Adults often wish to decide what media children should be allowed to view. One of the most popular forms of censorship has been, for ages, banning books that are deemed to be inappropriate for youths due to controversial subject matter. One of these books is Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street.
The novel was published in 1984 and is a coming of age story with autobiographical elements. It follows Esperanza, a Chicana teenager struggling with growing up in an impoverished neighborhood, and it gives the reader a glimpse into the ways in which the cross-section of race and poverty affect adolescents during the turbulent time of puberty and the navigation of young-adulthood. The choice to ban this book does a great disservice to other Latino youths who may be growing up in a similar situation, or to any youths living in a family faced with economic instability. Though it is likely that school boards who decided to ban this novel were doing so in protest of exposing young adults to the themes of sexuality and sexual assault rather than the issues of poverty and race, they still chose to take a book with a valuable perspective out of their libraries. Additionally, it is foolish to censor discussion of sexual assault among youth; creating a taboo around talking about something horrific encourages survivors of this type of behavior to keep silent about what they have gone through. Students who read The House on Mango Street may recognize the struggle Esperanza goes through when she is assaulted at the fair after being ditched by Sally and decide that it is time for them to come forward about their abuse. It could help someone struggling with how they come back from assault to find new ways to move forward. Just simply seeing the representation of something like this happening to another young adult could help inspire someone who is feeling alone. The House on Mango Street offers valuable perspectives that can be useful to any young adult, whether they are Latino or not, whether they have been sexually assaulted or not, whether they grew up impoverished or not; the novel helps to inform readers of experiences in certain parts of the population and being exposed to these experiences that may differ from their own can help make youths more compassionate and understanding of the issues of others.
1 Comment
Carly, I honestly had no clue that The House on Mango Street was a book under attack by the censorship crusade. I was initially surprised, though I suppose I really shouldn’t be when considering the honesty of the text, brutality of certain stories, and the earlier time period in which it was published. I completely agree that it is a huge disservice to remove this book from the hands of children who could receive a perspective that is grossly under-heard. I also agree wholeheartedly that the harsh realities of the world is not something to just shelter children from, particularly because the world happens to humans regardless of attempts to hide the reality of hardships and trauma. Children are more equipped in the safety of an academic environment to explore the world through various lenses and diverse perspectives, exposing these young souls to experiences they would otherwise not have access to. Even more importantly, the voices of children who belong to minority groups like the Latin American community can receive the representation they deserve. Cisneros’s novel is an important part of the literary community, showing the light as well as the darkness and carving a place for Latina Americans in the educational realm. It earned its spot in the classroom, on the bookshelves, and in the minds of reader; I for one am tired of the adults who don’t prioritize representation over discomfort. Discomfort is an unavoidable part of life, under-representation doesn’t have to be.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi, I'm Carly and I don't really know how to use this website. I'm a senior Classics major with a focus in Greek language. My opinions have opinions. Archives
April 2019
Categories |