Have you ever read a book that had just as many reasons for it to be banned from schools as not to be banned? “Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech is that book. In the book, Mrs. Partridge, Margaret Cadaver’s mother, leaves messages on Phoebe Winterbottom’s porch. The first of these messages reads, “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” As Salamanca tells Phoebe’s story, she walks in Phoebe’s moccasins, and she learns not only about Phoebe but about herself as well. She declares that “beneath Phoebe’s story was another one. Mine.” I’ll have to say that “Walk Two Moons” does belong on the ALA’s 2017 Challenged or Banned Book List due to the theme of separation, the showing of guilt and blame, and broken families. …show more content…
The theme, separation, reflects the basic task of developing adolescence: separation from the mother.
Creech clarifies this theme for readers with Sal’s memories of her dog, Moody Blue. She remembers how Moody Blue would not let anyone touch its litter of puppies during the first week after their birth. Gradually, the dog allowed its puppies to be touched but would always carefully herd them back. When they were six weeks old, however, Moody Blue pushed them away. Sal thought that Moody Blue was terrible, but her mother explained the dog’s behavior by telling Sal, “They have to become independent. What if something happened to Moody Blue? They wouldn’t know how to survive without her.” This shows the reasoning of the book being banned from students reading it because it isn't appropriate for students to have to think about what it would be like if something happened to their mother and they had to learn how to be independent at a young age. A school shouldn't be introducing “not knowing how to survive without your mother” because this topic should not be brought up at such young …show more content…
ages. We all know it's really easy to blame other people, especially when you don't know their whole story, and even more especially when you are feeling hurt yourself. “Walk Two Moons” is all about what happens when you blame someone without really understanding that person. The message, "don't judge a person until you've walked two moons in their moccasins," appears again and again in this book because the author knows that once you've done this, you might just realize how much you have in common. Then, of course, it's easier to forgive and to move on. Unfortunately, “Walk Two Moons” also shows us that sometimes there just isn't anyone to blame for all of the sadness and pain in life. Bad things can happen in life, and it's no one's fault. This is a topic that students should not be reading about in school because students should not be hearing about the negativity in the world inside of school, this is something they can hear outside of school on their own time. “Walk Two Moons” has all sorts of families – strange ones, normal ones, chaotic ones, and at the heart of it all, a broken one.
Sal's mother has left, and she and her father are more distant than ever as they cope with their grief, but as the book goes on Sal goes on quite the journey, and is slowly able to put the pieces back together. Still, she can never fully accept the emptiness that her mother has left behind.It's not so easy being a mom, it turns out. Both Chanhassen and Mrs. Winterbottom struggle keeping their devotion to their children with holding on to their own identities, and over the course of the book, Sal begins to understand just how tough this is. Children in school should not be exposed to these type of hardship family relationships. Yes, most times children are going to be going through hardships and family issues, but reading a book with that is not appropriate due to the fact that students shouldn't be having to think about things like this in the school environment. School should be a happy, positive learning environment for all
students. In conclusion, “Walk Two Moons” should be on the ALA’s 2017 Challenged or Banned Books List due to the reasons listed above. Students in public schooling should not be exposed to this kind of negative and non school related topics; these are subjects to be brought upon children in a non school environment. If you're all for kids learning and experiencing these type of situations mentally in a school zone, then go for it, read this book in school. But, if you agree with me and my reasonings, join my side and get this book on the ALA’s 2017 List!
In the short story “Dog,” Russo paints the picture of a strong willed boy who is amongst parents who don’t understand what the real problem which is his lack of parents attention and bad parenting when dealing with his extreme obsessions over getting a dog.
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.
This controversial book has been challenged in countless states for many years. In 1997 the Elgin, Illinois school district banned the book from middle school libraries. Catherine explained that the book was banned because “talk of masturbation, birth control, and disobedience to parents occurred”
There are multiple reasons why a book can be banned or challenged. Book banning causes the removal of materials in schools and libraries due to “inappropriate” content. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, was banned due to sexual content and language.
Despite being a worldwide best seller, J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye has been on the banned books list since 1961 ( (Baldassarro). The Catcher in the Rye tells the short journey, of anti-hero Holden Caulfield, between the end of the fall semester and Christmas break (Salinger). The story begins when Holden is expelled from his school, Pency Prep, for failing a majority of his classes (Salinger). Holden knows he must return home, so he attempts to prolong the scolding he will receive from his parents, for being expelled, by venturing around Manhattan until it becomes necessary to return to his home (Salinger). Holden tells his story in the most vulgar way possible. Holden accounts being offered a prostitute by an elevator operator when he asks, “Innarested a little tail t’night?” (Salinger 91). Offensive language is also used throughout the book, for example, “You’re a dirty stupid sonuvabitch of a moron” (Salinger 44). Underage drinking is also one of Holden’s favorite passtimes as evident in the quote, “I ordered a scotch and soda, and told him not to mix it- I said it fast as hell, because if you hem and haw, they think you’re under twenty-one and won’t sell you any intoxicating liquor” (Salinger 69). These three quotes express the precise justifications for banning books: sexually explicit content, offensive language, and underage drug use (Association). Although, many consider The Catcher in the Rye to be morally wrong, it should not ...
