Argument Essay Draft #2

Reading will forever be one of the most encouraged activities of any persons’ life. Through reading, people, especially young adults, are exposed to a unique form of art that allows them to gather new information about the world and to think critically and form their own opinions on various matters. It comes to the point where one has to ask—why ban any book? Any type of reading insures positive learning, forming opinions, and an exposure to the world through words no matter the extremity of the issues it covers. I spent a few weeks in an inquiry group closely and critically analyzing one of the banned books of our youth: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky. After taking a look at a variety of sources and claims on the issue of book banning, I’ve come to the conclusion that The Perks of Being a Wallflower should not be banned from intermediate school libraries. It teaches young adults how deal with difficult topics such as drugs and rape, and focuses on topics such as self-worth and individuality.

Firstly, many adults don’t realize that many teens are already aware of the topics discussed in the majority of Young Adult literature, and reading about them in fact only makes them more conscientious. By the time one enters middle school, they may be aware of topics such as rape, sex, and drugs. For example, in the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky, the protagonist is introduced to drugs in a way that opens an eye for the reader. “Regardless, I decided to never take LSD again.” (Chbosky 123). Clearly, the author includes this in the story to show emerging teens the harm that drugs can do—and in fact gives them an insight on how to make better decisions when exposed to things like this in the future.

Additionally, as children get older they are told by their elders to be more mature and insightful. However, many students will tell you that as they get older, they constantly hear curse words from their peers, friends, and in just purely in the growing world around them. Part of “maturing” is to calmly understand realities of the world, and to learn how to deal with them. “[Folks without kids] will have you believe that [books with challenging subjects] will hurt the minds of younger readers, will disturb them, will be bad for them, somehow.” (Doll 3). Clearly, many elders are afraid of exposing their children to advanced topics within books—but these are topics that not only teens are already exposed to, but ones that will educate them in a positive way. So why take away literature that includes such content when it solely renders confidence, exposure, and topics already given in reality? In the article “The Banned Books We Have Loved,” Doll states that instead of “shoving books under the proverbial rug,” we should “let kids read what they want.” Sheilding kids from topics they are already introduced to as they get older has no value. In summary, young adults are already aware of the issues given in much of teen literature, and consequently should not be banned from youth.

Secondly, there are rich, meaningful lessons taught in young adult fiction that teens need to be exposed to at a time crucial in their maturity and growth as people. “Some of the banned books of our youth stand out as important books that we read because they deal with important, hard subjects like death or race or sex, deep emotions, and possibly isolations.” (Doll 3). The author is trying to show that ironically, the banned books of today are in fact the ones with the most challenging topics; the books with the most advanced, meaningful, deep messages. Additionally, in the Perks of Being a Wallflower, there is a chapter in which Charlie, the main character, is forced to witness a boy raping a girl. Now, everyone knows rape is wrong, and how scary and harmful it may be, but Chbosky writes as if he’s trying to show the reader how innocent and fragile young teens are, and how we may forced to see and do things we know are wrong. In fact, kids are able to learn to decipher right from wrong be critically reading and thinking about topics mentioned in many of the banned books of today. “Many of the questioned books of our time are books with valuable lessons—for example, in Bridge to Terebithia we learned the importance of friendships, and how death can be sudden and unexpected.” (Doll 2). Why are adults so afraid of their youth learning lessons from topics with hardship and unhappiness and even the slightest bit of extremity? It’s as if elders want children to feel they live in a perfect world—yet what better time is there to expose youth to what is sure to come in their future? Doll includes this point and example in her article to show how valuable and teaching many books can be, and to counter attack people for banning books by simply stating the obvious. In conclusion, there are many positive things young adults can learn from advanced literature.

People are afraid that young adults will make the wrong choices by being exposed to controversial material. “After reading Red Tears, a book about a girl who self harms to cope with pressure, Jess immediately reached for her blade as the book was too close to home.” (Carey 2). Many adults believe that censoring and preventing teens from reading such material will help their over all well being. However, this is incorrect—books such as Red Tears also helped children struggling with personal conflicts similar to the text and helped improve and resolve their issues. For example, rape is a scary subject that we as a society constantly here about. In The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Charlie witnesses a rude, extreme boy raping a girl. As he makes no actions in the situation, it is later learned and taught that in frightening occurrences it is vital to receive help or to get yourself out. Although there will always be certain people that will slip through the cracks, such as the unfortunate child who was negatively affected by “Red Tears,” I believe exposure will benefit teens. Through understanding certain topics, they’ll be able to come to their own conclusion on what is right and what is, per se, wrong. In summary, although elders are fearful of the wrong decisions teens will make due to being exposed to controversial literature, it will in fact guide their later decisions in positive way.

Although many elders are fearful of young adults reading about controversial issues, children, in fact, are able to form their own opinions on such topics and can learn from what they read. “Certain books can deal with complicated subjects, are challenging, and probably resonate on a deeper level.” (Doll 3). Doll means that young readers can learn from books such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Catcher in the Rye, and Go Ask Alice. She includes a list of books and their lessons to show the immensity of the knowledge young readers can learn from complicated subjects. Teens will gain an understanding of the world and will begin to decipher, personally, their future paths by reading the stories of others within books.

In conclusion, reading is a powerful way for emerging young adults to grasp the wide range of topics they will later confront in their lives. After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it is clear that reading advanced fiction, including many of the so-called “banned books” of our time, will overall positively educate growing teenagers in a beneficial way. It will empower teens to make their own decisions, will teach them valuable, insightful lessons, and will allow them to be able to form their own opinions of the topics discussed in these books. A solution for fearful parents would be to instead of shielding their children from books, be open to discuss and nurture their growing teens as they read and learn new things. Books are powerful, and writers are the key to this power. I believe we should not prevent these writers from creating and sharing a powerful world with us.

Works Cited

Carey, Tanith. "Sick Lit." The Daily Mail 2 Jan. 2013: 1-3. Print.

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Pocket, 1999. Print.

Doll, Jen. "The Banned Books We Have Loved." The Atlantic Wire 12 Aug. 2012: 1-3. Print.