To kill a mockingbird banned in Scottish school

Smileless2012

It has been removed because of it's subject matter and the depiction of Atticus and the black community. How many of the other "millions" of other books have been removed for the same reasons?

I agree Luckygirl especially as not only did they exist, in some places they still do.

No, it has been taken off the current teaching list because of the 'N word' and because of the 'White Saviour' narrative.

I'm not saying I would have done the same, but the headline and the terminology are misleading (although the story doesn't say that the book is banned, just the OP). Banning a book would mean not allowing it on the premises, whereas removing it from the teaching list of one school is just that. The Head of the school specifically says that he does not believe in banning books, just that the syllabus needs to be updated.

The other millions (no need for inverted commas - there are millions of books out there) of books in the world aren't taught (as opposed to being banned) for all sorts of reasons. Mostly because a lot of them won't be very good, probably, but as there are only a few books on a literature syllabus each year, someone has to choose which to teach.

I worry about the way news stories like this are taken out of context - particularly when they have issues of race in them. this is the sort of thing that make people think that saying 'black bin liners' is racist. It's nonsense and it makes discussion about serious issues more difficult.

ducking!!!

I am in the process of reading the Little House on the Prairie series to my GC whilst they eat their tea when I pick them up from school once a week. I am having to do some explaining because the negative attitudes to the "Red Indians" are a bit of a shock.

It is telling that I thought nothing of this when I read them as a child. However, I am not sucking the issue with them.

It has been removed because of it's subject matter and the depiction of Atticus and the black community. How many of the other "millions" of other books have been removed for the same reasons?

I agree Luckygirl especially as not only did they exist, in some places they still do.

It hasn't been banned. It has joined the millions of other books that will not be taught on the exam syllabus this year.

We have to read books with an awareness of the context in which they were written. We do young people no favours by pretending that these attitudes did not exist - they are fuel for intelligent discussion and should not be banned.

Does 'English Literature' mean literature of England or literature in the English language? If so then American literature could be included. I'm not sure what the term means.

And it hasn't been 'banned'. ?

....and its happening in Scotland.....

But it's not been objected too because it's American.

If this book is set for an exam in English Literature, it is perfectly reasonable to object to its inclusion. It’s not English Literature, it’s American. That’s obvious.

I agree Witzend. It's a ridiculous decision and for all we know there could be some white people who take exception to the portrayal of the jury, the prosecutor and the men hell bent on carrying out an execution before a trial.

Sad. IMO it’s a great mistake to pretend that attitudes weren’t very often different in former times. This strikes me as PC gone not just mad, but also very misguided.
How are children to understand issues if the past is sanitised for them?

I think it is a big mistake to ban this inspirational book.

I have some sympathy with the idea that it does contain some unhelpful cliches - the "white saviour" the uncomplaining black man, etc. Seeing a book from another perspective sometimes makes me think more carefully about the images it contains. The Help is another book with a white saviour protagonist.

I can understand why some black people take exception to these portrayals. There have been many black people throughout the ages who have put themselves at great risk in their fight for equal treatment, and perhaps it would be a good idea to include books written from these perspectives, rather than exclude To Kill a Mockingbird, which I think is an extremely well written and thought-provoking book.

I judge people by their actions. But whatever Atticus thought, he was prepared to put his whole life, professional, personal and community on the line to ensure that someone, who would otherwise go undefended got a proper trial.

To sacrifice his position, career and community to defend someone who he knows will be convicted no matter what, surely transcends any attitudes we consider racist.

In her much later book Harper Lee did feel that Atticus was a racist. However, he also believed that Justice was for all which is why he defended this man. He lost as he expected. Jury would have been all-white.

As Gove, when he Education Minister!! banned all books not written by British writers from GCSE syllabus - this is the reason why To kill a Mockingbird and others are not used in Years 11 and 12.

The film of TKAMB is one of the best made - and keeps so closely to the book.

I often think the people who set the reading lists are not that bright. This is just another example.

So it's not 'banned'. It is just not being taught for exams just now. I assume that copies are allowed on the premises?

Are all the other millions of books that aren't being taught also 'banned'?

It seems to me yet another example of divisive headlines. Saying that a book that was popular with older generations (and it is a very good book with a forward-looking message for its time) has been 'banned' has connotations of book burning and totalitarianism.

This is just someone updating the syllabus, which, as Grandmabatty points out, happens regularly. It's not the end of freedom as we know it. Anyway it appears that the book has a lot of detractors - Michael Gove reportedly 'banned' both To Kill a Mockingbird and 'Of Mice and Men' - not for being racist, but for being American. He subsequently denied it.

Alegrias only just caught up. I see you found the link. I bet that school is a bit embarrassed as this has caused quite a furore.

Was he a saviour? I thought he was a hero for being willing to go against his own (white) community, knowing it would destroy his livelihood and that he could possibly be killed for it , in standing up and properly defending a young black man, who had been accused of a rape he didn't commit.

He would suffer all the same consequences whether he won or lost.

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/edinburgh-school-to-kill-a-mockingbird-b1878806.html

Of Mice and Men as well, it seems

I love this book. Can't believe it's being banned. Kids could learn so much from it. Atticus Finch was a hero.

Has it been 'banned' or just not chosen as a study text?

My sons read it for one of their exams, years ago. I don’t think it’s a good book as literature, but it’s interesting and important social history. It certainly shouldn’t be banned.

Aveline

Very foolish decision which is being widely derided. It's an ideal way for good teachers to illustrate changing attitudes and to examine historical aspects of racism. All the more reason to especially keep this book on school curriculums (a)

I think its ridiculous that this has been banned. I read that it was one particular teacher, do you know if that's true Aveline?