Webb, Chap. 2

After reading this chapter, it was clear to me that the issue of homelessness could definitely be integrated into a literature course considering the plethora of novels that address the issue. What is more important is the ambiguity of the causes of homelessness, and as Webb's students began questioning these causes, the issue became particularly relevant to me. Rather than just seeing these people as "lazy" or unfortunate, it was worthwhile to consider social and environmental factors that contributed to their statuses. It was also refreshing to see how students became concerned with how homelessness affected their community and school.

When Webb began discussing New Criticism, I did not initially see the connection he was trying to make. The introduction to the literary theory seemed out of place organizationally, until of course he described how this theory led some students to question the relevance of the homelessness issue. Webb states that his students wanted to learn about characters and other literary elements instead of examining historical and cultural perspectives. These students were like me, thinking that close readings of texts and paying close attention to the language was what reading literature was all about. But again, as I am coming to realize, these students need to be reminded to step out of their comfort zones to examine the bigger factors that come to play in these novels, i.e. cultural, social, and political factors.

I want to very briefly mention a concern that was raised during our last class, one about negative or depressing subjects being at the center of cultural studies. Webb states that "Cultural studies does not confine English classes to merely sober or depressing subjects such as the Holocaust or poverty, as important as these issues are" (p. 26). If not, than what are some more inspiring topics...?