The Alchemist By: Paulo Coelho

Argument Essay: Should The Giver be Banned?

Imagine going to a bookstore, and choosing a book, only to find  that it is banned by your school. This would certainly pose a conflict of values for you and your family. Ultimately the decision  as to what you should be exposed to must be left to your parent, who seeks to impart the family’s values to you. The Giver, by Lois Lowry, however, remains one of the most challenged books in The United States of America, even as it has such relevance for the middle-schooler, just coming of age in an increasingly complex world. The Giver is about a boy who grows up in a futuristic society where everybody is almost exactly the same, and emotions are considered obsolete. As the book progresses, the boy begins to realize that people could reach greater actualization of their aspirations than exists in their society which seeks to repress individuality. Although the book portrays this repressiveness in graphic terms,  The Giver should not be banned because it informs readers as to the importance of individuality and tolerance for differences, as well as the oppressive nature of imposing conformity.

Although The Giver is, at times violent, this too is not a justification for banning the book. Such violence, in this book is not gratuitous but rather, instances of poaching, scenes of war, and occurrences of euthanasia reflect the realities in some parts of the world and reinforce the premise of the book of a world without texture and creativity. Some might argue that The Giver is too violent  for a younger audience.  In fact, this is the second most common reason for it to be banned or challenged. Although that is a compelling argument on the surface, it is really rather superficial as none of the scenes promote violence. For example, in chapter seventeen, Jonas is overwhelmed by the ignorance of his peers as to what war is really like, "His childhood, his friendships, his carefree sense of security-all of these things [seem] to be slipping away. With his new, heightened feelings, he was overwhelmed by sadness at the way the others had laughed and shouted, playing at war. But he knew that they could not understand why, without the memories. He felt such love for Asher and for Fiona. But they could not feel it back, without the memories. And he could not give them those." (Lowry 135). Although some argue, spuriously, that this book promotes violence, it should be clear that it does not. Rather it is thought-provoking and catalyzes self-reflection and assessment of one’s values.  

The sexually explicit themes in The Giver  should also not be a justification for banning  the book.  In The Giver, Jonas has a dream that he bathes Fiona, a girl for whom he has strong feelings. even though these emotions  are not acceptable in his community. The accompanying nudity in this scene, although natural, is commonly viewed as inappropriate in some sectors of our society. That  argument is weak because the scene is used to tastefully show that Jonas has his own thoughts and emotions, very human emotions, and the behavior and fantasy he engages in have a naturalness that reflect his true emotions. According to Kenneth R. Morefield, “It’s worth pointing out that some of the objectionable themes… are not exactly glorified in the dystopian classic. People who ban books aren’t always the best interpreters of the stories they contain.” (1), this includes the nudity in the aforementioned scene.

The Giver is a noteworthy book that uses some adult themes to stimulate thought and to encourage and express individuality, and creativity. Because the book employs these adult themes, it is controversial in some sectors. As a result, many schools are opposed to having it in their libraries. Even though it is clear that this book should not be banned in schools because of its explicit themes, the decision of whether the student should read The Giver must ultimately lie in the parent’s hand. Indeed, a close and secure family might utilize such a book as an opportunity to teach the child values, the importance of striving, and the expression of feelings and values.

Work Cited

Blatt, Ben. "Will the Giver Movie Prompt More Schools to Ban the Book?"Slate Magazine. N.p., 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.

Morefield, Kenneth R. "The Giver." Christianitytoday.com. N.p., 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.0

Social Awareness Project

Political Cartoon: The Star Spangled Burger

This political cartoon represents the obesity epidemic in the United States of America. The title, “The Star Spangled Burger”, is a play on the American national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner”. The cartoon depicts a cheeseburger that has fifty  stars instead of poppy seeds, literal red meat, blue buns and blue cheese. This in addition to the oversized soda cup, and the french fries are meant to show that the United States are becoming the hamburger nation.

