British Literature: A Plague On American School Systems
It is an undeniable fact that high school students, especially those partaking in advanced courses, tend to experience large amounts of pressure. This pressure can come from struggling to maintain outstanding grades and meet the expectations of their teachers and parents, all while balancing a job, playing a sport, or being in clubs. A course that towers over all the others in complexity and workload is British Literature. This class is commonly taken by high school seniors pursuing advanced diplomas and participating in associate degree programs. It has a similar workload to that of any other advanced English class, but this class is much more challenging. Students in America typically struggle with comprehending the older versions of English used in the stories. This can require them to have to read over certain parts of the material numerous times, simply to understand the language. Due to this, the time required to prepare for British Literature is entirely too much. British Literature should not be taught to high school students, as the advanced coursework and complex language can lead to increased teen stress levels.
Stress is a feeling that we, as humans, simply cannot avoid. Some people experience stress exponentially more than others, and it can have a strong negative effect on the mental health of people of all ages. As Shannon Suldo points out in The Psychosocial Functioning Of High School Students In Academically Rigorous Programs, “specific stressors were primarily related to completion of academic requirements rather than such factors as family or peer relationship problems. . . ”. The argument that educational stress is not a big deal is completely invalid. High school age students are worrying more about grades and success than ever before. High school is a time when teenagers are still discovering who they are, and their emotions are are at peak intensity. The four years students spend in high school are the last of their adolescence. A class such as British Literature, although a helpful indicator of the work they will be presented with in the future, is entirely too much for teenagers to have to participate in. A study conducted by Sofie Wouters concluded that “In today’s society, an increasing number of adolescents enroll in higher education…”. With increasing numbers of students enrolling in classes such as British Literature, there is an even higher concern for the wellbeing of teenagers. Their brains are being exposed to education related stress levels that students of the past simply did not have to endure. Adults constantly express distaste in the younger generation, where in reality they are the ones who are experiencing stress at a much younger age. The mental health of teenagers should be taken seriously in this country’s school systems. The solution to this starts with actions as simple as erasing British Literature from schools, decreasing the pressure put on students significantly. A study by Akbar Hussain suggest that, “high expectations in academic or other performances…” is one of “. . . the main causes of childhood and teen stress”. Setting up young, impressionable people with extreme expectations to succeed and thrive in high school is unhealthy and leads to teenagers believing they are not good enough. By the time students reach the point when they must learn British Literature, they have already developed a general understanding of the English language. Suddenly, the entire language becomes obsolete, as older versions are used in the material of British Literature. Students are now required to analyze sentence structures and complex wordings that they will never need to know in the real world. On top of every other activity or obligation going on in a high school student’s life, they must now balance trying to understand Middle English. In Hussain’s study, he also concludes that, “the most frequently mentioned stressor by students was school and fear related stressors. . . ”. This matter is completely real, and relevant in today’s society. British Literature piles up entirely too much stress on teenagers whose brains are still developing, and should no longer be part of a high school curriculum.
The ideals presented in British Literature are highly dated, and can be implemented into the brains of young students. America has come far from its horrendous events and societal expectations of the past. Although complete progression has not been achieved yet, bringing back ideals from centuries ago and presenting them to our youth is dangerous. Many of the materials taught in British Literature are not only completely misogynistic, but also lack any sort of racial diversity. The majority of the stories feature a white male being seen as the ruler and hero archetype. Young women should not be required to have to hear this type of story over and over again, the story that women are lesser than men. The history can never be erased, yes, but we have the option as Americans to not continue to tell stories of discrimination. As David Reynolds writes in School effectiveness and school improvement: an updated review of the British literature, “Early students shared in the views of their authors…”. It is human nature to accept the material we are reading and to simply let it be considered right in our minds. It can be argued that students enjoy reading stories that they can relate to. For the large majority of students, British Literature is anything but relatable. In this sense, the class’ inclusion in the American high school curriculum is yet again deemed unnecessary. Instead, high schoolers should receive their English credits by taking a class centered around inclusive material, with ideals and themes that are appropriate in today’s society. Reynolds also notes that studies conducting classes of the past may be inaccurate, saying “. . . there were in many people’s minds doubts as to whether enough information on the intakes of pupils had been collected…”. More strides must be taken towards analyzing the effectiveness of a class such as British Literature, and decisions should be made as to whether or not it is truly benefiting students.
