I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is former U.S. poet laureate Maya Angelou’s autobiography. The book includes details of her rape and subsequent pregnancy. Included in the curriculum of a sophmore advanced English class, some parents want the book banned.
Fond du Lac High School Principal Mary Fran Merwin said parents, teachers, principals and at least two ministers spoke at the meeting, where no decision was made. She said the school has used the book for a decade.
“It is Angelou’s own account of growing up,” Merwin said. “It has a number of attributes, and it’s a historically relevant story about a black woman growing up in the United States.”
Rape occurs in our society. Unwanted pregnancies occur in our society. Yes, these are uncomfortable topics. But banning books that discuss them does not make them go away. Perhaps a discussion in an academic setting will help young women to understand why these things occur and how to best avoid them.
Banning books only stops the conversation from taking place.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Oh brother. Let’s just pretend bad stuff doesn’t happen to good people. That book was required reading in the advanced English classes at my conservative Catholic high school in the 70s. Slaughterhouse V was also required for some courses. I can understand some parents’ concerns about the materials their kids are reading, but they ought to get a clue about what their kids are encountering just on the internet and amongst themselves. At least in a classroom setting the issues raised by such materials can be discussed and problems addressed.
Maya Angelou’s book may or may not be a good book, but is that what is at issue? Do parents have the right to have some control over the education of their children? Or does society have the greater interest in what children are educated to believe?
As a people, we have chosen to have children educated under the supervision of politicians. Is this practice consistent with a society that supposedly believes in freedom of religion? We chosen to educate children in schools owned and operated by the government. Is that appropriate for children who should be learning how to live and compete in a capitalist society?
Given the current system, how do parents exercise control over what their children are taught? The reality is that parents who send their children to public schools must depend upon the wisdom of people they had voice in choosing.
Your right to vote is important, but if abused, it threatens all your other rights. In this case, our “free” public schools threatens the ability of parents to pass on their beliefs to their children.
This is not about beliefs, unless you want to believe that rape doesn’t occur or that unwanted pregnancies don’t occur. I just don’t see where a belief system is threatened or encouraged by the book in question.
bull’s eye, Vivian. Well said.
http://www.pabbis.com/
This group is always stirring up trouble in NOVA…
Seems to me that the places that want to ban such books are the ones that most desperately need them.
Must be sad, though, to have such fragile beliefs and values that they can’t survive contact with something different.
“Given the current system, how do parents exercise control over what their children are taught?”
Parents can ask for alternative books. In this case, the family did yet they still press on with the ban. That’s crap. That’s one family trying to exercise their will over others.
Not about beliefs? It is not about beliefs, nonetheless, you feel, because your beliefs, that this book should not be banned from the school curriculum. Does the other side have beliefs you are willing to recognize as legitimate?
I wish I could simply laugh and say the logical contradiction you pose is merely funny. Unfortunately, if you are happy with the status quo and want children to be taught what you think they are being taught, then such a self-deception is an effective stall. At least, such has been the case for many years.
Fortunately, some people are not waiting for this stalling to end. The number of people teaching their children at home or sending their children to private schools is slowly increasing. Other people are noticing that home schooled children and children schooled in private schools perform just as well or better as children schooled in our much more expensive public schools.
CT – I’m still not understanding your point. Please tell me how this book challenges your or the parents’ beliefs.
Why do you want to put politicians in the position of deciding for all parents what children should read?
Supposedly, our nation prizes minority rights. This situation is good evidence that what our government more often protects is the “rights” of organized political constituencies.
Perform just as well or better where, CT? In the sheltered world most of them seem to be pushed into by their parents? Uh, great. I suppose Patrick Henry College needs to get its students from somewhere . . .
There is great value in a common public education. One of the many things that makes that true is the exposure to a broad range of experience and thought. You know, just like the real world. These book burning freaks should spend more time talking about the strength of their beliefs with their kids, and less time desperately battling reality.
“Do parents have the right to have some control over the education of their children? Or does society have the greater interest in what children are educated to believe?”
The issue is the simple fact that some parents these days take no interest in educating their children about right and wrong, and things that happen in today’s society, while educating the kids on ways to prevent them from happening, and why they happen. Like Vivian said, it’s NOT about beliefs, it’s about a sad reality in our society. Sophomore year is not too young, by that time they’re already aware of these things.
I have no problem with the book. I’m sure our friends on the left would have no problem with schools requiring Ann Coulter books for students as well.
And I also have no problem with people who want to exercise their freedoms to redress government to strike the book from schools if that is their wish.
I love how posters will defend to the freedom of the school system to do what they want, but criticize the parents for using exactly the same freedom.
The sad part is that we still trail the world in math and science skills, and the days are over when a high school diploma, no matter how substandard, was still good enough to get a middle-class career that provided for a family. Reading a book and having conversations about rape and pregnancy is not exactly the main purpose of an education.
I think parents have the right to say no to books or issues they want to keep from their children, but people do not have the right to decide for an entire class, district, or people.
I look at issues like this the same way I see music, TV or Radio… There are a lot of things that I do not want my kids to watch/listen to. So I change the channel… I do not get the station shut down! Personal responsibility it about taking care of yourself and your children… Not grandstanding in a vengeful way against something YOU don’t like.
When groups or people get power to do this sort of stuff, we end up in a world where everyone fears the FCC and radio and TV goes to crap. That is why I have Satellite TV and Satellite radio (XM, not Sirius… Stern sucks).
First of all, the parents do not seem to want the book “banned,” they just don’t want it to be part of the school curriculum. There is a difference.
Squeaky says, “people do not have the right to decide for an entire class, district, or people.” On the contrary, people certainly do have that right. Those people are called “School Board Members.” They are generally elected, or are appointed by those who are. The electorate has the right and the duty to express their opinions to their elected representatives, and if those representatives do not agree, then the electorate has the right and the duty to try to get those people out of office in the next election. In some places, such as California, there may even be a process for recalling such representatives.
Your analogy to TV and radio simply does not match the school system, which is run by the government. If the government tried to do these things with PRIVATE schools, you analogy would be correct.