I was inspired to make this image by the terrifying fact that more Americans are dying of obesity than they are dying of starvation. In addition to this, I was alarmed that our country wasn’t doing anything about our unappealing eating habits. This cartoon is meant to raise awareness of the obesity epidemic, and get our country to band together and stop this.

Poem: Obesity Limerick

What if on one fateful day,

obesity just went away.

If it wouldn’t come back,

and give us heart attacks.

Then we would all be okay!

This poem is written in the form of a limerick because limericks are commonly used for comedic purposes. Although this poem wasn’t explicitly humorous, the limerick format allows for some comedy because of it’s rhyming patterns. I wrote this with an underlying comedic tone because comedy is the best way to bring attention to a cause that you are passionate about.This practice was taught to me in the Museum of the City of New York and is now a common trope in my writing.

This topic is important to me because I know many people who suffer from obesity, or who have loved ones who do. Because this topic is so personal to me, I wanted to show that obesity is one of the biggest killers in the United States. Although it is hard to lose weight, preventing obesity is not a hard thing to do, if you eat, sleep, and exercise well then it would be very difficult for you to become obese for non hereditary reasons.

Response to Malala’s Mission

             Although the idea of equal opportunity education is second nature many, Malala Yousafzai was not so lucky. The Nobel Peace Prize winner lived in a Pakistani village that was controlled by the Taliban; with the Taliban in control, she did not get a chance to go to school. Disappointed by this, Malala advocated for the education of women, believing that the Taliban’s laws were unjust and unfair. Then suddenly, on October 9th 2012, her world turned upside down as two Talib officials shot her in the head for preaching womens’ education. Even though she survived the attack, Malala’s world changed that day as her family fled to England for her safety. This is why Alessandra Potenza makes it clear in her article, “Malala’s Mission”, that the Taliban’s treatment of the education system is a social injustice.

In this article, The author wants the reader to agree that this is a social injustice, and there are many loaded words to prove this. One instance in which there were biased words was in the middle of the interview section when Potenza asks, “What would you say to the members of the Taliban who tried to kill you?” (Poteza P.18). This question shows that the author was trying to get Malala to say hateful things about the Talib policies to add a subjective tone to the article. Although Malala was not hateful, she did make it clear that the Taliban governed unfairly, with sexism, not religion, as a driving force. Overall, this shows that Alessandra Potenza agrees with Malala about Pakistan’s questionable politics.

This article makes me feel like the living conditions in Pakistan are something out of a horror movie, and action needs to be taken to help these innocent people. This article inspired me to act, and fight for what I am passionate about because of how much Malala has gone through. In addition to this she makes it very clear that all people should fight for what they think is right when she says, “I think it’s important that teenagers take active roles in speaking up against injustice and inequality.” (Yousafzai P.14). Because of these powerful words, I am going to do more for my community, and the fight against social injustice.

Malala is a very inspiring person who did the right thing for others, and looked past herself even by when she had to put herself in danger. Although this seems very heroic, I don’t think that many people are as selfless as she is when she risked her life. Although I do believe that, I think that there are still smaller ways that people can help with social injustices.

Malala's Mission by Alessandra Potenza

  Although the idea of equal opportunity education is second nature many, Malala Yousafzai was not so lucky. The Nobel Peace Prize winner lived in a Pakistani village that was controlled by the Taliban; with the Taliban in control, she did not get a chance to go to school. Disappointed by this, Malala advocated for the education of women, believing that the Taliban’s laws were unjust and unfair. Then suddenly, on October 9th 2012, her world turned upside down as two Talib officials shot her in the head for preaching womens’ education. Even though she survived the attack, Malala’s world changed that day as her family fled to England for her safety. This is why Alessandra Potenza makes it clear in her article, “Malala’s Mission”, that the Taliban’s treatment of the education system is a social injustice.

In this article, The author wants the reader to agree that this is a social injustice, and there are many loaded words to prove this. One instance in which there were biased words was in the middle of the interview section when Potenza asks, “What would you say to the members of the Taliban who tried to kill you?” (Poteza P.18). This question shows that the author was trying to get Malala to say hateful things about the Talib policies to add a subjective tone to the article. Although Malala was not hateful, she did make it clear that the Taliban governed unfairly, with sexism, not religion, as a driving force. Overall, this shows that Alessandra Potenza agrees with Malala about Pakistan’s questionable politics.

