Demitrius Hilerio
Class 810
12/11/14
Should Young
Adult Texts be Banned?
Many texts; have controversial topics in them that many people may feel
uncomfortable about. Some of these texts are very popular, but still are questioned
because what content it contains. Sometimes texts are directed towards the teen
audience, but have many mature topics that many parents and educational
organizations feel aren’t fit for teens. For example like the text “Am I Blue?”
by Bruce Coville. This text is about a boy name Vince that gets bullied because
of his sexuality. Then his fairy godfather Melvin comes along to lead Vince
through a journey of self confidence and acceptance. Many texts that have
topics that are thought to be unsuitable for teens are sometimes banned. Even
though the text “Am I Blue” contains controversial topics like homosexuality
and strong language, people should still be able to read it because of what
they can learn from texts that contain topics like. People should also be able
to read these books because their rights as Americans.
The text “Am I Blue” shouldn’t be banned because of what our country’s
First Amendment of the Constitution is about. In the article “Banned Books” by
Borgna Brunner the article suggests that “The First Amendment of the
Constitution guarantees our right to free speech, which includes the right to
read and write books that might be considered by some to be too violent,
hateful, or offensive.” (“Banned Books” paragraph 5) The author’s basically
explaining how our country’s Constitution is being contradicted by
organizations and parents that do not understand this amendment goes for
everybody not only adults. The people who are contradicting the country’s
amendments do not understand that they are stopping important learning
experiences and lessons from occurring in a teen’s mind. They aren’t allowing
teens to read certain books that may have a big impact on their maturity. “
‘According to the ALA President Carol Brey-Casiano, "Not every book is
right for every person, but providing a wide range of reading choices is vital
for learning, exploration, and imagination. The abilities to read, speak,
think, and express ourselves freely are core American values.’ ”(“Banned Books”
paragraph 6) This quote means that books that are banned usually have an
important message behind them that allows a young reader to benefit from the
text and learn and explore beyond what they already know. Which can allow the
reader to learn more things about life than they already know like how
decisions affect a person’s life.
In
addition the text “Am I Blue?” Shouldn’t be banned because in the text “Am I
blue?” contains themes that may be questionable for some people (homosexuality,
bullying, strong language, etc.) the parts in the text that contains this
content allows the reader to understand how certain decisions can affect a
person’s life. Books can help the reader think about the rights and wrongs in
life. One example of this is in the article “Should teen books be banned?” by
the Guardian a teenager author explains her opinion and suggests “Teenagers may have developing minds, but
books help to shape it. I think that its more important for teenagers to read
these kinds of book, it gives them a wider viewpoint on life and what it can
really be like.” (“Should teen books be banned?” paragraph 8) This means that
texts like “Am I Blue?” can give young readers a different perspective on life.
One example of this is the part in “Am I Blue?” when Melvin explains how people
treated him because he is gay. For example, “It’s how I met my maker, so to
speak. I was walking down the street one day last year, minding my own
business, when three bruisers dragged me into an alley, shouting, ‘We’ll teach
you, faggot!’ They never did explain exactly what it was they were going to
teach me. Last thing I remember from life on earth was coming face to face with
a tire iron. Next thing I knew, I was knocking at the Pearly Gates.” (“Am I
Blue” page 3) This sentence shows how Melvin’s sexuality affected the way he
was treated. This is valuable because this sentence displays somewhat of a
realistic situation that allows young readers to understand how some of the
topics in texts are real life issues that people actually deal with.
On one hand, some may say that the text “Am I
Blue?” contains clichés, stereotypes, and language that is just inappropriate
and offensive and should not be allowed to be in a teenager’s possession. For
example “Taking back the language is one way to jam the grinder. My friends and
I called each other ‘faggot’ and ‘queer’ for the same reason so many black
folks call each other ‘nigger’—to take the words away from the people who wants
to use them to hurt us.” (“Am I Blue?” Page 5) some may take this sentence
offensive and/or think the language in this one sentence is simply too explicit
for some readers. On the other hand, the message behind what Melvin is trying
to say is more important than the way he is wording it. In this sentence Melvin
is trying to teach Vince a lesson about gaining strength from the bad things
people call him. Melvin is also trying to teach Vince a lesson about
self-confidence and acceptance within himself, which can be a lesson for the
teenager reading it. These lessons can teach readers to feel different about
their insecurities and personality just like Vince did by the end of the story.
“ ‘And my third wish? I’ve decided to save it for when I really need it—maybe
when I meet the girl of my dreams. Or Prince Charming. Whichever.’ ” (“Am I Blue?”
Page 10) This part indicates how a person can come back from their confusion
and sadness to become strong and confident, which is an important lesson teens
can learn.
The text “Am I Blue?” by Bruce Coville
should not be banned because of all of the valuable lessons it offers. This
text and texts similar to it shouldn’t be banned of our basic rights as
Americans. This text should be able to be shred among the young readers
community because of the valuable lessons it offers. Though the reader does include
some language that is a bit vulgar it’s because the author used this technique
create a stronger piece of writing and using these words and clichés as an
advantage to prove the author’s point. Many readers are mature enough to
benefit and truly get the message from this text, which is why it does deserve
to stay in schools.
Work Cited
Bauer, Marion Dane., and Bruce
Coville. Am I Blue?: Coming out from the Silence. New York:
HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Brunner, Borgna. ""Banned
Books"" Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
Carr, Freya. "Should Teen Books Be
Banned?" The Guardian. N.p., 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
I really enjoyed reading your essay. One of the best things about it was the introduction and your hook was really good. I also liked how you said each page number where you found your evidence from. Another really good part about your essay was the conclusion when you said "This text should be able to be shred among the young readers community because of the valuable lessons it offers.".
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