The novel Looking
for Alaska, by John Green, should be a challenged book because it has
excessive sexual content and a self-destructive antagonist, but it has the
controversial ideas about the labyrinth of life that open the eyes of
teenagers.
Another
reason that this book should be challenged is because of the
self-destructiveness of Alaska, which causes readers to see the world in a view
of damaging habits. Alaska has many bad habits because she lost her mother at a
very young age. She has convinced herself that the only way out of the undesirable
labyrinth of life is to get hooked on bad habits and to kill yourself. She
explains this all to her friends in two short sentences, “Y’all smoke to enjoy
it. I smoke to die” (Green 44). This short
sentence is a very powerful one that comes to mind in 98% of those who read
this book. It has a huge impact on those who read it because it is not expected
for someone to say that. Teenagers may have the knowledge that people do this, but
most don’t often hear people embracing this openly. Many of those who smoke are
not that proud of it and do it because they are addicted. However, in this
situation “smoking to die” is a very real thing and seems very plausible. Pudge
started to “smoke” as soon as his parents left, he was warned not to, but did
it anyway. The fact that Alaska brought it up casually without much hesitation
gives readers the reason to think that it is not that bad to do. It gives this
feeling that if there is a bad day or just are feeling depressed, everyone should
just take a smoking break. “Smoking” in general is a very real thing and many
people in our society today are addicted to “smoking.” However, not all of
these people are “smoking” to get out of this labyrinth of life and to escape
into the freedom of “death.” This is very similar to Divergent where Al
kills himself and the Dauntless faction start to celebrate because he was brave
enough to jump over the railing. The people in the Dauntless faction have
completely lost understanding over what is good and what is bad. This might
happen to some of the teenagers when they read this book if they are not warned
that this book contains images that make students think that destructive
addictions are okay to undertake. Yes, teenagers need to open their eyes into
the real world, but in the right direction that shows them that life still has
its gifts for them, that there is still a reason to live.
I agree that this book should be challenged, I have not read it but I have heard some things about the book. I have been told that this book as excessive detailed sexual content and a normal human wouldn't want to read and shouldn't. It also has a lot of drugs in the book, as your quote suggests. And its not like they only do drugs once, it happens multiple times, I believe. However I agree that it showcases the journey of a girl who has had a rough life and how she intakes the journey.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the ideas you discussed in your paragraphs. I read the novel as well and I really liked the quote you chose and how it showcases Alaska's morbid views. I also agree that the novel should be challenged for the excessive sexual content and the nature of Alaska, but I think the novel's themes, as you said the ideas of the labyrinth, and love and loss are important for a high schooler to read and contemplate. All of these notions and themes are experienced every day and everywhere and teens especially need to know how to cope with them.
ReplyDeleteI have not read this book, but I've heard a lot about it. I agree that it should be challenged for a number of reasons. The fact that Alaska is trying to kill herself by smoking is reason enough to be challenged. That goes along with the drugs and sex also in the book. I think it's important for us to read books like this, though, because we can learn a lot from them. We can learn from the characters' mistakes. This book also teaches us about the hard life of a girl and how she deals with it. We can learn a lot from that sad story in and of itself.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you, that this should be a challenged book because of the good lessons it teaches teenagers, but it also includes a lot of sexual content that many parents wouldn't want their young teens to read. It explores some difficult subjects that teenagers need to think about because they are real-world problems in many people, which is why it is a good book. The only reason it shouldn't be a must read is because of the excessive sexual content that it shows, which may deter some parents for their children. It is all in all a good book with some controversial topics that make it challenged.
ReplyDeleteI think this book should be a must-read book because it shows the readers what path not to take. Alaska's choices were bad but she went down that path because she thought she was responsible for her mothers death. In the end we don't know what/why Alaska did what she did. But Pudge realizes that he will never know and the only way to move on is to forgive. If Alaska had forgiven herself, she would have probably been a very different character. It teaches that the only love that can truly fix something, is love for yourself. Love for other is also very important. While I do agree that the physical scenes can be a bit overwhelming at times, Green actually did it to show that just because you know someone physically doesn't mean you know them emotionally. And the emotional part is far more important in a relationship.
ReplyDeleteI have not read this book either. However just because it contains drug abuse and explicit sexual content doesn't mean that it should be challenged. I have not heard anything that makes it sound as if the book glorifies drug abuse or premarital sex. In fact, the story makes it sound as if one would not want to become like Alaska especially if it shows how hard her life is. If the book shows teens what to avoid in their lives, it has social value and should not be banned or challenged.
ReplyDeleteI have not read this book, but with what you and other people have said so far it seems that this book has several contriversial topics within itself. You have to ask yourself this question though: are the contentious behaviors within the book more powerful than the overall message? Also, is the overall message good or bad and does it change the way how people think? In your analysis, you argued very well why this book should be challenged, which gives readers a better understanding of what it is about.
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