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Pros And Cons Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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In Cold Blood: Educational or Inappropriate? When brainstorming inappropriate subjects to discuss with children at school, topics such as murder, violence, inappropriate language, or affairs may come to mind. The question is raised that if it benefits the child to converse about these matters, should books about adult themes, like murder be allowed in schools? Many novels, including In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, arguably should be banned, because it contains gruesome details about real life murders. Parents are mostly concerned about letting their children reading this book, while the majority of teachers approve it. Despite the extreme violence and mature content in the novel, In Cold Blood should be included in high school curriculums …show more content…

An article from L.A. Times written by Megan O'Neil discusses the pros and cons of teaching the book in schools. The author interviewed a teacher who supported high schoolers reading the book and she had only positive things to say about the novel, "Capote’s work is a great fit for the class, because it introduces students to the American judicial system and the death penalty, among other contemporary topics. It is also superbly written and allows students to form their own opinions" (Ciotti). Ms. Ciotti believed the book would benefit her students greatly by introducing them to the controversial topics and letting them give their own opinions. A school board president agreed with Ms. Ciotti and had her own reasons for allowing the novel, “I whole-heartedly support the adoption of this book, not just because it is on the AP list, or because it represents a milestone in literature as the first nonfiction novel. For me, this book is a powerful juxtaposition of the depravity of humanity and the great humanity of the residents of the town” (Wagner). Ms. Wagner clearly knows the potential effect the book can have on students, which is why she supports the novel being allowed in schools. Many teachers undoubtedly will defend In Cold Blood, so they can introduce different topics that involve their class and children can collect new information from

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