Monday Muses

Since I was a little kid, "Millions of Cats", by Wanda Gag has been my favorite picture book. Every night for months, my mom would read it to me until I fell asleep. As she fell in love with the delightful book, I did also, and to this day, it is both me and my mom's favorite picture book.
I will always remember the cute little illustrations and the friendly story that went along with them. I will always love how exceptionally sweet the book is and all the lovely characters in it. I will always remember the one cat of the millions they kept and how adorable it was.
I book made me want to get millions and trillions of cats! Sadly I couldn't because I was allergic to cats and my dad refused to have one.
The book taught me acceptance of others, no matter what, and how to help something or someone that couldn't help itself. It also taught me how to love a creature other than a human.
Forever and always, "Millions of Cats" will be my favorite picture book.

Banned Books Essay Draft Part 2

All over the country, parents and schools are banning books due to their “intense” issues not thought appropriate for kids and teens. “Thirteen Reasons Why”, by Jay Asher, happens to be one of these books. The books mentions suicide, rape, rumors, and more which is not seen as suitable for young ages, and many wish to ban it thinking they are “protecting” their children. Personally I think, schools and parents should not ban “Thirteen Reasons Why” due to it's controversial issues, such as suicide, rape, rumors, gossip, and drinking, because kids and teens have a right to read about these issues and learn from and about them in positive ways.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” teaches kids and teens about controversial issues in a beneficial way. The books shows how rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip have an negative effect of the characters in the book. Hannah Baker, one of the main character of the book, commits suicide due to all the rumors and gossip about her, and how she let things happen that shouldn't have happened, such as rape. She makes a bunch of tapes, just before her death, about the thirteen reasons (people) why she killed herself and sends them around to the people the tapes revolve around. As you can see, just by the plot of the book, rumors, gossip, and rape exhibit their negative effects. In addition towards the beginning of “Thirteen Reasons Why”, betrayal is mentioned as a bad thing; “Betrayal. It's one of the worst feelings” (Asher 13). This shows that betrayal, even through gossip and rumors, is a horrible thing and can cause the people the gossip is aimed at to feel terrible. Furthermore, in the article, “The Banned Books We Love”: “Taking a look at some of the banned books of our youth, they stand out as important, books that we read because they dealt with important, hard subjects, like death or race or sex, deep emotions, and possibly isolation” (Doll) demonstrates that important books stand out because of their controversial issues, and how they taught readers important lessons. Therefore, “Thirteen Reasons Why” uses their controversial issues to teach negative effects and positive lessons.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” also shows that suicide is a horrible thing and that it should never happen. Over and over again the book reveals Clay's, one of the main characters of the book, pain and hurt about Hannah's suicide. In one scene Clay throws up due to how horrible he feels after listening to one of the tapes. In another scene he cries after listening to a tape. After almost every tape, he feels pain. “I would of helped her because I want her to be alive” (Asher 280) shows how Clay wishes Hannah had never committed suicide. “It became a sick sort of game, imagining ways to kill myself.” (Asher 254) shows that it was “sick” which means suicide is a bad thing that you shouldn't do. It also shows Hannah had come to a place where everything was so bad that suicide was a “game”, and that kids or teens or anyone should never come to this place, and if they need help. Lastly, it shows that this is reality and that sometimes thoughts like this exist and that we should try our hardest to get them out of our heads. Overall, “Thirteen Reasons Why” shows that suicide isn't the right or only choice, even if you feel like it is.

Many schools and parents are uncomfortable with their kids and teens reading about these objectionable topics; however kids should have the right to read what they want to read. “These books don't spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression and death” (Carey) shows yes these topics are dark, but they are reality so therefore kids and teens deserve the right to read about them and learn from them. Even in the article, “Has Young Adult Fiction Become too Dark”, the importance of kids and teens reading about dark and difficult issues is emphasized: “That's why it matters; why, in the name of protecting teens, we can't shut them off from the outlet of experiencing difficult events and feelings in the relative safety and profound comfort of literature. Darkness isn't the enemy. But ignorance always is” (Williams). Also in the video we watched in class, Bill Moyers says that it pains him to see people are telling other people what to read. Kids, teens, or anyone should be entitled to read what they want and shouldn't have other people telling them what to read. Parents and schools might think what they're doing is helpful and right, and that they're protecting their kids, but they're not. They're shielding kids and teens from reality and making them weak. So, even if parents are uncomfortable with the topics being read by their kids and teens, the kids and teens should have a right to read what they want.

