Banned Book Articles & Close Reading

9/18/2013

We have been learning about close reading and what that means when we are analyzing text.

Using the articles below, you will provide a brief analysis of one. Make sure to refer back to your "close reading" worksheet, which will assist you with academic language.

Once everyone has posted, you will respond to one student's post with your thoughts and ideas about what the student presented. Stating "I agree" is not sufficient. This is a "discussion" in which you need to use thoughtful information from the reading and the student's post.

54 Comments

Colleen Chemidlin

9/18/2013 03:24:24 am

Group 2

The Emmaus Article from the Morning Call had a very good and well structured argument. The use of first person was important because it shows the reader how a student feels about having a book banned in their school district showing a different side of argument. It starts off with the author talking about her reading habits which gives the impression that she is an avid reader and takes the subject seriously. From there she clearly states her opinion and view point on the subject with her words, "At the time, my 12-year-old- mind could not comprehend the idea of book censorship; it did not seem right for others to be able to say what a person can and cannot read. Five years later I still feel similarly."

The author uses strong arguments such as banning books being an infringement upon our rights (The First Amendment). Another and unique argument she used is that the internet is not censored and is a source for much worse material to students. It is a reminder to the readers that the government has tried to censor the internet before but failed. The way that she ends the article is particularly stimulating because she ends it with a quote from a book. The quote has the reader thinking about what their opinion on the subject is and it's a quote that gets someone thinking and could impact them greatly. Another thing about the quote is that it is taken from a banned book which gives it more of an important meaning making the readers ask themselves, "Why would a book that could be possibly stimulating to the brain be banned because it has some questionable content?"

Mrs. Erdman

9/18/2013 03:40:08 am

Colleen,
Consider using the title of the article in your opening sentence, so readers know what you are analyzing.

Rachel Horwath

9/18/2013 03:25:56 am

Group 2- "Emmaus Students'

The article I was given to read related to how the Emmaus students, one in particular was against book banning. The first thing I noticed about this article was that is was in first person starting off telling how when the author was younger she did not understand book banning and thought it was "unfair" to other readers. Carly Muller is now a senior at Emmuas High School and from the time she was in seventh grade she thought there was no such thing as a bad book and that it isn't right for others to say what one can and can not read. As reading this article I focused greatly on the fact that parents do try to take as much control over what their child reads. Carly and many other students agreed to the fact that book banning was not just. Carly and the others are standing up for what they believe in. I agree completely with Carly thinking that banning is a bad idea. This article was published in 2012 so it is obviously still an issue in modern times. As readers we must take into consideration what others think of banning books also and we must stand up for what we believe in.

Mrs. Erdman

9/18/2013 03:41:03 am

Rachel,
Consider using the title of the article in your opening sentence, so readers know what you are analyzing.
Also, think about proofreading prior to submitting writing looking for run-on sentences and use of commas.

Dante Fazio

9/18/2013 03:42:43 am

I also agree with this article. Carly Muller also says "our own parent should decide what we can and can not read, not someone else's. Also I see the same things that you do in this article, I noticed most of the idea's that you put across from the article and i agree one hundred percent. It is also good that the students are standing up for what they believe in and are trying to keep the books on the summer reading list and in the school.

Julianna

9/18/2013 03:26:07 am

The author uses quotes to show all the different opinions and views of the situation of banned books. Seniors at Emmaus believe that it is illogical to try and 'cover up things that are prevalent in society'. Parents believe that the books shouldn't be introduced or recommended to their children. Other parents believe that those books shouldn't even be in the school reading lists at all. On the reading list is a warning to both parents and students about the sensitive topics and contents in the books and asks parents to help their children find an appropriate book. If the parents are allowed to help choose the book then they shouldn't have a problem with the content because they allowed their child to read that book with their permission. Organizations gathered together and compose a letter with their views. 'The removal of books based on their content, rather than a view of their educational and literary merits "would raise serious constitutional concerns" '.

DeAnna

9/18/2013 03:39:42 am

I agree with your point on having the parents approve the students choice of book for their summer reading. I also think that if they approve, they shouldn't have a problem with the book or any other book, even if they personally don't approve it, because maybe another parent is open to the idea of having their child read a controversial book. So overall, i feel the same way about the article.

