Argument Essay:Final Draft:Should The Perks of Being a Wallflower be Banned for Sixth and Seventh Graders?

Argument Essay:Final Draft:Should The Perks of Being a Wallflower be Banned for Sixth and Seventh Graders?

Books containing sexual content, explicit language, drugs, drinking, and rape can

be alarming, especially to sixth and seventh graders. They can cause the reader to do what the character is doing in the book. It can affect them negatively or positively. A specific book that contains inappropriate content is The Perks of Being a Wallflower: By Steven Chbosky. Even though it is a good book containing many morals, sixth and seventh grade students and below should not read it because it contains sexual content, explicit language, drugs, drinking, and rape.

Sixth and seventh graders should not read this book because it contains explicit language and smoking.  “I agreed, but then my brother started saying how my sister was just a bitchy dyke.” (81) This doesn’t just show that there is cursing in the book, but also there is fighting between brothers and sisters.  If siblings fight, they may be influenced by this book to curse when fighting with each other. Another example of why this book should not be read by sixth and seventh graders:

“Can I have a cigarette?” I said. I couldn’t bring myself to say “burn a smoke.”

Not for my first one. I just couldn’t. When I lit it I didn’t cough. It actually felt

soothing. I know that it was bad in a health class way, but it was true.”

The character in the book that is doing this is only a freshman, meaning he is only 14-15 years old. If sixth or seventh graders read this, they may be influenced to do the same when they turn older. They may not understand what is wrong about smoking.

Another reason why sixth and seventh graders should not read this book is because it has sexual content and a rape scene. I think that sixth and seventh graders will not understand what is happening in that part, and they are also not mature enough to read that part of the book. This is a part of the book containing sexual content: “And I opened the door to the basement and my sister and this boy were naked. He was on top of her and her legs were draped on either side of the couch. And she screamed to me in a whisper- “Get out. You pervert.” (12) There are at least 3 more scenes like this in this book.

However, the author of (“The ‘sick-lit’ books aimed at children. It’s a disturbing phenomenon. Tales of teenage cancer, self harm, and suicide...) states: “...these books don’t spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression, and death. Most are also liberally peppered with sex and swearing.”

The author of “Darkness Too Visible,” says “The argument in favor of such novels is that they validate the teen experience, giving voices to tortured adolescents who would otherwise be voiceless.” If they had faced these experiences, they would know they are not alone. Also, if they were to encounter these problems, they would know how to deal with them. They would not feel alone because they would know other people have these problems and issues to deal with too.

I think that sixth and seventh graders should not read this book because it includes sexual content, rape, swearing, underage drinking, and drugs. I believe that sixth and seventh graders would not know what these things are, and what they mean. If they read this, they will learn more about sex, drugs, rape, drugs, and drinking.  They are also not mature enough to read the book, and may be influenced to follow in the main character’s footsteps.

What really hard things are happening in this text? Are these things happening in the world now? Where?

The book I am currently reading now is "Story of a Girl" by Sara Zerr. The main character is seventeen years old, and her name is Deanna Lambert. She was caught by her father doing sexual things with her brother's best friend (Tommy Webber) in the back of his car. Four years after, she is still being ignored by her father. She also known as the "school slut" in her school. Everyone bullies and ignores her. Her family is considered a failure, and Deanna dealt with sexual harassment. Throughout the book, Deanna becomes independent by getting a job so she can move out with her brother,his girlfriend, and baby. She also learns how to stand up for herself when she gets bullied.
  Teen pregnancy is a issue in this book. Deanna's older brother, Darren gets his girlfriend pregnant, they move in with his parents, since they have no money to support them. They argued about everything, from hair color to going to parties. Teen pregnancy is a social issue everywhere in the world. Another social issue in this book is poverty. Deanna's whole family is struggling to meet ends, they all work very hard to pay the rent, and they don't have a lot of money for shopping. Poverty is also a serious issue in the world.
 Sexual harassment plays an important part in this book. Throughout the story, Deanna gets sexually harassed by the senior boys in her school. Even when she was going to the food court with her best friend, she got touched in between her thighs from her school, since she was known as the "school skank." Sexual harassment happens everywhere in the world.
Those were all big issues in the book, but the biggest issue in this book was bullying. The kids in her school call her a skank and a slut. She gets bullied everyday, with only her best friend Jason to fight off the bullies and stand up for her. People in her school talk behind her back, and make up rumors about her. They even bully her at her job.
All of these social issues happen everywhere and everyday in the world. Children get bullied in school everyday, and don't know how to stand up for themselves. Teenagers get pregnant, and are unable to support themselves and the baby. People get sexually harassed everyday and many are too afraid to defend themselves, and hide in their shadows of fear. People are in poverty everyday, and don't have a place to live or food to eat. This book shows what our world is like now. Throughout the story, Deanna changes from dependent to independent. She learns how to stand up for herself and let go of her past. She becomes a better person.

Reading Response

Question: How does this book help you to think about social issues you care about or causes you are committed to?

     The book I am currently reading is called "Does My Head Look Big In This?" by Randa Abdel-Fattah. The main character is an Australian-Muslim-Palestinian 16 year old girl, called Amal. She lives in the suburb of Melbourne with her two parents, and is about to make a big decision in her life. It is to wear the hijab, which is a Muslim head scarf. She wants to show her passion in Islamic religion and she wants to prove to herself that she’s "strong enough to wear a badge of my [Amal] faith. I believe it will make me [Amal] feel so close to God." (Page 7) She is about to enter 11th grade, in McCleans Preparatory High School. Throughout the book, she gets called names, and discriminated because of her wearing the hijab. She also is very self-conscious with what people think of her while she is wearing the hijab. Throughout the whole book, she slowly changes.
     I feel connected to the main character, Amal, because she had also faced bullying and people discriminating her of what she was wearing and her background. I also had faced this problem in elementary school. People often bullied me because I was one of the few Asian people in the elementary school.  Amal was called names like: “Towel head” and when she did anything religious in her school (ex: Praying,) people bullied her for that. I did not get bullied for religious reasons, but for my background. I, like Amal, frequently got upset about what people thought about me. However, as the year went on and on, I gradually care less about what people thought of me.

   This book helped me think about social issues I care about, mostly racism and bullying.Bullying can lead to racism, discrimination, stereotyping, etc. My opinion is that you don’t just judge someone just because of their skin color or where they are from, or their religion, etc. We are all flesh and bone on the inside, so why judge people because of where they are from or what they believe in, or their skin color? This book really connects to world issues and kids who have been bullied because of their race, background, etc. People can really connect to this story. It teachs you to never stereotype someone and to not let politics judge you. 

Monday Muses #2

   One thing that inspired me lately is K-pop. When I was in elementary school, I was bullied for being half Asian. People would call me "Freak!""Weirdo!" and names like that. I would read a lot at lunch, while the other children went out at recess. Because of this, they would often call me a "nerd." Sometimes I would be ashamed of being half Chinese-Korean, because in elementary school, there weren't people like me.
   Three years ago, my friend introduced me to Korean pop music, which really changed my life. I couldn't believe I was ashamed of myself before. There were so many boy bands and girl bands. They all had at least 10 years of training to sing, dance, rap, and even act. Another reason why I love K-Pop is because it tells me to never give up. Everyday, tons of groups audition. This year, only 12 groups got to debut. Sadly, not a lot of groups get to debut, because there are so many groups. There are thousands of schools for becoming K-Pop artists. Many kids start training when they are about 5-7 years old! Some K-Pop artists even began debuting at 11 years old. K-Pop artists usually become successful at 16-20 years old. I am inspired by this because a lot of K-Pop bands I know had to try over and over again to become successful. I believe that you can't ever give up if you need to achieve something. This is how K-Pop inspired me.

Argument Essay: The Perks of Being a Wallflower: First Draft

Argument Essay: Draft 1

When I was in sixth grade, I went to the library. I sat down, and picked up a book lying on the table, and started to read. My eye twitched as I saw swear words over and over. I slammed the book down as the kissing part came. I slowly walked away, my sixth grade mind unable to process what I just read. The book I am currently reading is called “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” The author is Steven Chbosky. Even though “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a good book, sixth and seventh grades should not read it because it contains sexual content, explicit language, drugs, drinking, and rape.

Sixth and seventh graders should not read this book because it has explicit language, smoking, and drugs for underage teens.  For example: “I agreed, but then my brother started saying how my sister was just a bitchy dyke.”(Page 81) This doesn’t just show that there is cursing in the book, but also there is fighting between brothers and sisters. A example of teens underage smoking: “Can I have a cigarette?” I said. I couldn’t bring myself to say “burn a smoke.” Not for my first one. I just couldn’t. When I lit it I didn’t cough. It actually felt soothing. I know that it was bad in a health class way, but it was true.” The character in the book that is doing this is only a freshman, meaning he is only 14-15 years old. If sixth or seventh graders read this, they may be influenced to do the same when they turn older.

Another reason why sixth and seventh graders should not read this book is because it has sexual content and a rape scene. I think that sixth and seventh graders will not understand what is happening in that part, and they are also too young enough to read that part of the book. For example: (Page 12) “And I opened the door to the basement and my sister and this boy were naked. He was on top of her and her legs were draped on either side of the couch. And she screamed to me in a whisper- “Get out. You pervert.” There are at least 3 more scenes like this in this book. The author of (“The ‘sick-lit’ books aimed at children. It’s a disturbing phenomenon. Tales of teenage cancer, self harm, and suicide...) states: “...These books don’t spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression, and death. Most are also liberally peppered with sex and swearing.”

The author of “Darkness Too Visible,” says “The argument in favor of such novels is that they validate the teen experience, giving voices to tortured adolescents who would otherwise be voiceless.” If they had faced these experiences, they would know they are not alone. Also, if they were to encounter these problems, they would know how to deal with them. They would not feel alone because they would know other people have these problems and issues to deal with too.

In conclusion, I think that sixth and seventh graders should not read this book because it includes sexual content, rape, swearing, underage drinking, and drugs. I believe that sixth and seventh graders would not know what these things are. If they read this, they will be exposed to the brutal and harsh world, but they are still children and are too young for that.

      

Monday Muses

Memories.
Floating around, everywhere.
Bouncing, wavering.
Never to be forgotten.
Fat baby cheeks.
Wavy hair.
Memories.
From my father, teaching me how to ride a bike.
Telling me never to give up.
From my first spanking.
Telling me "Don't disobey your mother!"
To being accepted in MS51.
To going to high school.
Slowly, growing up.
Losing people.
It hurts.
Being an outsider.
Meeting someone like a sister to me.
Leaving relationships.
Opening myself to new ones.
Life.
It's an interesting thing.

Reading Response #3

The book “Just as Long as We’re Together” by Judy Blume is about friendship, honesty, and jealousy. The main character is Stephanie, who is an outgoing girl whose best friend is Rachel. Rachel is an hard-working student, and is Stephanie’s best friend. Alison is a Vietnamese girl from L.A who was adopted with no friends and alone. All three of them are going to seventh grade.
I believe Alison is very lonely, and tries to do anything she can to make friends (page 14). She introduces herself, and the one thing I find interesting about Alison is that the first thing she says to Stephanie is “My dog, Maizie, can talk.” Stephanie is very gullible and believes it. I think that Alison says this because she is desperate to make friends. Later, the girls see that they have the same homeroom with each other. The next day, Rachel scoffs and says “Dogs can’t talk!” This shows Rachel is not gullible and she is very mature, while Stephanie and Alison are not. I think that this might be a pattern. (I feel like Rachel is jealous, and the pattern might be that after every time Alison and Stephanie hang out, Rachel will be jealous.) 

Alison is also very shy and doesn't talk too much when you don’t know her, but she is not afraid to express herself. For example, here is a scene from the book (page 29)
Ms. Remo: Homeroom Teacher
* Ms. Remo is currently reading the students names on the first day. 
When she got to Alison, Mrs. Remo pronounced her last name Mon See U. Alison corrected her. "It's spelled M-o-n-c-e-a-u," she said. "But its pronounced Mon So. It's French." 
"Of course," Mrs. Remo said. "I should have known."
Everybody turned and looked at Alison. Alison just sat there as if she didn't notice, but I could see her clutching her favorite stone.
I think this shows Alison was nervous, but she wasn't afraid to correct the teacher. Most kids would normally just tell the teacher how to pronounce it and NOT tell them how to spell it or where it is from, unless the teacher asks. Again, I notice a pattern that Alison expressed herself, and kids thought she was weird, or either thought she was different and unique/cool.

Rachel is a little bit TOO mature for her age in my opinion. Later, when they came back from school, Rachel and Stephanie went over to Alison's house. She talks about the talking dog and a story of what Maizie did. Rachel is very skeptical, and asks Alison's father if it is true. Leon (Alison's father) is very impressed with her mature personality. He responds by saying "Yes , Maizie talks, usually a little too much." in respond of Rachel's question ("So you are saying your dog really talks?) I think that also, Leon was referring to Alison as the dog, making up stories in her head. When Stephanie and Rachel leave, Rachel says "She is obviously very insecure." I think that Rachel is thinking "What if the three of us becomes friends? And what if I get separated from Stephanie?"

In conclusion, I think that the pattern is that when Alison speaks or acts out, Rachel is always going to criticize her because of her jealousy. I also think that the author's message is to not be jealous of new friends your friends are making.

Reading Response #2:

The book I am currently reading is called School's Out Forever by James Patterson. It  is the second book of the Maximum Ride series. Maximum Ride is the main character. She has five siblings, (Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel.) who all have special talents. They are not blood related siblings, but they were created in a lab, in which they later escaped with a help of a human named Jeb. He took care of then for 2 years, and they thought of him as a father.The Ride family are 98% human and 2% bird. They also have wings, which are connected to their where their shoulders are. There is also another species, called Erasers. They are also known as "werewolves." They are big, strong, and bloodthirsty, and were made especially for Max's (Maximum's nickname) family,  to kill them. Max and her family always has to escape them. They have been running for four years so far. Max also has a voice in her head, and she thinks she is going crazy, because no one has voices in their heads..
             I think Max is a very caring sister to her siblings. They all think of her as the "mother hen of the flock" , who took care of them after Jeb left. She would do anything to get them back, even if it meant sacrificing her own life.  For example; when Fang got hurt by The Erasers, she was willing to go into a hospital for her family and her brother when he got injured. On page 25, it says " Not only were we are about to enter a hospital, which would freak it us all out, but it might end up being for nothing. Because Fang could die anyway." I then realized that hospitals were like labs. For example: doctors in white lab coats are similar to scientists in the lab. The smell of antiseptic, is the smell of purifying alcohol in the lab.
           Max is very easily jealous. When she saw Fang kissing some girl at school, she immediately thought that she was doing by force. When she saw Fang kissing back, she became very upset and ignored him for the rest of the day. Another example: when a woman named Anne took them in, and began treating them like her children, she felt like she was being replaced. She asked Fang if she was still their "mother hen" and Fang replied "No." She got upset, and very hurt. Fang saw this, and then said "You don't need to be a mother yet, you will someday." She then understood what he meant, and relaxed. I still think she was upset though, I wouldn't have gotten over it so easily.
Max is very protective of her family, in general. She cares about them a lot, since she grew up with them, and she didn't have any friends. In other words, they were her friends, her best friends who had always been there for her.

Reading Response #1
In the book Finally 12 by Wendy Mass, Rory has just turned 12. She has made a list of things-to-do when she turns twelve. When she turned twelve, she tries to do all of these things on the list. Every time she does something on the list, she has bad luck but also good luck. The main theme of the book is the older you get the more responsibilities and opportunities you have. 

One of the reasons I think that the theme "the older you get, the more responsibilities and opportunities you have" is because when it is Rory's birthday, she made a list of things to do when she is twelve. One of the things that she writes down is "to drink coffee." (Page 40)When she tries to make coffee, she has no idea how to make it. She then just turns random knobs and dials on her mother's "Fancy-schmancy espresso/cappuccino coffee maker" when she finishes making it, she forgets to put milk and sugar in the coffee. Then she remembers that she is supposed to put milk and sugar, and she puts too much milk and too much sugar. She also puts in two giant mugs, and drinks them one after the other. She gets coffee-drunk and she gets really hyper because of the coffee. The consequence is that her father sees and sends her to her room where she falls asleep because she became tired of bouncing around, and her father said she cannot drink coffee anymore because of that. 

Another reason I think the theme is "the older you get, the more responsibilities and opportunities" is also because Rory gets to stay home alone now that shes twelve. When it was her first time staying alone at home, Rory got scared and then she decided to call her mother twice. She took a bath later, and was still in the bath when she heard "a pounding noise outside" she ran out, only in her towel, when "a foot comes crashing in the door." I think this means that she is not RESPONSIBLE enough and I still think she is not old enough to take this responsibility. There are many possibilities that could happen when you are home alone. Someone could break in. A fire could start. You could electrocute yourself when you are listening to music with headphones on while in the BATH (what Rory did!) This is a reason why I think that Rory is not responsible enough to take care of herself and to stay home alone.

One last example that I thought was a example of the theme is "the older you get, the more responsibilities and opportunities you'll have." is when Rory goes babysitting, she babysits a child only 2 years younger than her. The girl she babysits is very intelligent. Rory asks her if she wants to do something, and she says watch a movie. Rory watches the movie along with her and notices it is still early for her bedtime. So the girl asks her to watch another movie. She falls asleep (not a responsible person for the job! and its only 8:20 pm!) Rory wakes up when the movie is over, but she sees that it is not the girl's bedtime. Then, the girl goes for a bathroom break. She puts on another movie, and Rory falls asleep AGAIN. When she wakes up, it is only 8:30! A whole movie has ended already, its not possible for ten minutes to pass for a whole movie. Then, she figures out the girl has been turning back the clock the whole time! This proves she is not a responsible babysitter and she cannot handle this job/situation yet!

In conclusion, I think "when you are older you will have more responsibilities and opportunities" is the theme because there are many examples in this book where Rory gets a opportunity and a responsibility but cannot take care of it. She then has to deal with the consequences, which proves she is too young and irresponsible to deal with these situations yet.