The Prohibition of the Anthology A Light in the Attic

535 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary criticism of shel silverstein

Controversy Over A Light in the Attic
Introduction
A Light in the Attic is a collection of one hundred and thirty-one children's poems by Shel Silverstein. It is ranked fifty-one on the American Library Association's list of the one hundred most frequently challenged books (2014).
Why A Light in the Attic was Banned
A Light in the Attic was under immediate suspicion by many people simply because the author was Shel Silverstein. Silverstein had a very interesting career, including working for Playboy, writing children's literature, being a lyricist, and finally, being a playwright. Many people had a hard time dealing with Silverstein's previous employment for Playboy. Even Silverstein saw himself as an adult humorist (Nathan, 2008).
A Light in the Attic as a whole was not the problem, The trouble was lying in certain poems such as “How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes” and “Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony”. In the poem “How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes” the reader is instructed to drop a dish so that their parents will not want them to do the dishes again. Likewise, in “Litt...

Show More
Related

  • Southern Mansion: Sounds of Silence; Living Death

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every story, every book, every legend, every belief and every poem have a reason and a background that creates them. Some might be based on historical events, some might be based on every culture´s beliefs, and some others might be based on personal experiences of the authors. When a person writes a literary piece, that person is looking for a way to express her opinion or her feelings about a certain situation. A good example is the poem “Southern Mansion” by Arna Bonptems. The main intention of “Southern Mansion” could have been to complain, or to stand against the discrimination and exploitation of black people throughout history. However, as one starts to read, to avoid thinking about unnatural beings wandering around the scene that is depicted is impossible. The poem “Southern Mansion” represents a vivid image of a typical ghost story which includes the traditional element of the haunted house. This image is recreated by the two prominent and contradictory elements constantly presented through the poem: sound and silence. The elements are used in two leading ways, each one separate to represent sound or silence, and together to represent sound and silence at the same time. The poem mixes the two elements in order to create the spooky environment.

    Read More

  • The Halo That Would Not Light Analysis

    383 Words  | 1 Pages

    Lucie Brock-Broido’s “The Halo That Would Not Light” is a poem about the loss of childhood and its inevitable end. When one is born “the (raptor’s) beak (lets) loose of you” (ll 1-2), and drops your tiny body into the “scarab-colored hollow” (ll 3-4). The raptor letting the tiny body loose into the scarab colored hollow alludes to the old nursery stories of the stork delivering babies in cribs for their new families. When children are young they often have positive outlooks on the world and believe that everything is possible, like the magic in the “hollow hat” (l 13) or the “cardboard box” (l 5). They believe strongly in all in possible wonders of the world and it isn't until their “endless childhood” is finally “done” that they loose the

    Read More

  • Banned Books: Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    Famous author Stephen King said in his book On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft that “ Every book you pick up has its life lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (King 145), but unfortunately not everyone agrees. In today's world, people are becoming more and more easily offended by simple things like the subjects in classic literature, for example To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and are even trying to ban it in a classroom setting. However, To Kill a Mockingbird should continue to be taught in schools because it positively affects society by changing the way people think about the world, through a very historically accurate setting, and by teaching its readers valuable lessons.

    Read More

  • Epilogue: Lord of the Flies

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ralph heard the night watchman call lights out. The moon gleaming in the window was the only source of light within Ralph’s room now. Even in the dim light he could make out the sink and toilet. The room was padded, and the door had a glass window that reflected fluorescent light into the room. The combination of the artificial and natural light created a faint glimmer upon the mirror that hung above the sink.

    Read More

  • The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    The mind is a complicated thing. Not many stories are able to portray this in such an interesting manner as in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". The haunting story of a man and his sister, living in the old family mansion. But as all should know, much symbolism can be found in most of Poe's works. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is no exception.

    Read More

  • Home: The House of Usher and The Yellow PAper

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    When the story begins in “The House of Usher,” the narrator over exaggerates the description of the house in an attempt to explain his own disgust with the home. Reading Edgar Allan Poe’s stories seem to follow a pattern of dark feelings. His descriptions can give the reader an image in their head of a negative look and sets them up for a negative story. By writing about an eerie broken home such as “The House of Usher”, one could say the exaggerative descriptions are creating images that can depict the possible dreariness of a household. The dreariness may have consumed the residents of the household, which is mirrored in the state of the house. Poe has been said to have grown up in a broken home extending into a difficult childhood and deaths of his loved ones continuing to be a large portion of his life (Giammarco 28). By this mindset, a home can easily fall into a morbid trap of misery and unfortunate deaths. Poe’s drinking problem may also influence the way Poe may see home (Giammarco 22). An alcoholic may...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Fall Of The House Of Usher

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe was published in 1839. In it, the short story’s narrator visits a childhood friend, Roderick Usher. The narrator travels to the Usher house, where the story takes place. As in other Poe stories, the settings reflect a character. Throughout the short story, there are many instances when the Usher house and Thought, the castle in Roderick’s poem, reflect Roderick Usher and his family. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the setting of the Usher house along with the setting in Roderick’s poem reflect Roderick Usher in appearances, relations with family, and physical existence.

