Catcher in the Rye...is this still controversial?

[mnrose]

Just got an email from my daughter's 10th grade honors language arts teacher. The next unit involves reading and analyzing Catcher in the Rye, and gives parents the opportunity to "opt out" of having their kids read it. Seriously?

What am I missing? This hardly seems like the novel that 10th graders should be "shielded" from reading. These are not middle schoolers or elementary age children. I guarantee that my D will not be "learning" anything new from this book. She's in high school. Believe me, she's heard worse than any language or theme in this book.

My children are both nearing the age when they will be out from under my direct control. It is important, IMO, for them to be exposed to these real world topics before they are. We discuss sexuality in our house and appropriate expression of it. I'm not worried that some book is going to unduly influence them

I can't imagine their are parents who think their 15-16 year old children (a) don't already know about the things in this book, and/or (b) want to shield them from it.

 

[baylorberas]

I don’t know if it’s still controversial, but it certainly is one of the most overrated books in the standard high school literature curriculum. Much of its notoriety is due to the reclusive, eccentric life of the author. The book itself is a bore.

 

[mnrose]

I don’t know if it’s still controversial, but it certainly is one of the most overrated books in the standard high school literature curriculum. Much of its notoriety is due to the reclusive, eccentric life of the author. The book itself is a bore.

Shrug. Lots of what I was asked to read in high school was boring....aka, Wuthering Heights. I thought that was the purpose of high school and college language arts classes....read boring books and write papers about them. Probably explains why I was NOT an English major. LOL.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I find it controversial because I was sold a bill of goods about the contents of this "controversial book". There's nothing racy or controversial about the book. It's about a whiny rich boy doing whiny rich boy things. Holden Caulfield was a irritating little git. I hated that book.

 

[Jennasis]

***Snicker*** Reminds me of the scene on Family Guy where they flash back to Nathaniel Hawthorne sitting at his desk furiously writing, and this exchange happens:

Wife: Nathaniel dear, what are you doing?

Nathaniel: (laughs) Ruining 8th grade for everyone!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I guess it is based on your area. My dd who is a senior this yr and going for a creative writing/communications major in college has taken a ton of honors english classes.

2 of them were college level in Fr/So yr. The stuff they did in those classes would have your hair stand on end, lol.

No notes in HS for english reading thank goodness.

 

[scrapquitler]

Just got an email from my daughter's 10th grade honors language arts teacher. The next unit involves reading and analyzing Catcher in the Rye, and gives parents the opportunity to "opt out" of having their kids read it. Seriously?

What am I missing? This hardly seems like the novel that 10th graders should be "shielded" from reading. These are not middle schoolers or elementary age children. I guarantee that my D will not be "learning" anything new from this book. She's in high school. Believe me, she's heard worse than any language or theme in this book.

My children are both nearing the age when they will be out from under my direct control. It is important, IMO, for them to be exposed to these real world topics before they are. We discuss sexuality in our house and appropriate expression of it. I'm not worried that some book is going to unduly influence them

I can't imagine their are parents who think their 15-16 year old children (a) don't already know about the things in this book, and/or (b) want to shield them from it.

We have recently had a censorship issue with a book in our high school curriculum. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was on the list as one of the books that the Freshman English teachers could choose to use as one of the required books for the class. Parents always have the option to opt their child out of any reading material they disagree with and an alternate selection will be provided. However with Perks, ONE (and only ONE) parent complained that he did not want his child to read the book and he demanded that the book be removed (not just opt his kid out, remove it for everyone). The committee said no. He appealed directly to the superintendant, who promptly removed the book from the list of books that could be required and put it on the books that would be 'available in the library as optional'. Yep. One parent complaint. Of course the parent was someone who is on the Board of Ed here in town, so I think the superintendent was afraid of him. Not cool.

I don't think that a high school freshman needs to be shielded. Now that the book is out of the curriculum, the discussions that could take place are also gone. Sure, the kids could still read it, but without the class discussion part, and I think that's a valuable thing being lost.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

^^^Not that I disagree with the sentiment, but on a side note, I seem to recall those discussions as being just slightly more torturous than the books themselves.

 

[scoutie]

I also find this book overrated, but it's still very much a part of many high school reading lists.

Just got an email from my daughter's 10th grade honors language arts teacher. The next unit involves reading and analyzing Catcher in the Rye, and gives parents the opportunity to "opt out" of having their kids read it. Seriously?

Yes. Parents DO still opt out of books like this. Every year, I have parents who opt their kids out of reading THE GIVER. The teacher has to sent this letter home.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have recently had a censorship issue with a book in our high school curriculum. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was on the list as one of the books that the Freshman English teachers could choose to use as one of the required books for the class. Parents always have the option to opt their child out of any reading material they disagree with and an alternate selection will be provided. However with Perks, ONE (and only ONE) parent complained that he did not want his child to read the book and he demanded that the book be removed (not just opt his kid out, remove it for everyone). The committee said no. He appealed directly to the superintendant, who promptly removed the book from the list of books that could be required and put it on the books that would be 'available in the library as optional'. Yep. One parent complaint. Of course the parent was someone who is on the Board of Ed here in town, so I think the superintendent was afraid of him. Not cool.

