Mariah Ryan's Discussion One on Sarah Dyer Article

The Canon Goes Off: Using Young Adult Literature in the Classroom

            Society today holds a strong and divided attitude when it comes to issues like racial diversity, sexual orientation, and religious values.  The saying holds true that America is a melting pot of individuals from all over the globe.  However, how do these diversities translate for educators?  Many teachers feel as if they are walking on eggshells when teaching sensitive topics for many outside factors seem to be unpredictable.  One of the popular heated debates among the public school system is whether or not schools should be teaching students the traditional canon novels or simply moving the focus on contemporary young adult fiction.  Sarah Dyer, an educator with a Master’s in English, argues that “English teachers need to focus much less on classic literature and much more on young adult literature in order to best serve their students” (Dyer 33).  There is much pushback with this idea that suddenly the canon novels—which future English educators study during their college career—are thrown to the side and deem irrelevant for young adults.  While I do agree with many points Dyer makes throughout her article, I argue that with some syntax changes, her argument would eliminate many of the ill-feelings educators have about contemporary young adult (YA) literature being better suited than the canonical novels.

            Dyer starts off her article strong and is able to convince skeptics like myself on the diversity YA literature provides students with.  No longer are the days of students reading from solely the perspective of a white, heterosexual, Christian male, but instead literature that is “filled with female voices, LGBT voices, and voices from all races and cultures” (Dyer 34).  This new perspective would certainly open doors for students to identify closely with the narrator, for not all your students will fall into the square of the traditional canon narrative.  While multiple viewpoints strengthen notions a reader might have about a particular group of people, YA literature is not the only way students can gain perspective from one different than their own.  Dyer’s argument starts to slip when she quotes “the classics have obscured the past” and “covered up the stories and histories of many people” (Dyer 34).  Objectively, I can see what point she is trying to covey—that canon novels do not offer the same wide variety that YA literature does today—but canon novels have certainly introduced characters that differ from the narrator, which students are able to analyze the biases and time period in which a particular individual might be described differently than in today’s society.  To get her argument across effectively, Dyer should have expressed her point in a less extreme way.  It would have allowed the readers to understand her point, but allow them to form an opinion on their own accord.  Her “all or nothing” syntax leaves the readers, especially those which are pursuing English education, with a negative connotation of Dyer herself. 

            Dyer’s tendencies to jump to conclusions also weakens her argument, which would otherwise be considered informative and accurate.  Any audience of a text wants to believe they have a choice; Dyer does not use her abilities to manipulate this choice efficiently because she seems too concerned with getting her point across.  Another instance where Dyer’s syntax weakens her argument is found during her discussion about YA literature gives students the “opportunity to truly create their own meaning from a text” whereas canon novels “have predetermined ultimate meanings” (Dyer 37).  It is naïve and poorly thought out for one to truly believe only YA novels offer students original thought.  Dyer places the inability for a student to think independently on the canonical novels rather than the methods the English teacher executes in the classroom.  If anything, students would be able to use the RAN method, which makes students question “what I think I know,” what was “confirmed” after reading, and finally “we don’t think this anymore/we’ve changed our minds” (Stead 492).  This would allow students to come in with their preconceived ideas about canon novels like The Catcher in the Rye, but ultimately challenge them once finished reading.  This type of higher order thinking gives students their independent thoughts, all while reading a canon novel. 

            The error in syntax allows the readers to believe Dyer has not thought through her argument entirely; this is very unfortunate because her points are solid and valid.  It is the way she presents information about the canon novels that makes her argument on contemporary YA literature premature.  I believe Dyer would have much more success with her points if she instead offered how both can give the students specific skills (instead of insisting canon novels cannot provide students with these skills).  She could then expand her argument on how contemporary YA literature showcases specific element more efficient or effectively compared to their canon counterparts for reasons such as diverse perspective or current issues that our society faces.  I agree with Dyer that YA novels should not be pushed aside simply because they are current and have a young adult (typically) narrating.  However, she fires off too many illegitimate statements about the canon novels that leave the dust unsettled. 

Works Cited

Dyer, Sarah. "Read This, Not That: Why and How I Will Use Young Adult Literature in My               Classroom." The Virginia English Journal 64.1 (2014): 33-43. Web. 24 May 2016

Stead, Tony. "Nurturing the Inquiring Mind Through the Nonfiction Read-Aloud." Reading           Teacher 67.7 (2014): 488-495. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 May 2016.