Thus, “Thirteen Reasons Why”, by Jay Asher, illustrates these controversial issues such as rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip, to teach kids and teens in a safe and beneficial way. It shows the world for what it really is and helps the readers be prepared for anything that happen; good or bad. So is it really worth banning this book with all the positive things it offers? Or other books like it? Reading books is the best way for kids and teens to learn about these issues in a comfortable and entertaining way. Why take that away?

Work Cited

Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why. New York: Razorbill, 2007. Print.

"Salon." Saloncom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

The Banned Books We Have Loved." The Atlantic Wire. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

"The 'sick-lit' Books Aimed at Children: It's a Disturbing Phenomenon. Tales of Teenage Cancer, Self-harm and Suicide..." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

Banned Books Essay Draft

“Thirteen Reasons Why”, by Jay Asher, is filled with intense issues not thought appropriate for kids and teens. Schools and parents should not ban “Thirteen Reasons Why” due to it's controversial issues, such as suicide, rape, rumors, gossip, and drinking, because the book teaches readers about these issues to show the negative effects they impact.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” teaches kids and teens about controversial issues in a beneficial way. The books shows how rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip have an negative effect of the characters in the book. Hannah Baker, one of the main character of the book, commits suicide due to all the rumors and gossip about her, and how she let things happen that shouldn't have happened, such as rape. She makes a bunch of tapes, just before her death, about the thirteen reasons (people) why she killed herself and sends them around to the people the tapes revolve around. As you can see, just by the plot of the book, rumors, gossip, and rape exhibit their negative effects. In addition on page 13 of “Thirteen Reasons Why,” it says, “Betrayal. It's one of the worst feelings.” This shows that betrayal, even through gossip and rumors, is a horrible thing and can cause the people the gossip is aimed at to feel terrible. Furthermore, in the article, “The Banned Books We Love”, by Jen Doll, it states, “Taking a look at some of the banned books of our youth, they stand out as important, books that we read because they dealt with important, hard subjects, like death or race or sex, deep emotions, and possibly isolation.” This demonstrates that important books stand out because of their controversial issues, and how they taught readers important lessons. Therefore, “Thirteen Reasons Why” uses their controversial issues to teach negative effects and positive lessons.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” also shows that suicide is a horrible thing and that it should never happen. Over and over again the book reveals Clay's, one of the main characters of the book, pain and hurt about Hannah's suicide. In one scene Clay throws up due to how horrible he feels after listening to one of the tapes. In another scene he cries after listening to a tape. After almost every tape, he feels pain. In the book “Thirteen Reasons Why”, on page 280, it says “I would of helped her because I want her to be alive.” This quotes shows how Clay wishes Hannah had never committed suicide. Another quote in the book on page 254 says, “It became a sick sort of game, imagining ways to kill myself.” This shows that it was “sick” which means suicide is a bad thing that you shouldn't do. It also shows Hannah had come to a place where everything was so bad that suicide was a “game”, and that kids or teens or anyone should never come to this place, and if they need help.. Lastly, it shows that this is reality and that sometimes thoughts like this exist and that we should try our hardest to get them out of our heads. Overall, “Thirteen Reasons Why” shows that suicide isn't the right or only choice, even if you feel like it is.

Many schools and parents are uncomfortable with their kids and teens reading about these objectionable topics; however kids should have the right to read what they want to read. In the article “The 'Sick-Lit' Books Aimed at Children” by Tanith Carey, it states, “These books don't spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression and death”. Yes these topics are dark, but they are reality so therefore kids and teens deserve the right to read about them and learn from them. Also in the video we watched in class, Bill Moyers says that it pains him to see people are telling other people what to read. Kids, teens, or anyone should be entitled to read what they want and shouldn't have other people telling them what to read. Parents and schools might think what they're doing is helpful and right, and that they're protecting their kids, but they're not. They're shielding kids and teens from reality and making them weak. So, even if parents are uncomfortable with the topics being read by their kids and teens, the kids and teens should have a right to read what they want.

Therefore by reading “Thirteen Reasons Why” you learn about issues such as rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip in a safe and beneficial way. So when in the real world you understand what can happen and what to do if it does happen. Is it really worth banning this book with all the positive things it offers? Or other books like it? Reading books would be the best way to learn about these things. Why take that away?