Mrs. Erdman

9/18/2013 03:41:34 am

Julianna,
Consider using the title of the article in your opening sentence, so readers know what you are analyzing.

Ally Berndt

9/18/2013 03:26:21 am

John Miller has a very strong opinion about banning books, and his first few words make that clear. He himself is an author, and the thought of banning books, especially in schools, disturbs him greatly. When he writes books, he does not believe it is his responsibility to determine who can and cannot read them. That is up to the viewer. He understands there is objectionable content in his pieces, but believes he has the power to do that because of the First Amendment. Also, I can see he takes this very seriously because he uses statistics and real examples to back his point up.

Rachel Horwath

9/18/2013 03:40:30 am

John uses first person to get his point across which leads into his opinions and which made the readers realize that he feels strongly about what he is saying. You did a great job at analyzing the passage and getting across what the author had to say. I liked how you organized the passage and how you responded with all the content needed to analyze this article in the correct way

Mrs. Erdman

9/18/2013 03:43:16 am

Ally,
Consider using the title of the article in your opening sentence, so readers know what you are analyzing.
Also remember that you are analyzing an article, not summarizing. Refer back to your close reading worksheet which will help you with analyzing.

Maaura Silva

9/18/2013 03:26:27 am

Group 3:
The article about East Penn was focused on banned books. This article was written by a journalist who is unbiased because he has both side of the story. They want to ban the books "Prep" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test". This article contains dialogue that other people have said to state their opinion. They are not really asking to ban the books from the reading list but want them removed. The reading list warns parents that the selections are focused toward mature readers so they have no reason to want to ban it. This article has both side. One wanting to ban and the other not wanting to ban. It has dialogue that students have said about how they feel. The overall concept of the article is to inform readers about what is going on in east Penn.

Ally Berndt

9/18/2013 03:40:17 am

I liked what you had to say about this article, but some things I noticed that weren't in your response was her opinion about kids seeing worse on television and other social media, and that childrens own parents should decide what they could read, not someone elses.

Michael Datz

9/18/2013 03:26:33 am

Group 2

In this article, "Emmaus students correct to fight book banning," the author properly supports her ideas and states her opinion. The author mentions that parents don't have "the right to speak for an entire district of students." This means that students are getting no say in the banning, an unjust decision. Also, the style of writing makes the article seem like an editorial, as the writer uses past experiences and her opinion to further her ideas. These ideas and experiences help to make the article credible.
The author disagrees with the book banning, and uses facts in her response to support her idea that students should fight the banning. She uses words like "futile" and "an infringement on rights" to state that the book banning is not a good idea. Lastly, the author uses a quote from "Fahrenheit 451," a challenged book in the past, to end her article nicely. The author, Carly Muller, fully supports her fellow students that are fighting the banning of "Prep" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test."

Ben Lord

9/18/2013 03:42:18 am

Michael used good examples for his close reading. He stated the author's meaning for writing the post, as well as the students thoughts in this too. He also commented on how well the article was written by the author.

Jayson Legayada

9/18/2013 03:43:54 am

The author indeed does believe that the students have no say in the matter, and that "While their concern is understandable, such concern does not give them the right to speak for an entire district of students." The author also notes how students have access to much worse material through the Internet, television and social media. The author's use of quoting "Fahrenheit 451" is an excellent idea seeing as how it challenges the people who are attempting to ban it as well as show how much more meaningful banned books are.

Ben Lord

9/18/2013 03:26:43 am

Group 3:
This article is a non-fiction piece about banning the books "Prep" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" at East Penn School District. These books were on their summer reading assignment, and were optional. Certain parents, however, want to remove these books from East Penn because they don't want their children to be exposed to "explicit sexual content." The first thing I noticed was the title, and I wanted to know why these books were under fire. The second thing I noticed was the name of the books getting banned. Why were they getting banned? What was so bad about them? An important phrase that keeps reappearing during the story was that the books "Prep", and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" were petitioned to be removed from East Penn School District. The sentence structure was long and flowing. These are just a few examples of a close reading.