    Read More

  • “Because I could not stop for Death” and “Annabel Lee”: Similarities, Differences, and Their Authors

    1506 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poe, Edgar Allan. "Annabel Lee." Poetry Foundation. Ed. Poetry Foundation. Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Literary Legends: Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe primarily authored stories dealing with Gothic literature; the stories were often quite dreary. Poe possessed a very sorrowful view of the world and he expressed this throughout his literary works. His goal was to leave an impression with every detail that he included in his stories. Although Poe’s stories seem very wretched and lackluster they all convey a certain idea. A trademark of Poe’s is his use of very long complex sentences. For instance, in his work The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe tried to ensure that every detail was as relevant as possible by integrating a wide variety of emotion. In the third paragraph, of page two hundred ninety-seven, Poe wrote, “Feeble gleams of encrimsoned light made their way through the trellised panes, and served to render sufficiently distinct the more prominent objects around…” This sentence illustrates the descriptiveness and complexity that Edgar Allan Poe’s works consisted of. The tormented cognizance of Poe led him to use a very gloomy diction throughout his writing. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of symbols and the way he conveyed his writing expr...

    Read More

  • Censorship in American Literature

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    Censorship has been a big part of the world’s history and especially America’s history. One of the most quoted amendments to the United States constitution is the first amendment; “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” This amendment guaranteeing free speech, press, and religion is still heavily debated and contested today. Censorship, as a challenge to free speech and press has been allowed many times and has been heavily debated itself. Many people censor for many different reasons and in many different forms. Censorship itself is not always a bad thing and has in some cases been used for protection of the general population.

    Read More

  • paper

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe has been debated to be the author of the most dark and horrific pieces of literature. He was favored by many for his complex pieces of literature that have ultimately impacted the world of literature today. However, Poe’s pieces of work did receive harsh criticism before and after his death. Because Poe was generally known for his thought-provoking short stories, his short stories often received mixed reviews. One of Poe’s most arguable short stories is “The Fall of the House of Usher”. This short story was “regarded as an early and supreme example of the Gothic horror story” (Plot Summary: "The Fall of the House of Usher"). Poe himself described this piece as “arabesque” due to its ornate prose (Plot Summary: "The Fall of the House of Usher"). However, many critics disagreed with each other on their views of “The Fall of the House of Usher”.

    Read More

  • Comparing Masque of the Red Death and Hop Frog

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: The Modern Library 1992

    Read More

  • Lord of the Flies banned book essay

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    It has come to my attention that the book I read, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, has appeared on a number of banned book lists in schools and libraries across the country. Many have also tried to challenge this book, for a number of varying reasons. In this essay, I will talk about what the novel represents, where and why this American classic has been shot down in many schools across the country, and why I believe we should change that.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Setting in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    Similarly, the furniture in the house is as sullen as the house itself. What little furniture is in the house is beaten-up; this is a symbol of the dark setting. The oak bed is the most important p...

    Read More

  • Short Story about a Hurt Girl

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the left eye now open and almost seeing clearly, Lily began working on the right. Gently putting her finger on it she cringed in pain and could tell it was raw and swollen. "The blunt force of his fist to my eye socket must have burst open every capillary I have because it is causing some severe hemorrhaging," she whispered softly, then laughed out loud. “I can't believe I not only know those words, but I fricking know what they mean,” she said with a hint of proud. “God bless Google.”Calming down from feeling so delighted in finding something so funny in something so repeatedly horrible, she looked around the room with her one good eye. She knew she was in her room and lying in her bed, but she wanted to know what needed to be replaced or fixed since her belongings usually got caught in the crossfire or aftershock. Mirrors were all intact so no seven years of bad luck, she thought and became delighted again. “Thank God, how much more bad luck can I endure?” she asked herself and continued assessing. It didn't seem like any dressers needed repair, or that she needed to hold another Teddy Bear funeral (A ritual of standing above her, and ripping apart a childhood memory was not an every fight occurrence, but a satisfying one for Rick when performed). Not wanting to hold her breath, but it actually gave her hope that maybe the kitchen and living room fared as well. Noticing it was dark past the window Lily leaned out from the bed to peek outside, where she saw it was still dark. Turning towards the alarm clock trying to ignore the sharp pain in her neck she saw the obscured red digital lights. Not giving her any clue of the time since they just sat there on her clock like a big fat red blur, she decided she had no choice but to...

    Read More

More about The Prohibition of the Anthology A Light in the Attic

Open Document