The Protagonists In YA Fiction

Some might claim the YA genre has grown to be too dark for its target audience. Meghan Gurdon, a firm believer of this idea, explains why she believes this in her article, “Darkness Too Visible”. Gurdon describes the experience of a mother of three in a bookstore looking to purchase a YA novel for one of her children, when she found herself leaving the bookstore empty-handed due to the content of the teen books. While teen books decades ago contained less violent/corrupted material, times have changed along with the genre. She is concerned that these books could have an effect on these young readers’ brains as they are merely transferring from childhood to adulthood. Gurdon still has faith that YA books would sell just as well and connect with young readers today without all of the dark subject matters discussed in them these days.

In her speech, and the article, titled “The Case for Good Taste in Children’s Books,” Meghan Cox Gurdon addresses the controversy on Young Adult Literature. Throughout her speech at Hillsdale College she labels this current category of fiction as gaudy, inappropriate, and sacrilegious. Gurdon’s claim on the content of YA, for Young Adult, books obtains effectiveness through her ability to incorporate real world examples, the claim made by the opposing view, and a moral push.

Meghan Cox Gurdon’s article has many varying points of attack, while Sherman focuses all of his resources on one point; young adult (YA) literature isn’t detrimental. Gurdon contends the argument that youths being exposed to darker themes makes the themes less effective and ultimately undermines the intensity of the subjects, as well as spread them. She states this as “Self-destructive adolescent behaviors are observably infectious and have periods of vogue. That is not to discount the real suffering that some young people endure; it is an argument for taking care” (par. 13). Gurdon says young adult literature takes away a child’s innocence and negatively affects moral development (par. 6). In contrast, Sherman believes that YA books help people dealing with those troubles to overcome and accept them. He states, “... Does she believe that a YA novel about murder and rape will somehow schock a teenage

Literature is the window to realizing the negatives of society and how destructive certain norms can be. Readers are brought into a completely different story than their own, but by using similar issues in today’s world, the readers can actually learn from the story and its overall message. All writers write for a purpose, whether it’s for a new meaning to life, to live a different life than our own, or to impact others on an emotional level by teaching them to see the importance of the little things. As a reader, you search for pieces of literature that interest you whether you find the story like your own, or wish you lived the life in the story. By using issues in today’s within their works, authors are able to grab the reader's attention long enough for them to get across what they wanted to get across. Often in many works of literature, writers use societal issues as their basis for the work’s themes and symbols. By doing so, this allows the reader to question the morality behind social norms and how impactful certain ideals can be in people’s lives.

While not all works of young adult literature stand up to critical analysis, many of them do. Although no work of young adult literature may ever be raised to canonical status because of its less romantic setting or less sophisticated language, it is an important category of literature to which adolescents and young adults can relate as well as one from which they can grow personally and socially, gaining skills that can be used for critical thinking and analysis for the rest of their

BREAKING NEWS: Riots in Ferguson. Unemployment rates at an all time high. Immigration problems out of control. Listening to the news, people hear many politicians, newscasters, and reporters talking about the different problems that the world is facing. From the nuclear weapon debate in Iran, to should Donald Trump be president, to drugs rampant in both big cities and small towns, all of these issues are surrounded by the rapidly growing and concerning topic of social inequality. For hundreds upon thousands of years, social inequity has been ever present throughout time, and has become a serious problem all over the world. These days, it has a major effect on teenagers. However, authors can make an impact on readers, and many forms

“I’m gonna go after Sarah!” Luke screamed over the noise and without second thought, he took off running. My eyes went wide as he was immediately lost in the crowd of walkers.

The novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is actually a sophomore curriculum because of the rough context and the sexual abuse used in the book. This novel reflects the state of youth in America today and how it has changed is by how teens dress, act, and their appearance. , any teens today are trying to skip their childhood and become adults and try to use the adult privileges. For example 14 year olds are dressing way older than they should be cleavage, midriff, etc. Also by using foul language when they talk to one another. In earlier generations, most people didn’t have to worry about walking the streets at night and getting raped, but how many teen girls act nowadays, the chances have increased. What’s the same is that, some teens

High School English teaches students think about, react to and solve problems they might face outside of the classroom. Including fiction in the curriculum can achieve these goals. Novels address issues in today’s society that can help students make connections between the classroom and the real world. A recurring issue in society today focuses on the rise and popularity of technology. A novel, such as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, that shows the harmful effects of technology can help students connect the problems with technology in their own lives.

While there are some negative aspects, as there is in anything, the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones. There may be specific topics in the novel that students are not quite ready for, but if the student is allowed the opportunity to develop an opinion early, maybe knowledge and tolerance for the subjects in the novel will be achieved. Most would agree that education is better when started early. Would we not want to form an opinion in a student’s mind early based on the previous statement? The best way to teach a classroom, as previously stated, would include learning the history behind the subjects in the novel, that the author does not have bad intentions when writing the novel, and that tolerance and acceptance for the subjects in the novel can be

A notable issue that comes up in a lot of YA books is the lack of diversity; people of color, LBGTQ people, people with disabilities—a whole lot of books don 't have them, and it 's a huge problem.

When adolescences experiences life changing moments it is difficult to cope with because they are still going through a process of self-discovery. Teenagers tend to think the situations they experience could negatively impact them for the rest of their lives so any guidance they receiver will comfort them. The literature young adults are exposed to impacts their thoughts while emotionally resonating with them. Young adult novels have the power to inspire teens to become better citizens or they can serve as a piece of hope when they are feeling at their lowest. Suggesting novels to young adults that discuss topics such as mental health, specifically suicide and the effects it has on the family and friends of the people who committed

Growing up you learn where you fit into society and culture from your surroundings. You go to school, hang out with friends, socialize, and even go to family get-togethers; in all of these situations you learn from your surroundings. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the outcome of where you fit in is not always chosen. Even if it is personal decision, it is still controlled by society and the culture in which you live. In literature, the stories of characters are perceived by the reader in the eyes of the narrator.

I know with growing up comes responsibility but I think most teens are scared of a rude awakening from the real world. A fiction book can teach more because it is more up to date than a non-fiction book that was written in the early

better prepare for an adult college life. In most books there is a hidden morality behind