Paper #3: Teaching History or Censoring Trauma, due April 6th

English 1213

Paper #3: Teaching History, or Censoring Trauma?

CONTEXT: A recent article in the Daily Maverick states that a Tennessee school board removed Maus from its district “because of its unnecessary use of profanity and nudity and its depiction of violence and suicide,” which the panel found was “simply too adult-oriented for use in our schools...We do not diminish the value of ‘Maus’ as an impactful and meaningful piece of literature, nor do we dispute the importance of teaching our children the historical and moral lessons and realities of the Holocaust…[but] administrators would look for other works that are suitable in a “more age-appropriate fashion.”” (Gorman).

PROMPT: For this assignment, imagine that you’re the State Superintendent of Public Education for Oklahoma, and you’ve been asked to set policy for the teaching of Maus in middle and high schools in the state. RESPOND to the decision above (and to other criticisms of the book) by examining whether you ultimately agree with this decision, and think the book isn’t age appropriate, or whether you think the book needs to remain a part of the English/History curriculum. In writing this response, consider carefully what the book is trying to do, and the importance of teaching history to students who have no connection to the Holocaust and/or WW2. On the other hand, listen carefully to the objections of the Tennessee school board and other sources who have problems with the book: what are their chief objections? Are they sound and/or legitimate?

REMEMBER: This is a Conversation Paper. You can’t just say “I agree with the decision because of X, Y, and Z.” You MUST bring in other voices into this paper so that we see the full range of discussion about this topic. You will need at least 4 sources to give you enough context to respond to and to support your own decision. Consider that if you say “we’re keeping the book in,” someone will ask you, “but why? It’s such a terrible book!” You’ll need to other sources to back you up. Conversely, if you say, “we have to ban the book in our schools,” someone will say, “how dare you resort to censorship—that’s what the Nazis did!” The better you can support your decision with sources and evidence, the more persuasive/authoritative it will sound.

SOURCES: At least 4, and they should be of the following variety…

• Passages from Maus to support your ideas: QUOTE and even describe the images—don’t just say “it shows some really violent imagery.”
• Articles about the Maus controversy in Tennessee and elsewhere
• Interviews with the author
• Articles/websites about book censorship
• Articles/websites about teaching history and/or the Holocaust
• Articles/website about teaching difficult subjects to students
• Aritcles/websites about comics/graphic novels in the classroom

REQUIREMENTS: No page limit, but you must write a reasonable Conversation Paper that responds to sources with your own ideas. Due THURSDAY, APRIL 6^th by 5PM