<p>I read an interesting article the other day. Basically, it said that for a high school student to really engage and enjoy a book, the book must somehow relate to him/her. So do you think the books that we read today in school are still relevant to our current time? </p>
<p>Books that come to mind right now are The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Ethan Frome, Shakespeare, Of Mice & Men, Lord of the Flies, and 1984. </p>
<p>What do you think?</p>
<p>Of Mice and Men yes, 1984 yes, and Lord Of the Flies</p>
<p>I like books that are relevant to me, I DID NOT like the GREAT GASBY, it was lame.</p>
<p>The Great Gatsby and Shakespeare are relatively easy to relate to because its all about inter-personal relationships, which is a constant. Especially Shakespeare, the ones people read in high school are like sitcoms and soap operas, basically they are the basis for what modern entertainment is. I haven’t read the other ones, but I want to read 1984 on my own sometime.</p>
<p>I think that article is a load of BS. Students need to be exposed to great literature, no matter what time period it’s from. Great literature survives because it conveys important messages that are always relevant.</p>
<p>I really don’t see the point in Shakespeare. I honestly despise it. I absolutely love watching it on stage (the way he MEANT us to see it), but reading it is so bland and lifeless. </p>
<p>Lord of the Flies, 1984, Of Mice and Men, Brave New World, etc should all be required because they show human nature and warn us of what could happen if we let technology get the best of us (which is EXTREMELY relevant to today’s world.)</p>
<p>A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is always relevant.</p>
<p>^ Don’t go there! Do not mention that book! O god that is the worst book imaginable. ■■■ I didn’t know what the hell was going on 90% of the time it’s like Faulkner^2.</p>
<p>It’s one of my favorite books ever.</p>
<p>While it wasn’t a school assignment the book Atlas Shrugged changed my life. Other than that I’d have to say 1984, Animal Farm, A Brave New World, The Fountainhead, Anthem, Lord of the Files, Catch-22 and The Sot Weed Factor were all fantastic books</p>
<p>Of course they’re relevant. Stop being a socialist.</p>
<p>Great literature is that which addresses the human experience. It’s always relevant. However, relevancy is a personal thing. A lot of people here seem to dislike The Scarlet Letter. On the other hand, I love it.</p>
<p>One thing I notice is that (at my school at least) a large portion of the books read throughout high school are about racism, which really bothers me. I mean, I don’t think we should condone racism, and reading about its negative impact is a good thing, but, honestly, we read too damn many. Secret Life of Bees, A Raisin in the Sun, Black Boy, Native Son, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying these are bad books, it’s just that I feel we need to bring a little variety of theme into school reading curricula.</p>
<p>I remember when we used to read “ethnic” books like The House on Mango Street, my instructor would zoom in on the one Hispanic in class and ask said person to provide the “Hispanic outlook.”</p>
<p>I wonder if he still does that…</p>
<p>CocaCola Addict, I think the reason we read so many is because racism was/is a HUGE part of American history. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that race relations have been the most important aspect of it.</p>
<p>That being said, I still think it is possible to read too much about a subject, no matter how much good literature is produced about it. At my school, the subject is the holocaust. Literally every year since junior high we have read a book about it. I think that we should learn about other atrocities, learning about the holocaust exclusively makes it seem almost like an isolated incident.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the Great Gatsby and All quiet on the western front, because as a male/hustler I can relate to soldiers, and I can relate to Jay Gatsby. he’s shady as hell but he’s got the connect, you feel me?</p>
<p>i hated shakespeare and the scarlet letter…i don’t relate to drama or superficial emotions.</p>
<p>oh goddamn OP
Ethan Frome was never relevant
oh god take it away</p>
<p>The other ones are pretty relevant, if only fun to read. We should read more Steinbeck though.</p>
<p>I actually really enjoyed Ethan Frome :).</p>
<p>As for the race ones, I think that everyone should have to read Beloved. It is a masterpiece and touches on slavery in a way that everyone can connect to, not only minorities.</p>
<p>well, some of the books i’ve read in my ap lit class didn’t really interest me, like heart of darkness, the stranger. I didn’t like them, not because I didn’t relate to them, but because i didn’t like their style. i think most books deal with things that everyone can relate to. its just the style and our own opinions/beliefs which affect how we percieve those novels. there are some novels that a lot of people love, but i don’t get the same rush b/c the author didn’t reach out broadly enough with language or theme (like twilight). on the other hand, i read My sister’s keeper, which essentially uses the same kind of language and I loved it because it really taught me to think differently about the topcis brought up. </p>
<p>my point is, I think all books are relevant. it just matters how the author presents them.</p>