Young Adult Literature

739 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: limiting freedom of speech

Young adult literature being dark isn't something to be concerned with, people are just oversensitive. Writers like Gurdon of the Wall Street Journal are acting like we're forcing children to read these books. It's not the job of society to halt for people, society is what it is and regulating what goes out is against our first amendment rights. The freedom of speech and expression means you really can't stop these authors from writing books like these and i don't think anything should take away our first amendment rights. As a young adult or a parent of a young adult, it's your job to either know your limits in what you can handle or as a parent to set limits on what you want your children reading, as a parent you can persistently patrol …show more content…

Now that i'm older and know my boundaries, i watch what i can handle. Parents need to find a mixture of letting kids do whatever but still protecting them from bad stuff. For example: if a kid whos 13 or so wants to watch a action movie like Terminator or something but they get queasy about blood or gore etc. let them watch but tell them to shut their eyes or warn them when a scene they may not like is coming up, eventually the kid will peek and even if they're grossed out a little, they will get used to it until it doesn't bother them as much. That's how it was with me and i turned out fine (Terminator 2 was the best terminator by the way). Now most people aren't going to read the book and stop their kids from reading certain parts but it's a similar formula, read a review of a book and if it's too dark then don't let your child read it. Just ease a child into something like that or just don't buy them dark books. I don't for a second buy the claim from gurdon that there are absolutely no young adult books that weren't about horrible stories. There has to be some books that may have sad parts but end happily or something along those …show more content…

And second, there's more to read then just the dark books. There is no way that every author who writes novels for young adults all decided at one time to all ditched the positive novels and started writing about the negative side of life, the young adult section at my local bookstore is huge and i'm sure it's about the same size in most stores, and i'm sure you can find other books besides a negative

Show More
Related

  • Bleachers, by John Grisham

    490 Words  | 1 Pages

    It is well known that books read by adolescents are somewhat inappropriate in certain ways such as language and the types of actions done by the characters. Some books consist of drugs, sex, and violence which obviously isn’t very appropriate nor does it consist of positive values. It is easy to see why some books ar...

    Read More

  • Vivid Descriptions in The Darkest Child

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    With all these aspects to consider, Delores Phillips’s The Darkest Child should not be added to a high school curriculum because it contains mature contents and vivid descriptions that high school students would not understand especially since there is an excessive use of profanity and sexuality. The novel contains a well written story and should not be discourage from reading but should not be placed in a high school setting. Not all of the mature contents are explicitly stated, but many of them are inferred to the reader. The novel is an emotional story and should be read for pleasure rather than studied in a school setting by high school students.

    Read More

  • Our Kids Literary Analysis

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a country like the United States of America, with a history of every individual having an equal opportunity to reach their dreams, it becomes harder and harder to grasp the reality that equal opportunity is diminishing as the years go on. The book Our Kids by Robert Putnam illustrates this reality and compares life during the 1950’s and today’s society and how it has gradually gotten to a point of inequality. In particular, he goes into two touching stories, one that shows the changes in the communities we live in and another that illustrates the change of family structure. In the end he shows how both stories contribute to the American dream slipping away from our hands.

    Read More

  • Literature

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    A poem that incorporates the oppression of the people living in Martinique, and the political uprising of Martinique during French colonization would be “Out of Alien Days” by Aime Cesaire. Cesaire especially uses examples of imagery and tone to express the ideas of oppression and political revolution to focus on the forms of literature he describes. Along with examples of the literary elements, there should be an explanation of Cesaire’s usage of image and tone that explains the author’s main message in “Out of Alien Days.” In “Out of Alien Days,” Aime Cesaire uses the concepts of imagery and a revolutionary tone to illustrate the problems of the French colonization in Martinique. Cesaire constructs a definitive path in his poem where he is calling for change in Martinique, and rallying his people against the French empire. This paper is about introducing the concepts of imagery and a revolutionary tone along with examples used by Cesaire in “Out of Alien Days,” and an interpretation of the literary elements in connection to Cesaire’s theme in the poem.

