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Recommended: Effects of tv on youth

Are kids are growing up too fast? Many people agree that kids nowadays are growing up much more quickly than they used to, from extra hormones in their food to the shows they watch on TV to the games they play in their free time. Despite the fact that 9-year-old Oskar Schell, narrator of the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, is not allowed to watch TV, we have to say that he is old for his age. Whether this is due to the tragic loss of his father in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center or due to his curious nature, the fact remains that Oskar has been exposed to some fairly questionable material. This is the story of 9 year old Oskar Schell, a boy whose father died in the 9/11 attack. He narrates with his two grandparents. The grandparents talk about their experiences with love and tragedy. Throughout this story however, the use of inappropriate language, sex, and violence is far more prevalent than the actual literary learning value of such a wonderful book. This book is full of literary value but the rudeness and inappropriate nature of several scenarios make it very difficult to appreciate the value of this already questionable novel. This book has many examples of violence that is far too graphic for 9-year-old Oskar to be exposed to. Oskar's grandfather writes about the bombing of Dresden in World War II. Right after the bombing he is ordered to kill the animals that have escaped from the Dresden Zoo. One of the keepers was calling out for help... his eyes had been burnt closed, he grabbed my arm and asked me if I knew how to fire a gun... he handed me his rifle and said, .”You’ve got to find the carnivores,” ... I told him I didn’t know which were carnivores and which weren’t, he said,... ... middle of paper ... ...vel is full of prime examples of what we need to keep out of high schools. Why would we encourage students to discuss in literature the same behaviors we try to discourage them from doing in their own lives and especially in school? This book contradicts itself. It wants to teach us literary values and make us appreciate this book. However, the grotesque, improper parts in this book make it extremely difficult to appreciate the incredible potential this book has to offer high school students. On an individual basis, a student might choose to read this book, but it is not one that schools should endorse because too many people could object to the material within it and for so wide a variety of reasons that it would be hard to control for. Ultimately, schools have a responsibility to protect the youth they teach, and this book would not fulfill that responsibility.

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