Banned Books Essay

Cook Shaw 802

All over the US, books are banned from schools, classrooms and even public libraries. It is a rising epidemic that books are being restricted from students of certain ages. The school boards and library coordinators have restricted many curious teenagers access to these books. Many of these desperate teenagers are faced with emotional or even physical dilemmas. These books can help them because he/she can relate to a fictional character with the same problem. Banning young adult books will void their ability to mend teens emotional problems.

Many teens across the world are unfairly presented with personal or family situations. Many cases involve problems like cutting or substance abuse. Topics like these usually stem from depression. Depression is the most common Young Adult Fiction topic, also a rising epidemic in young adults. According to an article published by psychcentral  "Approximately 20 percent of teens experience depression before they reach adulthood, and between 10 to 15 percent suffer from symptoms at any one time." 30%-35% or teens are or have been depressed. If a teen has access to a book that displays, even better, fixes their problem, then it can be very therapeutic for the victims of these horrible situations. For example, the article Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti-Censorship Manifesto.  "She saw herself in those, and suddenly, she knew that she didn't want to be there anymore. That book turned her around. today she's been sober for two years, is graduating and has embarked on a career in modeling"  This woman is one of many that banned books have turned her life around for the better.   A twitter post was published asking twitter users to use the hashtag #YASaves and share their storis about how YA fiction has improved their lives. In only two hours, over 15,000 responses were counted, showing the success of YA fiction in helping society. Common sense can judge that if these books help people then they should be accessible to the public.

Many parents and critics point out that children attending junior high schools should not be reading books that contain topics like sex, drugs, and abuse. When looking at this point of view , these parents are hiding their children from the real worlds dilemmas and issues. One example of a school banning a very powerful book called The Fault in our Stars by John Green has been published by Vanity Fair. This book was banned because the two main characters both have cancer and are on the brink of death, and many parents think that this topic is not suitable for teenagers. Many parents feel that the existential questioning and what may seem like troubling emotions should be restricted from junior highschoolers John Green reacts very strongly by saying , “I guess I am both happy and sad. I am happy because apparently young people in Riverside, California will never witness or experience mortality since they won’t be reading my book, which is great for them. But I am also sad because I was really hoping I would be able to introduce the idea that human beings die to the children of Riversdale, California and thereby crush their dreams of immortality.” I thought that this was a very powerful thing to say because his book was supposed to show these kids the reality that they can't live forever. I agree with John Green because a child cannot be sheltered from the harsh reality of life forever. Young adult fiction books help bring the issues of the world that need addressing into focus.

In conclusion, realistic fiction aimed toward teens is getting increasingly darker, but it helps guide kids through their teenage life of problems. Without this genre of books, many more teens would not be confronting their problems, perhaps holding in life impacting secrets, little ones to even substance abuse and sex. With this alternative to talking to someone, teens use these types of books to help themselves and to realise and fix mistakes that they have made.  Banning YA fiction will inhibit teens ability to realise the real world for what it is. The ban will also stop abusing or abused teens from seeing where they are and fixing themselves.

Essay Response

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

COOK SHAW

802

In the book I chose to write about, many of the characters have trouble making decisions due to the strong emotions that can cloud their judgment.  “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” is about a child named Chris, who has been diagnosed with Asperger disorder. Chris has lived with his father for the last three years.  He was told his mother was dead from heart attack, but when investigating the mysterious death of his neighbor, Mrs. Shears’, dog, Wellington, he discovers that not only is his mother still alive, but she has been trying to contact him for years. He didn't know this because his father had been hiding her letters from Chris.  After learning that his mother and the husband of their neighbor, Mrs. Shears, had runaway together those three years ago, Chris weighed his options and decided against staying with dad...his dog killer dad. Chris embarked on a terribly difficult journey (due to his Asperger disorder) to find his mother.  When he arrived at his mother’s house, there was rejoice in reconnecting mother and son. During his journey and with all his encounters with his dad, Chris’ most successful decisions came from when he thought through his options and considered the outcomes of his choices.

