Who Cares about Literature?

Author(s): Carrie Stegall

Source: The English Journal, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Jan., 1958), pp. 21-24
Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/808610
Accessed: 11-07-2017 01:24 UTC

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 Who Cares About Literature?
Carrie Stegall

The who-cares-about-literature question is all too familiar to many

English teachers. An eighth grade teacher in Holliday, Texas,
enthusiastically reports her unique approach to the question.

JN September the students in English cided, is that which has been written
8B expressed their curiosity about in recent or modern times. Fiction
literature with such questions as these: and non-fiction including history,
What is the stuff anyway? Why do opera, plays, poetry, and stories are
we have to read it? What good will examples of this conception of modern
it ever do us? Who cares about it out- literature.
side of school anyway? Since theseSince no one asked where the line
should be drawn between the two, I
questions came from obviously sin-
cere, if disgruntled, youngsters, I re- had no inclination to raise the question.
solved that they would be given op- At the time it did not seem important.
portunity to search for the answers And at this writing, months later, it
themselves.
continues to be of small consequence
To begin, we spent a couple of for my purposes in that class.
class periods discussing the question: Finally, when the first question had
What is literature? Into the discussions
been answered to the apparent satis-
crept unobtrusively the word classical. faction of everybody in the class, the
Since several of the youngsters based second question seemed ridiculous.
their opinions on information gained Why do we have to read literature?
from reference books and dictionaries,
The problem had become a horse of
they arrived at two satisfying defi-
a different color entirely. Nursery
nitions of this mass of printed mate-
rhymes and fairy stories had brought
rial which they loosely called liter-
them nothing but delight in that pe-
ature. riod of their lives when The Three
First, classical literature the Bears
young-was big news. Myths, legends,
sters defined as that which has been
Bible stories, poems, and Aesop's
read and loved through the ages. Some
fables, charming all readers with their
examples of this are: nursery rhymes,
magic, followed on the heels of this
fairy tales, opera, history, Bible,
first literature. In retrospect it seemed
poetry, mythology, legends, biogra- to the eighth graders that there had
phy, Aesop's fables, and Shakespeare's
been little to indicate that they had
plays. (The overlapping characteris- been forced to read or listen to this
tics of these types of literature were
classical literature. Consequently, it
discussed at length; nevertheless, all
seemed entirely possible that all clas-
were retained as separate entities.) sical literature might eventually fill
Second, modern literature, they de-a particular spot for each student.
21

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22 THE ENGLISH JOURNAL

There began to be a perceptible

magazine and as
which read, "As classical
gratifying change the ofMidnight Ride." The
attitude list seemed
about
literature throughout endless. the class.

In reply to the third question,

With this introductory answer to
"What good will literature ever do
the who-cares-about-literature ques-
us?" I countered with, tion, I then "What good
gave my students an op-
will movies, parties, sports,
portunity and
to add five sheer
extra points to
fun ever do for you?" their English grade each
Enjoying six weeks
liter-
ature does not necessarily mean
period. For each alltolit-
reference litera-
erature, but a nodding acquaintance ture, whether classical or modern,
with several kinds means
which a nodding
a pupil brought to class, he
acquaintance withwould several
receive 1/5pleasures.
of a point. He must,
Who cares about literature outside of course, explain the significance of
of school? This question gave me the each reference. If the child already
opening I had been wanting. Here wasknew the background, he was lucky.
If not, he must look up the informa-
my opportunity to relate the appar-
tion and then present the meaning
ently impractical and useless subject to the class. For instance, a cartoon
of literature to the practical, the in-
showed mature bonds floating down
teresting, and even the commercial through the air. The caption said,
world today. I welcomed this chal- "Manna." The child using this for
lenge from the class with happy antic-
credit had to tell the story of manna
ipation. Fortunately at this time therein the lives of the children of Israel in
was appearing in several popular mag-the wilderness.
azines a series of Jello advertisements
In order for all the children to profit
based on Mother Goose rhymes. I dis-
played several on the bulletin board- by the work being done, we used ten
"The Old Woman in the Shoe," "Jack minutes at the beginning of the class
to allow each to tell of his references.
Horner," "Rub - a - Dub-Dub," and
Progress was understandably slow at
others. Interest quickened. Then there
first, before the dawn broke in all
was the news story about a "Cinder-
minds, but thereafter so many refer-
ella" romance. Why was it called a
Cinderella romance? Why, a poorences were brought for discussion that
I was forced to ask for written work.
girl had married a rich man, of course. I checked this outside of class and then
Had anyone seen the current movie
used my own judgment about which
Ulysses? Sure. Nearly everybody had,references should be discussed in class.
and boy, was it a dandy! Where did
the movie-makers get the idea? Well, These references came from every
conceivable source of communication
a long time ago there was a man....
Certainly the idea came from litera- -newspapers, magazines, advertise-
ture, classical literature, too. Whatments, opera, movies, radio, television,
about trade names? There were Tom church, songs, teachers, friends, and
Sawyer clothes for boys, William parents.
Tell They became a tremendous
shirts, Peter Pan peanut butter, Puss inenriching force in listening, speak-
and
Boots cat food. There was even a ing,
cap-reading, and writing. Pleasure was
tion under some dresses in a fashion uppermost among all values attained.