Did you ever think that books that have sex, obscene language, and immoral subjects can make a good book? The Catcher in the Rye has been on the banned reading list for exactly those reasons. The book was mainly put on disapproval from between 1966 and 1975 in almost every school district in the United States. The book was said to be so bad that in 1960 a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh-grade English class. Despite some opposition to the novel, however, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye should be on a reading list for the freshman students because it gives a crystal clear image on how the world is in violence, sex, and obscenity and the book also teaches the motifs of lying and deception.
She feels that caregivers don’t trust their children and that they rather than giving their child commands. I see some similarities of my life and experiences that I found in the text. When I was growing up, I pretty much had a childhood. Me and my sister will play outside and do things without being supervised by my parents. We were able to explore outside and make up games to play with other kids. When it rain and snow me and my sister will use our imagination and create games such as house or school. My parents didn 't control our childhood they didn 't create activities, nor tell me what to do with our free time. I was pretty much free. But as I got older, parents started to be involved in my life and started to plan my future. The concepts of the worldviews, biases, and assumptions that are used in the text is that parents make it difficult for their children to interact with their surroundings because it ends with the consequences. Ellen claims that a child should learn how to use their imagination instead of following the rules. The worldviews that are found in my personal and education life is that the author’s perspective about how she see the world relates to
Other people that she knows go through the same loss, and people she loves die. As a result of this, Sal begins to realize that although death is a terrible thing, but it is a natural part of life and by the end of the story she learns to accept loss. Evidence of this is that at the beginning of the story, Sal says: “It isn’t normal to die. It isn’t normal. It’s terrible.”
With the thought that someone can be hurt by reading a book, people will try to challenge and ban them. To ban a book is to have it restricted from a certain age or audience. Banning and challenging books is trying to keep a certain book away from an audience due to sexual content, going against religious beliefs, language and vulgarity, violence, drugs, self-harm, racism, occult/satanic views, promoting gangs, and going against community standards. An argument from someone who believes books should not be banned is that it is important for the age group to learn about certain content and material as they grow up. Due to controversial content, the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald should be banned.
Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger has served as a conflagration for debate and extreme controversy. Although the novel has been the target of scornful criticism, it has also been the topic of wide discussion. The novel portrays the life of sixteen year old, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden recalls what happened to him last Christmas. At the beginning of his story, Holden is a student at Pencey Prep School. Having been expelled for failing four out of his five classes, Holden leaves school and spends 72-hours in New York City before returning home. There, Holden encounters new ideas, people, and experiences. Holden's psychological battle within himself serves as the tool that uncovers the coming-of-age novel's underlying themes of teen angst, depression, and the disingenuous nature of society. The novel tackles issues of blatant profanity, teenage sex, and other erratic behavior. Such issues have supplemented the controversial nature of the book and in turn, have sparked the question of whether or not this book should be banned. The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level.
'The novel has long ignited disapproval, and it was the most frequently banned book in schools between 1966 and 1975. Even before that time,
As you can now see “To Kill A Mockingbird” should not be be banned because it tells an important fictional story about America's past. This book does contain rape, violence, and foul language. The author is keeping true to the time period. Also these kind of things are seen in the world on a daily basis. Us children should not be sheltered from these kind of serious
From the years 2000 to 2009, 5,099 books were challenged in school libraries, classrooms, and public libraries. Most of the books on this list were banned because of objectionable content such as sexual references, profanity, violence, and the fact that the book was considered “unsuited to age group” (American Library Association). Even prior to the year 2000, censorship and banned books had become an issue for schools in particular all across the country for these very reasons. While the The Color Purple by Alice Walker does contain the objectionable content mentioned prior, it should not be banned because objectionable content found in the book is accessible through the internet and social media, one person’s complaint should not determine another’s choice, and high school students should be mature enough to handle the adult content.
Banning books from public schools and public libraries is wrong. It’s irrational to have a parent or school board member’s opinion determine what a school district should be reading. Books including and not limited to, The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Flies, and Animal Farm all have one thing in common. They have all at one time or another been subject to banishment. These literary classics have been around for a long time and proved to be vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents. These novels teach values and educate children about world affairs that can not come from an everyday experience. These controversial novels encompass the materials that ultimately boost our educational wealth. Banning books infringe
Some parents put their children up on a pedestal, and treat them as if they are the most prized creatures on the Earth. Parents think that they raise their children right, but Gottlieb makes a valid point when she states, “As a parent, I wanted to do things right. But what does ‘right’ mean?” I like how Gottlieb uses the story of the child tripping over a rock. When the kid falls, some parents would come to the rescue, and cuddle the child before they even start to cry. Even though they mean well, I feel like these parents are not even thinking of how a scenario as simple as this can affect their children later in life. This example reflects that even the overprotective and “good” parents end up having children that are lost and unhappy because they did not show any discipline and organization. Dan Kindlon, a children’s psychologist that Gottlieb mentioned, explained, “There’s a difference between being loved and being constantly monitored.” This made me think of a friend whom goes to West Georgia who I will call Ella. She grew up with the constant surveillance of her