Banned books

Dear Ms. Berner,                                      

In recent years, realistic fiction aimed towards teens- or otherwise known as young adult fiction has started to become very dark and the main characters often do very bad things. These topics include sex, drugs, violence, and many more subjects that some parents feel comfortable letting their children read. All or most of these types of books have been banned for these reasons. Banning books is a pointless idea, because it is inevitable that a kid will learn about these topics in their life. As well, this area of realistic fiction emphasizes a teenagers life and it makes the teen reader feel like they are not alone.

Many young adult books soothe and relax children who may be stressed because they can relate to the characters. In the article “A teenage guide to stress” by Nicola Morgan talks about how any form of happiness or pleasure of any kind can distract your mind and relax it from stress. An example of this that she says is that “People who read books for pleasure report that it relaxes them and allows them to switch off their worries.” This shows the reader that by reading, it relaxes your mind, and if you are under a circumstance where you have a paper due the next day, reading can relieve you of the stress. By banning a book that a teenager may relate to, they may feel pressured and isolated. As well, reading a book for fun can calm you and help you relax for a test  that you do not feel you will do so well on.

Many teens sometimes feel alone and depressed, so they go to books for help because they relate to their emotions. An example of this is in the article “ Yes, teen fiction can be dark- but it shows teenagers they aren’t alone” by Maureen Johnson. In this article, the author talks about how everything you do will impact your life, even if you don't realize it immediately. The author says that “there is sometimes no message more critical than: you are not alone. This has happened before.” To prove her point. In this quote, the author is telling the reader that having a book that they can relate to can show them not to do stupid things that will be very detrimental to their life, such as drugs. Kids feel more comfortable reading a book about their problems then compared to confronting them one on one with an adult.

Many parents and critics point out that children at age thirteen should not be reading books with so much sex, drugs, and abuse. when truthfully 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 in 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. 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 he really wanted to show these kids reality and that they can't live forever. I agree with John Green because a child cannot be sheltered from the harsh reality of life forever.

in conclusion, realistic fiction aimed toward teens is getting progressively 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, and possibly even drugs and sex. With this alternative to talking to someone, teens use these types of books to help themselves and to learn and fix mistakes that they have done.  

I hope you can take this into consideration,

Jasper Townsend class 808

Speak

          Many people are faced with traumatic experiences that leave them emotionally unstable. In the

book "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character Melinda is sexually assaulted at a party

and she calls the police. Her traumatic experience left her scared and she wouldn't speak out about the

incident. She lost all of her friends and she was constantly being bullied. The author wants people to

speak out about their problems and not bottle them up.


          In the novel, Melinda starts failing classes because she doesn't feel secure about herself. One

example of this was when the school was having a meeting about the new mascot. Melinda attempted

to run and hide in the janitors closet for the rest of the day, but her new "best friend" Heather saw her

and dragged her to the assembly. This shows that Heather really wants to expose Melinda back to

reality and that she really wants Melinda to focus on her classes and not fail school. Another example

of this was when Melinda woke up too late and missed her bus. Instead of walking the trek to school,

she skipped it all together and went to the mall. This shows that she doesn't like school at all and she

feels that there are other ways that are better to spend your time. The final example of this was when

Melinda retrieved her report card. The only class she got an A in was art. All her other classes she got

Cs and Ds. This clearly shows the lack of effort and dedication she puts into her schoolwork.


          As well, Melinda doesn't face her trauma. One example of this was when Melinda and her

parents were placed in a meeting with the principal. "Why won't you say anything?" says Melinda's

mom. This shows that she is unwilling to speak about the traumatizing event that occurred. This also

shows that she knows if she says anything, she will be in even more trouble. Another example is

when in the school assembly, girls are pulling on her hair and being very mean to her because she

busted the party. Although everyone is being so rude and nasty to her, she still won't speak up about

her big problems. This shows that she is too scared to tell anyone as well, because she is being bullied

and she would rather live with her problems. The final example was when Melinda was being very

mean to her science partner David Petrakis. He was just trying to help her conduct an experiment

where they had to cut apples. Melinda screamed at him because she claimed she knew what she was

doing. This shows that Melinda needs to talk to someone about her problems and not unleash a wave

of anger on someone just trying to help.


            Another key element that contributes to Melinda's problem with blending into society is her

attitude. One example of this was when she was with Heather and they were talking about the

musical. "We are nobody." Melinda says. This shows that Melinda is very pessimistic and she doesn't

believe she can accomplish things that are in fact in her reach. Another piece of evidence is that

during Heathers model shoot, Melinda is thinking about how she can never be a model. "I like

cheeseburgers too much to be a model." This shows us that she is looking on the downside of her

chances instead of all of the good things in her life that could make her a model. The final piece of

evidence is that when Andy comes over to the Martha's table, Melinda gets up, shudders, and walks

away. The shows us that Melinda has a very strong dislike for Andy.


            All in all, Melinda has suffered just from doing he right thing. Her old friends left her and hurt

her more than the traumatizing experience did. As long as Melinda can find the help she needs, then

she can express her feelings and return to her old life.

