Okay, let me start out by saying that there is a reason why a book is put on a school curiculem. People look at a book based on individual parts. "Oh this story had sex, drugs, self mutilation, witchcraft, etc." What they fail to realize is that those are just pieces of a larger puzzle. When you look at it as a whole, Literature always has a message that it sends to the readers. You just have to look for it. America's problem is that they are too lazy to look at the big picture and focus on the aspects that they want to focus on. Unfortunately that tends to be whatever they think is morally wrong and thus censorship is born.
Now should a parent have any say in what their children read. Absolutly they should. As a matter of fact I encourage it. But at the same time you have to realize that children grow up and in order to prepare them for the real world you have to expose them to the best and the worst of what is out there. It just so happens that books are a fairly nice and simple way of doing it. If it happens in a school setting, so much the better becuase believe it or not, kids do talk about it. I would know. I graduated from high school less than two years ago and I tutor elementary and middle school kids and they ask me questions. Believe it or not, kids are curious on why there are security cameras in their school. You can't keep them innocent of the nasty truth forever.
Going back to the parent thing, I'm glad that some of you had parents who took a sincear interest in what you were reading when growing up. Unfortunately that is not the case with most parents now a days. Parents might be aware that their kids are reading a novel for school, but instead of questioning it they're going to trust the school system. And if one parent does make a big huss and fuss about it, do you honesly think that other parents are going to give a damn about it. No they're going to look at them as whiners. And it's rediculous for a book to get banned from a school just because of one parent.
I'll end this by saying that despite what some people thing, reading Literature is important. If nothing eles it's a testimony of the views and perceptions of the time the work was written in. That's not even taking into consideration the ethical and moral pricipals that are taught or the reinforcement of reading and analytical skills. There is a lot more to school than learning "facts."
no subject
Okay, let me start out by saying that there is a reason why a book is put on a school curiculem. People look at a book based on individual parts. "Oh this story had sex, drugs, self mutilation, witchcraft, etc." What they fail to realize is that those are just pieces of a larger puzzle. When you look at it as a whole, Literature always has a message that it sends to the readers. You just have to look for it. America's problem is that they are too lazy to look at the big picture and focus on the aspects that they want to focus on. Unfortunately that tends to be whatever they think is morally wrong and thus censorship is born.
Now should a parent have any say in what their children read. Absolutly they should. As a matter of fact I encourage it. But at the same time you have to realize that children grow up and in order to prepare them for the real world you have to expose them to the best and the worst of what is out there. It just so happens that books are a fairly nice and simple way of doing it. If it happens in a school setting, so much the better becuase believe it or not, kids do talk about it. I would know. I graduated from high school less than two years ago and I tutor elementary and middle school kids and they ask me questions. Believe it or not, kids are curious on why there are security cameras in their school. You can't keep them innocent of the nasty truth forever.
Going back to the parent thing, I'm glad that some of you had parents who took a sincear interest in what you were reading when growing up. Unfortunately that is not the case with most parents now a days. Parents might be aware that their kids are reading a novel for school, but instead of questioning it they're going to trust the school system. And if one parent does make a big huss and fuss about it, do you honesly think that other parents are going to give a damn about it. No they're going to look at them as whiners. And it's rediculous for a book to get banned from a school just because of one parent.
I'll end this by saying that despite what some people thing, reading Literature is important. If nothing eles it's a testimony of the views and perceptions of the time the work was written in. That's not even taking into consideration the ethical and moral pricipals that are taught or the reinforcement of reading and analytical skills. There is a lot more to school than learning "facts."