Preview

Persuasive Essay Over The Catcher In The Rye

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
707 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Persuasive Essay Over The Catcher In The Rye
Classic literature is now under fire from many school districts because of the content within the books. High schools are discussing on wether to include classical books that contain sensitive material, such as, Catcher In The Rye in their curriculums for the safety of their students. Although many critics think that profanity is excessive, The Catcher In The Rye should be included in high school curriculums to provide realistic language that is used frequently in society. Catcher In The Rye contains copious mounts of profanity that could harm the minds of students and teachers. Therefore, Many organizations argue that profanity should not be used in schools. Nonetheless, profanity is used frequently in society through entertainment. The …show more content…
For instance, "A former student, Andrea Sisam, claimed in her lawsuit that Bethel violated its own prohibition against pornography by using several books or films containing sex scenes in her first-year courses"(Olsen). As portrayed in the quote, schools have resulted to banning popular books because of the inappropriate content in books. Also, the existence of sexual content in literature is causing conflicts in schools across the nation. Although many of the most famous books, such as, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison contain sexual content, these books are great pieces of literature for the way the portray the realistic characteristics of society. This is best said by Jenna Portnoy, "Great literature is great because it deals with difficult human conditions, not because it's easy"(Portnoy). This quote helps support that schools should not be banning classical books because of their content. Therefore, Cather In The Rye should not be banned. Catcher In The Rye is a classical piece of literature that is at the ideal reading level high school curriculums. There are many reasons for Catcher In The Rye to be included or excluded in high schools. Profanity helps support display the realistic speech of characters. Also, profanity should not be harmful to the students because of the frequent use of it in society. Even though schools will argue keeping Cather In The Rye in existence, Cather in The Rye should be included in high school

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The first major point why Of Mice and Men has been banned and challenged at several schools is because of the bulger language that presents itself over and over in the book. Of Mice and Men says only one curse word (Bastard ) Pg. 4.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is considered a literary `classic. It has been a recommended read on many schools reading list for many years. But the book does have its share of controversy concerning the content within the book. Censorship is a thing many people do not like and some do not want this book censored and believe that the book should be taught in American classrooms. Others do not believe that and seek to have the book banned from being taught in schools. Huckleberry Finn is not a bad book but the negative aspects of the book may make the book unsuitable to teach. Huckleberry Finn should not be taught in school because it contains racism and offensive characterizations but it teaches that a persons identity is not solely based on their race.…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I find the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn very difficult to read. I often find myself re-reading the paragraph just to understand what it means after not getting it the first time. Some of the more difficult aspects for me to understand in the book are based on the way they speak and the dialect they use. I do understand that most of the people in the book were uneducated and just basically spoke different than we do now. For example "Yo' Ole Father doan ' know yit what hes a-gwyne to do" is what Jim had said to Huck and I found that very hard to comprehend. If it wasn’t for the great context clues, then I wouldn’t be able to understand one thing that’s going on when they speak. I do understand that Jim is uneducated and that’s how someone like him would speak. But I just think that it is taken a little too far and feel that Mark Twain…

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Controversy is often the source of many heated arguments. It brings about topics that people will more than likely disagree on and be able to debate with each other. The novel, The Catcher in the Rye has been a source of controversy ever since it was published. Author, J.D. Salinger incorporated multiple controversial senses into the novel, many of them having to do with the loss of innocence. Scenes such as Holden encountering a prostitute, lying to Mrs. Morrow, and attempting to erase all the f*** yous from the world, all display the controversial themes seen throughout the novel.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Since the 1600s censors have been trying to ban books that contain harsh or unpopular viewpoints. Some books are banned because of message of book or sometimes they are banned because of profanity, and also books can be banned for their cover if it suggest a offensive matter. For a book to be banned a group of people, or a person has to challenge the book. The American Library Association banned the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger because it was challenged by many people, and school because it was one of the many book that was banned for profanity, sex, and slang. The Catcher in the Rye is a story about a 16 year old boy named Holden Caulfield that has been kicked out of private school…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 2001, there were complaints that the book contained sex, violence and profanity. In 2002, The Catcher in the Rye was taken out of South Carolina for being a “filthy,filthy book”. In 2005, The Catcher in the Rye was challenged but maintained as an assigned reading for the Noble high School in North Berwick, Maine. In 2006 The Catcher in the Rye was challenged for having sexual content, insulting and not appropriate for age groups. Also stated in World Magazine “The challenges generally being with vulgar language, citing the novel’s use of words like ”goddamn”, with more general reasons including sexual references, blasphemy, undermining of family values and moral codes, Holden’s being a poor role model, encouragement of rebellion and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying and promiscuity.…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the years many schools have banned or taken the novel Catcher in the Rye. There are various reasons as to why some schools have banned the book, a few are “too vulgar”,“too sexual”, “anti-white”, “morals”, “too much violence” and “having to do with occult”also it is considered a symbol for teenage angst. But when thinking about it, is a type of language and imagery enough to ban a book? The book is also considered a valuable lesson and experience for adolescent teens to learn about. Whether people choose to admit it or not high school in itself outside of class is vulgar, far more than what is suggested in this book.…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banning Catcher In The Rye

