Darkness too Visible

Reading Response: “Darkness Too Visible”                                                                                10/23

         The article, “Darkness Too Visible”, by Megan Cox Gurdon, is about how contemporary young adult novels have changed from the past. The author expresses her opinion on young adult literature being too dark for teens to read. Megan Cox Gurdon manipulates her evidence to support her claim, and only her claim.

         Megan Cox Gurdon gives evidence that only supports her claim. She first states her opinion: “How dark is contemporary fiction for teens? Darker than when you were a child, my dear”. She also says that modern authors are writing texts that “can’t be reprinted in a newspaper” and that just because teens can find many deep, disturbing things on the internet, it doesn’t give authors an excuse for more envelope-pushing”. To support her claim, Megan Cox Gurdon only uses evidence biased to her opinion of young adult literature is too disturbing. She uses examples from modern Young adult novels, but doesn’t quote the text; “By contrast, the latest novel by this ‘this generation’s Judy Blume,’ otherwise known as Lauren Myracle, takes place in a small Southern town in aftermath of an assault on a gay teenager. The boy has been savagely beaten and left tied up with a gas pump nozzle shoved down his throat”. Megan Cox Gurdon paraphrased, but did not use actual text evidence from that book, or any of her examples, for that matter, which leads to think that that book may not have been that brutal. Another example of Megan Cox Gurdon doing this is “for example, young Jack is drugged, abducted and nearly raped”. With out actual quotes, it seems as if Megan Cox Gurdon is exaggerating the awful drama in the books and using imagery to make them seem worse than they actually are.

         So even though Megan Cox Gurdon writes her article by using only what seems like dramatized summaries, is contemporary young adult literature really this “horrendous”, “lurid” and “nightmarish” and she makes them out to be? I think not. Megan Cox Gurdon clearly stands against modern teen fiction because she thinks it is too emotional for teens, but I think young adults have the right to decide what they want to read. Teens need to know about all the events that are happening in the real world, and we cannot be kept in a bubble to one day find out about this things by surprise. Teens can also choose not to read a certain book, and we should be able to have that choice.

reading response

Tait Berwick                                                                                                 9/10/14

Reading Response: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before                            class 809

            In the book, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” by Jenny Han, Lara Jean’s sister, Margot moves to Scotland for college. While she is gone Lara Jean feels them slipping apart, she can’t go to her sister and role model, who she loves dearly anymore. To Lara Jean, having her sister is more important than anything, which emphasizes a theme in the book, and she would do anything to keep her.

            Through out the whole book Lara Jean is worrying about her relationship with her sister, as they grow apart, but Lara Jean always wants what is best for Margot. On page 123, Lara Jean explains how Margot has barely being paying attention to her emails. She can feel her and Margot slipping apart and is annoyed at Margot’s effort, “the least she can do is e-mail back one a day.” Also, on page 249, Lara Jean is talking to Margot’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. He says from when he has talked to Margot that she seemed homesick. Lara Jean, however was completely unaware of this from what Margot had been telling her. She feels as Margot is drifting away because she can’t open up to how she really feels. Both of these parts o the book show how Lara Jean notices her and her sister growing apart because Margot isn’t honest with her and they aren’t as close as they used to be. One last example of the two sisters growing apart is at the very end when they finally split, Margot finds out that Lara Jean has been keeping a secret. Margot won’t speak to Lara Jean and she is worried that she might lose her sister forever, “There is a wall between us now, and I can feel her moving farther and farther away from me. Sisters are supposed to fight and make up, because they are sisters and sisters always find their way back to each other. But the thing that scares me is that maybe we won’t.” Lara Jean says on page 341. This evidence really shows how much Lara Jean loves her sister and that she really cares about their relationship because she is so scared of what will happen. After this on pages 344-347, Lara Jean and Margot have a huge argument and let out what they were keeping from each other. This resolves to them realizing how much they needed each other, “I needed you, Lara Jean.” Margot says in the text. This shows that nothing can come between the two, and helps reveal to Lara Jean that her and her sister can always go to each other and will always have each other, no matter what.

            Overall, I can really relate to this because no matter how many times I and my sister fight, we always have each other to go to because that is what sisters are for. This is a really great message for the world because I think people often let little things come between them when they should resolve those problems for what is worth it, the friendship that you have with some one.