In an overwhelming conglomeration of genius thought, our creative staff members have come to the conclusion that high school students should not have to read Huckleberry Finn. Rather, in the more modern society we live in, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a book that is more appropriate for high school students. The novel, with its amalgamation of pre-war, war, and post-war episodes, can deliver a message to high school students, all the while keeping them interested with a style of writing that isn’t to difficult to comprehend.
Along with the above statement, each of our staff members have a little extra input on the topic. . .
Justin Markov: The entity of Huckleberry Finn can be easily condensed into an hour and a half motion picture, all while keeping the main essences of the novel. Meanwhile, The Things They Carried transfers important messages that are more applicable to our epoch, and each specific character is far too complex to analyze entirely in a short film. Keep on Reading, children of America, but don’t waste your time on stupid prolonged literature.
Ryan Bowman: Huckleberry Finn’s themes and messages can be told in a short story and don’t need to be spread out throughout 40 chapters. Each story is similar in the lessons that Huck learns and this gets to be repetitive. The Things They Carried however conveys important messages and gives important first hand stories of war. These first hand stories show the different effects of war, both physically and mentally. Also, because The Things They Carried is more modern and is easier for high school students to understand and relate to the book.
Futhallah Hamed:
Sophia Chen: Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered a classic piece of American literature, the explicit content within the story portray a harsh reality that some students may not be able to cope with. The Things They Carried is a significant wartime novel that gives students an idea of the physical and mental burdens that soldiers carried. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is more focused on character experiences and interactions, whereas The Things They Carried allows the reader to analyze the density of each character’s emotional needs which enhances the value of this piece of literature.
Harrison Helmich: Personally for me, my high school English career has been filled with Shakespeare and other novels that I spend more time trying to actually decipher the text than analyzing the story line. With The Things They Carried, I found an immaculate break in this boring streak of books and finished the book in two weeks – the fastest I have ever read a book for class. I believe this book can also provide a break for oppressed English students with the palpable text. Author Tim O’Brien intersperses vulgar language within the story which can ease a student reader or give them something mild to relate to. In contrast and conclusion, Huck Finn does not give this intriguing storyline to this modern audience of 21st century high schoolers. TTTC is an interesting war story that is replete with difficult metaphors and easy language. With easy-to-read text, students have more time to interpret these heavy metaphors and understand O’Brien’s intended message, as well as the true value of a story centered around the Vietnam war.