User:Pv186/sandbox

This is a test of using the bold function:

My name is Pranay

First Draft

Censorship

Bless Me, Ultima has been involved in numerous cases of challenges and censorships in schools.

In Round Rock, Texas on January 19th 1996, Round Rock Independent School District Board member Nelda Click proposed a ban on a list of books for the advanced placement reading list that included Bless Me, Ultima.2 The policy itself came from parents and school officials who believed the list’s materials contained excessive violence.2 Ultimately, the board voted 4-2 against the ban alongside a policy that would prepare a process to select new reading material.2

In Laton, California around May 1999, a removal of Bless Me Ultima being used in teacher Carol Bennett’s English class was proposed by the board member Jerry Haroldsen based on complaints from parents about the violence and profanity.2 Haroldsen said “What we are doing is trying to protect the children. And you got a teacher that’s trying to do what we do not think is right”.2 Ultimately, the copies of Bless Me, Ultima were pulled from the classes and placed in the principal’s office.2

In John Jay High School, Wappingers Falls, New York, Deidra DiMaso, a parent who was troubled when reading Bless Me, Ultima to her two daughters, was prompted to challenge the book’s placement in the nineth grade curriculum by addressing officials within the school and district.2 Her reasoning was that the book “is full of sex and cursing”; she later expanded on a certain policy by saying “I asked the board members to please review all the books for any sexual content, violence, or foul language prior to any book becoming required reading.”.2 The source of this story, Banned in the USA, tells that the superintendent Wayne Gersen followed the standard protocol for addressing challenged materials, but doesn’t specify the conclusion of the case.

In early 2005, Superintendent Bob Conder of the Norwood School District R2J in the school of Norwood High School in Grand Junction, Colorado had banned the book after a parent’s group objected to the themes the book purveys.1 In protest of the decision on February 5th 2005, students formed a sit-in reading passages from the center of the school gymnasium.1 Despite staying with his decision to keep the book banned, he acknowledged and respected the decision of the students to make such a vocal disagreement.1

Around June 2005, Blue Valley School District within Kansas City, Missouri, two books including Bless Me, Ultima were challenged: Georgiane Skid, a resident of the district, requested the school board to discuss the appropriateness of the novel being studied by the freshman class.6 The school board unanimously voted to keep the novel in the curriculum.6

In Orestimba High School in Newman, California on November 23 2008, Superintendent Rick Fauss from the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District banned the book on the grounds of a parental complaint that it was unsuitable for children due to profanity and anti-Catholic messages; teachers were the main source of complaints in the community whereas families were relatively quiet on the matter.3 However, the policy’s responsibility was then handed over to the school board of Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District.5 Ultimately, the school board upheld the removal by a 4-1 vote.http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/12624CF0324B3E80?p=AWNB

Subheading: Views on Censorship

Linda Varvel’s essay on the censorship and -provoking aspects of this novel provide an opinion on why the novel has caused such outrage but should stay as a beneficial source of education to all students: despite the book being taught through a critical lense of Catholicism, the overall theme of a child coming to terms with the world around him and forming opinions is a valuable story for all children and parents.7

Literary Analysis of Bless Me, Ultima

Subheading: Connections to Multicultural Literature

Susan Landt, a teacher in St. Norbert College, proposes that multicultural literature will take a wide range of perspectives from individuals within, based on Landt’s perspective, historically marginalized groups.(Landt 1) Bless Me, Ultima-- a coming-of-age novel by Rudolfo Anaya-- should qualify for this definition through Anaya’s take on Chicano culture through the eyes of a boy trying to make sense of the world. (NOTE: this is my own statement and if it analyzes too much instead of simply presenting the source, I will remove the preceding statement).

Candace Morales, a graduate student pursuing a Masters of Science in Education while concentrating in Reading, proposes that in a curriculum that utilizes Bless Me Ultima as a piece of multicultural literature, it must be timed appropriately. (Morales 3) Specifically, she suggests teaching it middle schoolers so that they have a diverse lens (that of a Chicano/a culture) to view their own development; to Morales, Antonio’s own pursuit of “knowledge, truth, and personal identity” will resonate with the students as well.

