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What book should be REQUIRED reading for everyone?
- Thread starter shari
- Start date
Idril Silmaure
New Member
I didn't think Lolita was that difficult to read at all.. I just finished reading it and I think it's an incredible book. The vocabulary is very average really - the only difficult bit is probably the French, if you don't know the language. But that isn't essential. I don't necessarily think it ought to be required reading - it seems to me a book that a lot of people may not like, not least for the explicit aspect of it, and slightly unconventionality of it. However, I think that anyone with a wider and genuine interest in literature definately ought to read Lolita.
Libra6Poe
New Member
I agree guys. I don't think that Lolita was a difficult read, the vocabulary really was quite average and it really isn't necessary to understand the French (but as I mentioned in other threads, you could always get the Annotated Lolita if translation is that important to you).
Yes, it would be difficult to get schools to have teenagers read this novel; I understand that many parents wouldn't want their children reading such "adult" material.
I just think (IMO) that everyone should read this in their lifetime. (yes, I know that many people find it inappropriate and offensive...but like I said, IMO
-but hey, it's not like the Bible is PG-13)
Yes, it would be difficult to get schools to have teenagers read this novel; I understand that many parents wouldn't want their children reading such "adult" material.
I just think (IMO) that everyone should read this in their lifetime. (yes, I know that many people find it inappropriate and offensive...but like I said, IMO
-but hey, it's not like the Bible is PG-13)I don't intend to read it, but Harry Potter would be one of the best books to be required reading. Why? Almost everybody who read it (mostly kids) have become passionnate about it.
The fact is that if you let the student choose the book, he'll choose the thinest, with biggest characters book; the fastest read. You can't choose a book taken to the screen though, or else tell the students you'll test them on what isn't in the movie.
By forcing them to read a good, easy read book, you may open their minds to reading.
Another one that has been loved by everyone I know is "Brave new world" by Aldous Huxley.
The fact is that if you let the student choose the book, he'll choose the thinest, with biggest characters book; the fastest read. You can't choose a book taken to the screen though, or else tell the students you'll test them on what isn't in the movie.
By forcing them to read a good, easy read book, you may open their minds to reading.
Another one that has been loved by everyone I know is "Brave new world" by Aldous Huxley.
fashionprincess
New Member
I'd say Invisible Man, The Crucible, Lolita, A Walk Across America (we read it in school and it was a fantastic true story.), Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mocking Bird...Gosh, I'd have to think some more, but these are some of my favorites.
kass21 said:
Nonsense.
1) Hardly a good reason; if a thousand people say a stupid thing, it’s still a stupid thing.
2) Mediocrity has no place in the class room. It’s there enough.
3) I see very little “passion” in a fad. It’s a social thing.
Shall we implement that cookies should replace vegetables at the dinner table? Chocolate for breakfast?
As the Potter’s are simply written to be taken to the screen, this greatly contradicts your above suggestion.
No one is being “forced”. If reading a gawdamn book is seen as *such* a demanding task, the child can accept a failing grade.
And again a contradiction; the Potter phenomenon is not in any way “good” nor is it “opening minds”.
While an adequate suggestion, the course may not necessarily be designed to ‘seduce’ children.
“Love”, by the way is a misfiring of neurons and/or a probably chemical imbalance so go figure…
...sigh...
j
Umbrella
New Member
RainbowGurl said:
We had to read Lord of the Flies, and everyone hated it. I hated it too, I think that students should have more choices when it came to which books they should read in high school. When there are a certain amount of books that you have to read, that doesn't exactly inspire much reading pleasure...
Umbrella said:
I also hated Lord of the Flies when I had to do it at school. In fact, I think it was the only book I was supposed to read that I never bothered to finish. As a result I have never taught this book and I have never even considered suggesting that my students read it.
The books I would like my students to read and enjoy are rarely the ones they actually do enjoy. I would love it if they liked books like: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Lord of the Rings and various other books considered classical literature, but most of them don't. They like things that they can relate to and although I love fantasy, I'm aware that it's a genre that many can't stand.
We have a lot of Australian literature that we study with the students, so I doubt any of my recommendations would be any good for you, however, we do study one with our senior students called Briar Rose by Jane Yollen. It is a great book and all the students seem to like it. It is not Australian, so I don't think you would have any trouble getting it.
SFG75
Well-Known Member
You have to wonder how much students don't like a given work by itself, as opposed to the work being taught by a given instructor. I've heard colleagues from the hallways the previous years that I've taught covering the same book. Some kept the student's attention and taught with some vim and vigor. Others, taught the material with the somberness of a eulogy. I've also seen others teach a given book to students of which they clearly did not understand. 
Needless to say, the latter two examples don't last long, at least in our building.
Needless to say, the latter two examples don't last long, at least in our building. Umbrella said:
Based on what? Not enough violence? The language difficult? It’s “boring”? Badly written? It’s not by Stephen King? Too many under/overlying sociology issues? The cover was ugly? Too many pages?
Please…
Ever hear: “life aint fair”?
Maybe you can help start a “learning” system of schools that consist of playing with Legos and eating chocolate cake all day.
When your ‘enslaved’ peers are done schooling and have some basic maths skills and language skills and science skills, well, while you’re scrubbing their toilets, don’t complain.
Quite bluntly, if one can’t get any “pleasure” out of _Lord of the Flies_, there aint much hope for you.
I’m sure Stephen King appreciates your support though.
Billy said:
Ok then, relinquish the conch…
SFG75 said:
Yes, I believe I touched upon this earlier (or maybe it was the ‘Intel’ thread), _any_ book can be taught well.
And most especially something like LotFlies.
Just when I thought I truly couldn’t be any more dismayed with the reading and “thinking” level of people.
Sir-prise, sir-prise.
j
bobbyburns
New Member
then you should stop living vicariously through them.
bobbyburns
New Member
maybe instead of complaining about the "thinking" level of people, you could come over to the planet X thread and we'll have some herbal tea and try to work things out.
bobbyburns said:
While I appreciate your odd way of invitation, no thanks (looking up at URL), I’m here to talk about *books*, which barely ever happens as is – if I want other kinds of discussions (especially science-based) I will seek them out on like forums.
Merci,
j
(although for the record I couldn’t give less of a [beep] about astronomy)