School Board Bans Novel, Ellison's Classic "Invisible Man"

Parents Forum
101

<p>I think parents often underestimate their children. I know I’ve been guilty of this. When D was in junior high, I read every book she was assigned in her book club. Some I didn’t care for while others I loved. I would not have banned or even suggested that any child was not “ready” for these books even though they addressed some tough issues.</p>

<p>I think we may do more harm than good by “protecting” our children from “life”. High schoolers are hearing, reading and watching things much worse than “Invisible Man”. (have you ever picked up a Manga graphic novel?) I prefer D read the controversial books in a classroom situation. The teacher (a good teacher with classroom management skills) can guide the students in talking about “tough” topics.</p>

102

<p>Would you insist a child read a book if the child told you the subject matter made her (or him) uncomfortable? That is a new way of thinking about it for me, since this issue never came up with my own children. I am trying to think of a book I would feel I needed to insist on. I do think children need to be challenged in their reading. I am not sure we need to insist anyone read something that is too unsettling for that individual. </p>

<p>Right now there is a lot of talk among teachers and in classrooms about “trauma triggers” with regard to rape in reading assignments. Most teachers I know are taking this idea pretty seriously. I hear a lot of different ideas on how to deal with this topic.</p>

103

<p>Calculus made me very uncomfortable.</p>

104

<p>“if you’re equating a book about the dark and twisted lives of some blacks in the 1950’s with “mommy Porn” I don’t even know what to say. And if you feel that any sexual content in LITERATURE cannot be discussed in class, then get rid of Shakespeare, much of the Greek and Roman classics, and as noted above, parts of the Bible.”</p>

<p>There’s a lot of assumptions in just one paragraph right there. </p>

<p>I think people don’t always use good judgment in deciding what is useful and appropriate for kids. If you are going to make something mandatory, perhaps you should lean towards the side of less graphic sexual content. There are plenty of books to choose from. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable an introverted, shy girl would feel, being forced to discuss these things. Actually, maybe I can.</p>

105

<p>I am far from certain that The Color Purple is more “life-affirming” than The Invisible Man. What’s more, I suspect, QuantMech, that if you delve below the surface of both books you will find Ellison more to your taste than Alice Walker. (I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies in what follows, since it has been over 30 years since I have read either book, except for skimming the first half of The Invisible Man Saturday night.)</p>

<p>The similarities and differences in the intellectual histories of the two books are interesting (at least to me). Both are books of the left (at least of their time), but written by people who were to some extent asserting their independence both from “political correctness” and from aspects of the then-prevailing left-wing ideology.</p>

<p>Ellison and his protagonist essentially start from the intersection of Marxism and existentialism, a corner where lots of intellectuals hung out in the post-war period. He (they) ultimately rejects Marxism, although the dialectical method infuses everything in the book. The core of the book, however, remains profoundly existentialist, with the protagonist essentially reaching a state of pure freedom and free will having rejected all of the reductionist analyses that would box him in and deprive him of his full humanity. Of course, he winds up in a box of his own making – Ellison is not humorless – but it’s a place from which he can begin to construct an identity that is his own, not something predetermined by his race, poverty, education, class status, etc. Native Son – the “official” Great Afro-American Novel when Ellison was writing The Invisible Man – is pretty much a Socialist Realism novelization of racist oppression; The Invisible Man moves through that to a world with infinitely greater possibilities.</p>

<p>Walker, too, was looking to go beyond the dominant civil rights ideologies of her day. To pay attention to Black men oppressing Black women, and not to blame everything wrong with the world on Mr. (and Mrs.) Charlie, was to risk being accused of being a race-traitor and self-hater. But I think that – in lovely language – Walker winds up making a different set of reductionist choices, imagining a sort of Black-lesbian-feminist utopia in which everyone’s “different voice” becomes her true self. Celie, like the protagonist of The Invisible Man, reaches the end of her rope and self-educates, but what she learns is simply to love herself and to stop trying to deal with anything she can’t control (except for a little space for love with an unpredictable, though constantly loving partner). Basically, it’s a Hollywood ending, separatist style: respecting yourself and getting the right girl solves whatever ails you. It’s not surprising that Steven Spielberg was drawn to it.</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong. I love The Color Purple. I read it the week it came out, because my wife was a huge fan of Walker’s essays. It’s a beautiful, beautifully written book. But it’s ultimately a lot more simplistic and reductionist – and therefore less interesting – than its major competition in the African-American bildungsroman category. (That would be The Invisible Man, and also Song of Solomon, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and the great direct predecessor of The Color Purple, almost unread outside academic feminist circles when Walker’s book was published, but now firmly part of the canon: Their Eyes Were Watching God.)</p>