     Teens are faced with challenges every day. In the book The Fault in our Stars by John Greene, main character Hazel is faced with the challenge of lung cancer. Hazel is not optimistic about the cancer and she lets it bring her down. Augustus Waters is Hazels boyfriend, and although he has cancer as well, he try’s to live life to its fullest extent. These characters perceive the world very differently.  

While Hazel is dreaming about what she wants to do, the other people in her life are turning her dreams into reality. Hazels favorite book is An Imperial Affliction, and she has always dreamed of meeting the author because she needs to know the ending. The book ends abruptly and she has the urge to find out what happens to the characters. After meeting Augustus, she told him about this. He emailed the author and the author arranged a meeting with the two characters. Another example of this is when they reach the author Van Houten. He is drunk and annoyed that they are in his house. Instead of getting mad and leaving, his assistant takes them to the Ann Frank Memorial Museum. Another example of this occurring was when hazel was trying to help Augustus feel better about dying. She was sitting around with him, but Augustus came up with the idea to go to the sculpture of bones.

     Augustus does odd and crazy things, while Hazel is very conscious about what she does. One piece of evidence is that Augustus makes his friend egg his exes house because she broke up with him. She broke up with him because he had his eyes surgically removed and she couldn’t deal with it. Augustus was mad because she said "Always", meaning that she would stay with him forever. Augustus helped relieve his friend of the pain of breaking up with his girlfriend and he felt much better afterward. This was a very nice thing because Augustus knew that he might be caught, but he knew it was worth it to help a friend in need. Another piece of evidence was when Augustus would put a cigarette in his mouth and say that the cigarette does “not give the killing item any power”. He does this to show that he knows the cigarette has the capability to kill him but he doesn't give it the power to. This was impactful to me because Augustus is living on the edge and he is well aware of it. One piece of evidence that Hazel is more self conscious is that when Augustus is driving recklessly, she tries to stop him because she is very nervous he may crash. This is important because it shows the two different characters lifestyles.

     All in all, These two characters contrast and compare in many ways. Their relationship is a perfect balance because Hazel controls Augustus, and Augustus makes Hazel do fun and exciting things.

Ashes

Many children have divorced parents and are faced with many situations and problems

such as morality. The story "Ashes" by Susan Beth Pfeffer is about a girl named ashes who's

parents are divorced, and her father has financial problems. The father wants ashes to take her

mothers disaster money so he can settle some financial problems. This short story shows how

someone who cares about you can change your life so greatly and make you do tasks you

aren't comfortable doing. This story also shows the reader how desperate some people are for

money. Ashes needs to know when her father is taking advantage of her, and she has to be able

to say no. This story is revolved around the fathers need for money and how he is handling it

immorally.


Ashes father doesn't understand how she is not someone to rely on for financial aid. One

example of this is when Ashes father says " "You're one in a million," he said to me.

"The best daughter a man could dream of." " Ashes father is telling ashes how wonderful and

amazing she is and how she's the best daughter ever, but he is actually just using these words

to manipulate ashes into stealing the money. Another example of the father manipulating Ashes

is " "You look radiant," he said. "You get more and more beautiful. Turn around. Let me admire

every single inch." " the father is always so nice to Ashes, she loves him, but he uses her love to

manipulate her into stealing money from her own mother, which is a horrible thing for a father to

tell a daughter to do. Ashes relationship with her father is very strong. Ashes says that whenever

she saw her dad,  "the sun cast off just a little more warmth than it had the day before." This

shows how strong their relationship is with each other.


Ashes doesn't realize that her father is nice to her to manipulate her later on. One piece

of evidence is that her father says  "  "For a special date with my daughter?" he replied. "Of

course I can afford it..." " this quote shows the reader how much the father and Ashes love each

other. The author also puts symbols into her writing one of these symbols are the weather. This

is a symbol because when her father is around, it is not as cloudy and cold. Another symbol in
the text is the ash grey sky at the end. This represents ashes emotions and how she feels about

stealing the money. Ashes mother would never do anything like what ashes father would do.

The father dreams about his life, while the mother is realistic and sees that dreams don't always

come true, and she can accept that and be prepared for things to come.


All in all, Ashes father may love her and she may love him, but that doesn't mean that he

can manipulate and influence ashes poorly.  The father should learn to get a job and save his

money and spend it wisely. He also needs to come to reality and see how horribly he is

influencing his daughter. In her future, a bad influence may have a detrimental impact.

    in the book The Faults in our Stars the two main characters are very different. Hazel is looking on the downside of cancer and she is always acting like she is going to die. Gus is very optimistic and try's to do everything. He try's not to focus on the downside of cancer and he try's to live life to the fullest. Hazel try's to do things that she knows she can't do, and so does Gus. This is one of their similarities. Hazel always dreams about things she wants to do. On the other hand, Gus arranges and makes the things hazel wants to do happen. One example of this is that hazel dreamed of meeting the author of one of her favorite books. Gus emailed him and the author got them plane tickets and a hotel for their stay in Amsterdam. I am only halfway into the book, so I don't know everything about the characters yet. 

