Memes and Literature

This past Wednesday, we took yet another standardized test-the PSAT. Now, we've been taking this test since eighth grade but this time it was the "real thing" because we could qualify for National Merit Scholarships. Junior year is known as being the toughest year of high school. On top of super hard Honors and AP classes, we're forced to take standardized test upon standardized test to demonstrate "college readiness." But to what extent do standardized tests really show our skills? Is it really fair for us to be defined by a number? Students all over the world are acting out against this in the only way they know best: memes. Over the past few days, I've seen PSAT memes circulating through Twitter. They put a smile on my face for a few minutes, but then it was back to work and I forgot all about them-until we discussed Song of Solomon in class. In the novel, rebels subverted the system by calling Mains Street "Doctor Street" because the only black doctor lived and died on that street. When authorities sent out a statement saying "...would always be known as Mains Avenue and not Doctor Street," the people found a loophole and started calling the road "Not Doctor Street." Calling the street by this name gave the black civilians the feeling of power that they needed, since they had no civil rights. Now, I don't want to say that the rights of students in present day are anywhere near as bad as the rights of blacks in the 1930s. But, in a way we did the same thing as as the characters from the novel. Though we were warned not to discuss the contents of the PSAT online, students found a way around getting their scores cancelled. Many students discussed that since we're all minors, the contract we signed saying we wouldn't distribute test info is not legally binding. This gave us the opportunity to degrade authorities and go against standardized testing, much like the characters in the novel Song of Solomon.