Allan Camus

9/18/2013 03:43:16 am

I like the examples you used and described. I believe that because these books are not required to read, they are optional, they should not be banned. They should be monitored by parents. I also wonder why these books are wanted to be banned.

Hannah Evans

9/18/2013 03:26:43 am

Group 2 "Emmaus students correct to fight book banning"

Carly Muller, a senior at Emmaus High School fights back against the banning of books. In the article, she talks about how removing the books violates the intellectual freedom of students. That also goes with the First Ammendment. She also talks about how parents fight to ban books because they want to keep their children away from the real world. But most students, especially students in High School, know a lot about what is in the banned books, so reading them wouldn't be much of a difference from what they hear in every day life. Carly also makes a very good point about how parents should be the one to decide whether or not their child could read a book, not anyone else.
Muller also ended the article very well. By using a quote from one of the banned books to talk about banning books is very effective. And the quote related to what was being talked about in the article. Since the quote was used, this could help people that want to ban books maybe understand a little bit more other people's viewpoints.

Brianna Suvire

9/18/2013 03:43:29 am

I liked how you used pieces from the article that really showed her feelings towards banning books. From your close reading, I could understand the point of the view, her opinion on banning books, and how she used different quotes to compliment her writing.

DeAnna

9/18/2013 03:26:51 am

group 1

The first thing I noticed in this article was that John Miller is strictly against the banning of books. He states "The Nazis burned books. Communist governments did and still do burn books..." He is implying we are against our own liberties and amendments and acting like communists since we ban books and fight to ban books. The second thing I noticed was the quote from John Ratzenberger, who stated "I enjoyed working in England because 'they sent all the Puritans to America." Puritans are over the top strict about simple things in life. These things go together since he is saying how hypocritical we are, disregarding the rules our founding fathers wrote.
The authors view, as stated earlier is that he is against banning books. Being an author himself he does state his books are for older teens and adults, and not meant for children. If it is stated it isn't meant for children, we don't need to ban it, since it is the parents choice. He states "I leave it up to the parents and readers to judge whether they are appropriate or not"
The one thing that really spoke to me though is when he talks about material that one may or may not understand. If you cannot understand it, why would you read it anyway? is it really hurting you?

Christine Kurt

9/18/2013 03:42:24 am

I think the author was also taking precaution in his books by warning the readers, so he doesn't get banned himself. So he's against it and changes his books(or just recommending them to older people) so he can avoid banning as a writer. He's also with the law when they talk about First Amendment rights.

Megan Palmer

9/18/2013 03:42:43 am

I also noticed in the article how John Miller was very against banning books too.I noticed in this article that he used a more critical and sarcastic tone and that he was skeptic about some information the newspaper provided.

Chris Miceli

9/18/2013 03:26:58 am

Group 2

The article "Emmaus students correct to fight book banning" has a lot of different things that can be analyzed from it. Some of them are it is written in first person, the author of this article is against banning books, and the author understands the other point of view, but disagrees with it.
Firstly, the thing that I noticed right away was the word "I" which told me that this article was going to be written in first person. The author used flashbacks to show the audience what went through her mind while she was reading books when sh was young.
Secondly, the author showed in various ways that she was against banning books. This was a main idea that popped up in the article as you read it. She stated in the second paragraph that her 12 year old mind could not grasp the idea of censorship and she did not agree with it then or now. In the final paragraph she used a quote to support her opinion.
Lastly, the author showed understanding of the opposing point of view, but shot it down and expressed her disagreement with it. She stated in the third paragraph that she understands the parent's concern about their children reading what is deemed to be inappropriate content but said right away that the concern does not give them the right to speak for the whole district.

Karena

9/18/2013 03:27:25 am

Group 2-
The author of Emmaus students tries to portray that it is not right for others to be able to say what a person can and cannot read. That was her thought process as a twelve year old, and five years later she still feels the same. The article goes into detail about the reactions of parents towards two books seen as inapropriate for Emmaus high school students to read. The author ends disagreeing with parents opinions and that banning books infringes on rights and kids have seen worse material from things like television.
If parents let their kids watch those type of TV shows etc it is hypocritical for them to prohibit them from reading a certain book. She ends with an important quote from a banned book Fahrenheit 451. A good word to describe the way the author feels about banning books is injustice.

