“Disliking Books at an Early Age” by Gerald Graff is about a story of his education. Graff is currently a professor of English and education at Illinois University at Chicago. Graff has also received his BA in English from the University of Chicago and PhD in English and American literature from Stanford University. This story is about the authors back round of education and its impact on his career…
Theodor Seuss Geisel has brought on many awards and accomplishments. Even though his life was rough, considering his first wife passed away, he still managed to bring on his talent into creating a numerous amount of children’s books and they are only becoming more and more popular over the years, being introduced to more and more children each year. Each of Dr. Seuss’ story informs a different message and lesson that kids learn. Overall, Theodor Seuss Geisel was an outstanding children’s book author that even kids today still read his…
Gerald Graff has had a distinguished academic career; receiving his BA in English from the University of Chicago and his PhD in English and American Literature from Stanford University. Throughout his career, he has taught at various universities and is currently a professor of English and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Today’s summary is about and excerpt from Beyond the Culture Wars: How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American Education (1993) called “Disliking Books.”…
I can’t say I’m astonished by the State Board of Education’s decision to ban “To Kill a Mockingbird”. After all, what can you expect from such short-minded people? Such people that regrettably are put in the position to judge what books are moral and fit to be read by young adults. Is it the book’s display of what really happens in the world, or the book’s lessons of protecting innocence and standing up for what you see as right, that makes this book so disgraceful, that we must shelter young minds from?…
There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” This is a famous quote said by Marcel Proust. Books over the centuries have had an influential impact on the lives of many. Arguably, there are none more influential than children’s books. Children’s books contain important life lessons and teach many children the basic values they will hold for the remainder of their lives. Examples of the best range from the well-known Dr. Seuss books, to the always-popular Winnie the Pooh books. Although those are historically popular, The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, is one that should be kept in mind. With it’s enticing illustrations, simple and descriptive context, and lesson it portrays, the children’s book The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister should be considered for a spot on the “Top 100 Children’s Books” list.…
A quote by Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Chains, states, “Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.” Ray Bradbury exhibits the two main factors that support self censorship in his dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451. Through the development of a shallow culture and hostility towards books, Bradbury implies how mass media can suppress free speech as thoroughly as a controlling government. With the growth of a pleasure centered culture, fast cars, loud music, and television overpower the popularity of books. The abundance of stimulation in this new lifestyle makes published materials overwhelming and unable to hold society’s concentration. Bradbury describes how society slowly loss interest in books, by condensing…
To find out that the outstanding children’s book series, Junie B. Jones is banned from some public schools because she reveals behavior that is not suitable for younger viewers is not right. The series of novels has its share of bad grammar, questionable behavior, poor language, and bad decisions. But is that to say it should be banned? Junie B. Jones should be not banned because the behavior she exhibits is normal to that of a kindergarten or first grader. Teachers and school administrators do not particularly care for the novels because they feel it will cause their students to act in a negative manner.”…
Seuss’ books expressed social and political views. For example, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, about the materialism of the Christmas season; Yertle the Turtle, about Hitler and authoritarianism; The Sneetches, about racial equality; and The Lorax, about environmentalism and anti-consumerism. (Banned) Soon after the war, Seuss’ books went on the banned books list. In a 1992 New York Times Book Review article, Janet Maslin complained about what she felt was the “scare factor” in children’s literature. Maslin sited Seuss, and complained that educational children’s literature neither entertains nor soothes its young audience.…
Cited: Beatserfield, Suzanne M. “Parental Concerns About Book Content Should Not Be Dismissed.” English Journal 97.3 (2008). Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.…
“A cultural shift is not always an ideological one - or at least not always the one you imagine. Our norms are always evolving.” says David Harsanyi. As time goes by, everyday habits are altered to match current events and society. Neil Postman makes a point in Amusing Ourselves to Death by stating that modern society is becoming like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and not like George Orwell’s 1984. Postman includes many factors in his argument like the different forms of entertainment, control, and the concealment of truth and information. The society in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is controlled by pleasure, egoism, and the irrelevance of truth. Neil Postman is correct, modern society is becoming…
After all, the book focuses heavily on the alienation felt by teenagers as they transition into adulthood and banning one of the few books taught in school that we might resonate with is more or less completely in synchronicity with the view of adults presented in the book. However, such philosophical digressions can be benched for another day. What my peers and I know is that being a teenager is hard. Being in a place where you are widely misunderstood by anyone outside of your age group is frustrating at the least and can be completely ruinous. By exposing us to a work of literature that not only is technically advanced and well-written, but is sonorous to the reader's psyche, a profound opportunity to truly impact the way a teen reader feels is created. To dismiss such an opportunity because of some ridiculous “American pastime” of denying literature based on superficial discrepancies with what society deems as appropriate is ignorant of the intelligence that teens possess and can apply to literature that has the potential to affect us more…
Books all over America are in danger. Books, objects that allow imagination and the expansion of the mind and the world around one, are often times subject to criticism and even bannings when any one person does not like the content. Books bannings should not be done whatsoever, let alone become a semi-common practice. Of course, bannings only occur after careful consideration. Or do they? Censorship is a growing problem in America, as parents and other authority figures ban various types of books in their community when content is too “edgy” or “age inappropriate”, and these are often gone through without the book so much as being opened. However, in all reality, what might be “wrong” for one child may be just right for another. Are book…
The Catcher in the Rye. The Scarlet Letter. Huckleberry Finn. Harry Potter. The Diary of Anne Frank. Animal Farm. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Da Vinci Code. The Grapes of Wrath. These literary classics have been vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents (Banned Books). These great novels both teach important values and educate children about world affairs and classic themes. Unfortunately, each of these novels has been banned at one point in time. In a country where freedom is so adamantly advocated, it is a wonder that an issue like censorship would even come up, that such a controversy would sink its claws into the minds of states’ boards of education across the nation. Censorship is a needless restriction placed on developing minds that need the morals and values that banned books can give.…
There were some opinions by the writer that intrigued me. A particular excerpt that I liked very much was ‘Be bored and see where it takes you’. I heartily agree with this statement because kids nowadays expect to be entertained all the time. They do not learn how to compromise and innovate like me and my friends did in our childhood. They do not appreciate the power of imagination and how it can take us anywhere we want. I remember making a make-believe fort out of all the…
The autobiography, “Going Solo,” by Roald Dahl is about the adventures he faced throughout his journey as a World War II pilot. Throughout the novel, Dahl exhibits the ability to draw readers in and make them want to read more. His techniques and excellent storytelling skills helped develop this novel into an amazing read. As W. Somerset Maugham once said, “There are three rules to writing a good book. Unfortunately no one knows what they are.” This being said, one could see that some rules prove to be more crucial than others. Based on this novel, three mandatory rules include, in-depth description, thrilling moments, and most importantly a thoughtful ending.…