Black children found studying the book ‘psychologically and emotionally’ harmful
The novel Of Mice and Men will be removed from GCSE lists in Wales next September over concerns about racism and racial slurs in the book.
John Steinbeck’s classic text has been a regular fixture in GCSE English studies across the UK for years, and is widely considered to be one of the best novels of the 20th century.
Set in 1930s America, the book is about two displaced migrant ranch workers who move from place to place looking for work during the Great Depression.
However, the book has often been a source of controversy for its use of racist language and racial slurs, including the N-word.
From September it will no longer be studied at GCSE level in Wales after the WJEC exam board didn’t include it in a list of books offered to schools as part of a unit in the new English literature GCSE from September.
The nation’s Children’s Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes praised the decision to scrap the text, saying some black children had found studying the book “psychologically and emotionally” harmful in lessons.
Cifuentes told the BBC that Of Mice and Men had been “specifically mentioned” by many black children when she spoke to them as part of research on racism in secondary schools.
She said that having “positive, constructive, informed discussions on race and racism” was important, and that “alternative texts” were available which “could still offer the same opportunities but in a less directly harmful way”.
Cifuentes said the removal of the book was “not censorship” and is instead about “safeguarding the wellbeing of children who have told us how awful those discussions have made them feel in those classrooms.”
“They’ve very often been the only black child in that classroom when discussions all around them are focusing on very derogatory, negative depictions of black people,” she explained.
One 16-year-old black student, Marley, told the BBC that when he and his class were listening to the Of Mice and Men audiobook, some classmates had “laughed and giggled and stared at me” when racial slurs in the novel were mentioned.
English teacher Rhian Evans told the broadcaster Of Mice and Men was a popular book in schools because it was accessible for children of all abilities and introduced important themes about “how we treat each other in general in our societies”.
She said the N-word was never repeated in her classes when discussing the book, and the reason for this is discussed in the lessons.
But she added: “I think the truth is that as a white woman I will never know what it feels like to be a child of colour in a classroom where they are forced to encounter that word as part of their GCSE education.”
The new qualification is merging English language and literature in one GCSE as part of an overhaul of Welsh qualifications in September.
The WJEC said in a statement: “This is a new qualification, and as such, our starting point for selecting texts was not the existing English literature qualification.”
It added: “We have provided a choice of work from writers of diverse backgrounds, nationalities, genders, and communities.
“We believe this new selection will enrich the educational experience by providing a choice of texts that explore themes that will resonate with learners.”
The text is still available as an optional text for GCSE English literature in Northern Ireland.
In 2014, it was dropped by a major exam board in England after then-Education secretary Michael Gove called for more British works to be studied.