Madison

9/18/2013 03:28:18 am

Group 1
The first thing I noticed about this article was the title. It made me think of the First Amendment which is freedom of press. I also noticed the phrase Nazis banned books. It made me realize that anyone is capable of banning books. The alliteration at the end of the paragraph made the story much more vivid. The story is written in 1st person P.O.V. John Ratzenberger brings a different element into the story. His interview would most likely affect people because of him being famous. There are some words that are not as familiar to people that make the article more meaningful and gives it more depth.
The percentages he uses seems very accurate. You can tell that he was irritated by the results. The article brings in the Constitution and the First Amendment which show some political background. Freedom of speech, Freedom of religion and Freedom in the press is all present in the first amendment. That shows to me that they are allowed to have those things in the library and available to the people because of freedom of the press. They can write whatever they want to. John states that he agrees that parents should regulate what their children read but they should not have 100% control over it. I do agree mainly with John's points that he makes.

Colleen Chemidlin

9/18/2013 03:39:56 am

In addition, John Miller at the end of the article states that he is an author and that he has written books. It gives the reader the viewpoint of an author that maybe people looked over. How do the author's feel about their rights being infringed upon? There is a clear tone throughout the article which is established in the beginning when he he says, "..parents trying to protect their little darlings from the cold, cruel world in which they live." The previous quote has a sarcastic tone and perhaps resentful.

Karena Vogrin

9/18/2013 03:42:05 am

Liked how you went into detail about the Constitution because that was an important part of the article and how banning books infringes on freedom of press. Could go into detail about the words that are not familiar and explain them possibly. Well written precise details with the main points.

Christine Kurt

9/18/2013 03:28:42 am

Group 2:
In the article for Emmaus students fighting against book banning, the narrator is a big fan of reading. You notice right away that because she loves to read she is against book banning. The author's point of view is important to the article, because she gives examples for her side of the argument. She talks about Emmaus High School petitioning against banning books, because they believe that parents shouldn't decide what the whole school district can't read. They think it's alright that parent's decide what their child can read, but not for the other students. The author's quote from "Fahrenheit 451" states that people don't need to be let alone, they need to be bothered once in a while if it's important. I think the author is trying to show that it's okay to argue about something as long as it's important. And the author doesn't think it's that important to ban books in school, because she likes to read freely. So the point of view is most important to the article.

Meagan Ryer

9/18/2013 03:29:10 am

Group 3
While reading the article "Controversial East Penn books remain on reading list" my first impression was that the author remained neutral. The author didn't side with either sides of the case. The author did show both opinions of the case. The first quote that the author, Patrick Lester wrote was what the school board president said about the law. It seems throughout the article it was an issue that the Supreme Court stated that schools had no right to band books. Lester uses quotes to vividly describe the issue. The author shows you both sides, leaving the choice to what side the reader wants to be on. Other than the translations the article is almost all quotes. The quotes consistently contradict each other. Lester ends the article with a quote that is against banning books.

Madison

9/18/2013 03:41:25 am

I agree with the fact that the author doesn't choose sides at first and concludes with a quote against banning books. The title also gives an opinion on the subject and voices a pretty large opinion. The fact that you supported your reasoning with examples showed your view of the article strongly.

Kelly Donah

9/18/2013 03:29:27 am

Group 1-John Miller

The author of this article uses several techniques to prove his point. The first thing that I noticed was the first sentence, "The Nazis banned books." You can conclude right away that the author is opposed to banning books. When you hear the word 'Nazis', you generally think of bad things. So to relate them to book banning shows that author is not a fan of it. The second thing I noticed was the sarcastic tone of the article. For example, the author uses language like "little darlings" and "cold, cruel world". These two things complement each other because they both suggest negativity and the author's opposition to banning books. The author makes his article more credible and believable by using statistics. For example, "Fortunately, a Morning Call question brought a 70 percent 'no' response from 1,792 people." The writer uses first person point of view, which makes you agree more with the author. It allows you to get inside the writer's head, and think what they are thinking. The author shows perspective by saying, "As an author I use some words and situations in my novels that some persons might find objectionable." He continues on to explain that his books are aimed towards teen and adults, and that he leaves the choice up to the reader's to make their decision. This is smart and proves the author's point, because it shows that the readers take responsibility and it shouldn't be up to other people to ban books. The reader should have an idea of what is appropriate for him or her and should make an appropriate decision based off of that.

