Speak: Damaging Lifestyles In Schools

Rape. Violence. Profanity. Damaging Lifestyles. Why would a parent want their once innocent child to come home from school informing their family about this vulgar behavior? In the book Speak, violent actions and dark intentions drench the pages with its demeaning content robbing the readers of their innocence. Because of the age-inappropriate material such as profanity, damaging lifestyles, rape, and violence in Speak, this book should be banned. Defenders of Speak say that profanity is casually used throughout the hallways of school and all over social media anyway. There is no difference reading it in the book. However, the use of profanity in the school’s curriculum makes it seem normal for teens to curse and use vulgar language more often as if condoning it. Using profanity in everyday language will affect how a person is perceived and even one’s respect received from colleagues. Also reading profane words in books at school is very distracting to young teens. It causes them to giggle and distract others by pointing out these obscene words to their friends. The use of profanity is distracting and is leading teens down the wrong path.

These are damaging lifestyle choices that children and young teens should not consider before high school. Sure these choices are made, but kids may take the situations in the book the wrong way and not learn from them. Perhaps it gives them ideas about sneaking out and having parties. Perhaps they may even sympathize with the partiers that got mad at Melinda for calling the cops. Also in Speak the teens at the party are drinking and having fun. Under-aged drinking should not be advertized to teens as a good time. Mistakes are made and horrible things can happen, such as Melinda being raped. This is just one of the many horrible consequences of under-aged drinking at a