An
Analysis of Teaching the Problem of Racism for African American Middle School
Students in Monster by W.D. Myers
Myer’s moving story of
African American youth Steve Harmon illustrates a powerful representation of
the persecution of people due to the color of their skin. Harmon has been
falsely accused of being a “look out” for bank robbers that murder a drug store
owner. Through a literary perspective, it is illustrates how a predominantly
white criminal justice system can turn an innocent young man into a criminal at
a moment’s notice: “You’re young, You’re black, and you’re on trial. What else
do they need to know?” (Myers, 1999, p.79). For middle school African Americans
and other minorities, Myer’s storyline can provide a means in which to discuss
racism as a serious problem in American culture in which to "study books
that reflect their cultures.”(Elliot and Dupuis, 2002, p.47). Myers (1999) book
teaches the student about the injustice of the criminal courts, which can help
make more minority students overcome these obstacles in the classroom. After
teaching students the story of 16 year-old Steve Harmon, they can be better
prepared to deal with possible racist incidents in society. More so, basic
reading by Martin Luther King and other anti-racist Civil Rights leaders can be
read in conjunction with Myers’ story. In my experience persons with
disabilities at the middle school level, many African Americans become angered
at the racism aimed at black people in the example provided by Myers. However,
they often come to realize that Myers is exposing injustices that they see on
an everyday basis in their neighborhoods. Through literature and education,
these students can utilize Myers’ Monster to overcome and become more aware of
the complexities of “white-on-black “ institutional racism in American culture.
References:
Elliott,
J. B., & Dupuis, M. M. (2002). Young
adult literature in the classroom: Reading it, teaching it, loving it.
Newark, Del: International Reading Association.
Myers,
W. D., & Myers, C. (1999). Monster.
New York, N.Y: HarperCollins Publishers.
Zaheeda, Here are a few things for you to think about if, indeed, you are going to use this novel in your class. Was Steve Harmon absolutely innocent? Was he not involved in this robbery in some way? Did he not make a decision to work with these two "robbers" in a small way? Did he want to be accepted by the "bad guys" in his neighborhood? In essence, what I am asking you is this.............can you prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Steve Harmon was not involved in that robbery? That is something that you need to ask your students as they read this book. Yes, just like the lawyer stated..........Steve was going to have a difficult time proving that he is innocent because of racial feelings that exist by members of the jury. "You're young, you're black" etc. etc. etc. You need to also think about the fact that Steve was going to a high school that was considered one of the elite high schools in the city. He was NOT going to school in his own neighborhood. Was he accepted by the young people in his neighborhood? Did he want to be accepted by them? Did Steve make some poor choices? Did he almost get into very BIG trouble. I think that you need to talk to your students about choices that are made, not necessarily about racism in the judicial system. Think about that. Everyone has got to take responsibility for the decisions that they make..........that is a topic to discuss with your students. I believe that an argument can be made that Steve Harmon contributed (albit in a small way) to the trouble that he was in. The fact that he was black compounded that problem.
ReplyDeleteI felt that this book is important in the classroom because of the overarching theme of peer pressure that gets Steve into trouble with the law. Certainly, Steve is a young man that made a mistake and these things happen, but he also gave into James King’s pressure to join him the robbery as a look out. When he ends up in jail for partaking in the robbery and murder of the drugstore clerk. However, the racial aspects of this story make him more accountable as a “monster” figure as defined by Assistant District Attorney Petrocelli. More so, the racial undertones of Petrocelli’s statement on his partaking in the robbery is overemphasized and it affects his understanding of self in his journal writings even after he is released (Myers 277). For the most part, I feel the student could greatly benefit from understanding the racial issues that can occur in a white legal hegemonic criminal justice system, but more so, the dangers of peer pressure. While Steve is a young man that was gulled into partaking in a robbery gone awry, but he was culpable to the extent that he gave into being accepted into a group of charismatic criminals. If I was to discuss this book with my students, I would be very careful not to put too much blame on Steve, but to remind the student that they too could become victims of this type of peer pressure if they are not cautious.
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