Alexis Szaro (Group 1)

9/18/2013 03:29:33 am

In the article, "Banning books is an affront to the First Amendment", the first few things I noticed was that the author is writing in first person, and is against banning books. He starts his article off by saying, "The Nazis banned books. Communist governments did and still do ban books." He writes this to grab the reader's attention, since everyone knows that the Nazis and Communist governments are bad. He gets his point across right away, which is that banning books is wrong. A pattern he used was writing facts and statistics, and explaining them, such as the fourth and fifth paragraph. The author reminds us that kids our age have heard, said, and done some of these "objectionable" things. The author's point of view really makes us think about the bad reasons of banning books. Since it is in first person point of view, readers can really see how he feels about the topic, and his opinions on why books should not be banned. He is an author of books, and tells us how he himself writes "objectionable" content in his books sometimes, but always gives out a warning, like other authors do. This article is important because it really gives the readers clear reasons on why books should not be banned, and how it goes against our freedom, which is given to us in the Constitution. It helps convince readers that banning books is a completely wrong thing to do.

Hannah Evans

9/18/2013 03:43:46 am

You did a good job of analyzing the whole article. I like how you start off by saying what you noticed, because everything that you noticed stood out in the article. Saying that kids our age can relate to the objectionable things is very true. When you mentioned about how the author said he gives warnings about objectionable content is good because if there is a warning the book should be allowed to be read.

Isaiah Ortiz

9/18/2013 03:29:43 am

Group 2

The analysis on the Emmaus Students is quite interesting. To start the first thing i noticed was that the author Carly Muller started when she was in elementary school, loving to read any types of books. What else i noticed was when she contradicted what she was talking about because she never knew that there was any such thing as a "bad" book. Carly Muller (the author) uses very descriptive and very firm words such as violates, intellectual freedom of the students, infringement upon rights she uses those kind of words to help expresses her overall way of thinking and a way to express her thoughts toward the topic. She and others in the passage feel like it is there right to read what they want because they are exposed to worse things on the internet, TV and social media, which i feel is 100% true. She writes in 1st person point of view which should mean that she is talking from experience and she throwing personal ideas toward the topic she is talking about. What is mainly important in the passage is at the end when she ends off. She uses a quote from the book Fahrenheit 451 " We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long has it been since you were bothered? About something important, about something real?" That meant a lot toward the whole passage as a whole because she just proved a significant part what she has meant by quoting a quote from the book..

Mrs. Erdman

9/18/2013 03:38:37 am

Isaiah,
Be careful before you post. You will want to proofread first for errors such as capitalization of I, spacing, use of italics for novels, etc.

Julianna

9/18/2013 03:42:05 am

I agree with you entirely. Writing the passage in first person gave it more meaning and value while also expressing a very strong point of view. Not only did the author give a good argument on his point of view as a student, but also taking into consideration different parents and students as well.

Maura Silva

9/18/2013 03:42:31 am

I liked how you wrote about the article and included specific details. I would of included the students that were mentioned and what they had to say about the books. I also would of included the books that people wanted to be banned and why. You also need to capitalize the "I"

Michael Brandle

9/18/2013 03:29:50 am

Group 1 - Mikey Brandle

The first noticing that you take towards this article is its title. The banning of books is a very controversial topic, where both sides of the argument think that they're right. Both sides have strong points, but they can't come together for a solution. The First Amendment is also mentioned in the title, which goes hand in hand with the banning of books. In the U.S., you cannot fully ban a book due to our constitutional rights of the freedom of press. Although they can't fully be banned, they can be regulated to an extent. People have been banning books for years and years. Even the Nazis banned books! More recently, it has been parents wanting to ban books because of religious, sexual content, moral meanings, or so many different reasons. The author of this article is against the banning of books. He feels that it is his right to be able to write and put his work out to all, but it is up to the readers and responsible parents to pick out what they can or can not read.

