The most important part of an English class is the works that are studied. For our own best interests, we try to avoid things that we find uninteresting. While classic novels have been an integral part of English classes for decades, more specialty language arts classes are incorporating novels from modern society as well. For example, IB Language and Literature reads a nontraditional text called Maus, by Art Spiegelman. Written like a comic book, students resonate with this novel and often reap more meaning from its content as a result. Ms. Gibbs, and English teacher, says that, “students respond to novels with modern themes” whether they’re from the 20th or 21st century. From classics like The Great Gatsby to more unusual books such as Cat’s Cradle, her students’ favorite books consistently contain timeless themes. Although this proves that students respond well to both classics and modern books, adding even more contemporary novels could elicit better responses from students in courses that focus heavily on traditionally studied texts.

This article is from the March issue of Breezes. Pick up a copy and start reading today! Lately, there seems to be a coordinated effort on social media to deride third-wave feminism. It baffles me to...