My Sci-Fi Piece

Doctor George Alfer was getting ready to present his new time machine. 10 

minutes until he was up. Nobody has ever tried to go back in time because it is too 

dangerous. George wanted to go back in time and see when his parents first met, 

because when George was a kid, they were never at home but at work. he wanted to 

alter their past and make them have new jobs so George could have had a better 

childhood.

“George, its time to present your creation” says Mcsnaf, the organizer of the 

event. As George stepped out onto the stage, he saw many powerful leaders and 

organizations waiting to see the worlds first time machine.  

“Hello everyone, may I please have your attention?” says George. The crowd turns and  

a lump forms in Georges throat. President Eisendoch is at the event, and he knows that 

he cannot let him down.

“Today will be a breakthrough for mankind, and this event will change history” says 

George. The crowed claps and roars. 

“I will place myself in this time capsule and go back to the year 1967, and hopefully 

return safely and unharmed. wish me luck.” 

After saying that, George placed himself in the capsule and clicked the activation 

button. There was a deafening roar and then suddenly George and the time capsule 

were gone.

George was traveling at the speed of light. He could see the time particles 

passing him as he traveled through the earths atmosphere. Years were wizzing by his 

face and he knew he was nearing the year 1967.

The capsule was slowing down and George could see the cars driving around 

the street. but these cars were the vintage cars that George would see in a museum. He 

couldn't believe it! His time machine worked! George landed the time machine without 

looking. suddenly there was the sound of cracking bones and a shrill. “what happened!” 

George cried out.he looked under the capsule and his mom was crushed underneath. 

Georges head felt light. “this means that i am erased from history” he thinks in his head.

when George returns back to the future, all of his friends greet him. 

“hey jack, it worked!”

“You changed history!”

“whos jack?” said George,

“do you not remember yourself? your mother is Anna and your father is John.”

“NO! Thats not right! my mother is…”

George remembered that he killed his mother, so that means he was born as a different 

person. 

“My time machine worked! it actually worked! I altered the course of my life” George 

shouts out.

“Matt, your going to be late to school!” I groan and roll out of bed. Oh crap! 

Its 8:30, and school starts at 8:40. I rush out of the door and run to school. As i 

pass the deli on the corner of my block, I see a man who is limping, and his ear is 

bleeding. I wonder if he's OK i thought in my head. But i don't have time to ask. 

I arrive at the red front door of my school, just as 1^st period bell rings.

Yesssssss!! I think to myself as I walk to homeroom. My footsteps are the only 

sound in the blue school hallway. as i near my class, i hear faint crunches and 

groans. The door is ajar, and the man I saw at the deli was eating the kidney of  a 

kid, unrecognizable from all the blood. The man looks up at me, and from the 

corner of my eye, the kid who was just slaughtered is standing, and limping 

towards me. I turn around and dash out the school door. Outside, the sun is 

gleaming down on me and the trees are full of birds.   Everyone around me is 

moaning and walking, no limping toward me. 

I run down main street and fumble through my pockets to find my silver 

keys to the front door of my house. Oh god, I forgot my keys! I thought to myself. 

The things were closing in all around me. I bash through the door of my house 

and run down the wooden hall to the kitchen, and grab a stainless steel knife, 

which was originally used to cut fish, but it would work for people. I stab the man 

in the stomach, and blood spurts all over the wooden counter, but he's still alive 

somehow. I am perspiring and about to retch. the man, now on the floor grabs my 

leg and bites it. I try to cry out, but there is no pain.

“Matt? Hello? Can you answer the question or not?” I wearily sit up and 

scratch my head. “What did you say?” 

“Do you need to see the guidance councilor about your concentration problems?” 

says my teacher mr. Dylan. 

“No thanks mr. Dylan.”

“Im not giving you a choice, your failing my class matt, and you need to get your 

grades up fast, because the end of the school year is in 2 weeks.” 

A wave of shock washed over me.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean that you have gotten all 65s on my tests, and you have done your 

homework once.” Wow. Thats a shocker. I gathered my school supplies and 

walked out of the classroom. I could tell that every set of eyes in the classroom 

were glued on me.

A week passes. I have been studying all night for mr. Dylans math test, my 

eyes are bloodshot and my mind is delirious. I glance over my shoulder to look at 

the clock, and it says 1:30 AM. I need sleep I think to myself, but i have to study 

or else I will fail his test and I will have to go to summer school. Even after 

pounding a 5 hour energy, I cannot stay up any longer. my eyelids droop shut 

and I am knocked out. Buzz Buzz Buzz. 

“Shut up alarm clock” I mumble. Oh no! Todays the test and I am so tired I can 

barely brush my teeth. 

The school bell rings, marking 1^st period. The test is 2^nd period. I cram in 

some last minute studying on my way to mr. Dylans room.

Its time for the test.

-3+2=11

7--12=23

32--38=16

-19+12=3

I hand in my test to mr. Dylan, and he frowns and furrows his brow. 

“Matt, you got every question wrong, I dont know how to put this, but your going 

to summer school.”