How do we get young people into literature? This is a question that, as a society, we have been asking for years and years; largely being at the mercy of empty promises of governments. Having said though — it is a complex question; there are many answers, and no one-size-fits-all. I am going to offer my insight as an English tutor and author, who works with young people, and propose what could be done.
Where should we start?
By accepting that not everyone is going to love reading, writing, and literature. Even with the best will in the world it is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea; they would rather watch TV, play football, socialise, or play on their consoles (for example). I know people who would rather face an algebra equation than an essay (I'll amend that to ‘I knew’).
Not everyone needs to be able to read and write beyond the standardised level. Can you write a sentence? Can you write a paragraph or two? Can you write an email? Great, you're all set. Do you know why you need to read or write something? Even better.
Most likely, it is not without that initial interest in words that literature or writing will become a prominent aspect of a young person’s working life (I’m hesitant in saying this, because reading and writing are skills that we need in everyday life — but, even then, it is only necessary to a certain level of understanding). For someone like me, words are everywhere, and they are very quickly becoming a huge aspect of my life. But then I am an author. See the difference?
How do we expect young people to know what literature, reading, and (creative) writing has to offer without encouragement? We have all looked to an adult for support, at one time or another.
With that in mind, there are things that can be done to encourage that interest. Namely, not scaring young people off of the idea of literature before they have even begun.
Breaking down barriers
I work with young people every day and there are some key barriers that crop up, time and time again, and these barriers do not seem to be being addressed in a constructive way. Literature is not all Shakespeare and Keats. There are so many different types of literature out there. Many people have stories, and we all have a voice (internal or external), in which to express ideas. These ideas and perspectives deserve to be shared.
Why are we starting with the classics?
The classics — although an important part of literature to somebody who studies it — they are not everything there is in the English canon. Students and young people — particularly students who are not readily enthused by English as a subject — need an incentive. Therefore, they need to be opened up to the wide lens (not the narrow lens), of everything English literature has to offer. They need to find something to read that they enjoy — and that will take time, care, and attention. This includes encouraging young people — and young children — to read at a level that is appropriate for them. And by appropriate, I mean a level in which they can understand what is being said, and why it has been said.
Why are we starting with the classics (between nine and sixteen years old), when many are struggling with the basics?
From there, we engage a young person, and once that is done, perhaps they will be encouraged to delve deeper within their own thoughts. From there, we can build upon the foundations and the complexity of texts. A large part of writing and reading needs to be about encouraging a young person’s interests, and expanding from there. It is a starting point. For example, I'm more likely to read a Psychological Thriller, than I am a Sci-Fi novel, but that does not mean that I hate Sci-Fi — or literature. I have a preference; in fact, it is these preferences that have led me to understanding what I do and don't like about literature — and why I like what I like, and what that might suggest about me as a person (that does not mean to say that we can unravel somebody's personality through the books they read). Only by reading Sci-Fi have I had the opportunity to understand that the genre is not for me. At the same time, that does not mean that I do not value Sci-Fi for what it is, how many people like it, and how it contributes to society in its own right.
Take my books, for example: I am not the most famous person, and my poetry most definitely doesn't follow all the conventions. Since publishing, I have found it helps so many people. My books go some way to making poetry in particular more accessible. My poetry anthologies go to show that the value in poetry goes beyond rhyme, rhythm and rhyming couplets. If I can express myself in an accessible way, then more people can enjoy my writing. As I’ve said, it is a starting point: if we can engage young people in an accessible way, then said people are more likely to explore an idea or theme under their own steam. Their interest may develop further into the classics, if they can, need, or want to get to that point. There's far too much focus on the classics.
Many people have insight to share, but feel restricted
There are a few ways that we can make writing and reading more accessible, for they go hand-in-hand.
Dictation: this is something that I have spoken about many times before. As an English tutor, I come across many students with conditions, such as Dyslexia, that affect their ability to read and write. Within this, I have found that they are not actually stressed by the content or what needs to be written, but the fact that they have to write, and they physically cannot write in an effective way (due to the words getting jumbled, or however else the individual will describe it). Therefore, the whole idea of creativity and communication is lost in that anxiety. Using your voice to type and write breaks down that barrier, and allows someone to express themselves how they otherwise would, should they not have the difficulty of Dyslexia.
For example, a student could tell me all about Football (something I have no clue about), but if I told them to write about it, their mind could just go blank. Go into fight or flight. They would like to get frustrated because they can't get the thoughts from their head to the paper. Their ability to write something down on paper — literally the act of it — is not indicative of their ability elsewhere.
Audiobooks: this is where we listen to a book, rather than read it in the ‘traditional way’. Audiobooks are something I have started to use myself, because I am finding that I have less and less time in the day to read a physical book, and I miss being able to sit down with a good book. Therefore, listening to an Audiobook is a way around that; something that I can do whilst doing something else. Some people frown upon Audiobooks, because ‘they are not reading’, but feel free to wholeheartedly disagree.
If we go back to the idea of Dyslexia: a person can't access the text because the words are going all over the place, or they are bunching up. Dyslexia (or any condition, for that matter), mustn't restrict someone’s ability to enjoy a story.
A lot of the resistance I come across stems from the fact that young people previously haven't been able to access the stories or literature, and they ‘just hate it’. It all goes back to breaking down these barriers
Going beyond the Curriculum
An impression I get from working with young people is that writing is generally perceived as something that only academics and esteemed writers have the ‘permission’ to do; that writing is something that happens on a far-away-land, and only people who are interested in it, do it.
I can see where this comes from.
I break this perception down, starting with the fact that we need writing in all aspects of our lives — whether it's writing a novel, report, or simply writing our name on the top of a sheet of paper. There are so many opportunities with writing — as there are reading — and young people need to be exposed to those benefits, those opportunities. We have to break down their assumptions and shift their mindset
At the time of writing, I have new formal qualifications in writing or creative writing (although I do in English Literature and Language), and yet I still have many publications available. Writing is not necessarily something we can, or cannot, do: there are many areas, and many shapes that writing can take.
Writing can be anything from a five second scribble, to a full-time career (if you are lucky, and processes are followed through with intention).
Just so you are aware…
I do not intend to interest young people in literature and writing in the hope that they are going to write a novel, I simply hope that they'll see it as a new opportunity, and a way of expressing themselves. If they do then go on to write a novel, then that is fantastic! But, as with everything, we have to take things one step at a time. I feel like the education system likes to take things at least two steps at a time, and if we are not able to keep up, then we are left behind or shamed if we cannot reach a certain level. Creativity and passion is stamped out unless it fits the boxes.
All this insight applies to anyone, so feel free to use the knowledge in a way that best suits your situation. You do not need an underlying health condition to benefit from this insight.
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