Jonathan Safran Foer says in his novel, “for reasons that need not be explained, you made a strong impression on me” (215). This quote is exactly what you will think once you finish the book. Reading this text provokes new ideas and will make you think more about what you’re doing with your life. The novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer is a hardcover that has been challenged in public school systems since it came out. The novel is about Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old, who lost his father in the 9/11 attacks. After looking through his dad’s closet, he found a key and set out on a quest to make sense of his dad’s death. The novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a work of realistic fiction that should be available to everyone. Even though the novel has a questionable word choice, the meaning of the text is more important. The themes in this novel are the strong messages that support why this novel shouldn’t be banned, these being identity, love, and coping mechanisms. …show more content…
There are brief instances of profanity and sexual content which may have been questionable. Nevertheless the overall themes of the book are an amazing learning experience for children of all ages. Even without including the content, the first amendment protects books from being banned. Putting away a book is restricting the author from freedom of the press and dissemination. The book itself is unquestionably interesting and goes into deep thought. It teaches its readers about unique identity, unconditional love, and ways to cope. These are lessons that aren’t taught in the American school system. By letting children read this book they will learn more than just science, math, English, and history. High school libraries need to keep this book on their shelves for it goes beyond the school
While researching the book you discover that in South Carolina, the Berkley County school district, was one of the first to pull the book from schools and libraries. This occurred after a mom protested the book when her 8th grade daughter had to read little experts from the book to her classmates. The student's mother did not want her to be reading a book with so much profanity and references to sex. One of the most controversial lines that comes from the book is when Alice writes in her journal “Another day, another blow-job”. She does these blow jobs in exchange for drugs.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer is a non-fiction novel written by an American author. The book mostly follows the three main characters, Oskar, his grandmother, and his grandfather, Thomas Schell, Sr. Oskar is a nine-year-old boy from New York whose father died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. He is exceptionally intelligent and curious and goes on a quest through New York City’s five boroughs to find the lock which belongs to a key his father had in his closet. Between chapters, a separate story is told of his grandparents marriage and life in Dresden, Germany. His grandfather, Thomas Schell Sr. is mute and collects stacks of daybooks in which he writes what he needs to say. His first love, Anna, died in a bombing while pregnant with his child. Shortly after starting his new life in the United States, he runs into Anna’s sister, they get married, and he leaves her after he found out his wife was pregnant. His wife, Oskar’s grandmother, lives across the street from Oskar and his mother and helped raise him.
The novel was challenged at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Florida in 2007. It was challenged by John and Anna Ferrell. They wanted it banned because “They use the f-word everywhere else. That's unacceptable” (Weeder). They felt that the book was inappropriate because of the constant swearing. The book was kept in the school. The decision was justified because in the end it is the principal's decision. One must respect that.
These school boards and parents can claim that banning this classic will protect their children from these subjects and these thoughts, and that by doing so, they can create the world to be a perfect place with love and harmony. The religious can claim all the righteousness they want, that God made the civilized man and that without religion, we wouldn’t be where we are today. However, the true nature of these subjects isn’t in that they exist, but the fact that we simply just don’t want to think or admit that they exist within ourselves. We need to use this book as a textbook to life, or a sort of guiding hand that tells us we need to realize that without our civilizations and without our rules, the world would be a much ruthless place than it is today.
The American Library Association, ALA, is an organization that, among other things, compiles a list every year of the most frequently challenged books. “The American Library Association actively defends the right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment.” (ALA) Many times, the books on this list are challenged by parents with the want to protect their children from things they don’t believe to be appropriate. “Only parents have the right and responsibility to restrict the access of their children” (ALA) Even with these good intentions, by challenging a book, they are trying to challenge the authors’ thoughts and words, their First Amendment rights. These books usually contain complicated ideas, issues, and information that cause parents to not want them where their kids can read them. The novel My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult is a challenged book because of its homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexism, sexually explicit scenes, violence, and being unsuited to its age group; by all means this novel should not be challenged because, it’s use of offensive language is only used to intensify certain situations, and through all of the controversial issues it employs, it puts in perspective just how far someone would go for his/her family.