First off, if strong emotions cloud rational thinking when you're making a decision, then the decision that you make will most likely be ineffective. For example, when Christopher found his neighbor’s dog, Wellington with a pitchfork in his side, he was so distraught that when the police man asked him to step away from the body, he punched the policeman straight in the face. This, being very irrational, unnecessary, and nevertheless illegal, was not close to something that would be a reasonable reaction to the officer’s demand. “He was asking too many questions and he was asking them too quickly. They were stacking  up in my head like loaves in the factory where Uncle Terry works. The factory is a bakery and he operates the slicing machines. And sometimes a sheer is not working fast enough but the bread keeps coming and there is a blockage. I sometimes think of my mind as a machine, but not always as a bread-slicing machine. It makes it easier to explain to other people what is going on inside it. The policeman took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didn't like him touching me like this. And this is when I hit him.” This decision put him jail, forcing his dad to come and bail him out. He could have avoided this by not reacting immediately on his emotions and simply stopping to think about the outcome of what he was about to do. Another time Christopher caused confusion or trouble by acting on emotion was when he finally reached his mother's flat in London and left the building without telling anyone in the middle of the night so that he can ponder his trip, his situation with his parents  and an upcoming exam. Thinking that Christopher had run away from her as did his father, the mother rushed out of the building, distraught and called for Christopher desperately. Finding him directly outside she scolded him and made him promise to never leave the flat unattended. This could've been very easily avoided, If he had just told his mother that he wanted to get some fresh air. Many problems can be very easily avoided when thought through and not clouded by strong emotions or a lack of direct communication. This shows how decisions based on emotion can be unwise and may get you in predicaments that can be stigmatizing because if done often, you may develop a reputation for bad decisions.

Second off, in a more rational sense, if you do not let strong emotions cloud your judgment, and you weigh your options and outcomes thoroughly, the best results almost certainly will come from it. For example, when Christopher was hiding the fact that he knew his dad had killed Wellington and the fact that he knew his dad had hid that his mother was alive, hid his mother's existence from him, Chris made a chart in his mind, printing out all the different options for what to do to solve this problems with his father. “But then I thought about going home again, or staying where I was, or hiding in the garden every night and Father finding me, and that made me feel even more frightened. And when I thought about that I felt like I was going to be sick again like I did the night before. And then I realized that there was nothing I could do which felt safe. And I made a picture of it in my head like this(refer to last page).” After checking off multiple answers he was left with the only action he could come up with that would more thoroughly help him avoid his father and a confrontation. This was a very wise thing to do, because he blocked off all of the strong emotions that could have altered his logic and maybe even amounted to more of his problems. He clearly chose the best form of action he could take for his situation and the only reason was because he carefully weighed out his options and also included what he thought the outcome of each option would be in his analysis. He completed all of this extremely clear minded thinking while huddled up inside of shrubbery in his backyard. This definitely shows the sense of self-control and ability to make very good decisions when he blocks off the strong emotions that can very easily cloud his judgment.

In conclusion, Christopher embarks on a journey that helps him and the reader of his journal understand that the best decisions come from clear judgment and that emotion can seriously hinder this logic. This can be used in many different situations. This thought process has greatly helped me during times of extreme stress or confusion. For example the high school applications process was very stressful time for me.  Through all of the stress, when I blocked off my emotions and processed my ideas solely on logic and weighed my options, I was able to find which high school and high school programs that were right for me.

The Messenger Essay Response

COOK SHAW

Most people put themselves before others in their everyday lives. The story “messenger” by Lois Lowry is a sequel to the books Gathering Blue, and the Giver. It is about a young boy named Matt. Matt lives in a small isolated peaceful village. Throughout the story, the town slowly becomes corrupt. This is a result of the Trader, who allows people to trade for anything they desire. In return, the Trader may take something, even non-material things, like a personality trait. Slowly, as more and more people trade, they became selfish and hurtful. This as a result of the selfishness, the village members decide to close the village to the outside world. This would greatly harm the other villages. Matt’s travels show that selflessness is a valuable thing.

Before the trader came, the village was a selfless and productive system. Everyone had their place. For example, the Mentor teaches the young children, the Leader surveys and controls the village and the Weaver maker all of the clothes and cloth needs for the village. Everyone has a part in the village and contributes their skill to the entire village as a whole. This shows that the people of the village are not even a little bit self centered because there is no way to be more well off than another person, no matter how hard you work, you only give to other people. For example,“There were no secrets in Village. It was one of the rules that Leader had proposed, and all of the people had voted in favor of it. Everyone who had come to Village from elsewhere, all of those who had not been born here, had come from places with secrets. Sometimes—not very often, for inevitably it caused sadness—people described their places of origin: places with cruel governments, harsh punishments, desperate poverty, or false comforts.” You cannot give to yourself, or work for personal gain because you rely on everyone and everyone relies on you. This is a flawless system because it makes everyone eager to give, and in the end result, kind.

