Many people argue that Robert Cormier’s literature is dark, un-optimistic, and that young adults should not be reading his stories. Sylvia Patterson Iskander argues in her article Reader, Realism, and Robert Cormier that: The almost universal distress about Cormier's work springs directly from the power and consistency of his imagined world, which convinces readers that it bears a recognizable relationship to the "real world" and yet appears to leave no room for anything but pessimism about the survival of Cormier's protagonists. Because of this, several school boards and parental groups in New York, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Arizona have tried to ban Cormier's novels from the classroom. (Par. 2) Some people can not find any good in Robert Cormier’s novels and prefer to have their children watch or read stories with happy endings and happy characters. Disney and Dream-Works are some of the top movie choices for most children and parents, but what they do not realize is that it is …show more content…
Robert Cormier’s use of manipulation through negative adult influences affects the growth of younger characters. Barney Snow, a sick teenage boy, is manipulated by a negative adult, the Handyman, in the novel The Bumblebee Flies Anyways. The Handyman is an older man who works at the Complex where Barney lives; the Complex is an experimental hospital for the sick. Most people in the Complex are experimented on or manipulated in one way or another but what Barney does not realize is that he happens to be one of the largest experiments there: The Handyman appears and is forced by Barney’s panic to reveal that the nightmare- and the phrase “rhythm, tempo” and his fragmentary memories of his mother- have been experimental screens to shield his knowledge of a terrible truth: he too is dying of a terminal illness.
Plenty of parents have succeeded in removing these subjectively distasteful books from their children’s school’s shelves and reading lists but concerns about what book banning actually does to the students who aren’t allowed to read them have arisen. Paul Ringer, author of “How Banning Books Marginalizes Children," states that, “When we say, ‘This book is inappropriate,’ we’re telling those children ‘your situation … your family … your life is inappropriate.” Banning books sends the wrong message to those who share experiences with the topic of the book and shelters the themes from students who may need them. While parental concerns and opinions about
The repetition of child corruption in Cormier’s novels, influence readers to overlook the brutal actions of psychologically damaged adolescents. In his novel, The Rag and
Do people ever think about a radioactive dust cloud killing all of humanity? Nevil Shute did, and he wrote On the Beach to warn people about the dangers of nuclear war. Commander Dwight Towers, a character in On the Beach, took a crew of men in a submarine on a trip around North America. They explored the destruction of a nuclear war that created a radioactive dust cloud that is slowly moving south. The radiation levels become so high that nobody can survive them.
Throughout the course of his article, “How Do They Do It” Chris Crutcher argues that the school systems should not take books that are relatable and significant to students out of the curriculum because of parents or un-educators urging them into censoring books with no proof of wrong effects on the students. Crutcher makes his argument through the use of his personal experiences, prejudice or biased opinion, and allusion throughout the article. When making his argument Crutcher uses his personal experience and observations to show the effects censoring his book had on the students and teachers in the school. Crutcher’s book, Whale Talk, was censored by the school system in a school in Fowlerville, Michigan after one parent complained for disturbing
These details, as controversial as they may be, are meant to build the story and add emphasis, but they are not the purpose of the story. To remove these books from schools removes the world's life lessons and values from the
In the book An Invisible Thread, the author often provides examples of parents that have a poor quality of parenting. First there is Laura’s father Nunziato Carino, who’s a bartender. After he is done with his shift, he would often come home drunk and yell at his son, Frank who is Five. Frank will quickly hide under his bed sheet as his father dammed his name again and again. This happened frequently and every one would hide in their rooms as unfortunate Frank takes his father’s heavy word beating each night.
“Censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in the darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance .
Are we able to control our destiny or the outside forces? There are very good arguments about that but at the end of the day, I feel like we don’t control what happens to use in the future. Especially after I read the book, “A Lesson Before Dying”. Jefferson, the main character, was executed for something he didn't even do. He had a future and it was all gone due to what he couldn't control.
Her full use of strong language diminishes pieces of literature’s worth and questions their true significance. She claims this in a critical tone by stating, “Like most parents who have, against all odds, preserved a lively and still evolving passion for good books, I find myself, each September, increasingly appalled by the dismal lists of texts that my sons are doomed to waste a school year reading”(Prose, 176). She uses words like dismal to describe the book choices students would have to read according to the curriculum of the educational system. By using words like dismal, she expresses her feeling of disappointment towards the curriculum. She
Cormier's subsequent works have also provoked the reaction that their stark depiction of violence and sexuality, and their unvarnished pessimism, make them unsuitable reading material for children” (“Cormier, Robert” 344). He would continue to write books for years up until the end of his life in which he published his last book The Rag and Bone Shop in 2001 just a few short months after his death. Even through all the negative reviews on his books, Cormier one many awards. These include “Best Human Interest Story of the Year”. “Associated Press in New England”, “Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Fellow”, Best Newspaper Column,” “New York Times”, “Best Book for Young Adults”, “American Library Association Readers’ Choice”, ect.
In this letter, Conroy discusses how students and teachers are being set back because of the banning of books that are about the same visuals and sayings they hear on a daily basis.
It is wholly recurrent to blindly skim through a detailed piece of literature and be unconscious to the likeness it shares with other pieces of literature. I am surely guilty of this ignorant practice, however. As I was reading “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde and “On Turning Ten” by Billy Collins, I didn’t truly perceive the connection right away. The obvious was already divulged in my mind; they’re both in the points of views of children. They, however, both have a mutual theme; growing up brings uncertainty and disappointment.
In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding the author portrays that children are not completely innocent. Golding’s representation of childhood and adolescence also shows us the attitudes children have towards participating in work. In Lord of the Flies Golding portrays that children are not completely innocent.
In the United States, an average of 25% of Americans have not read a book in the last year, can it be because the school systems are not giving the right fiction or novel readings that will get students’ attention. The fact that the amount of students that don’t read books and the school board trying to get rid of fiction and novel books are intertwine with each other because the students are not reading the right kinds of books that are related to the real world. In the novel, “Dear Martin”, the boy Justyce has been faced with police brutality and racial profiling. All these things happen in the real world and this is why they should not get rid of fiction and novels at schools. The school board should not be allowed to remove fiction and
The audience can relate to the films and consider about specific contents that are being presented. When people talk about an animated company, Walt Disney Company will