I enjoyed teaching the novel To Kill a Mockingbird as much as any work of American literature.
Reading the novel as an adult provided new insight. The depth of the characters
and the cultural landscape provided a look into both good and evil.
Reading the novel without discussion, without opportunity to
interact with other readers, limits its power. My students probably laughed up
their sleeves at how excited I always became when a moment of Eureka! erupted
in the classroom. Those moments enriched my joy of teaching and gave students
something to think about other than the weekend sporting events.
One of my favorite activities was to have students draw a
town map of Maycomb gradually adding the main characters’ homes and particular
landmarks such as the school and Boo’s tree. Characterizing Atticus, Jem, Scout,
Calpurnia, Boo Radley and all their neighbors brought amazement to many
students, puzzling them as they pondered life for people in Maycomb. When they
learned the meaning of the title, I sent up a silent prayer and hoped this book
would affect them in a positive way, meaning a change in the way they thought
or perceived their world. Most of the students managed to get through the novel before I brought in the movie. "Yes, it's in Black and White- there's nothing wrong with the TV set!"
Good literature always produces a change of some kind – most
of the time a change in the reader.
I did not read Go Set a Watchman. Her special novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was
enough to cement Harper Lee as a favorite author.
She was a true literary genius.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. I wish I could have taught it, too. I bought Go Set a Watchman, but after I heard how different it is, I decided to pass on reading.
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