After the trader came, the people of the village were focusing more on personal gain than the welfare of the village. Because the opportunity of personal gain arose, the purity and selflessness of the people left them and was replaced by curmudgeonly, selfish people. For example, the mentor was a very selfless, loving and kind in the beginning of the book. But when the mentor gave away his inner self for looks, be lost all of his selflessness. After the trade, he rallied a group and attempted to close off the village from others. He thought that the village was only for people that were worthy of it. He had attempted to keep out the “crippled” or “useless” when he had been a hunchback when he entered the village. For example, “Some of those who had been among the most industrious, the kindest, and the most stalwart citizens of Village now went to the platform and shouted their wish that the border be closed so that 'we' (Matty shuddered at the use of 'we') would not have to share the resources anymore. 'We need all the fish for ourselves. Our school is not big enough to teach their children, too; only our own. They can't even speak right. We can't understand them. They have too many needs. We don't want to take care of them.' And finally: 'We've done it long enough.” These selfish people arent even realising that when they were equally as useless and annoying to live with when they had just came to the village. But over time, they all had found their role in the village. This shows how selfishness can be very disruptive and can make you think in irrational and ridiculous ways.

Overall, the story is about a peaceful village that is corrupted by selfishness. We can see the effects of this on the mentor. He attempts to keep the village for himself and a few others by trying to build a wall. We can see that this has a detrimental affect on the surrounding villages. This shows how damaging selfishness has on a community and an individual.

Essay Response to
Susan Beth Pfeffer’s “Ashes”
By Cook Shaw 802

In Susan Beth Pfeffer’s short story “Ashes”, the protagonist shows the reader that relationships are complicated and usually have many facets. She shows us this through the troubles of divorce. Ashleigh or Ashes, as her father calls her, has a complicated relationship with her father. This short story revolves around a visit to the fathers apartment in which he asks her to “borrow” two hundred dollars from the moms reserve cash. Usually, the father is a loving and caring provider for his daughter. This side of their relationship is very fun and constructive. On rarer occasions, the father reveals his selfish, destructive attributes. Ashes’ reactions with both sides of the father shows how people and relationships in general are multifaceted.

Most times he sees ashes, the father shows the side of the relationship that is loving and caring. “That winter, it felt like every time I saw my father, the sun cast off just a little more warmth than it had before” We can see from this quote that she clearly loves her father and they care for each other, proving that this side is a very supportive and confident relationship. This side of the father and greets ashes every day with a new idea for her future. "Last week he’d told me to be an astronaut. The week before that, the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation. And the week before that he’d been stunned by my spirituality.” Even though later in the story, she states that she knows that these are not true, she likes the compliments in the moment. This is the helpful side to the father. When he gushes to Ashes about her beauty or how smart she is, it helps her feel confident, helping her confidence is definitely part of his kind and motivational side.

Opposing to the attitude in the beginning of the story, the father also has another side to him. After the supportive dreamer, there is “an irresponsible bum”. His second side, the needy, irresponsible side isn’t much of a hero. This side isn't a good parent or leader for ashes. The most obvious time that proves this is their encounter at the diner. "Dad took a booth that faced the door, and sat in the seat where he could check who was coming in. He hadn’t done that with me in a long time, and my stomach was hurting in an old familiar way.” This shows that the dad has had interactions with these people before and it didn’t end satisfactory for everyone. Even though the father loves ashes dearly, the more intricate side of him may sometimes have disregard to the favors that he is asking and the emotional position he is putting his daughter in. I think this counts for all of the people we know. There is always another side or two that just doesn’t appear as much.

In conclusion, Ashes has a turmoil relationship with her father. Her father asked her to steal her mother's money. Her father's actions and her reactions show that people and relationships are complicated and have more than meets the eye.

The Giver

I think that the author wanted to express that feelings and memories are what gives someone power and true knowledge. In the giver, everyone is the community is unable to feel complex emotions and feelings like love. When Jonas is given the power to see color and started to feel emotions of love, he was powerful. Jonas had an advantage over the others in the community, he could feel emotions and see colors. When Jonas was given memories, he gained a feeling that is hard to attain, wisdom. Nobody in the community has wisdom except the Giver and Jonas. Wisdom is the ability to act apron past mistakes. These mistakes can be made by anybody, but learning what to do because of someone else not knowing, is wisdom.

This was one of my favorite books. Even though it was a quick read, this book took me on a journey through the simplest words and feelings. The writing really made me think about the importance of memories. It made me realize that memories create a person. Without memories, we would all be zombies and our lives would be dull and controllable. The memories we have create new ones and make us who we are. Memories make us individuals.