Multicultural Reading
For a long time the concept of “multiculturalism” was the subject of study for many writers, civil rights protectors and journalists. The understanding of this concept is important for modern society to maintain equality and justice between people. Multicultural education should start from early years. The best way to introduce this concept to children is to use a literature. It is considered that children learn faster and better when they read books.
Multicultural literature introduces other cultures to children. It teaches them to appreciate and be tolerant of human difference. This kind of literature has brilliant representatives from different ethnic groups. One of them is Mildred Taylor and Louise Erdrich.
The novel of Mildred Taylor Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a story about the racism and its effects on people’s life. The story shows the cruelty and injustice towards black people at that time. The main characters try to find the way to struggle the racism without using violence. It is very important that the narrator of the novel is a little girl, Cassie. It helps the reader to see the real picture of black people’s life at that time.
The Birchbark House written by Louise Erdrich tells about the life of Native Americans. It shows the importance of nature for the main character’s family. In this novel, the author uses the portrayal of smallpox to describe the bad influence of white people on the culture of native settings.
In summary, both novels can be considered as good examples of multicultural literature, as they describe the life of people of other cultures. The reader can learn about the historical background of different cultures, such books can make the reader think about the problem of misunderstanding between people of different cultures. Such short stories as The Jacket of Gary Soto, Marigolds of Eugenia Collier and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents of Julia Alvarez can be advised as other examples of literature that faces the problem of race, gender and class.
Works Cited
Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House.
Hade, Daniel. Reading Children's Literature Multiculturally, Greenwood: S. L. Beckett, 1997.
Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My …
