Should the novel Speak be included in next year’s grade nine curriculum? I feel this topic should be brought to light because censoring this book has been an issue for quite some time, but censoring a book with real adolescent issues involved does not protect the students, it does exactly the opposite by not providing them the education on these subjects that they need to get by in life .I am pro keeping the book in the curriculum because teens relate to it, there’s symbolism in it and it generates good discussions.
One of the main reasons I think Speak should remain in the curriculum is because it resonates with age group that is reading it. Even though sexual abuse is not the most common, teenage alienation and social problems are, this book is relevant to everyday teenage life and we see it in the novel in phrases like “Nothing good ever happens at lunch. The cafeteria is a giant sound stage where they film daily segments of Teenage Humiliation Rituals. And it smells gross.” (Anderson, 104) to “She’s a bitch, that’s what you mean. She thinks she’s too good for the rest of us.” (Anderson, 175) These quotes are just regular words and have nothing special or really relevant to the story but that is what teenage life is, it’s boring and this book captures that in a subtle sense, not meaning that the book is boring but that it really captures the life of a teen, it is raw and real and this book brings awareness to very important issues as well. Although many people state that Speak is not a well written novel and that there are many better book options to teach and I do not completely disagree with them because Speak does not consist of the best writing technicality but it offers so much more than that. Speak is a book filled with symbolism and gives the readers something to think about and read in between the lines this is displayed in sentences like “I can’t bring it to life. I’d love to give up. Quit. But I can’t think of anything better to do, so I just keep chipping away.” (Anderson, 78) This quote is an example of the tree symbolism in the book, the tree is a symbol of life and Melinda can not bring the tree for her art project to life just like she is failing to bring herself to life, she is dying inside. Another sentence that has symbolism in it is “She’s creepy. What’s wrong with her lips? It looks like she’s got a disease or something.” (Anderson, 45) Melinda’s lips are just a symbol of her disease; mental illness such as depression is a disease and should not be taken lightly. When reading this book we must also not forget that it is written by a fifteen year-old girl. I would greatly appreciate if Speak would be left in the curriculum because unlike most of the other novels we read together it generates
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