Final Draft (contains Censorship & Challenges Section and a subsection of Literary Interpretations)

Email discussion between Jbv15, the user editing the Wikipedia page in the other class.

Jane Vaughn (Jbv15):

Hey Pranay,

I'm the other person working on the Bless Me, Ultima wikipedia page and I just wanted to touch base with you about my thoughts on the page. For my drafts on the page I am working on the censorship and plot sections. Feel free to check out my sand box (my username is Jbv15). I checked out your sandbox and I was thinking that we could have a general censorship on the text followed by specific cases.

I noticed in your sandbox that you were also working on critical reception of the text. Currently, I think that the historical and literary background (because it references and interprets so much of the text) as well as censorship could go under reception, what do you think?

Thanks!

Pranay Vadapally (Pv186):

Got it, I think the general censorship section would definitely work as there are a large number of cases about Bless Me, Ultima to separate it from other ones-- I think it would be better to separate it out from Reception. Although they are very intertwined, the Censorship section could only contain times when reception is , whereas the Reception is simply the dry number

I like the changes to the plot summary.

However, I think the historical and literary background could be cut into a section titled "Historical Background" (from the beginning till "Development of an American Mestizaje, Antonio's Boon"). Then the rest of that former section (the sections from "Development of an American Mestizaje, Antonio's Boon" through "Myth and Magic as Healing") could be "Literary Interpretations. I could add another subsection to "Literary Interpretations" involving my work from my Mini Research Assignment on Bless Me, Ultima being used in Multicultural curriculum. I may add a few more literary interpretations on the LRC and ProQuest databases once I polish my Censorship section.

Thank you,

Pranay Vadapally

Pranay Vadapally (Pv186):

Moreover, I wanted to do some research from the side of pro-family and pro-Catholic sides to represent the pro-censorship side. I already have an account from Linda Varvel that goes over why there shouldn't be censorship of the book.

They would work best as a subsection on Opinions within the Censorship section

Note: for the last email, I have tried to research these pro-censorship positions but need to do further research past databases past the

Censorship & Challenges

Bless Me, Ultima has been involved in numerous cases of challenges and censorships in schools.

Round Rock Independent School District (Round Rock, Texas)

On January, 19, 1996, Round Rock Independent School District Board member Nelda Click proposed a ban on a list of books, which included Bless Me, Ultima, for the advanced placement reading list with the district's Westwood and McNeil high schools. The policy itself came from parents and school officials who believed the list’s materials contained excessive violence. The resulting debates took 7 hours. Ultimately, the board voted 4-2 against the ban alongside passing a policy that would prepare the superintendent, Tom Norris, to form a group to undertake the selection of new material within the curriculum.

Laton School Board (Laton, California)

In May 1999, the Laton School Board removed two books, one being Bless Me, Ultima, from teacher Carol Bennett’s English classes. The removal was proposed by board member Jerry Haroldsen based on complaints from parents of some of Benett's students about the violence and profanity within the book. Haroldsen articulated the reasoning for the board's action: “What we are doing is trying to protect the children. And you got a teacher that’s trying to do what we do not think is right”. All copies of Bless Me, Ultima were pulled from the classes and placed in the principal’s office.

John Jay High School (Wappingers Falls, New York)

Around 2000 in John Jay High School, Deidra DiMaso was troubled when she read Bless Me, Ultima to her two daughters. She was prompted to challenge the book’s placement in the high school's ninth grade curriculum. She addressed officials within the school and district alongside directly speaking in a school board meeting in November of that year. Her reasoning was that the book “is full of sex and cursing”; she later expanded on her policy by saying “I asked the board members to please review all the books for any sexual content, violence, or foul language prior to any book becoming required reading.”. The secondary source of this story, Banned in the U.S.A.: A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries, tells that the superintendent, Wayne Gersen, followed the standard protocol for addressing challenged materials. It doesn’t specify the conclusion of the case.

