Poetry and literature (was Re: Eighth Grade Education circa - 1895 - - (long)

[sistermagpie]

> Potioncat:

> My son goes to Washington Irving Middle School. He's been very 
> annoyed that "some mother" was offended by the violent image of the 
> Headless Horseman and caused the school to change its mascot. 
> 
> I asked if the new mascot was Rip Van Winkle. (Not a good idea in 
my 
> opinion.) It became the rock because there's a large rock on the 
> front lawn that is regularly painted by the art class. "Who wants a 
> rock for a mascot!" my son complained. So he was very happy to 
> announce that the student body president had managed to get the 
> school to reverse its policy and to return the Headless Horseman as 
> the symbol. I guess Headless had been out for about 4 years.
> 
> At Mark Twain Middle School, so my son says, someone complained 
about 
> the "hoboes" who were the image, and had it changed to the panthers 
> from the official "travellers."  It makes me think the parents who 
> complain must not understand the connection between the image and 
the 
> name. Sad, isn't it?

Magpie:
Wow, I'm so glad I'm hearing this story when the mascot had already 
been changed back or it would have continued to bother me. Not only 
are they not getting the clever connection to the author's work but 
they don't seem to have noticed that mascots are often violent. 
That's the point.

-m (who adapted Legend of Sleepy Hollow once into a musical and now 
feels personally protective of the headless Hessian!)