Make Up Blog: Drawing the Line on Books

As a high school student, I have never had a problem with any books that I have been required to read. Even when the book has had very explicit scenes, like American Gods, I have never found any of it offensive. As "young adults", kids going through middle and high school are supposed to be familiar with violence and sex, and be able to know the difference between fantasy and real life. But, I do believe there is a line we need to draw for what is appropriate for a literature class. I don't believe there is anything wrong with violence in a book, especially since most classic literature we have read in class is heavy in death and violence. But, I think books with heavy amounts of sexual content can make any student feel uncomfortable. I'm not talking about a story having one or two sex scenes every so often, but when a book is based around sex, I believe that it is innapropriate for a classroom. Thankfully, I have never seen or been required a book like that, because I could imagine how awkward that class discussion would be. As for younger kids, I believe there is a time when they need to step up from fairy tale violence and experience violence that would be in a more realistic in literature. Like with movies, you can't expect a kid to grow up and keep watching g or pg movies. When I was 10 or 11, I watched my first rated r movie, even though I wasn't suppossed to. My friends and I watched, what you mentioned in class today, 300, which might not have been appropriate now that I think about it. But, as I watched it, I remember thinking how much different it was from anything I have watched, and how it actually showed blood. After that, I was never satisfied with pg or pg-13 movies. Books can be like that. Someone may think some books are innapropriate for a certain age, but reading a book that is innapropriate could reveal a whole new world of books for that kid. Sorry I got kinda off topic....