This article makes me feel like the living conditions in Pakistan are something out of a horror movie, and action needs to be taken to help these innocent people. This article inspired me to act, and fight for what I am passionate about because of how much Malala has gone through. In addition to this she makes it very clear that all people should fight for what they think is right when she says, “I think it’s important that teenagers take active roles in speaking up against injustice and inequality.” (Yousafzai P.14). Because of these powerful words, I am going to do more for my community, and the fight against social injustice.

Malala is a very inspiring person who did the right thing for others, and looked past herself even by when she had to put herself in danger. Although this seems very heroic, I don’t think that many people are as selfless as she is when she risked her life. Although I do believe that, I think that there are still smaller ways that people can help with social injustices.

Activism in New York

     On Friday, when I went to The Museum of the City of New York, I learned a lot about how modern day activism stemmed from New York. For example, the gay pride parade came from the stonewall riots in New York. In addition to this, we learned how New Yorkers are currently protesting bike safety. All of this makes me think that when us New Yorkers want something, we band together and make a change. 

     We also learned about the use of humor in protesting. For example, we learned that the bike safety protesters dressed up like clowns during their protests. I think they did this so people would take notice of them and their cause. In addition to this, I think that this tactic was used so onlookers would take their dedication seriously, but also so they could have a laugh and make it memorable. Overall I think this tactic is powerful because it draws attention and makes the protest memorable.

The Kite Runner By: Khaled Hosseini

The people around you have a strong influence on your actions, and emotions. Either by something happening to the people on your block, or your friends doing something with you, everyone has an effect on their contemporaries. Even though this is true, many people put others second. For example in The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini the main character, Amir, lives in a world of regret because of the treatment of his peers. This is primarily caused by his constant need to betray them to get out of trouble.

This problem starts for Amir in the very beginning of the book when him and his friend Hassan are attacked by the neighborhood bully, “ ‘You’re bothering me very much. In fact ,, you bother me more than this Hazara here. How can you talk to him, play with him, let him touch How can you call him your friend?’... But he’s not my friend! I almost blurted. He’s my servant” (Page 41). When I read this my first thought was, is this selfish action going to cause more problems for Amir as the story progresses? I thought this was foreshadowing because it introduced a new character, and a new side of Amir that we hadn’t seen before.

By the middle of the book Amir has ignored many more incidents with Assef, the neighborhood bully. For example, “Assef yelped as he flung himself at Hassan, knocking him to the ground… I bit on my fist. Shut my eyes.” (Page 73). This quote made me realise that Assef indirectly caused Amir to act selfishly by putting him in situations where he would be in grave danger if he didn’t. In addition to this I realised that Assef was a symbol for all of the looming danger in Amir’s life because of the constantly changing Afghanistan.

Finally, by the end of the book Amir learns to look after others because his life choices caused him to grow regretful and depressed. This becomes evident when he visits an old friend on a quest to save Hassan’s son. This is shown when Amir has a conversation with his dad’s very wise friend, “Children are fragile, Amir jan. Kabul is already full of broken children and I don’t want Sohrab to become another.” (Page 220). This quote makes me think that although Amir needs convincing, he would do anything for Hassan just repay him for everything (including giving up his life) Hassan has done for Amir. I think this because Amir strayed away from his normal selfish tone just to help take care of Hassan’s child.

The Kite Runner is a very strong example of one child’s selfish journey to become a passionate man. In addition to this, The Kite Runner connects to the real world by showing readers the effects of a constantly changing nation on it’s citizens. Although this novel is a brilliant piece of fiction, the strong emotions and relationships depicted by the author are very real.

Synthesis Page

In many books, characters are reflected by common archetypes, for example a selfish person who matures over time and learns to put others first. Another example is a shadow figure who is an antagonist. In the Kite Runner, many of these Archetypes are used.