This week I read Pride by Ibi Zaboi, a modern retelling of the canonical text by Jane Austen. This novel checks all the boxes when it comes to diversity all the while still staying true to the themes and major plot points of the canonical text. I think that this text brings to the surface two important points to think about as I look to incorporate this text in my classroom. This diverse modern retelling has a space in the English classroom as a replacement to the canonical text because it is relevant to the issues that our students are going through currently.
A concern was raised during our Flip Grid discussion posts that I resonated with and I felt needed space to air out on my blog. The point being raised was about monitoring the conversations that come out of this text about minorities. Pride centers around an afro-latinx family living in a “hood” in New York. The protagonist Zuri is proud of her hood and the community that surrounds her, but with gentrification moving in on her neighborhood her home seems to be disappearing right in front of her. As Zuri states in the novel, “It’s a TRUTH universally acknowledged that when rich people move into the hood, where it’s a little bit broken and a little bit forgotten, the first thing they want to do is clean it up” (Zaboi 6). The class systems in this setting are highlighted here through the experiences that Zuri has in her neighborhood and the encounters that she has with Darius. The inequality of the class systems are highlighted in this novel in the same way that they are in the canonical text, but with it being a modern retelling the framing is far less removed for our students. The issues of stereotypes and assumptions come into play and could be difficult to navigate. I think that this text is a great learning tool to have difficult discussions with about assumptions because Zuri is often quick to judge.
While reading this novel I felt that teaching this as a whole class text in place of the canonical would be incredibly beneficial. Reading Pride and Prejudice in high school was extremely difficult because it felt so far removed from what I was experiencing in my own life. This text is far more engaging for young adults all the while still upholding the same themes of the canonical novel. This novel was easy for me to picture particular students in mind to pair with this text. I would recommend this novel for a student that loves to write poetry, create songs, or is going through a change. I will be teaching eighth graders next year and I think that many students would be able to resonate with the overall theme of coming to terms with a change.
I think you could totally teach Pride without teaching Pride and Prejudice; however, in most schools, Pride and Prejudice is usually taught as part of the British Literature course, senior year. In that case, while the themes are still the same, the historical setting is actually the most important part for the sake of the curriculum. Do you think you could make an argument to your administrators as to why Pride is still a better option than Pride and Prejudice? On the other hand, I think Pride would make a whole lot of sense in an 11th grade class, American Literature, to shed light on different versions of the American Dream that students have not seen before. You could perhaps preview excerpts of Pride and Prejudice in that class, and their 12th grade teachers would thank you for laying the groundwork for that difficult canonical text!
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said about teaching Pride as a replacement to Pride and Prejudice. The book does a great job at keeping the same themes intact, but what a lot of us may not have really thought about is what difference does it make that this story is written in modern times? The difference is, the book is more relateable. Of course those "serious conversations" weren't as necessary with Pride and Prejudice because our modern day students do not resonate with the classism in Pride and Prejudice as they might with Pride. This is exactly why it is necessary to update the canon, the books we require our students to read need to directly reflect the environment and age our students live in.
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