I don't think that a high school freshman needs to be shielded. Now that the book is out of the curriculum, the discussions that could take place are also gone. Sure, the kids could still read it, but without the class discussion part, and I think that's a valuable thing being lost.

Geesh. Did the kids go to bat for the book with the school board? They still can of course and have the decision reversed.

When my dd was a freshman/sophomore, she got into the college level class for English which was above the honors English. It was a research and presentation class. The kids that were accepted into this course could already write at the college level.

One of the presentations my dd did was on Satanism, just to give you an idea of what they could research and present. Basically anything really.

They are graded by a panel of former students and teachers.

 

[mnrose]

I also find this book overrated, but it's still very much a part of many high school reading lists.

Yes. Parents DO still opt out of books like this. Every year, I have parents who opt their kids out of reading THE GIVER. The teacher has to sent this letter home.

That is sad.

I promptly deleted the message as I have zero problem with this book for this age kid. Good grief.

I volunteer in the high school for other reasons (choir and drama stuff) and believe me, there is nothing in that book that these kids aren't exposed to on a daily basis merely wandering the hallways. LOL. It boggles the mind to think that a parent could be that clueless. If they don't want their snowflakes exposed to swearing and sexuality, they need to homeschool them.

 

[slo]

Ok....I'm feeling like I've lived under a rock.
I never heard of this book - what is it about?
This is not a joke

 

[ZephyrHawk]

The Catcher in the Rye is a very famous book by J.D. Salinger. It follows several days through the eyes of a troubled teen. It has nothing to do with catchers or farming fields, except in the metaphorical mindscape of the protagonist(?). It has been frequently banned in the past because it contains explicit language and sexual situations. As well as other various objections. Many literature aficionados consider it a classic, and it is often read in high school curriculum for this reason. This has lead to it being banned more than it normally would, because it represents the interesting intersection of "great literature we want our children to read" and "smut we don't want our snowflakes exposed to."

Personally, I didn't like it and didn't see what the fuss was about. But I hate (with the passion of a thousand burning suns) censorship of any type. I buy my DD a banned book for Christmas every year.

 

[superme80]

Shrug. Lots of what I was asked to read in high school was boring....aka, Wuthering Heights. I thought that was the purpose of high school and college language arts classes....read boring books and write papers about them. Probably explains why I was NOT an English major. LOL.

I hate that book too! I haven't read The Catcher in Rye, so I can't comment. I think by that age they should be able to read it. There is much worse out there marketed to that age.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

I remember reading this book in high school. Maybe I read it wrong or am looking too much into things, but I felt the book was pretty sexist.

Mind you, I could be biased on that viewpoint because the entire reason we read the book was because our teacher was sexist and racist.

I don't want any books being banned. Ever. I'm an avid reader and have read tons of controversial stuff.

But I found this to be my least favourite book during my high school career. I'm pretty sure I read a lot of books that are probably on a ban list somewhere, during high school. 1984, The Scarlet Letter, etc.

 

[slo]

Thanks @ZephyrHawk !!

My 16yr old is not a big reader, and doesn't have many required readings at school, so I'm not to familiar with many of these books.

On the topic of censorship, I am one of those parents that treats their kids like a snowflake in regards to what they see, read and listen to.
For example:
*I was stunned to see the amount of kids 12 and under at Furious 7 the other night.
There is no way that I would allow my 11yr old DD to see it - to much violence.
*I was also stunned to see 12 and under girls at the last 2 Twilight movies - to much sexual stuff
*It upsets me that our middle school is making the kids read The Hunger Games.
I still haven't allowed my 11yr old see it (nor does she want to). It's kids killing kids - how is this good for a required reading . We preach no violence, lock all the school doors, have a police officer there all the time, but yet it's ok for the kids to read about violence in school - I don't get it
*It always stunned me when my 16yr old was younger and her friends would talk about watching the CSI shows - those are pretty graphic - my kids weren't allowed

I could go on and on...
In today's standards, my kids have been/still are pretty sheltered.
I guess I figure they have 18 years to be a kid and hopefully 72+ years to be an adult.
I want them to have as innocent of a childhood as possible and then they can read, watch and listen to whatever they want for the rest of their life.

I'm not saying I'm right.
I'm just saying I'm right for us

*disclaimer....this is in no way judging how other parents do things.

 

[Handbag Lady]

The number one way to get kids to read a book is to ban it.

 

[Kbee]

My dd read it this year as a Junior. No note was sent home so I guess in our area it isn't controversial at all.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

*It upsets me that our middle school is making the kids read The Hunger Games.
I still haven't allowed my 11yr old see it (nor does she want to). It's kids killing kids - how is this good for a required reading . We preach no violence, lock all the school doors, have a police officer there all the time, but yet it's ok for the kids to read about violence in school - I don't get it

Just as an FYI, the whole point of the Hunger Games is to show that the violence is NOT a good thing, and that sometimes governments and people in authority force us to do things that aren't right, and also control us with fear, violence, and hate.

Basically, the entire point of the books is to teach kids that those things aren't right.

(I'm not trying to argue... just not sure if you knew the underlying themes of the novels)

 

[LBIJim]

We read excerpts out loud in English class. I had the honor to being the first to say the F word during class in front of a teacher and not get into trouble for it. But Sonya P. got to say the S word before me.