Webb Chapter 2

Webb introduces a theme in his classroom and uses it to guide instruction; homelessness. This topic informed his choice of literature as he decided upon books like Oliver Twist and Nectar in a Seive which bring the issue of homelessness to the forefront. I like how his experience talking one on one with a homeless man prompted him to inrtoduce the issue to his students. I appreciate the idea of allowing students undestanding the world before they participate in it.
He also discussed New Criticism. He divulged the conventions of it and also the drawbacks to looking at literature through such a narrow lense. New Critics look at the elements or devices that an author uses instead of the historical aspects or authors background to find meaning from a given piece. I don't completely agree with looking at literature in this way. Webb seems to favor the cultural approach over this particular theory. Cultural studies allow for diverse pieces of literature by diverse authors. New Critic's favorable standards seem to privilege one group of literary expression over another. This is not at all what we want to ingrain into our students, thus the cultural approach to studying literature seems better for the classroom.