106

<p>busdriver-the sexual content was SO NOT the main focus of the book! JHS sums it up rather well-and my H, who has a background in black history and JUST read the book, agrees. I don’t see how, though, one can have a book about the stark realities of life and leave out an entire aspect such as sex. It IS part of life.</p>

<p>And I still take offense to comparing Invisible Man to 50 Shades of Grey.</p>

107

<p>The word “ban” may be stronger than warranted. In truth, it’s more that the state or county sets the reading list and chooses some novels over the others. For instance, how many novels by Hemingway, Steinbeck, or Jane Austen have you ever seen assigned as reading in high school? Perhaps this is what we object to–the state rather than the teacher setting the curriculum. Or perhaps it is merely their reasoning, the overprotective instinct.</p>

108

<p>Wow. Thanks for taking the time for that post, JHS. I agree about Their Eyes were Watching God and think it would be more interesting to compare Ellison (if we are going to compare) with other Harlem renaissance writers rather than contemporary writers.</p>

109

<p>JHS: If you have time, could you please do an analysis like in #105 of Beloved?</p>

110

<p>I’m feeling a little guilty about that post, so let me add two grace-notes:</p>

<p>I don’t think it’s wrong to criticize Ellison’s treatment of women. He – along with two-and-a-half millennia of predecessors in the Western Canon – has a lot to answer for in that regard. </p>

<p>In the end, I think Ellison believed that creativity springs from a dialectical response to unacceptable reality, something that looks a lot like despair turning to anger. Walker clearly wants to present love as the wellspring of creativity. (Part of what happened in the generation that separates Ellison from Walker was the 60s.) Of course, there’s a Men-Are-From-Mars-Women-Are-From-Venus aspect to that, but it’s worth thinking about, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to live in Walker’s world more than Ellison’s.</p>

111

<p>That post was amazing. I wish you would write more. However, I understand you, too, have a day job.</p>

<p>Since I don’t have a day job, I’ve spent a large part of the morning reading all the feminist responses to Invisible Man that I can find on-line.</p>

112

<p>""busdriver-the sexual content was SO NOT the main focus of the book! JHS sums it up rather well-and my H, who has a background in black history and JUST read the book, agrees. I don’t see how, though, one can have a book about the stark realities of life and leave out an entire aspect such as sex. It IS part of life.</p>

<p>And I still take offense to comparing Invisible Man to 50 Shades of Grey."</p>

<p>I think you are taking generic comments and making them specific, to fit your assumptions. I have not read either of those books, and was not comparing the two. I think that teachers should carefully consider what books they are going to require students to read and discuss, and maybe graphic sexual content really isn’t necessary for students to read. I have no idea if I’d think this book was inappropriate.</p>

<p>People who are looking to take offense will always find an opportunity to do so.</p>

113

<p>

Pride and Prejudice promotes materialism from the very first sentence: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” ;)</p>

114

<p>“Since I don’t have a day job, I’ve spent a large part of the morning reading all the feminist responses to Invisible Man that I can find on-line”</p>

<p>I’m curious to what the range of responses were.</p>

115

<p>What you said was “What’s next, Fifty Shades?” Comparing the two was the wrong phrasing on my part. How about: The leap from an award-winning book with great literary merit has no business being in the same post as Fifty Shades of Gray"? </p>

<p>One is a deep, difficult book about race, poverty, class struggles and the boogie man of the 50’s, Communism. Sex and the mistreatment of women are also a part of it. “Gray” is a soft porn book written for middle-aged women who liked the Twilight series. It is a major best seller but no one will suggest it is well-written. It explores…nothing. But it has plenty of sex!</p>

