In the book "Cut" by Patricia Mccormick it tells the story of a catatonic (someone who can no longer speak after a traumatic event) cutter girl named Callie. Throughout the story it gives away hints that her brother suffers from a severe form of asthma that keeps him in the hospital. This results in her father having to work more hours and he cannot spend any time with Callie. This causes Callie to feel some sort of separation from her father, which may have lead to her cutting. I've read about this book in several articles because this book was banned from many school libraries.
I do not agree with the position on banning this specific book. So far in the book you can sense the struggle Callie feels because she wants to tell everybody all about how she feels but cannot. She also shies away from everybody and does not include anybody in her private activities. I feel that people who are suffering from insecurities or any type of borderline personality disorder (such as cutting) find strength in this book. They know that someone out there feels the exact way they do and that hopefully they can get through the addiction.
People ban books like this because they feel that it is promoting the act of self injury when it truly is not. The author would definitely not write a book about promoting suicide, and if she did no one could possibly publish that. There is probably a cliche lesson at the end, you cannot get through this alone or you'll get through it, no matter what. Personally I find that if Callie committed suicide or some terrible act such as this, it would have a more dramatic affect on the audience and make the reader feel that they should stop whatever they are doing since it hurts the people around them.
I feel that they should not ban this book because it is a spread of awareness around the globe of what we need to fix in today's culture. People who may also suffer from Callie's addiction of cutting may also find the ability to connect with her and save themselves. This book is not a ridicule of the others who suffer from other illnesses such as anorexia or trichotillomania, it is to help show that those people are normal, but they were damaged in this terrible way. This is why I feel that "Cut" by Patricia Mccormick should be removed from the banned list.
Sasha,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I like that you gave some background information and talked about your reasons for why it shouldn't be banned, with the background information I can understand it better. I agree that it shouldn't be banned, but what other reasons do you think people have for banning this book? All in all great post!
I think the only reason it should be banned is because it may make people uncomfortable. Yes, cutting is a very different subject and a very painful one at that, but in order for us to solve this problem people need to understand how it affect people. A lot of people think that cutting is a way to get attention but there are certain people, like Callie who cannot tell people about her issue, and is not a frightening person in real life.
DeleteI hope this helps!
Sasha
Hey Sasha,
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I agree- these books should not be banned. However, books like "Cut" and "Wasted" by Marya Hornbacher have been known to aggravate and induce cutting, eating disorders and depression. These books give "tips" on disorders. Although they are anti-disorder, they may provide "pro" tips.
:)
Dear Amelia,
DeleteYes, I've heard of these rumors but, as I said to Fiona we need to spread the word. Banning this book will only make people more uncomfortable with the issue and feel as though they cannot go to anyone to solve it. With books like these people can feel like they are not alone and help find strength in that. I hope you now understand my point of view.
Sasha
:)
Sasha:
ReplyDeleteGreat job! You chose such an interesting topic to write about, and a very controversial one. I agree with everything that you said about it, especially how it could help someone who has a similar situation. You used great detail from the book to support your ideas, and I love how you incorporated your opinion based on text evidence. I also agree that this book is in no way promoting cutting. The author makes it evident that it has very negative affects by showing how many problems Callie has, and how she is working hard to stop cutting herself, not continue it. How do you think we could spread the word to stop censoring books? How do you think these books make kids feel about serious issue like this? Great job!