American Literature is the best way to learn about different time periods to younger generations. I have an interest in teaching children because I want to be that teacher that the children look up to like when I looked up to my teachers. Teaching also interests me because I want to teach the kids so they can have the confidence of learning so they can be anything they want to be when they get older. Authors that interest me include, Harper Lee and F. Scott Fitzgerald, I’m interested in these two authors because during my high school english classes, these authors were the ones that I enjoyed reading; their stories made me very interested in the topic that the author was pursuing. The book that interests me by Harper Lee was To Kill a Mockingbird. This novel takes place in Maycomb Alabama during the 1930s and the kids in the book learn about the violence of racism through Tom Robinson’s false conviction for rape and his subsequent death. Another theme in To Kill A Mockingbird was putting yourself in other people’s perspectives, when Scout realizes that Authur Radley is not as evil as she thinks, she stands on her porch and sees what Authur saw all those years of Scout and her brother played outside. I would like to teach this book because I think it is a good way to show kids who did not live during this time about what life was like.

Another author that I enjoyed reading in high school was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I liked reading The Great Gatsby because the book depicts class conflict in America was during the 1920s, known as the Jazz Age and the Roaring 20s. Jay Gatz who is also known as Gatsby is a member of the upper class and his friend Nick is middle class. Teaching this book to students would allow me to show students how much America society has changed since the 20s. Also it would teach the students about the fact that people occupy different classes and the reason for these gaps in wealth.

I’m also interested in teaching modernism because I want students to learn about the changing cultural trends of the 20th century. These are just a few topics I would like to teach to students to show them how reading and different times change the way you think.