This story got me thinking
about “voice” assuming a character for the purpose of learning someone else’s
point of view http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/14/nazi-essay-new-york-yeacher
Granted, in the linked
example, a history class would have been a better place for this rather than an
English class and one could also argue what the acceptable age is for students
to do such a task but assuming the “voice” of someone or something is a well
recognized and effective teaching tool.
It is also responsible for
some great art....I often write poetry in the voice of others very different
than myself in outlook or personality as do great songwriters like Stan Ridgway
and Randy Newman.
One of the most effective
courses I had in college years ago was an International Relations political science
course wherein our instructor asked us to take on all manner of different
people in different political struggles around the globe. It was an eye opening experience.
But Americans have a hard
time with “voice”. They are black and
white people with no room for gray and they don’t understand an opinion
different than theirs. Maybe refuse to understand
it would be a better description.
In addition, political
correctness means that “voice” in the minds of tight ass Americans means you automatically
agree with whatever you are studying instead of simply trying to understand why
an event happened or why a group of people feel a certain way.
There’s no solution for this
and the increased reliance on testing in US schools and the downplaying of
critical thinking is only going to make this worse I fear.
No comments:
Post a Comment