The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level. Banning this novel contradicts an individual's inalienable rights as an United States citizen. It limits freedom of speech and as well as other forms of expression. Although controversial, profanity is not a reason to limit an individual's rights. America is founded on principles that are not fueled by exceptions. Profanity is not an exception to freedom of speech. The Catcher in the Rye should not be excluded from curriculums at the high school level.
Although this book uses offensive words, it is such an important part of this time period. Some adults may not want their kids reading these stories in school because they can repeat the words and use them offensively. People could also feel that this book isn’t appropriate because it was written so long ago and uses old-fashioned phrases that don't teach students proper English. People will always have their own opinions.
...ailable in public libraries, parents or guardians should monitor what their children are reading anyhow. If I were a teacher I would not teach or read about this book in my classroom. There is no knowledgeable information in the books; they are for entertainment purpose only. I would also not suggest that any of my students read the books. If they find them on their own that would be perfectly fine.
There are many reasons that violence is one of the reasons that the book has been banned. “He determined to strand me outside district 12 until he can apprehend to arrest me? Drag me to the square to be locked in a stockade or whipped or hanged?” (Collins 151). This isn’t really a strong bloody gory violence that would cause a student to get sick in class it’s a basic violence that you would see in any other book that involves killing and fighting. And by exposing this type of violence to children it will raise their maturity level and have the children comprehend that there is violence around them in the world and they’re going to have to learn to deal with it. 56% of the book is challenged by parents and only 13% by libraries. This tells the reader that parents have a more difficult time with the book so you ask yourself is it more of the parents why they see the book? Or is it their child’s way they see the book? both child and parents are going to see the book differently so children may like the violence in the book but the parents may say th...
... grader? I believe that these books should not be banned to any 9th grader because the word usage is great. It’s a great story and most people 9th grader would agree that this book is ok for them to read.
... conclusion, Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close doesn’t sugarcoat tragedy. It faces it head on and without a sensor, thus allowing it to maintain historical truth. The use of the scrapbook allows the reader to see into the mind of the narrators and reveals personality traits that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. By writing from the point of view of three different narrators, Foer has allowed the reader to see into the minds of people in three different stages of grief. He also focusing primarily on life after trauma, specifically differentiating between acceptance and attachment, and provides the reader with solid advice on how to deal with the tragic aftermath of trauma. Most importantly, the story of the Schell family shows the reader that they are not alone, and that traumatic experience do not have to define who she becomes as a person.
For example, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, the city’s school board challenged the book and voted that the book should stay as a ninth grade school curriculum. It should not be challenged in any state. In our classroom, we have read this book and when we were reading it, nobody seemed to be making any comments about the use of language and racism mentioned. The reason being is that we are mature enough to handle what is in the book.
Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is oftentimes banned for depicting rape, as well as being “anti-white.” John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is discriminated against for containing too much profanity. The anonymously-written Go Ask Alice has been shunned for portraying drug use, sexual situations, and profanity. (Kelly) Other than being banned, though, these books all have something more in common; they are classic works that have timeless, moralistic value. They each tell a message. Their messages couldn’t possibly be conveyed in their original, meaningful essences if the contents of the books were to be altered or removed from society all together. Therefore, children and adults alike would miss out on countless opportunities to expand their enlightenment.
It is a book that my child may never be able to read. It seems that the only logical reasoning to aid in what offends people is to completely eliminate the book from the library. A better approach is to understand that this book may help them examine other beliefs, attitudes, values, and traditions and to accept, tolerate, or even reject these ideas without prejudices against people who hold particular views. In the democracy In which we live, where regularly all ideas are debatable. A wide range on all points of view should be available to the public.
First of all, I think that Sound and Fury was an appropriate film for us to view and analyze in this class. I enjoyed the lecture given after we viewed it, epically because it was brought to my attention that the follow up film was funded by people who make cochlear implants. We were reminded that not all documentaries are non-fiction or unbiased! I really appreciated that because I love watching documentaries (I think I needed that reminder). I also enjoyed the film, I thought it was interesting because I knew very little about the deaf word before. I have a hearing friend whose parents are both deaf, Sound and Fury made me much more curious about her childhood and how she and her sister developed speech. It also opened my eyes to how important deaf culture can be to deaf people!