Norwood School District (Grand Junction, Colorado)

In early 2005, Superintendent Bob Conder of the Norwood School District banned Bless Me, Ultima in Norwood High School after a group of parents objected to the profanity and the themes within the book. He had not read the full book but read enough to object to the themes presented. Copies were removed from Lisa Doyle's English class after she had used them while telling parents Conder had approved of its usage; Conder had Doyle apologize to the parents for the themes expressed in the book alongside lying about the status of Conder’s approval. At least twenty-four of the books were given to the group of parents who destroyed the copies. Conder still approved the presence of copies available in the school library, but, in hindsight, he wished to have donated the books instead.

In protest of the decision, on February 5th 2005, students formed a sit-in while reading passages from the center of the school gymnasium. They had shirts with handwritten designs of Bless Me, Ultima; however, only eight of the twenty students had heard or read of the book. Despite staying with his decision to keep the book banned, he acknowledged and respected the decision of the students to make a vocal protest.

He told the students he made the choice to protect them while student Serena Campbell responded with, “If we’re sheltered all our lives, what are we going to do when we get to college? If I’m not exposed now, how am I going to get by in life?”. Conder ended the protest at 12:30 by telling the students that he plans to stand with the decision that a new curriculum review committee makes; he would personally pay for any replaced copies. The committee will have two representatives from each grade alongside parents. Moreover, he planned to apologize to Doyle.

Blue Valley School District (Kansas City, Missouri)

In June 2005, Blue Valley School District held a challenge of Bless Me, Ultima from Georgiane Skid, a resident of the district. She requested the school board discuss the appropriateness of this novel being studied by the freshman class in a communications arts class. A committee made up of two students, two teachers, and two parents unanimously voted to keep the novel in the curriculum.

Orestimba High School within Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District (Newman, California)

In Orestimba High School on November 23 2008, Superintendent Rick Fauss from the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District banned the book on the grounds of a parental complaint that it was unsuitable for children due to profanity and anti-Catholic messages; teachers complained about Fauss's decision as he overrode school board decisions at Stanislaus County Office of Education and Modesto City Schools that both came with the conclusion to keep the book within the curriculum. The parents within the community were quiet on voicing any complaints.

However, the policy’s responsibility was then handed over to the school board of Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District after Fauss stayed with his ban even after two panel decisions made up of educators within the district and outside the district; the final decision would be brought to the school board. His firmness on the matter was stated as "I think there's room for exposing students to other experiences, but do we have to sacrifice the values of our families and our community to do that?".Ultimately, the school board upheld the removal by a 4-1 vote. The trustees of the board still heard the views from public supports of the book for its literary merits despite its presence of obscenities, but they stuck to the removal due to the original complaints over it having anti-religious and sexual themes within the book.

Opinions on Censorship

Linda Varvel is an English teacher who used Bless Me, Ultima for her students. Her essay on the censorship and the provoking aspects of the novel provide an opinion on why the novel caused issues within various school districts. She believes the novel should stay as a beneficial source of education to students. the book may utilize a critical lens of Catholicism, the overall theme of a child coming to terms with the world around him and forming opinions is a valuable story for all children and parents: "The deeper message is one that many readers who would censor this novel must also believe: no one but God is all-powerful, and the mystery of life cannot be known entirely by human beings. This message might be the common ground to initiate any discussion around this kind of censorship challenge".

In reviewing cases of censorship where a group challenges and/or ends up censoring this book, multiple points of reasoning are made about the

A Content Gap that could be added within the "Literary Interpretations" section

Connections to Multicultural Literature

Susan Landt, a teacher in St. Norbert College, proposes that multicultural literature will take a wide range of perspectives from individuals within historically marginalized groups.

Heriberto Gordina, a teacher at the University of Iowa, and Rachelle McCoy, a teacher at West Branch High School in West Branch, Iowa, analyzed the novel in two different perspectives of multicultural literature. An emic perspective takes a view of a culture within its elements whereas an etic perspective takes an objective view of culture. For the two teachers, the story takes an emic perspective as Antonio, living within a Chicano culture, must find his own identity as he analyzes and questions his own connections to the culture's various ideologies, cultures, and viewpoints throughout the narrative.

