The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of School Assigned Texts

There are many different views that people have towards school assigned texts. They can be both troublesome for individuals, but they could also be an enjoyment for others. The multiple different opinions that exist towards school assigned texts are what make them good, bad and ugly all at the same time.

School assigned texts do have the possibility of being “good.” The texts that are assigned in school are assigned for a reason; they convey a story that teachers want their students to understand and they are filled literary terms that students are forced to learn. The school assigned texts consist of clear examples of literary devices that are being taught. The texts are chosen by the teacher and therefore, they are for the most part, the exact reading level that the students should be the able to comprehend. School assigned texts aren’t often very interesting and amusing to read, but on occasion, they have the ability to catch a reader and keep them interested throughout the novel. Novels such as Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye were the novels from this year that were able to attain my attention and keep me interested for much of the text. Others such as Heart of Darkness and Ordinary People were unable to keep my attention and thus are examples of why school assigned texts can be “bad and ugly.”

School assigned texts are often referred to as “bad and ugly.” The texts that are assigned in school are often unable to impress everyone and thus, people find them boring. At times, it is almost impossible for students to continue to read an entire text that they are not interested in. As a result, this would be the time when students refer to spark notes just to finish the book and understand the important ideas that are portrayed in the text. Books that are unable to maintain their reader’s attention and must be read by the students in a certain time limit are often stressful for a student and they are then unable to even continue reading the book at all; they have given up completely on the assigned text. That is why I turn to spark notes at least, because I can no longer continue with the book. I am unable to try any longer with the book to apprehend the details and true meanings and thus, I turn to spark notes to find the main details of the novel and the important literary devices that exist within the book. The books are uninteresting and cannot keep a students attention are the reasons why school assigned texts are known as bad and ugly.

School assigned texts are good, bad and ugly all at the same time. The texts that are difficult to read and are unable to keep one’s attention give the novels the “bad and ugly” name, but the ones that are actually very interesting and do keep a reader’s attention help to restore the “good” of school assigned texts. Bottom line is that a teacher assigns these texts and they are mandatory for the students to read, so no matter how “bad and ugly” they are, pretend that the book is “good” and just read it!