MovieChat Forums > To Kill a Mockingbird (1963) Discussion > Books like this kill interest in reading...

Books like this kill interest in reading in children and teens.


The love of a book and art is a subjective question without doubt. However I feel like many of the classics like this, Lord of the flies act kill children's interest in reading as they re forced to read these dry, often boring books.

I read Harry Potter when it first came out so I did enjoy reading. But it seemed every book the schools made you read were out of date books written over 50 years ago that would be boring to any teen

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Dry & boring to some, fascinating & emotionally complex to others. We had to read Lord of the Flies in high school & I was gripped by it right to the end. It provoked quite a bit of thoughtful class discussion afterwards. And To Kill a Mockingbird is just sublime, both as book & as movie, at least to me. If they don't connect with you, that's fine. Tastes differ, and nothing wrong with that.

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Sorry you're so vapid. Stick to cartoon books.

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I Cannot be sure but I have likely read more books than you! I am sorry an honest conversation about books upset you so much. do small things normally upset you?

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Enjoy you're dwarf and magic candle bullshit. Fucking millennials..

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I like this comment!

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I feel like lining up every English teacher I ever had who forced us to read these dull, boring, depressing piles of crap called books, chaining them to a wall with their backs to the audience, and spanking them with spiked paddles.

Each smack could say "This is for 'Old Man and the Sea!' And this is for 'Huckleberry Finn!' This is for 'The Great Gatsby!' This is for 'Of Mice and Men!' This is for making me watch 'Castaway' again because you were too lazy to make us watch the movie version of 'Lord of the Flies,' both of which I hate, so you get double!"

No amount of screaming "But they're CLASSICS!!!" is gonna convince me that this was little more than mental torture for us kids in high school English class, because honestly, there are SO many BETTER books they could have had us read, or they could have spent time doing remedial spelling, grammar, and sentence correction, instead of forcing us to read these piece of crap books and plays.

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wow we may have point of agreeing!

greed for me it was

-lord of the flies
-the chrysalids
-to kill a mocking bird

all pretty dull and depressing.

there are far better more gripping inspiration books that would grab kids imagination. If you can show me a kid who knowingling chose to read any of those books I was forced to or you mentioned I would be surprised.

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I think the aim of assigning such books is to present (or even confront) students with sometimes troubling stories & ideas that will broaden their understanding of the human condition. Granted, this doesn't always work for every student. I hated The Scarlet Letter when it was assigned as part of my 11th grade English class; it was only some years later that an interest in classic American literature made me read it again, of my own accord—and that second time, I actually got what it was about & quite enjoyed it. On the other hand, some books that I loved reading just for myself in high school just didn't hold up when I returned to them years later, striking me as shallow & simplistic.

In any case, just because a book is a classic doesn't mean that everyone will like it, no matter what age they are. And again, nothing wrong with that.

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it is English class, not psychology. There are plenty of other books that aren't as depressing, boring and dry

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But literature involves human psychology, among other things. And of course one student's dry, boring, depressing book is another student's insightful, thoughtful, enriching book.

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Yes and the entire thing doesn't have to be a dredge, tragedy, and depressing romp.

I did no studies when I was in high school, but I would bet top dollar over 90% of students found those books boring. which if you8 are trying to get kids excited about reading and literature, choose one with better mass appeal

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What creeps me out is when I would meet classmates (who were few in number) who LOVED those books, and would suck up to the teacher, making me glare daggers at them and see them as a traitor to anyone with taste or imagination.

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you really think the books are chosen by the teachers?

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I agree. I didn't like those either. I didn't read my favorite books in a highschool English class. I like some old books like Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Louis Stephenson, Dracula by Braham Stoker, and A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's court by Mark Twainn. Other favorite books of mine not taught in English Classes are First Blood by David Morrell, The Howling by Gary Brandner, and Who censored Roger Rabbit by Gary Wolfe. Another that I like but think the movie is better is Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. Doh. Forgot Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Chrichton.

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I first read this book when I was 13-14, after seeing the film on TV.

