One of the many goals of any educational institution is to help shape students into educated, well-rounded, independent thinkers who will eventually become productive members of society. As such, it is the job of schools to educate students about various concerns related to social justice and diversity in the world surrounding them, since many adolescents often require some guidance in educating themselves in this area. This is especially true of boarding schools, which by nature incorporate students from a variety of geographic locations and backgrounds. However, educators often encounter difficulty with engaging students in discussions about social justice without falling victim to the adolescent perception that such issues are simply the focus of adults aiming to lecture about topics unrelated to the average teen. Literary critical theories can be an effective method of practicing critical thinking skills while also evaluating a variety of social justice issues within the secondary education classroom.

One specific challenge faced by high school aged students is growing and learning how to be a diverse population as a school moves from a relatively homogenous student body to a more varied enrollment. Accordingly, literature classes can be the perfect medium through which to introduce students to the concept of thinking critically about social justice issues, as course offerings in this area can be easily shaped to reflect this growing need, with classes such as Ethnic Literature of the United States, Understanding Racism, Understanding Sexism, LGBT Literature, East Asian Literature, Social Justice and Literature, etc. While each of these courses are designed to introduce students to authors and works of literature focusing on a variety of aspects of society and the people found therein, the introduction of literary critical methods in these courses could enhance this educational experience for students by giving them more contexts into the pieces that they read in class. Additionally, these methods will also assist students in their college readiness by providing practice and a framework for academic critical thinking skills regarding scholarly reading.

Closing the High School/College Gap Through Critical Thinking

In literature classes at the collegiate level, students are encouraged to analyze literature for deeper meaning. There is often a gap between the expectations of high school and college, one that is not necessarily acknowledged by high school teachers. According to Eckert (2008), forty-one percent of college professors nationwide reported that incoming freshmen were inadequately prepared for the analytic demands of college, as opposed to only fifteen percent of interviewed high school teachers reporting the same. This disparity indicates a serious gulf in expectations for reading at the secondary level versus reading at the collegiate level. College professors expect their students to incorporate a variety of elements in their interpretation of literature, but in order to do so, students must first learn how to make this happen in their academic life.

In order to interpret literature, students must identify a deeper meaning than simply summarizing plot elements. Sullivan states, “We [educators] now regard the process of creating meaning as a kind of collaboration between the author, the reader, the culture or ‘interpretive community’ the author and reader inhabit, and the language with which the text is constructed” (2002).

Essentially, successful literary interpretation is dependent upon the integration of comprehension of the text itself, the intent of the author, the experiences of the reader, and those societal constructs that could be related to the text. Because the synthesis of this much information can be confusing to high school students, utilizing literary critical analysis methods may help adolescent readers streamline this process and give it a focal point.  Additionally, Eckert writes that, “When students become cognizant of using a theoretical lens as a strategy for constructing meaning from text, they can begin to further question the cultural and ideological influences at work in a text” (2002). Teaching students to use specific critical theories through which to view literature will aide those teens in making connections between literature and culture, thereby addressing students’ query as to how what they learn in school will relate to their futures outside of academia.

Critical Method and Critical Race Theory

If one were to consider literary analysis to be akin to placing literature under a microscope, then the critical method would be the lens used to observe it. Literary critical methods encourage the reader to analyze a piece of writing through a certain perspective, such as by considering the psychiatric implications and connections found in the piece, or by observing the ramifications of historical context on post colonial literature.

Much of the information related to  literary critique discusses concepts and terminology used to define various modes of oppression experienced by people of color in the United States, as well as the psychology and nature of those examples. Tyson (2006) identifies terms such as internalized racism (people of color believing in their own inferiority), intra-racial racism (discrimination by people of color against those with lighter complexions and more European features), and double consciousness (code switching and belonging to both African and European/white cultures) as psychological effects of experiencing systematic racial discrimination. Additionally, the Eurocentricity of the literary cannon and its effects on black reads is emphasized, as well as the practice of reading texts by African American authors in the context of African culture and history.

Another major concept within the critical method is that of critical race theory. This subset of the critical method dictates that racism and discrimination have not been eliminated in modern society, but rather has simply become more convert and subtle; the reach and ramifications of racism on an institutional level are also examined. There are six basic tenets upon which critical race theory is founded:

1)      Everyday racism is a common, ordinary experience for people of color

2)      Racism is largely the result of interest convergence, sometimes referred to as material determinism.

3)      Race is socially constructed.

4)      Racism often takes the form of differential racialization.

5)      Everyone’s identity is a product of intersectionality.

6)      The experiences of racial minorities have given them what might be called a unique voice of color. (Tyson, 2006)

Each of these ideas reinforces the concept of the fluidity and subtlety of racism in it modern form, and is incredibly useful in identifying the negative interactions often experienced by people of color and making those experiences more comprehensible to white students.

Because Caucasian students are less likely than students of color to experience discrimination first-hand, they often lack a full understanding of the effects of such treatment. These same students may also be resistant to educating themselves about these issues on a personal level. Ross writes that “concepts such as white privilege produce distress in white students, resulting in high levels of anger, guilt, and fear in learners who do not want to be identified as oppressors” (2009). Because much of the discourse regarding racial discrimination and oppression focuses on the history of such practices being perpetrated by white people, many white students are resistant to engaging in discussions of the topic because they are uncomfortable with the intimation that they are personally responsible for such behavior.

However, because critical race theory also focuses on both the social construct of race and its place within the legal system, among other things, it can be used to shift the focus on perpetration of racism by white society and instead study how society in general, regardless of race, can work to dispel concepts of privilege and oppression. In particular, the study of intersectionality (the idea that discrimination is practiced against individuals on the basis of a variety of criteria in addition to race), helps students focus on various components contributing to discrimination and repression, in general, without feeling demonized for implied personal participation.

High school students preparing to attend college after graduation continue to require direct instruction in how to actually break down and analyze literature in a more abstract way.  Thus, utilizing critical race theory and literary criticism within an American Literature course, for example, is an effective way to integrate social justice issues and critical thinking strategies into the high school curriculum.