Webb Chapter Four

Webb Chapter Four
Addressing the Youth Violence Crisis

We are all going to face future classrooms where violence, gangs, drugs, and weapons will be on the student’s minds more so then the mini-lesson on commas. Even if these issues don’t directly affect the students they surely are surrounded by it every day in the media. What Webb does is explore the causes of youth violence within traditional literature and new texts.

I think that using Native Son is an excellent way to introduce racism and economic inequality being tied to violence, crime, and predigest. Webb has his student’s consider violence today compared to when the novel was written. I think that Scott’s viewpoint on the issue is very valid and Webb didn’t have much to say in response to his viewpoint.

Using Howard Zinn’s, A People’s History of the United States, is an amazingly progressive and awesome idea. I don’t know how well it would fly in a secondary classroom though.
“Yet I think that we should recognize that for those of our students who live in relative safety and prosperity, learning about the experience of others in different circumstances may lead them to take personally the unfairness and inequalities of our world” (57). I agree with this immensely. The same applies for homelessness and gender issues.

By using multicultural literature, the students can view the characters and the authors’ stance to gain insight on their different ethnic positions. Within multicultural texts topics of racism, crime, youth violence, poverty, and justice are all issues that can be considered. Teaching minority writers to address racial issues openly and maturely is something that I plan to do in my classroom.

I like the mass media idea as well. It seems like a great method to sharpen literacy.