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Although Catcher in the Rye implements many inappropriate topics for school such as drug abuse, alcoholism, and swearing, it should not be banned because it allows for an open and safe discussion about the dangers of engaging in these actions.…

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger should not be banned in schools based solely on the fact that it is a controversial book that uses harsh language and sexual references. This book is J.D. Salinger’s freedom of speech, and it is a violation of the first amendment for schools to ban this book. This book is only offering an inside look into what teenagers go through in some point of their lives. According to the Los Angeles Times, The Catcher in the Rye’s, “… profanity and sexual references drew scandalized reactions…” (Rotella 18). Although this book has many sexual references, it is not in any way as explicit and as bad as what teenagers see and hear nowadays on television and in the world. Holden occasionally thinks and talks about sex: “Most guys at Pencey talked about having sexual intercourse with girls all the time.” (Salinger 48). The average teenager often thinks and talks about sex. It is not unusual for teenagers to do this. The profanity in this book is also not as bad as it may seem. Patty Salazar, a concerned mother and religious activist, claims that, “‘It uses the Lord’s name in vain 200 times’” (Rotella 17), but the curse words used in The Catcher in the Rye are nothing that teenagers have not heard before in their everyday lives. Banning The Catcher in the Rye in school is not acceptable. It is a violation of the first amendment, and it is nothing far from what teenagers encounter everyday. This book gives teenagers someone in literature that they are able to relate to in one way or another. The Catcher in the Rye is not a book that will corrupt young readers. The underlying theme of this book is loss of innocence. This loss occurs when a teenager makes the change to adulthood where he or she is obscured by phoniness. By banning this book from schools, the only thing that teenagers would be sheltered from is…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Catcher in the Rye” a coming of age story is told of Holden Caulfield. Many conflicts with maturity arise in coming of age literature. Throughout the reading of the text a large amount of graphic language is used by the narrator. The constant cursing and references to classes of people in derogatory terms permeate throughout the reading. This fact alone causes the book to be controversial and in turn banned from many curriculums. The language is often called into question of necessity especially when exposing younger readers to literature. In Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” the vulgarity of the chosen language is necessary to show the character’s multiple inner conflicts.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Prose Synthesis

    • 3621 Words
    • 15 Pages

    In her essay Prose calls out the methods in which children are being taught in American schools. She believes that America has fallen so far behind because teachers are forcing children to read classic literature in a way that leaves the student with no appreciation of the book nor the author, and instead students are "informed that literature is principally a vehicle for the soporific moral blather they suffer daily from their parents" (Paragraph 15, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read", Francine Prose). Students are, instead of closely reading and analyzing a text to understand the true meaning, forced to examine superficial topics within a novel and apply them in a way that has no benefit towards education or the grasping of the text, and leaves the student resenting not only the teacher and assignment, but the author and the novel itself. Teachers are no longer teaching the book, but teaching for some outlook that the author may or may not have had. A book is no longer read for the story it provides but is read for who the author is and what they represent. Prose mentions a motion passed in 1999 by the San Francisco Board of Education mandating that "works of literature read in class…

    • 3621 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    It was very easy for a students to relate to Holden the main character in the book and get the feel of discovering themselves and what they need like he did. Students felt the right to read what they please, they did not want to be limited as to what they should or shouldn’t read. Regardless of the controversy the catcher in the rye has always had a large support…

    • 1608 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Catcher in the Rye. The Scarlet Letter. Huckleberry Finn. Harry Potter. The Diary of Anne Frank. Animal Farm. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Da Vinci Code. The Grapes of Wrath. These literary classics have been vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents (Banned Books). These great novels both teach important values and educate children about world affairs and classic themes. Unfortunately, each of these novels has been banned at one point in time. In a country where freedom is so adamantly advocated, it is a wonder that an issue like censorship would even come up, that such a controversy would sink its claws into the minds of states’ boards of education across the nation. Censorship is a needless restriction placed on developing minds that need the morals and values that banned books can give.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    in the U.S. Which aspects of the book do you think people have found more objectionable? Do you find these aspects of the book off-putting? Do you think the book should be banned or censored? Do you think it should be taught…

    • 1494 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Book Banning

    • 1850 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Catcher in the Rye. The Scarlet Letter. Huckleberry Finn. Harry Potter. The Diary of Anne Frank. Animal Farm. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Da Vinci Code. The Grapes of Wrath. These literary classics have been vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents. These great novels both teach important values and educate children about world affairs and classic themes. Unfortunately, each of these novels has been banned at one point in time. Many of these classic stories have been banned because of sexual references, racial slurs, religious intolerance, or supposed witchcraft promotion. Although some may consider these books controversial or inappropriate, many English classes have required us to read these books. Like the teachers that assigned us these books, I believe that even controversial books can ultimately boost, not deter, our educational wealth. I oppose book banning for three main reasons. First, I believe that education should be open to everyone. Everyone should have an opportunity to read any literature of their choosing and form his or her own opinions based on the reading. Micah Issitt lists "three basic rights covered under the freedom of the press: the right to publish, the right to confidentiality of sources, and the right of citizens to access the products of the press." My second reason specifically addresses the last right stating that citizens should have access to the press. The government should not restrict books from being published or interfere into personal affairs as this is an infringement of the First Amendment. Finally, I believe that parents should monitor what their…

    • 1850 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics