Analysis: The House Of The Scorpion

Recently I read a fictional book written by Nancy Farmer, entitled The House of The Scorpion. It was about a Boy named Matt that was made a clone so that his organs could prolong the life a ruler filled with power. It involved criminals becoming slaves and mind controlled with injections. It involved lies, deceit, power, isolation and death. It involved Matt having to make choices which ultimately formed his own identity. There is a debate going on today wherein they are considering removing literature as a school curriculum. In my mind, this is just as crazy as the world that Matt lived in. Fiction allows readers to view the world from different perspectives. It allows the reader to consider actions and choices made by fictional characters, and then allows the reader to self-reflect about one’s own life. Sometimes literature presents characters that we can identify with. Identity is a major issue with all teenagers.
It takes us away from our everyday lives. It’s all about living an experience through someone else's eyes. We learn to see the lives of others. It can refresh our mind from reality. Literature can be a stress reliever to students. Thirdly, if literature is removed from school, then is it not the same as mind control? Is it not the same as cloning us to be students who have zero opportunity to create our identity Literature allows us to question character’s decision and action taken in these stories. It gives us a chance to examine characters and personalities that we might find in the business world. Lastly, fiction serves a purpose for all readers to broaden our scope to the world. It prepares us to deal with change and differences. If we are stripped of literature, then we too will be like Matt. We will have a life controlled by money and power. We would not be influenced by words written in a book, we would be influenced by the spoken