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 WHO CARES ABOUT LITERATURE? 23

When Desi Arnez, on the "I Love poetry, nursery rhymes, fairy tales,
Lucy Show," mixed his fables with and Shakespeare. The students were
"Don't count your chickens before given the privilege of writing about
they cross their bridges," my budding more than one. This the majority of
young authorities immediately appre- the class did.
ciated the 2,500 years of fable history Certainly careful and well-organized
that gave rise to this comic situation. writing is a chore for any inexperi-
When Lady Godiva entered the class- enced class and an even greater chore
room via a movie role, amid the ap- for the teacher. Since, however, this
preciative whistles from my young teacher believes that no effort is ever
wolves, there was the beautifully-writ- wasted on a willing mind, the chore
ten account of the background for the was punctuated with many happy
movie. Oddly enough, not one student individual sessions while the young-
was familiar with the story until it en- sters were searching for ways and
tered our class on the fifth-of-a-point means of making their writing worthy
route.
of their subjects. The purpose of each
Certainly this quest for fifths paper
of awas to entertain and inform in
point played a very minor role within acceptable writing the other members
our regular class work, but, like aof the class. Each paper was written
drop
of ink in a glass of water, it colored at least twice, and several were written
almost everything done in the four or five times. It was a useful ex-
class-
and much out of class. The girlperience
who in precis writing.
made a date for her older brother was
Valentine's Day was just turning the
heard to say, "From now on, just callwhen these papers were being
corner
me John." A girl heard criticizing an-
finished. A happy idea burst into
other was stopped short with, "Are
being. What could be more appro-
you sure that's not sour grapes?" An
priate than to imagine oneself an
appreciative whistle followed by,
"Wow! the face that launched a Antony or a Cleopatra, a Boaz or a
Ruth, a Romeo or a Juliet, a Tom or
thousand ships!" showed immediately
a Becky, an Aida or a Radames, and to
that Helen had not been forgotten.
write a valentine for one's beloved?
The boys and girls fell in with my
Famous Couples in Literature
plan questioningly but willingly. After
As February approached, we spent and discussing some poems, we
reading
time discussing some of the couples discussed poetry writing. The class
we had discovered via the pointcame sys- up with the idea that thought,
beauty, and rhythm were the three
tem, and historical and literary valen-
tines came into their own. When I essentials of poetry. Scholars would
asked if each pupil would likeprobably to say, after reading their ef-
forts
choose a couple to study, I was highly at original verse, that any re-
semblance
gratified with the enthusiastic response. to poetry was purely acci-
dental, but the delight with which the
To get a fair sampling, I suggested
activity was charged should not be
that the couples be chosen from every
discounted entirely.
kind of literature-Bible, opera, legend,
Perhaps the chief values of the
mythology, history, fiction, fables,

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 24 THE ENGLISH JOURNAL

duction revealed
poetry writing were in which I traced
inbriefly
the the
year's work.
responses of the boys and Each child then
girls created
them-
selves when the teacher asked what an attractive valentine cover for his
they had learned. The following an-own book. I hope that some of these
swers were most often given: (1) that youngsters, at least, will treasure this
poetry makes sense, (2) that punctua- memento of their introduction to liter-
ature.
tion in poetry is purposeful, (3) that
poetry has rhythm, (4) that figurative Who cares about literature? Appar-
language is powerful and exciting, andently these eighth graders do. In a test
(5) that reading and writing poetry is
at the end of the year I asked the
fun.
question: "What has been of most
To be sure that these youngsters value to you in English this year?
would retain their interest and their en- Why?" More than half of the class
thusiasm for reading and writing about gave an answer somewhat like the
famous couples in literature, I added following one:
a bit of color to the project. After I think that writing my mythology and
they had chosen the couples for their "Great Loves in Literature" papers has
papers, I had a large Valentine Tree been of the most value to me this year
made for our bulletin board. From the because I have learned many things about
mythological and literary characters and
silver tree hung thirty-two red hearts
under each of which the artist traced new words. I also had my first experi-
ence in really trying to write a paper
a couple's names. Beneath the tree she with clear meaning and with the least
lettered the types of literature in amount of words. I also learned some-

which the couples were found. When thing about poetry.

all of the writing was finished, we had Who cares about literature?
typewritten copies of all papers dupli-
The butcher, the baker, the Mercury-
cated for individual notebooks. In
maker,
front of each book the students placed The doctor, the lawyer, the merchant,
a replica of the Valentine Tree which the chief,
served as a unique table of contentsThe reader, the writer, and my eighth
for the forty-two pages following. graders,
Preceding the tree I added my intro-Who found it fun, to my great relief!

LAUGH AND LEARN

The pedagog who cannot keep

His pupils stirred with laughter,
Will shortly find them fast asleep,
And he a-dozing after.

--Jacob C. Solovay
Brooklyn, N. Y.

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