CASSANDRA TICER
Perspectives Assistant
In the recent weeks, parents from Malibu High School have been involved in a debate about the popular novel, “The Lovely Bones.” Their teens have been reading this novel in a school-wide reading project for grades 9 through 12. Several parents believe that it is not something that they want their children reading because the novel involves issues such as rape and murder.
Their disagreement, however, seems unwarranted because, according to the Malibu Times, the students voted to read this book .
This novel is written by Alice Sebold and was published in 2002. In it she used her personal experience of being raped as a young woman as an inspiration. Some parents within the high school fear that the discussions that will arise are for adult audiences, not for high school students. However, I feel that these are the exact discussions that students in high school should be having. The fact is that issues such as rape, tragedy and grief are issues that touch all of society, not just adults. High school students need to be able to grapple with difficult subjects to understand the world that they will be enter. And although rape and murder occurs in the novel, they are described in a very matter-of-fact manner in the beginning of the novel. The story is not just about negative issues. Instead, it is a beautiful novel about hope and how a family’s love can help them face their grief and eventually heal from the tragedy.
It is every parent’s right to censor what their children are reading, watching and listening to. I fully agree with the saying, “see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.” Parents nowadays need to become more involved in their children’s lives and more active with their kid’s education. It is encouraging that the parents of Malibu High School are concerned enough with their children’s lives to censor what literature that they read.
Yet, I present a challenge to the concerned parents. Their argument is only valid if three stipulations hold true. First, the parents need to actually read the book for themselves and decide based upon their own family’s morals and beliefs whether is appropriate novel for their children. They shouldn’t decide something like this strictly because another parent complained to the school and described it as inappropriate literature.
Secondly, if the parents are going to censor what literature their children read, they also, in turn, must censor what their children watch on television and in movies. Often times movies and television shows not only have those issues represented on a much larger scale, but they also show more inappropriate scenes than the one described in the novel.
Last of all, parents must accordingly censor what their children listen to. The majority of popular songs seem to have themes and descriptions far more inappropriate than Sebold’s novel. These other sources of media throw very adult issues in the faces of young audiences and rarely give the option and availability of discussions.
I do not like the idea of censorship of literature. Many great pieces of literature that have provoked thought, reflection and change within a society have been censored or banned somewhere. According to the American Library Association, classics such as “Of Mice and Men,” “Brave New World,” “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” have all been banned at some point in history. Other classics such as Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” were placed on the list, as recently as 1995, because it goes against the norms in alternative lifestyles.
Literature is too insightful and too important of a tool of change for society to censor and ban.
Instead of banning literature that invokes discussion, society should embrace these pieces of literature as opportunities to explore difficult issues that surround us and help lead us towards a greater understanding of mankind.
03-30-2006