As I was an intelligent teen who liked to read, it wasn't too dry, boring, or advanced, it gave me insight into a world I had no contact in real life, but which was still largely in existence. I loved the book and re-read it, but well. Too advanced for some, I guess.

But I loathed "Lord of the Flies", and still do.

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I can't say that I loved Lord of the Flies, but it remained with me, made me uncomfortable & uneasy, and really did make me think. It said something sadly true about human nature at its worst. I'm glad to have read it, but it's not a book I want to return to now.

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Looking back on "Lord of the Flies", I'm still disturbed, it was both a condemnation and celebration of toxic masculinity, and don't get me started on that particular subject!

And also looking back, I sincerely hope nobody ever left a young boy alone with the author.

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Don't get you started on that subject... that you brought up.

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Oh, you want me to continue?

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No, but it appears that you do, or you wouldn't have brought it up. The phrase "don't get me started" really translates to I want to complain about something, and I want everyone to listen (in this case read) to me complain. If you really don't want to discuss something you won't bring it up at all. That's how it works.

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Oh for fuck's sake, I said "Don't get me started" a year ago, and didn't get started!

Find something else to whine about, dipshit, like how much it hurts to drop your pants, sit on a traffic cone, and push down. Turn off the computer and try it, or find some other way to piss off. I'm not picky.

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I sense a great deal of anger festering inside of you.

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If you learn the difference between festering anger and not suffering fools gladly, people just might stop calling you "stupid"!

Or call you "stupid" a bit less often.

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Your anger is truly something to marvel at. Along with your anger, you appear to have an ego complex as well. You are a highly amusing creature.

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I hated Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield is annoying AF.

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Harry Potter made your entire generation retarded and unwilling to learn.

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got anything smart to add instead?

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It's not this book - which I think is wonderful - it's being forced to read a book. For me it was Great Expectations and I still don't like Dickens to this day (Apart from a Tale of Two Cities).

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I love Dickens, but hate Great Expectations.

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I agree with the op

I just realized kill a mockingbird (and the other classics listed) are really just SJW stories, which i greatly resent. I think a good story without some 'message' is a better option.

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sorry to rain on your parade but every book has a message. same with films. they have all sorts of built in cultural and social norms and assumptions (ie good guy white hat). including what we expect men, women and children to act like. we have these norms because it makes for far less explaining in the film if they just meet our expectations of their norms. you just don't like those changing or not being the ones you are used to

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Sorry to rain on your parade too but your reply to my post is far off the mark. I cited a specific kind of message.

Read my post again if you need to.


Edit---
Also you seem to be confusing 'social norms being present' with 'persuasive storytelling pushing an agenda'. Its the latter that i object to. I guess you could say i dislike preachy films.

The more i think about it i dont get why you and i arent getting each other. I thought my point waa pretty clear.

Cheers

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you prefer kids to read Ayn Rand?

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Lol

Maybe i wouldnt feel like i do had the pendulum not swung way too far to one side basically amounting to shoving it down out thoaks.

My mom was a girl when that book came out and she loved it. I remember her talking about it.


See, the subsequent weaponization of 'social justice' in the decades since the civil rights mvmt has soured a lot of ppl like me to the original aim of that movement. Or, its alleged aim. Because at first it presented itself as being in the spirit of meritocracy but very quickly proved itself to be nothing but systemic enabling for a 'pet' group, to the exclusion of other similarly maligned grouos.

It was a fucking grift.

Exhibit A, Jesse Jacksin, exhibit B, Al Sharpton, etc etc


But yes, i like ayn rand. And stories in general. A message is okay imo if its not too heavy handed.

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Are you one of those far right nuts who are for the banning of books?

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No

Did you even read my fucking reply?

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Yeah, it's just another "everything's wOke" rant. Zzzz...

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Far far from it.

Your ignorance is on full display. I shouldnt have wasted my time

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Pot calling the kettle black

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Lol

Bye troll.

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you really need some self-awareness.

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Nothing wrong with Ayn Rand. I read her when I was a teenager.

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She's fine if you're OK with amoral unfettered capitalism as your prime directive, social contracts be damned! (or if you're a naive teen who's never thought about such things)

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