Wall Street Journal's Meghan Cox Gurdon revealed in a column that "critical-theory ideologues, school teachers and Twitter agitators are purging and propagandizing against classic texts," including Homer's The Odyssey.
Gurdon highlighted that in 2018, a Seattle English teacher tweeted that he would rather die than teach the "The Scarlet Letter" under the hashtag #disruptexts.
The biography of Twitter account @DisruptTexts, says it is "a movement to rebuild the literary canon using an antibias, antiracist critical literacy lens."
Shea Martin on her Twitter account, that has now been restricted to those who do not follow her already, said in June:
"Be like Odysseus and embrace the long haul to liberation (and then take the Odyssey out of your curriculum because it's trash)."
Heather Levine, a ninth-grade English teacher at Lawrence High School in Massachusetts, replied:
"Hahaha .... Very proud to say we got the Odyssey removed from the curriculum this year!"
Her Tweet is currently unviewable as she also restricted her Twitter account.
Gurdon contacted Levine to confirm that the school removed the Odyssey from the curriculum, but was told her inquiry was "invasive."
The English Department chairman of Lawrence Public Schools did not return Gurdon's multiple requests for comment.
Homer, credited with literary classics The Iliad and The Odyssey is a mainstay of literary studies.
The Odyssey is an epic poem in 24 books and tells the story of Odysseus, king of the small island of Ithaca.
Odysseus wandered for 10 years trying to get home after the Trojan War, but the action of the poem only covers the final six weeks.
Comment: It makes sense why critical-theory activists in schools would do this. Homer's lessons about the laws of hospitality (xenia) are fundamental to the bonds that maintain social relationships and community. Breaking the subtle vows of decency toward one another leads to chaos under different laws - those that fall under our animal nature that demand submission to the herd. Homer's books are in direct violation of herd mentality.