By no means, is the purpose of removing British Literature to discredit the subject altogether. Other forms of literature are still undeniably important for students to be introduced to in high school. As Emily Linz writes about literature being required in high schools, “It challenges them to express deeper truths of the heart with elegance and insight. Literature conveys wisdom distinct from other humanities courses”. Literature is essential to the development of reading and writing skills. It is not a coincidence that students who spend more time reading tend to have stronger vocabularies and enriched writing skills. A plethora of life lessons are learned by children from the second they pick up their first book. All literature has a purpose, but British Literature serves no good purpose. The purpose of British Literature is to make modern day English speakers feel humbled, and as if they truly know nothing about the language at all. Linz also writes, “The study of literature is of course an opportunity to learn about an author’s time and his or her response to life, which is cultural history”. While her statement is factual, it has faults. Literature is, in fact, a way to experience cultural history through the perspective of an author. The question is, as Americans, what is the purpose of implementing the cultural history of another nation into our youth? A country founded off of free thinking and detachment from our English roots, American and British history are two completely different subjects. Students are not required to take a class focused on British History, so why must they be expected to learn the literature of the time period? Linz also adds, “It is true that literature conveys ideas…”. As previously stated, the ideas in British Literature are not ones that should be taught to anyone in today’s environment. The repeated teachings of the subject are simply reinforcing ideas of times passed, and there is no benefit involved for American high school students.
All in all, our country is constantly evolving, and there is no reasonable excuse as to why British Literature should still be a requirement for high school students to participate in.
Students are more involved than ever in their school’s extracurricular activities, resulting in them having even less time to complete the insane amount of work they are assigned daily. To make matters even worse, British Literature is usually taken by high school seniors that also have to worry about applying to colleges. There should be much more emphasis on teen mental health in this country and educational pressure should be taken much more seriously by adults than it currently is. There are not enough hours in a teenager’s day for them to be expected to not only keep up with all of their other responsibilities, but also decode the intense wording of pieces of British Literature. These works are not only challenging to understand, they also contain ideals that should not even be presented to American students. The lack of diversity in the stories can make certain students feel completely detached from the works, and even cause others to develop insecurities about themselves. No one in this modern world should be taught that men are superior to females repeatedly for an entire class. As Americans, we should not even need to be taught the literature of the Middle Ages of Britain. There is no correlation to our world, and the teachings in it are extremely dated. To conclude, British Literature should not be required for American high school students to take, as it provides absolutely zero benefit towards their futures.
References
- Hussain, Akbar, Ashutosh Kumar, and Abid Husain. 'Academic stress and adjustment among high school students. ' Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology 34. 9 (2008): 70-73.
- Linz, Emily. “Guest Blog: The Value of an English Requirement. ” Literature Should Be Required, 27 July 2015,
- Reynolds, David. 'School effectiveness and school improvement: an updated review of the British literature. ' School Effectiveness: Research, Policy and Practice, Cassell, School Development Series, London (1992): 1-24
- Suldo, Shannon M. , and Elizabeth Shaunessy‐Dedrick. “The Psychosocial Functioning Of High School Students In Academically Rigorous Programs. ” Psychology in the Schools, vol. 50, no. 8, 2013, pp. 823–843.
- Wouters, Sofie, et al. “Academic Self-Concept in High School: Predictors and Effects on Adjustment in Higher Education. ” Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, vol. 52, no. 6, 2011, pp. 586–594.
