Welch said that although he didn’t write the book with teenagers in mind, it’s taught in high schools across the country and even in France and Italy.
Todd Dighans, speaking in opposition of the book, said that policy outlined in the school handbook does not allow students to use obscene or lewd material or speech and therefore the school shouldn’t require students to read books that include lewd or obscene material.
ok....
ReplyDeleteTo start off with, I am not even going to address the issue of native or non-native author, because I don't know if the author is native, if he is recounting the real story of Frank Fools Crow or what.
Seems to me that I remember reading
"Brave New World." An integral part of the book was drug taking and "orgy-porgy." Sex and drugs. Required reading.
The AP classes read "1984." That book CENTERS on sexual freedom, albeit it is a metaphor, but it is depicted frequently. And I believe Winston's first gut-reaction to Julia, before actually having talked to her, was that she was a member of the Thought Police. Of course she was a member of the Junior Anti-Sex League (souds like our friend Dighans)--but we find out it's just a cover. Winston's first impulse towards her was to, I believe, rape and kill her. Now I just read 1984, so this is still fairly fresh in my memory. Again, required reading.
Another book I read as a Sophmore--"Slaughterhouse Five." A good third of the novel, Billy Pilgrim is in a Tralfamadorian zoo exhibit, with another human, a female--Montana Wildhack--a porn star. They are naked throughout, and I seem to remember some sex (actually the Tralfamadorians force them to have sex) in there--OH NO!! required reading.
Not to mention, Shakespeare, Chaucer, and a whole slew of other authors that spoke frankly about sex.
Seems that a double standard might be at play here.