Least Favorite Assigned Reading?

[Ruckus]

1984?  Shakespeare?  Really?  I still read Shakespeare and think of 1984 everytime it feels like Big Brother is watching, which is a lot.

Good call on My Antonia, though.

My Antonia is really awful isn't it. Orwell is excellent stuff. I loved reading 1984 and Animal Farm in school.

I've said this someplace before, just because it's a "classic" doesn't mean it's good. Most "classics" are classic pieces of crap. Many do not translate well to the modern age which makes them difficult to read (or interesting). I've tried to go back and read many and zzzzzzzzz.

I couldn't agree with you more MJK and I hope not to offend any teachers of classic 'canonized' literature.  I know the canon is being updated with non Western global literature but I still fail to see the relevance of spending our entire school days reading oft stilted, difficult reading in some form of English not used today.

Iambic pentameter did not help me pass the bar.  Falkner only taught me that long, boring run-on sentences are perfectly normal.

I don't see the logic in how learning the "classics" aid the learning of the English language as it is used today.  Something lean and powerful like McCarthy's No Country or Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Bladerunner) seem like more relevant reading appropriate for high school that balance substance, readability and depth.  Harry Potter would be great too!

I never understood how the religious right can complain about having children read a book such as that (Potter) in public school while I am forced to recognize parables of Cain and Abel. :P

When you take cooking class, you don't learn to rub sticks together.  You aren't taught geocentrism in science first before debunking it.

Rant over.  I just think that it would be in the best interests of modern youth to read books that appeal to their sensibilities that relate to the world that they live in while teaching them the language.

Having said all that, I guess I have no idea how much it has changes since I left high school.  I'm sure some of the required readings have been updated.

I also enjoyed 1984 and Animal Farm.  There just so much more 'readable.'  I also agree with Walden AMD.  I like spending some alone time in a cabin in the woods.  I just don't like reading about it.  That said, though Thoreaux didn't work for me, what came out of Bon Iver's time in the woods worked just fine for me. 8-)

Man, it's like my brain stepped out of my skull and starting talking there! Perfect! Yes, more contemporary lit would be helpful. Nothing wrong with Potter (one of my favorite series). Keep in mind, today's "classics" was yesterday's pop lit.

Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep- All is right in the world with this book and movie (my top 3 movie of all time even though the 2 really have no resemblence to each other).

Slow minds think alike ;D

[weeniebeenie]

I hated 1984. I  barely remember it but I know I didn't like it. Maybe I should try that one again.
I did love Of Mice and Men and although they weren't novels I loved when we studied the poetry of Wilfred Owen.

1984 is probably one of the most important books there is.

I loved reading that book. Orwell rules!

Definitely. My favorite book for a while was Animal Farm.

Well I don't own it but if I get the chance I'll read it again and see if I like it better this time around.

[el_chode]

Listen we're moving towards appreciated futurists' dire predictions of modern life. There are two roads we can take here: A new thread about the assigned readings that we liked or a discussion about what a Brave New World we live in.

[aMillionDreams]

i remember discussing walden in class, and apparently thoreau's mom would come by daily to bring him food and do his laundry. so much for being one with nature.
;D

I heard he walked into town once a week to pick up supplies and chat it up.  Even if those stories aren't true his whole premise is absurd.  Take, for example, the chapter where he tries to grow his own beans.  He refuses to weed or do any form of pest control and of course his beans fail.  So, does he just not eat, since his own philosophy would dictate that gardening and farming are essentially unethical acts?  No, he just eats stuff that other farmers have grown for him, ignoring the fact that the very things that are keeping him alive are not a part of his worldview.  

Civil Disobedience is probably still worth reading though.