Morality and the Study of Literature in the Prison Classroom (From Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Correctional Education Association Conference, P 56-64, 1981 - See NCJ-85125)

• NCJ Number: 85132
• Author(s): T J Hruska
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 9 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

When inmates study literature, objective analysis of it is not useful or meaningful, but by relating characters' experiences with their own and drawing parallels they gain insight into their own experiences and feelings.

Abstract

Academic training for the teaching of literature emphasizes the objective analysis of the work so as to determine the flaws and the excellence of each piece of literature. Such an exercise has little meaning for inmates, whose intellectual habits are bound to their life experiences and current interactions and problems. The satisfaction derived from teaching literature to inmates comes from their powerful emotional reactions to the characters portrayed in the literature. To the students, the characters are not just artificial constructions of an author; they become real persons whose lives and experiences are intensely critiqued from the perspective of each inmate's perceptions of himself, others, and the meaning of life. This type of reaction to literature provides a catalyst for the students to reflect upon their lives against the background of the literary characters. Tests and student discussion provide the opportunity for the students to verbalize their insights and make them concrete, while subjecting them to the reactions of others. This climate for facilitating personal insight increases the likelihood of positive attitudinal and behavioral change.