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Dell, 1982
Summary: When a black family protests the mandatory reading of Huckleberry Finn, students, teachers, the librarian and the principal are forced to take opposing sides. Although there is a policy in place to deal with controversial literature, it is soon discovered by Barney, a curious student and editor of the school paper, that this issue has come up before and had been dealt with behind closed doors. The characters in the story must examine their own convictions and take action based on what they believe to be right.
Level: RL: 6 IL: Gr 7-12
Themes:
- Censorship
Social responsibility
Individual rights
Individual vs society
Activities:
1a. Interview your principal, librarian, and/or English teacher. Does your school have a policy for handling challenges to learning materials? Who developed the policy? Why was the it developed? Has it ever been used to settle a dispute over controversial materials? How is the policy communicated to teachers, students, parents, and other members of the community? If your school does not have a policy, read about how to develop one in the Intellectual Freedom Committee's Handbook on Intellectual Freedom (Copies should be available in your school library. If not, have your librarian obtain one from the Maine State Library.)
b. Another important document every school should have is a "selection policy." Does your school have one? How are library and classroom materials selected for purchase? Do the same criteria apply to gifts or donations? How does this fit in to the censorship issue? Refer to the dilemma that faced Mrs. Salter, the previous librarian in The Day They Came to Arrest the Book, as she selected books for purchased. Involving the whole school in about this topic would be healthy.
2. What is "political correctness"? Why do some people feel this is an attempt to censor free speech? Find the answers to these questions by locating magazine articles on the topic. Listen for examples of politically correct language on television and/or find examples in newspapers and magazines. Keep a journal of your observations. Be sure to note sources. Select a fairy tale that might be "politically incorrect" and rewrite it changing the "objectionable" language.
Or
Take a passage from Huckleberry Finn, perhaps one of the controversial parts noted in The Day They Came to Arrest the Book. Make the passage politically correct by removing the objectionable language or content. Compare/contrast your version with the original. Evaluate the language of each by considering the questions: Which version has the greatest emotional impact on the reader? Why? Is this impact desirable? Which version is the most historically accurate? Can the language be changed without changing Twain's original meaning and intentions? Write a "rationale" or justification for teaching Huckleberry Finn using the format noted below.
3a. Obtain the list of known banned books in this country. Choose a book from the list to read. While reading make note of potential objectionable words, passages or themes. (Include in the note exactly who might be offended.) Write an essay in which you support or do not support the reasons for the banning or restricting of this book using the examples you found from the book. Be sure to take into account a targeted grade or age level. Using that information, create a visual aid that clearly expresses your information and present it to the class.
b. After discussing censorship issues at length, have students take a stand around a specific work and prepare a persuasive speech to be given to classmates or stage a debate in class, develop standards for scoring the debate and a scoring rubric. Invite other students and teachers to score the debate. This may be videotaped and presented to other classes.
4a. Censorship of music, lyrics, television, movies, and video games has made the news lately. Hold class discussions about censorship of the media. Bring in examples of attempts to censor from newspaper and magazine articles or other sources. Brainstorm with the class the pros and cons of this type of censorship. Ask students to take a position and write an editorial that will persuade others of their point of view. These may be sent to the local newspaper for publishing.
b. How is Hollywood trying to retain control of their art? How are the Ratings Board selected? Is it a good idea? Is it working? If you were a member of the committee putting labels on movies, which ones would you disagree with?
5. CLASS PROJECT: Divide the class into groups. Have each group study a famous court case related to challenges to school learning materials. Hint: Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for School (see resources below) has an excellent chapter related to this topic. Explain the cause of the controversy. What rationale did each side use to support its position? How were the issues resolved? Present the results to the class. Select the most interesting case through a class vote. Write a play based on the group's research. Evaluate the play for content: were all points of view and arguments included in the drama? Perform the play for a school assembly or another class.
6. Draw an editorial cartoon dealing with censorship. The cartoon may portray the specific issue of the banning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or may deal with another related issues of censorship. The cartoon must clearly present the artist's point of view on the issue. Support the cartoon's statement with hard evidence.
7a. Develop appropriate questions and survey the members of the school about censorship issues. Prepare a narrative statement of the results of the survey. Prepare charts freehand or use a computer program that would numerically present the results of the survey.
b. Repeat the survey with a different randomly select population but do not use the word "censorship." Present the questions as you were Matthew Griswold, the conservative from The Day They Came to Arrest the Book.. If possible compare your results with schools around the state or across the country via Internet. What conclusions can you draw?
c. Find out how representatives of your state and national government stand on censorship issues. Decide if you agree or disagree with them and then write to your representatives sharing your opinions of the issue.
8. Brainstorm in class other social issues that students might have strong feelings about. Organize the class into groups according to interests. Explore ways in which students might become involved (writing letters, petitioning, organizing support groups or work groups, lobbying.) Have students choose activities that they think will best help their cause. Explore ways in which students can implement the activities. Invite guest speakers, write letters for information, find examples of other group's work in their areas. Do as many of the activities as possible and then have students prepare a summary of what they did and the results they found.
9. The National Council of Teachers of English recommends that teachers develop a rationale to defend potentially controversial material. What is a "rationale"? Why develop rationales for books that might be challenged? What is the content of a rationale? Why?
To answer these questions, obtain a copy of the SLATE [Support for the Learning and Teaching of English] Starter Sheet, Rationales for Teaching Challenged Book dated April 1994, from an English teacher OR order a copy from the
National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096.
or see Bushman and Bushman Chapter 3
Then use the format below, an adaptation of the one included on the SLATE Starter Sheet, to develop a student rationale for reading a controversial work:
10. Take on the role of one of the characters in The Day They Came to Arrest the Book whose opinion differs from yours. Try to look at that person's point of view objectively. Write down all the positive or reasonable points that this person makes. Write a letter to another character in the book trying to convince that person to side with your new point of view.
11. Research the Civil Liberties Union. Find out when it began, why it was formed, what types of issues it deals with, how an individual or group might enlist its help. Explore cases that the union has been involved in in the past that are of interest. Find a way to present the information found to the class. This might include pamphlets, formal research papers, posters, videotape presentations or others.
Read Avi's book Nothing but the Truth. Compare and contrast issues with The Day They Came to Arrest the Book.
11. Create a Censorship Cell by making a physical representation of a jail cell. Collect books that have been banned or censored and put them in the cell to be displayed. This could be a display in the school or public library during Banned Book Week.
12. Pose the following questions to the class:
¥ Does printed material have the power to influence individuals or the course of events of a society? If so find examples.
¥ Why do schools wish to teach great literature?
¥ If so, should guidelines be set to regulate this material?
¥ Who should do the regulating?
¥ What is propaganda and brainwashing?
Divide students into small groups to discuss these questions and come up with a group consensus. Ask those in favor of regulations to write what they think the regulations should be and who they would affect. Have those opposed write a statement telling the class what their position is and why their position should be supported.
Resources:
Bushman, John H. and Kay Parks Bushman. Using Young Adult Literature in the English Classroom. Macmillan, 1993.
Among many fine chapters, this also contains one on writing a Rationale.
Censorship. Greenhaven Press, 1990.
Part of the Opposing Viewpoints Series. Issues addressed in this volume include: Should there be limits to free speech? Should the news media be regulated? Does national security justify censorship? Is school and library censorship justifies? Should pornography be censored?
Civil Liberties. Rev. ed. Greenhaven Press, 1993.
Another Opposing Viewpoint book. Contains some First Amendment Issues: How should the right to privacy be defined? Should freedom of expression be restricted?
Hentoff, Nat. The First Freedom: The Tumultuous History of Free Speech in America. Delacorte, 1980.
Reichman Henry F. Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools. Rev. ed. American Library Association, 1993.
Discusses the laws and court cases focusing on censorship and schools. Contains information on how to develop selection and reconsideration policies.
Reilly, Wayne. "Attempts to censor books, movies up this fall." Bangor Daily News. Dec. 1988.
SLATE Starter Sheet, Rationales for Teaching Challenged Books (April 1994).
An excellent pamphlet from the National Council of Teachers of English explaining how to defend books against potential censorship.
Sugert, D. "How to Write a Rationale in Defense of a Book" in Dealing with Censorship. Ed. by James Davis. NCTE, 1979.
Prepared by Terry Deane, Garland St Middle School,
(with Marilyn Joyce, Brewer High School)
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