Isaiah Ortiz

9/18/2013 03:40:48 am

Hey, You should of added the what the first amendment said " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech of or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Also you should of mentioned the parents point of view.

Overall Awesome analysis for the amount of time given!!

Michael Datz

9/18/2013 03:41:57 am

I thought the article defended its points well with facts, mainly the paragraph when the article uses percentages from the polls. I thought it was strange that some agreed to ban the books, but was relieved when another poll had many disagreeing to the idea. I agree that when the author brought up the First Amendment it improved his argument. Good analysis.

Dante Fazio

9/18/2013 03:30:09 am

"Controversial East Penn books remain on reading list"
Group 3

The article that i am writing about is about the controversy of whether two book, "Prep" and "The Kool-Aid Acid Test" should be banned from the summer reading list in the East Penn School District. My first thoughts when I read this article are why are they going to be banned? The word "reprehensible" stood out to me in my eyes because it is telling us someones opinion as this person said that these books were "reprehensible trash." Students opinions are discussed in this article, most kids do not want the books to be banned, they think that students should have the right to read what they want to read. One of the two parents that filed the complaint said to just take them off the list and do not introduce them to his kid. Also the other parent called the books "inappropriate and pornographic." The school district says that the reading list warns parents and students that some selections are focused for mature readers, I think that if the parents did not want their child to read a specific book because of some explicit context that they should not allow their child to read it. The school district also encourages parents to read the book descripition carefully. this book has also been challenged before but was not banned.

J Money Buckets

9/18/2013 03:43:35 am

I like how you have a lower case I in the beginning of your paragraph. My first thought also was why were the books going to be banned until I read on and saw that the books contained sexual content and could be considered pornographic. As I was reading I just couldn't understand why parents were making a huge deal because the books aren't being required to read. I agree with the one kid how he said that the book contains material that happens in our society so why protect us from it if we could encounter it.

Megan Palmer

9/18/2013 03:30:09 am

Group 2
In this article the writer tries to get a point across the books should not be banned. She feels that parents who want certain books banned shouldn't speak for the whole student body, only their kids, because these books can be important to other readers.
The author thinks that these books that may be banned just reflect how society is in the real world, and kids need to learn that. She says, "Attempting to shelter students from the real world by banning books is not only an infringement upon rights but is also futile." Even if it isn't through books they have easy access to explicit content from the internet and television today. She also says, "Removing the books from the reading list violates the intellectual freedom of students." The author is saying that kids should be free to learn what they want to learn, or what they feel is important. By taking away these books you're taking their freedom of learning. Overall, the author of this article tries to tell you are taking rights away from students to decide what they want to read. She also gets her point across in an informative way by using information from other students as well.

Elyse Sanford

9/18/2013 03:42:37 am

We both noted a lot of the same things down for this article. You picked out a lot of good quotes that helped back-up your answer. I liked how you summed up your response with the overall main idea of the article.

Allan Camus

9/18/2013 03:30:14 am

Group 1

The first thing I noticed when reading John Miller's article was how he described things. He gave examples that everyone can relate to. For example he says that most teenagers above the age 13 are aware of the words and situations that cause books to be banned. He is aware teenagers are aware of the problems in the world. This helped get his point across that he does not agree with censorship. He says that books shouldn't be banned but parents should monitor what their children read as long as they don't force their opinions. He also says that removing books from schools goes against the First Amendment. I agree that books should not be banned but parents should monitor what their children read.

J Money Buckets

9/18/2013 03:30:31 am

Group 1
I noticed that when I first started reading that most books are banned in Middle East because they contain religious or political point of views. Not because of sexual content. John Miller brought up a good point when he said that most teenagers talk about explicit content and use profanity from books that parents are trying to protect their children from. John also brought up another good point that I agree with. He said that the books parents want banned aren't being required to read. So if the parent doesn't want their child to read a certain book that is not required, they can simply tell their child no.