Candace Morales, a graduate student pursuing a Masters of Science in Education while concentrating in Reading, proposes that in a curriculum that utilizes Bless Me Ultima as a piece of multicultural literature, it must be timed appropriately. Specifically, she suggests teaching it to middle schoolers so that they have a diverse lens (that of a Chicano/a culture) to view their own development; to Morales, Antonio’s own pursuit of “knowledge, truth, and personal identity” will resonate with the students as well.

Annotated Bibliography

"Banned Book Read at Protest - Norwood Superintendent Explains His Stance to High School Students." Daily Sentinel, The (Grand Junction, CO): 1. Feb 05 2005. Web.

~This is a newspaper article that can be provided that involves a censorship case of Bless Me, Ultima in Grand Junction, Colorado. It will be placed in the Censorship section.

"Foerstel, Herbert N.. Banned in the U.S.A. : A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. p.228-229. Westport, US: Greenwood Press, 2002. ProQuest Ebrary. Web. 7 November 2016." Print.

~This is source general reference guide to censorship that talks about Anaya's background, the plot of the story, and three challenges to Bless Me, Ultima from page 228 through page 229. This will be used in the Censorship section.

Godina, Heriberto, and Rachelle McCoy. "Emic and Etic Perspectives on Chicana and Chicano Multicultural Literature." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 44.2 (2000): 172-9. ProQuest. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.

~This is an essay that analyzes Bless Me, Ultima in two perspectives within multicultural literature. It will be used in the Interpretations section of the novel.

Landt, Susan M. "Multicultural literature and young adolescents: a kaleidoscope of  opportunity."Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 49.8 (2006): 690+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.

~An article that defines multicultural literature-- will be placed in the Multicultural Literature subsection.

MICHELLE HATFIELD, and MHATFIELD@MODBEECOM . "Orestimba Book Ban Called 'Scary'." Modesto Bee, The (CA): B1. Nov 23 2008. Web.

~This is a newspaper article that can be provided that involves a censorship case of Bless Me, Ultima in Modesto, California. It will be placed in the Censorship section.

MICHELLE HATFIELD, and MHATFIELD@MODBEECOM . "Board Upholds Novel's Removal - 'Bless Me, Ultima' Won't be Taught at Orestimba High School by 4-1 Vote." Modesto Bee, The (CA): A1. Feb 03 2009. Web.

~This is a newspaper article that overrides the past article I had here from January 9th 2009. It provides the details of how the school board upheld the decisions of the superintendent to ban the book Bless Me, Ultima in Modesto, California. It will be placed in the Censorship section.

Morales, Candace A. ""our Own Voice": The Necessity of Chicano Literature in Mainstream Curriculum." Multicultural Education 9.2 (2001): 16-20. ProQuest.Web. 5 Oct. 2016.

~A research paper on using Chicano Multicultural Literature-- will be placed in the Multicultural Literature subsection

"School Board should Decide if 'Ultima' Deserves Banning." Modesto Bee, The (CA): A11. Dec 01 2008. Web.

~This is a newspaper article that can be provided that reports of the censorship case of Bless Me, Ultima in Modesto, California as the school board was about to make its decision. It will be placed in the Censorship section.

SEDERSTROM, JILL. "School to Keep Disputed Novels." Kansas City Star, The (MO): B2. Jun 02 2005. Web.

~This is a newspaper article that can be provided that involves a school board decision about keeping the challenged book Bless Me, Ultima in Kansas. It will be placed in the Censorship section.

Varvel, Linda. "Censorship and Bless Me, Ultima: A Journey through Fear to Understanding." Censored Books II. Ed. Nicholas J. Karolides. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2002. 70-79. Literature Resource Center; Gale. Web.

~An essay that goes over what elements of the text might be seen to provoke challenging. She also looks to how these elements make the book educative. She can be cited as an authoritative opinion on why censorship of this book is provoked so frequently. It can be placed in the Censorship section as well as the Literary Analysis section.