    Read More

  • Juxtaposition Between Cancer And Control In Donna's The Fault In Our Stars

    2118 Words  | 5 Pages

    Having literature that can speak to your situation in life is what young adults need in their books. In Donna’s Norton Through the Eyes of a Child she lists seven characteristics of a good young adult novel and some of them are,“written from the viewpoint of an of young people, main characters must overcome their problem without help from the parent, deal with emotional problem of young adults and have fast paced storyline” (Norton, 2007). The Fault in Our Stars executed theses things perfectly. It is told from the perspective of a sixteen year old girl, living with cancer, but still going through what most sixteen year old’s go through, She has parents who do not understand her life and what she is going through so they cannot actually help her with her problems and she falls in love for the first time and experienced a tragic heartbreak. The story goes on how life does for a teenager, everything is happening fast and very out of their control, and they must live as best as they can with the circumstances of their life. John Green wrote more than just a teen cancer book, he told the experiences of not having any control in your teen years by using

    Read More

  • literature

    472 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Alice Walker’s story “Everyday Use,” symbolism, allegory, and myth stand out when thinking about the characters, setting, and conflict in the story. The conflict is between the mother and her two daughters (Maggie and Dee). There is also the conflict between the family’s heritage (symbolized by the quilt, bench, and butter chum) and their different ways of life. Dee chose a new African name, moved to the city, and adopted a new way of life while Maggie and her mother have stay behind. The quilt (the most important symbol) represents the family’s heritage in that it is made of scraps of clothing worn by generations of family members. The quilt has been sewn by family hands and used on family beds. It has seen history and is history. Maggie and her mother see that that history is alive but Dee thinks it is as dead as her name. Dee does not see that name as part of her heritage. By analyzing these symbols, a number of possibilities for a theme can be seen. Walker could be suggesting that to understand the African-American heritage, readers have to include the present as well as the past. However, the theme could be that poverty and a lack of sophistication and education cannot be equated with ignorance. Lastly, she could be telling her readers that dignity or self-respect rise from and are virtually connected to one’s entire heritage- not just a selected part of it.

    Read More

  • The Banning of Books in American Schools

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the American Library Association notes, books are usually banned "with the best intention…to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." (Brunner). If a book has frightening or controversial ideas in them, adults willing often censor that book from children. From 2000 to 2009, of the 5,099 challenges that were reported, 1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries and 30 challenges in academic libraries. (Frequently Challenged Books). At various times in American history, even some of the tamest books have been banned. Harriet the Spy, was banned because it supposedly taught children to "lie, spy, back-talk, and curse." Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was banned for being too depressing. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein, was banned because it might encourage kids to break dishes so they won't have to dry them. (Frequently Challenged Books). While some of these excuses are more reasonable than other excuses, the banning of these books prevents the children from empathizing...

    Read More

  • What are Banned Books? Fahrenheit 451

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many books have been questioned and challenged. Even as far as to banning them. But what exactly is a banned book and why are they banned? A banned book is a book that has been censored by an authority, a government body, a library, or a even school system. A book that has been banned is actually removed from a library or school system. The actual contextual reasons as to banning them is use of explicit violence, gore, sexuality, explicit language, religion, or dark times in history. On the non-contextual side of the reason why they are banned books are usually because with the best intentions to protect people, frequently children, from difficult philosophies and information. Teachers, or even more common adults, often censor books from children if they feel that the books have maniacal or controversial ideas in them. In some scenarios, those who are censoring books think that a book might be appropriate for a certain, or several groups in society. A book that might be perfectly fine for a ninth grader might easily be horrendous or confusing to a fourth grader. Thus having them exposed and influenced to thinking a certain way and act upon what they have just read. Well at least that’s what people think is going to happen anyways. But honestly, reading books of any genre gives us knowledge, entertainment, and imagination so therefore no books or novels should be banned and is ultimately dependent on the reader’s choice.

