synthesis essay 1 revision 1

8/10/2019 Synthesis Essay 1 Revision 1

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Nguyen 1

Andrew Nguyen

Dub

AP Lang 11 P3

7 November 2014

Synthesis Essay 1 Revision 1

Our knowledge, our values, our communication. These all come from what we call

books. Books are the sources of information and literature. They play an important role in

daily life. Not only do they teach students valuable lessons, they also effectively increase our

communication with others. Anthologies and canons have defined which books are deemed

worthy of reading. Consequently, nations have been forced to decide whether or not their

students should have a defined school curriculum. Due to the evolving age of technology, the

difference in how students learn, and the exclusiveness of canons, standardization of texts should

not be implemented into school curriculum.

Literature has changed drastically since the old ages where literature was written on

tablets or spread through oral language. As technology advances, texts move from page to

screen(Fowler). With this movement, school standards are also changing to compliment the

efficiency of the digital age. Source F demonstrates how the notion of a standard has collapsed,

and a stable canon of works and authors is meaningless. Therefore, the enforcement of a

confined curriculum would not effectively harmonize with the new age, but rather, hinder the

progress of students. Nevertheless, it is the choice of the students to choose the most beneficial

path for themselves.

Every student learns differently in their own way. When students read a piece of

literature that they are able to connect and relate with, a mental bridge is built. This bridge


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enables them to further retain the information and values of the text. Florez-Tighe employed

multicultural literature and she discovered the enhancement of language development in children

of certain cultures. She used African-American folktales to teach respect for African-

American culture and affirm a childs feeling of self-worth (Source E). Because these African-

American children read texts from their own culture, they are able to further connect with it.

Because of this enhanced relatability, they have a better chance of learning the core values and

morals of a culture. Thus, texts should be unstandardized in hopes to increase the learning ability

of students.

In schools where texts are standardized, teachers pull literature from a canon an

authoritative list of literary works (Landow). However, in order to be admitted into a

reverential canon, a writer must advance past the gatekeepers of the fortress of influential

critics, museum directors, and a board of trustees(Landow) and in order to do so, one must

achieve, not exactly greatnessbut status and accessibility to a reading public (Landow).

Unfortunately, many great writers do not have this superior status so their literary works are

merely brushed off like lint on a commoners shoulder.Because of the difficulty in being entered

into the canon, few woman writers have managed to gain entrance to such anthologies

(Fowler). The minority of women has already been seen as inferior to men, and now anthologies

intend to degrade the potential of great female authors. According to Clayton Eshleman,

teachers have to make their own decisions about what texts are best and most influential

towards their students. But how can teachers choose what is best if they are so limited to the

works defined in a canon? They wont be able to choose whats best;therefore, the

standardization of texts should not be implemented because doing such would destroy the vast

labyrinth of literature written by men and women available for students.


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Books are the sources of infinite knowledge that should be freely chosen to teach with.

Technology has evolved into a norm where anthologies are no longer viable. Each and every

human learns a different way. Canons limit the possibilities of great writers to be heard and

praised. Why limit students knowledge by restricting the books they read to ones in canons? The

diversity of books increases the knowledge of students around the world and helps to create a

better generation for the future.

synthesis essay 1 revision 1

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