congenial individuals such as Sally Phelps, or as a vindictive group such as the audience of The Royal Nonesuch. In either case, hypocrisy resides within the actions of those involved. This hypocrisy defines the collective ideologies behind many pre-Civil War communities.
In Chapter 22, Colonel Sherburn presents a speech to a vengeful mob awaiting his surrender. Standing on the roof of his front porch, he speaks of the mob’s weaknesses. He states that “The average man is a coward.” The townspeople are afraid to back down after their collective anger drives them to attempt a lynching, only to be confronted by Colonel Sherburn. In Chapter 23, the Duke and Dauphin perform a show called The Royal Nonesuch. The audience is appalled by the performance and, to avoid personal embarrassment, encourages others to attend so they won’t be the only ones fooled. These examples express the greed and subservience of society.
In Chapter 5, a new judge arrives in town and presides over the custody issue between Huckleberry and Pap. Refusing to separate father and son, he reasons that “Courts mustn’t interfere and separate families if they can help it.” Consequently, Pap retains custody of Huck instead of the Widow Douglas, as the judge naively prioritizes family unity over Huck’s safety, ignoring Pap’s abusive nature. The new judge is ignorant and his plans are to no avail. This action furthers the idea of society’s accepted customs.
Chapter 32 introduces Sally Phelps, Tom Sawyer’s aunt, who is also a slave owner. She represents a member of society who is seemingly kind and respectful, yet owns slaves. This is highly controversial and a prominent example of the hypocrisy of society around the 1840s. Sally appears kind and respectful but remains complicit in slavery, treating enslaved people well while still believing in the institution. Huck learns throughout the book about the flaws of slavery through his experience helping Jim escape.
A similar reference to slavery is found in Chapter 35, where Jim acts upon Tom’s requests. Jim is imprisoned and continues to follow Tom’s elaborate and unnecessary escape plans, trusting that Tom’s scheme will ultimately lead to his freedom. Though Tom’s aim is to help Jim escape the shed, he still treats him as inferior. This behavior is mutually accepted because it is the status quo of society at the time.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents a unique view of the hypocrisy of civilized society through the eyes of a young white boy—namely Huck. Through various examples, the accepted social practices around the 1840s are exposed. Society is seen as selfish, subservient, and ignorant. Sometimes even innocent, amiable characters such as Sally Phelps are susceptible to the questionable ways of the world.
Written for a high school class.
School
October 31, 2010
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a short story that should be taught in ninth grade for several reasons. One important aspect is that it is thought-provoking. Almost every paragraph grips the reader and makes them wonder certain things about the story. Whether inferences are made or re-reading occurs, this story will challenge the student. They will be able to break down the story by analyzing the daydreams and asking questions about the text. This will make them an overall better reader.
Another reason Walter Mitty should be taught is so ninth graders can be exposed to good literature. For a short story, it really has strong literary power, per se. Imagery flows throughout, especially in Mitty’s daydreams. James Thurber also has a clever way of transitioning between the dreams and reality—an ellipsis. Although Mitty’s secret life and average life are beautifully woven together, the reader is guided by the three transitioning dots.
The fact that Walter Mitty is a classic is an imperative reason for being part of the ninth-grade curriculum. It has been around since 1939 and was even made into a 1947 film (later remade featuring Ben Stiller in 2013). The word Mittyesque was derived from the story, meaning: “An ineffectual person who spends more time in heroic daydreams than paying attention to the real world, or more seriously, one who intentionally attempts to mislead or convince others that he is something that he is not.” All of these reasons explain why The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a great story to be taught in ninth grade.
Written for a high school class.
School
April Littrell