The mere mention of Michael Gove’s name causes grovels and
groans across the country not only from teachers and professors but parents and
school governors too. Last year the award winning author Graham Joyce launched
a petition calling on David Cameron to remove Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for
Education, from office. Since then Gove has been the mastermind behind
many badly informed legislations, especially the most recent and arguably the most
controversial eradicating of many classic works of literature from the GCSE
English Literature syllabus.
Over 100,000 people have signed Joyce’s petition following
the news that Gove plans to remove authors such as Harper Lee and John
Steinbeck from the GCSE English Literature syllabus. This number alone shows
how well-loved and enjoyable their works of literature are and doesn’t even
begin to scrape the surface of their importance. Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
can be both simple and of the greatest intensity making it accessible to a wide
range, if not all students and addresses issues such as sexism, feminism and
cultural differences that are relevant in today’s society. Young people would
benefit from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to a similar extent as it references
many of the same topics and teaches of tolerance and having the courage of your
convictions.
I personally believe that it would be a huge loss to the
GCSE syllabus if these classic works of literature are removed as I largely
enjoyed studying works of both authors during my English Literature qualification.
I feel that I would’ve passed over these important books if they were not given
to us at school, even having a mother as devoted to reading as I have, I feel I
wouldn’t have come across these works and would’ve largely missed out on their
teachings.
If you feel you want to sign Graham Joyce’s petition I’ve
left a link to the website below:
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