Why Literature Matters

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 16.02.05

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Background
  3. Rationale
  4. Objectives
  5. Historical Content
  6. Conclusion
  7. Classroom Activities
  8. Teaching Strategies
  9. Resources
  10. Appendix
  11. Oklahoma State Literacy and Social Studies Standards   
  12. Bibliography
  13. End Notes

Frederick Douglass and Harriett Beecher Stowe: Two Sides to the Abolitionist Narrative

Tim Smith

Published September 2016

Tools for this Unit:

Conclusion

Literature matters but irony abounds in the publication of these two works.  An autobiographical work on the horrors of slavery must not use “descriptive language or imagination” or the work “is a lie.”  A work of fiction necessarily uses “imagination” and must prove that the words in the work are “facts,” or the work is a “lie.”  These two great works of literature passed initial inspection during their time so that they could greatly impact social, political, and military outcomes leading to the abolition of slavery. 

For the benefit of our students, the ability to differentiate between fact and fiction or primary and secondary sources, are essential and necessary skills.  Making a claim and backing it up with evidence are also core competencies, whether we use the term “Common Core” or not.  As a teacher in a U.S. History classroom, I use literature to buttress my curriculum by finding it necessary, beneficial, and personally for me, incredibly rewarding. 

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