Chris Miceli

9/18/2013 03:40:23 am

I agree with this but you could have added that the article was written in first person to give you a better perspective of what he actually believes. He also uses the First Amendment to support his opinion on banning books. Other than those couple things, I completely agree with J Money Buckets.

(Group 3) Jayson Legayada

9/18/2013 03:31:37 am

The news report titled "Controversial East Penn books remain on reading list" is a segment involving the opinions of parents, students, and the school board about the banning of the books "Prep" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test". At first glance, I noticed how the story was written by a member of The Morning Call. I also noticed how the author shows no bias towards either side of the banning of books. This allows for the reader to make an even opinion about both topics. The author likes to reference credible sources such as the School Board President Charles Ballard and the Supreme Court to show how controversial the topic is. The report is written in quick passages to show different opinions on the matter quickly and evenly. For example, he quotes from the two parents who initially brought up the matter as well as a school director who believes that removing the books from the list would not be censorship. This allows for express their themes in a formal way without the use of bullets. The importance of this article is to express the opinions of the local area of East Penn, and show how controversial banning books are.

Brianna Suvire

9/18/2013 03:32:47 am

Group 3:
The importance of this article is the banned book controversy. In the article written by Patrick Lester of The Morning Call, it is announced that controversial books "Prep" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" will remain on the school district's summer reading list. The article expresses both the protest against banning the books and the urge to ban these books. The people who are quoted in this article certainly have strong bias, whatever their opinion may be. A quote such as, "We don't want to be sheltered. Its counterproductive to cover up things that are prevalent in society." shows how this Emmaus High School senior feels about banning books. He feels that banning books is wrong and the things happening are just as they are in the real world. Then a quote like this, "Just take them off the list. Don't introduce it to my kids.", shows complete detest towards inappropriate books. The point of view of a student who wants to be able to read the book is much different than the point of view of a parent who wants to "protect their child". The separate quotes show controversy. The author shows no bias towards either side, but shows each sides points fairly.

Kelly Donah

9/18/2013 03:42:57 am

You state that the article is not biased towards either side. On the first page, Ballard sates that school boards have no right to censor material unless they use a process that is facially unbiased. The author succeeds in doing this, so this article could represent an example of what the process should look like.

Mikey Brandle

9/18/2013 03:44:07 am

I like the fact that you used quotes to support your reasoning, and explained a little further. It helps strengthen your analysis and helps the reader understand more of what you're trying to say. I agree with your points about how the author shows no bias, and how both parents and students have varied points of view. Everyone responds to everything differently, and the banning of books is a good example of this.

Elyse Sanford

9/18/2013 03:35:29 am

Group #3

The article I am writing about is "Controversial East Penn books remain on reading list" by Patrick Lester. One of the first things I noticed about this article is that it is just a regular article, not an editorial like the others. This article uses a lot of quotes from people that at the conference to decide whether or not to take the books "Prep" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" off of the summer reading list. One quote that really stood out to me was, "The board's decision to hold off came after some emotional pleas from both supporters and opponents of keeping the reading list." This quote emphasizes the point of hard of a decision it was for the school board to make. The vocabulary in this article was very simple, so it allows almost everyone to be able to read and understand it. This article uses quotes that explain why these books should be taken off from the reading list and quotes that explain why these books be kept on the reading list. This article is important because it explains the controversy of the reading list at East Penn.

Alexis Szaro

9/18/2013 03:43:23 am

I agree with everything you said! One of the first things I noticed was the picture, and how it looks like there is a student speaking to parents at a podium. There was a lot of quotes from the people at the meeting in the article, which I kind of liked, because we can really see who believed what about the topic of banned books. The Superintendent was really important, because he made one of the final decisions at the meeting, because he said he wanted the administration to consider banning the two books. I'm glad the students spoke up about banning the books, because it shows that they had an opinion and wanted to be heard by the board (since they didn't want the books to be banned). Overall, this was a very good article that showed a meeting about banning the books at East Penn.

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