    Read More

  • How Are White People Brainwashed by White People? Explained From Nathan Hare’s Brainwashing a Black Men’s Mind

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hare writes that the color white symbolizes purity and black stands for evil and derogatory referent and that “... theirs brains,..., at last has been washed white as snow.”. At a young age, children are taught how to read children’s books. ‘“Why are they always white children?” asked by a five-year old Black girl” (Larrick, 63), as many books seen are only white. Nancy Larrick wrote an article about children’s book and argued how children’s books portrays only whites in books, while there are many non white children and white children across the United States that are reading these books about white children. Larrick also points out that across the country 6,340,000 million non white children are learning to read and understand the American way of life in books which either omit them entirely or scarcely mention them in it (63), and of the 5.206 children's book, only 394 included one or more blacks, which was an average of 6.7 per cent (64). Children’s books will not contain a black hero/heroine because in the books, being depicted as a slave or a servant, or better yet to ...

    Read More

  • Censorship Should Be Banned Essay

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    scholarly literature argument is still going on today. For example, the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey has been challenged many times since its first debut in 1997. According to the ALA, this series was banned in some schools due to “insensitivity and being unsuited to age group, as well as encouraging children to disobey authority.” So if the belief that children’s books shouldn’t be for the imagination but for intellect has lasted for centuries, does this mean we should ban children from books that we consider to be for entertainment and not scholarly advancement? Given that fiction is something still being written today, and growing in popularity as shown by the massive fan bases of young adult novels such as the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyers or the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, I don’t believe the banning of imaginative literature is going to happen anytime soon. But should it? The question is something school authorities still struggle

    Read More

  • Stop Book Censorship

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    Growing up as a child, parent’s shelter their children as much as they cannot allowing them to take in negativity and vulgarity in the world, but what happens when they go to school and talking amongst other children? Some parents do not always shelter their children as much, letting them know what is happening in the world at a much younger age than others. Teachers, but mainly government, try to correct what they think is wrong by censoring what content children can and cannot read. Censoring books should not be allowed today because children are maturing at a younger age; they are exposed to more vulgar content now with cellphones than when reading a book such as The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, or a modern title like the Harry Potter series (American Library Association). Censoring books should not be allowed since children are maturing at a younger age; that is, children and teenagers should be able to choose whether or not they if they think books are too vulgar for their own preference.

    Read More

  • Literature

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Oxford Concise Dictionary Literary Terms” by Chris Baldick, characterization is defined as the representation of persons in narrative and dramatic works which include direct and indirect methods in inviting the readers to infer qualities from characters’ actions, speech, or appearance. However, modals in literature context serve as an eye opener to the personality and traits of the characters in short stories. It enables the readers to learn of the characters’ abilities, capabilities, prohibitions, obligations and so forth. The appearance of modals in literary texts serves its own specific purposes in accordance to the author’s wish. In David Leavitt’s “Territory” which describes the relationship between a mother (Mrs. Campbell) and her son (Neil) who is a homosexual, gives me an interest to explore and find out more about the characters. Through the use of modals found in the extract, it enables me to go in depth and examine the characterization in the story.

    Read More

  • The Catcher In the Rye Should Not be Banned

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    Freedom of expression is not limited to adults, minors too, have the right to freely express themselves and receive information. Therefore, minors have the right to read any materials they desire. By banning The Catcher In the Rye, and novels of the like, the rights of U.S. citizens are restricted. & nbsp; The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Banning Harry Potter Books In Schools

    262 Words  | 1 Pages

    Some parents think that the Harry Potters books should be banned from school libraries. Parents feel that they should have the right to demand that schools censor their children’s reading materials. In my opinion, schools should give parents the right to censor their children’s reading materials. Parents want the best for their kids and their kids’ education is really important to them. Harry Potter book series are very interesting to a lot of people. However, some of the Harry Potter books are not the type of books that should be in school libraries. A major concern for some parents about the Harry Potter books is that the stories legitimize the idea of witchcraft. Some parents don’t agree with the message behind the Harry Potter book series.

    Read More

  • gay literature

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    While sexual difference may not exist between lesbians all other forms of difference do. These include differences of identity: race, class origins, employment status, age, religion, physical abilities - and while we may struggle against these differences within our individual ‘spaces’ they have a material and institutional reality that cannot be wished away

    Read More

More about Young Adult Literature

Open Document