<p>I simply don’t believe that a great book of great merit needs to be kept from young adults because of a few less-than-critical passages. And no one anywhere is suggesting porn, even soft porn, be read in class.</p>

<p>You have not read either book. I have read both, though Invisible Man many years ago. How can you participate in a discussion about whether something should be read or discussed in class if you know nothing about it?</p>

116

<p>busdriver: It’s pretty easy to google if you want. I am going to try to wait to discuss the actual book till I’ve re-read it. </p>

<p>I posted about trauma-trigger with regard to rape passages in assigned readings or discussions as a response to your post about shy young women not being comfortable with certain classroom discussions. These days, it seems to me this questioning of appropriate classroom discussions goes beyond potentially offending the merely shy.</p>

<p>That doesn’t seem to have been the objection of the mother in the OP, but we have sort of moved beyond that now. maybe?</p>

<p>adding:
mokusatsu: Austen is an interesting example. I read it a bit differently, but you may be right. It’s a society where you can only improve your economic lot in life by marriage. Unless you become a pirate… oh wait… member of the British navy.</p>

117

<p>I fail to see why it’s always necessary to attack and get personal in one’s posts, sseamom. And then try to shut them up because they “know nothing about it.” Why not just disagree with their position?</p>

<p>I believe that this discussion isn’t merely about one book. Except for high schoolers, I’d bet that many on this thread either haven’t read the book, or don’t clearly remember it because it’s been a long time (including you). This thread seems to include the elements of what (if anything) should be disallowed in the classroom, it isn’t about just one book.</p>

<p>There are books that are probably very appropriate for college, that are not appropriate for high schoolers. I tried to proofread an essay one of my sons wrote a couple of years ago, and had to put it down and tell him I couldn’t do it anymore. The material discussed was so sexually graphic about rape, I couldn’t believe they were having high school kids discuss this. Still can’t remember the book…maybe it was the Invisible Man, that’s probably on our bookshelves. I blocked it out.</p>

118

<p>“I posted about trauma-trigger with regard to rape passages in assigned readings or discussions as a response to your post about shy young women not being comfortable with certain classroom discussions. These days, it seems to me this questioning of appropriate classroom discussions goes beyond potentially offending the merely shy.”</p>

<p>You know, that was the first thing that came to my mind. Sadly, so many young girls have been raped and molested. I can’t even imagine how they would feel reading and discussing some of this context.</p>

119

<p>^^I think that may need to be part of the discussion.</p>

<p>busdriver: I don’t agree with this idea some discussions would be appropriate in college and not in high school. I’ll go further: anything discussed in a college class, I am okay discussing in a middle school class. That doesn’t mean I’m in favor of forcing material on reluctant kids. I got around this by homeschooling. My homeschooling style was the opposite of limiting exposure. Ratings didn’t exist in our household. I don’t believe anything was ever banned except Baywatch and South Park. My kids have finally convinced me I was in error with regard to South Park. I remember they banned themselves from some movies they found too overwhelming, but were very comfortable reading the books on which those movies were based. Once they fussed at me for letting them watch what they considered a scary movie (at home on video they checked out) and I responded they only had to turn off the tv if they didn’t like it.</p>

<p>ETA: I banned Robin Hood, Men in Tights due to the comic rape scene.</p>

120

<p>Oh, well, alh, I guess we disagree on what would be okay for one age group and not another. Perhaps your kids were more mature than most. I consider what kids are often exposed to in middle school and high school, and not so much in college. Issues like bullying, sexual harassment, molestation. I realize those same issues exist in college, but a college student is (hopefully) mature enough to better deal with those things and not submit and allow themselves to be defined by them, while a child has far less power.</p>

<p>I have always thought porn, stripping, the objectification of women, wearing highly revealing clothing, is purely degrading to women. It just makes me sad.</p>

<p>Funny how kids evolve. We used to screen our kids from watching certain things when they were younger, and at some point they started telling ME when it was time for me to leave the room.</p>