Sunday, January 30, 2011

Should "Twilight" Be Taught In The Classrooms?


I recently found a post on enotes.com, which is a popular site for teachers to go to. A teacher brought up how some school libraries do not have The Twilight Series books. She wants to know why can't the students study something they are excited about? Twilight does go in depth and students can have intellectual discussions about it.


As the Devil's Advocate, I have to say many boys do not like the series. Not everyone is into it and some people's parents would be against it because of the whole vampire and werewolf issue. Also, some parents are extremely strict and knowing that they are reading a story about a teen boy hiding in his girlfriend's room and the secrets Bella keeps from her father, may cause some uproar in family homes.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

14 comments:

  1. I think twilight should be taught in the classroom. Im 14 and everything in the classroom bores me. If they incorparate twilight more people would be interested and might pass more test in my opinion.

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  2. Great comment!! Thank you!

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  3. I think that twilight would be a great book to be taught but i think it shouldn't be taught till way in the future when the franchise has dies out a bit so pupils will think of the great saga rather then just the films when discussing twilight!! give a decade or so!!:)

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  4. YES but in ur options or english. boys dont like the twilight saga but dats cause they feel thretened by thr HOT guys

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  5. As an English teacher and lover of Twilight I do not think the books should be taught in the classroom. I do currently teach the Lord of the Ring series and the Harry Potter series; however, there is a great deal of depth, symbolism, themes, historical value, etc in those series. I'm sorry fellow Twi-hards, but there is hardly any depth in Twilight, which is one reason I like it, it's surface entertainment, which we all need from time to time.

    On the other hand, I do think they should be available for students in the library. I disagree with those who try to ban literature from the library for of any reason. Many parents tried to ban Harry Potter because of the use of magic, they believed it to be "the work of Satan." Obviously, in my opinion, it is not. Every year a list of books, ranging in all genres, brings up controversy, and every year it is wrong. How do we expect students to think for themselves, analyze and develop their own philosophy on life if overbearing parents (and teachers) choose what they should read? I do think we can offer class discussions on some topics in Twilight, especially since it is a current phenomenon with teenagers; but, there simply is not enough, dare I say, teachable quality for a classroom setting.

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  6. p.s. I would teach Water for Elephants in the classroom.

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  7. Great Comments!! Thanks to everyone! Water For Elephants is a great literary work. Kudos to A Soothsayer.

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  8. No problem, I totally wish I had you for a teacher..lol :D

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  9. Haha, thanks. Some may disagree. :)

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  10. that would be soooooooooo cool I WOULD SO LOVE TO LEARN TWILIGHT IN SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!

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  11. I have to respectfully disagree with anyone who opines there isn't any depth or symbolism in the Twilight series. The entire saga(at the archetypal level) is about the profound power of choice and learning to overcome fear with faith, even when circumstances seem impossible to overcome. Each of the main characters has a rich array of individual archetypes, and the themes regarding transformation (for the humans AND the vampires) are stunning teaching tools for young people to explore and discuss. I think it's a pity more teachers don't see the symbolic imagery (and significance) of the story because it's definitely there.

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  12. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the movies, but I think the books are extremely insightful. I've read most of your other blogs about Twilight and just seeing the discussions here show that teaching it in the classroom would be a great idea! There are so many things that could spark an academic and intelligent discussion, whether the students like or dislike the saga.
    P.S: I love your blog, Stephie ♥

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  13. I think that Twilight should be taught at school. I disagree with A Soothsayer because when I was in like 6th grade, I hated books and I never read. But when I was introduced by Twilight. I read every single second that I had a chance. And now as a junior, I have like 50 books. I am a nonstop reader. And if teachers taught this in a classroom, students will be very entertained by it and they will read even more books rather then boring ones.

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