Well, yes and no.
Ishmael is a thought provoking novel. It forces the reader to ponder Ishmael's teachings, and decide for him/herself if he or she agrees with what he is saying. It spawns debate and discussion, which, as not just students, but people, I think is the most important thing any form of teaching can do. But I don't think it's a useful book for an AP Enlgish class. I think it would be a waste of time, because it would be hard to integrate into an essay. Many AP English prompts I've seen ask questions about specific events, characterization or characters pasts, and they all ask the test-taker to relate it back to the meaning of the work as a whole. Ishmael fails in almost all of these categories. There's basically no specific "events" or scenes; it's all just dialogue. There are also really only two characters, both of which we know almost nothing about and certainly nothing that pertains to the "meaning" of the novel. We don't even know the narrator's name. I think I read on the back the Ishmael's sequel My Ishmael in the library that the narrator's name is Alex or something. I learned more about the characters in this novel from the back of a different book than I did from the actual book.
I can't see someone writing about this book in an AP essay, therefore I don't think it should be given out in AP English classes when there are more useful books to read.
With all that being said, I'll wrap up my feelings on the novel. I mentioned above something about how the characters' pasts don't help the reader understand the meaning of the novel. Well, come to think of it, I'm not sure I can even pinpoint the meaning of this novel. I mean, it's obviously about trying to save the world or humanity or whatever, but honestly I'm not even sure how to do it. It's obviously an astronomical task, saving the world, but I don't know where to begin. What Ishmael talks about are changes on a national, even global level. That's near impossible to achieve. Especially with this tough Congress, am I right?!?! (Thanks, Obama)
I enjoyed the book, even if I wasn't receptive to all the ideas it gave to me. But I don't know where to go from here, and that makes this reading almost a wasted effort.
Ishmael: An Adventure of Mind and Spirit
I found your analysis very interesting. I think you bring up a good point (and an unfortunate one) that there are good books that just can't be used for AP English, simply because the College Board has a set of criteria that could rule out the use of more unique books such as this one. (Thanks Obama).
ReplyDeleteDid you enjoy the book overall? Does the book suggest political changes or societal changes?
Technically, the College Board does not have "one list to rule them all." Part of my purpose in allowing some free choice is for students themselves to discover the meaning of "literary merit." Also, while I assume to tone is a bit sarcastic, the President has no control over AP-worthy texts.
DeleteHey Joe, that was entertaining to say the least. I really like your style of writing and I'm actually upset that I haven't been following your blog to this point. Seems I've missed out on some pretty entertaining posts. But anyhow, that was some good analysis. My thoughts are - and obviously I am unfamiliar with the overall premise of the story - since the book is about saving humanity (which is not an easy task, and not a quick one), then perhaps the author is trying to get readers to start thinking about that objective. Perhaps this is a book made to make people aware that the world needs changing? Somewhere out there, there are people who probably don't think twice about everything they take for granted. Maybe a book like this will make them start to think about saving the world, and that overall will lead to more productive thinkers occupying the earth. I don't know, just my take.
ReplyDeleteFunny that the second book actually tells you more about the characters in the first, I didn't know that there was a second one. Maybe there shouldn't be, hoh oh! Get some D Quinn! Anyway, completely agree that there was basically no character development or plot that mattered to speak of. I was actually just thinking about how the Quinnster may have originally just written the metaphors and little stories he uses to teach the narrator on their own, but then tried to tie them together with a hippy and a gorilla. Not sure if you got the same vibe, but it almost seems possible really. I wouldn't put it past Danny boy to just compile a bunch of things he wrote in philosophy class in college and try to publish it as a novel. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteHoly moly! If you have a problem with Dan the Man, say it to his face! I'm leaning to Jonny A's side. The idea of fixing this global problem seems absurd, but Quinn's purpose in writing Ishmael is to spread the awareness of mankind's errors. One way or another, we will eventually have to address these problems, but Quinn's novel emphasizes the urgency in doing so.
DeleteYoung Joe,
ReplyDeleteWow! You seem like quite the tough critic, and this Ishmael fellow is not getting much love from you. I joke, of course. Having not read the novel, your interpretation is much more effective than mine. Not every book can be an AP book, and as you stated, no matter how intuitive and beautiful and thought-provoking the content may be, if it cannot be discussed and written about coherently, it's of no use to us AP scholars. I enjoy your analysis and think that if what you've said about the book is true, then I have to agree with you, I cannot see this novel on an AP list.
With love,
Kenneth Andrew